I'm not a kayaker and the draw to compete is kind of behind me, but I'm curious about something. If you allow trolling motors in a kayak tournament, what separates a kayak from a bassbuster type boat. Kayaks are starting to have raised seats and the distinction between them (in my mind) is becoming smaller. So what would keep a guy in a boat like mine from competing?

Here are pics as an example.... The second shows how the trolling motors are tucked up in the hull. It can draft as shallow as a kayak but probably isn't as fast. Would a guy in one of these who showed up with a paddle be considered eligible?

(And that's the creator of the boat, not me)

I don't see why not and it looks like it would be pretty fast. When some of the new and improved fishing yaks came out recently I joked that I was holding out for the 18' version with a fishing deck and live wells. Yes that line is starting to blurr

That's what I'm thinking. This thing is 10 foot long. So are some kayaks. It's roto molded and constructed,like a kayak. It has raised seats as some kayaks now offer. If you just read the rules of a tournament I would think someone might have a hard time saying this doesn't qualify.

And by the way, I have learned tons of rigging ideas from you guys here and most of the things I have planned for this boat have come right from these pages.

"human powered" is the difference. Yes manufacturers are making "kayaks" (they're not) with trolling motors. I doubt they will ever be accepted in most major kayak tournaments. Your boat is sweet but it is a john boat, if you want to paddle it, then game on

The key is "human powered!"
If there is a kayak tournament that allowed trolling motors, and I could see this a possibility then they would have to allow a pond boat and any boat as long as it was powered only with the trolling motor.
In that scenerio even the bass boat guys could fish, just don't start up the big motor.
Here is an excellent write up by one of our own on the subject!
http://www.paynespaddlefish.com/2014/09/should-trolling-motors-be-allowed-in.html

Well the kayak tournament on Fork posted on this page brought this to mind. In it they said they allow trolling motor and pedal powered kayaks.


Rather than derail that thread I thought I'd make a new post. The human powered definition makes sense but once you guys allow torqueedos or other trolling motors it opens up a lot of gray area I think.

I guess that is where freedom of choice comes in. If you go into a tournament knowing this and plop down your entry fee, then you live with the results is the way I see it.

If one thinks a pedal "kayak" does not have an advantage over a paddled kayak then you are just kidding yourself...try them both and you'll see. Why do most kayak tourney anglers opt for the pedal boat? because there is an advantage. Now strap a TM to a $500 kayak and that advantage goes away...doesn't set well with the crowd that just dropped 3-4K on a small plastic boat would it? I agree with Jimbo that one should read the rules and make thier own personal choices.
I certainly hope tourney directors of all these Kayak fishing tourney events can make better choices that even the field of play instead of widening it. IMHO, a strong kayak fishing event should have catagories of varying skill, equiptment used, and age/experience of the competitor. Pre fish times should end several days prior to the start of a tournament. Also, the current CPR system is great for inexpensive , fun tourneys but has no business being used in tourneys that pay any significant amount of money. There is just too many flaws such as stashing fish, re-catching fish for photos, photo chopping, etc, etc.

Every kayak or kayak hybrid has it's advantages and drawbacks. There is no need to list them all, the line seems to firmly be drawn in the sand at Human Powered. If Slayers and Hobies held that much of an advantage over every other kayak that's all you'd see winning events. I think some of the top kayak anglers in the state use paddle yaks (Steve G, Bobby L, Brandon C, Guillermo G)

Winning tournaments and doing well comes down to an anglers abilities, whit, instincts, game-plan when it's a human powered event.

Once you allow electric power it's just a john boat tournament

Matt your list of great paddle kayak fishermen is a good one. I think everyone knows that if those guys had pedal power they'd be even more dominant. The question is, would the guys who've only done well with a pedal drive be able to duplicate that success in a paddle yak? Not trying to start a brouhaha but well we've never really seen that now have we ;-)?

And responding to the OP... I just can't see how you're gonna disqualify that little bassbuster with a TM if you're allowing, say, a nucanoe with a TM...

Here's the thing though. If someone wins that fork tourney in a paddle yak then all bets are off I guess. I mean the pedal guys have been citing the examples of Steve G, Guillermo G, and Brandon C as proof that pedal power isn't a distinct advantage. Maybe the TM guys will have someone they can point to themselves?;-)

Hooked on Kayaks, interested in hearing your ideas for something other then CPR tourneys. Not to many other options that I could think of.

Pretty sure Steve and Bobby are pro staff on brands that don't have pedal kayaks. Besides, those 2 could catch fish standing on a log.

For kayak fishing tourneys to grow into any kind of big money/spectator sport, live weigh-in must be done, either at the end game or on the water. Use of catch boats or contestants paired with a judges using verified scales may work. With advent of drones, something good may happen there. I was always in favor of an immediate upload of photos using cell phone cameras so a leader board could be used thus increasing spectator interest.
Currently, I would recommend displaying the time caught in the photos is something that should be done immediately in all CPR tourneys as a secondary means of ID. Also, writing on the hand should be disallowed...some sort of special ID system should be used that is issued at the captains meeting on the day of the event....something dang near impossible to photoshop

Speaking of spectator sport!
I used to fish club bass tournaments years back and it was exciting to see guys bring in their catch and a lot of people gathered around (even non members) to watch.
I hung around (didn't participate) a kayak tournament weighin (check in) and it was the most boring thing I ever witnessed, and I didn't even stick around to watch who won.
The only folks getting a thrill from it would be the contestants and even then, those would only be the leaders.

I don't know how you would possibly keep 3-5 fish alive on a kayak? Guys in boats with aerators specially designed for this have trouble, and you'd like to implement it into kayak tournaments? I personally think live weigh-ins are just as boring. Anyone who has ever seen 100s of floating bass after a PB tournament like I have would think this is damn near impossible. If that is the style tournament some guys want, then go fish a PB trail, not a kayak tournament.

I believe the system isn't broke, I don't believe cheating is rampant. I'm all for evolving the sport for the better but at a certain point I think it's just too much for a kayak formatted event.