I sold my boat in June and bought a pedal drive kayak. To me there are upsides to both. For instance, the boat I could go all over the lake several times, so if I wasn't catching fish, I just fired up and moved. The kayak on the other hand takes significantly more effort to move like that, so I end up fishing a spot much more thorough and end up catching fish I probably would've missed in the boat. I do miss the bass boat and hope to get another very soon, but I enjoy the kayak way more than I thought I ever could. River fishing would probably be my favorite thing about the kayak. The rivers we have out here, there isn't any bass boats going to be in there with you.

Brad: Yeah, I can't imagine moving from a boat to a cheap yak. It would be terrible. I also would encourage basically all serious fisherman to invest in a modern fishing kayak even if they are moving from bank fishing to kayak fishing. I upgraded to a Pescador Pro 12 from an OK Scrambler and I feel like I'm the richest man on the water when I'm fishing. Such a HUGE jump! I didn't realize how much time I spent fighting the wind and how uncomfortable I was until I made the switch. It's an amazing difference.

Bug-e I agree, had I started kayak fishing from a cheap yak I would have never gotten into it. My first and only kayak is my PA 12. I road one at a MS demo day and felt very safe in it. The only other kayak I had paddled was a cheap goof around one a friend has at his lake house and I almost turtled a dozen times.

Best boat is a friend�s boat. Of course, it�s in the shop or he�s fixing the trailer half the time, but that would be true if it�s your boat.

Boats pros: range, comfort, space, more wind and iffy weather resistant.
Boats cons: potential costs and likely maintenance issues.

Kayaks pros: costs, simplicity, durability, potential stealth, and ability to get into cover or real skinny water.
Kayaks cons: comfort, wind and weather restrictions, lack of range and speed.

I like fishing out of a boat on a lake while standing and moving around the structure with a troll motor.
I like fishing the marsh and shallow bays while standing in stable kayak slowly creeping around scouting for fish.
I don�t like sitting while fishing from either platform

I had an 18 foot aluminum and a 21.5 foot glass boat, sold them both and switched to the kayak. Better exercise and I became better at dissecting a spot and pulling fish I would have left with the boat. Don't have to have a big vehicle to tow the boat and can afford longer and more diverse trips on the same budget. Do I miss the boat, some days I do but I still can catch fish with the kayak. The big keys are I can launch the kayak when the drought is keeping boats off the water and I don't have the gas and maintenance to deal with. I don't have to have a special configuration to put the boat in salt water and there is nowhere I can't go with it. Only you can decide what is right for what you want to do but if I ever own a boat again it will not be a bass boat...

Good luck finding YOUR sweet spot!

I just bought me a PA14 a couple months ago. There are some Pros and Cons of course.

I have only fished out of the kayak a few times, but I'll tell you its definitely a different experience. If you don't get a pedal drive kayak, if bass fishing, you'll be floating off from the location of where you are wanting to fish. Must get anchor or etc. If you just have a paddle to stir you, you'll constantly be paddling to keep boat position. I got the anchor wizard to help anchor me for all situations.

You must also think about more physical exertion on your body. Lifting and taking down the kayak from trailer or bed of truck. Some kayaks are lighter than others but it's still strain on your body. If you don't have a cart to pull your kayak, you'll be lifting it with a partner. Even using the scupper hole carts you have to tilt over your kayak when going to the water and then again when pulling it to your truck. Taking off and putting back on your fishing tackle is another thing you'll have to do over and over every time you go fishing with scupper hole carts. Boonedox landing gear is the way to go but its more expensive than the rest.

You must also think about what part of the lake you want to focus on fishing since you don't have the outboard to haul [censored] and get to where you want. Wind mph will play a factor if you should take the kayak out or not. Don't get a real cheap kayak. The cheaper ones are real tipsy and you'll have more of a chance of flipping it over. If this happens think about rods or tackle you may lose if it happens.

Good summary, KingFish1183.

A pedal kayak "can" be more conducive to holding water . . . but just in certain conditions. In others, paddles work every bit as well, in some cases, better.

One "proof" of this is look at who is the best kayak angler in Texas: Guillermo Gonzalez. He fishes out of a paddle kayak, a Diablo. And, if you just generally look at the leader board, there doesn't seem to be a decisive edge to pedalers.

For sure, though, and you are right on track with a good anchoring system like the Anchor Wizard. If you do find yourself planning to be stationary for a while, being able to quickly pin yourself with an anchor or even a stake pole is a very big deal. Else, you float off.

*** One other new offering a few months away that will bridge the gap between a boat and a kayak is this new Blue Sky Boatworks with a catamaran arrangement. I think it is supposed to come in around the same price as the PA 12s and 14s, in that range. I've heard it is fast; if so, it'll attract some buyers I think.

Brad

That blue sky pontoon is badass but 120 lbs is too much for me to load/unload in my 4x4 truck and haul up the hill after a full day of fishing.

It very well could be too heavy. On its positive list of accessories, though, it has built-in wheels that flip up and down. No need to buy anything to pull it around.

And, it was designed, width-wise, to fit in the back of a truck bed. For someone without a truck, apparently the two outriggers comprising the "catamaran" form can be broken down into separate pieces. Hmm? It might possibly be carted to the water with different options in this case including car topping the long pieces.

I really want to see it. I think it will fill a niche.

I believe I heard that it pedals up to 8 mph. If so, it'll attract some attention. And, there will be power options, too.

Not really a kayak, per se, more like the little plastic bass boats that are popular.

Brad

LMAO! Guillermo could fish out of a Pelican and beat most people in a bass fishing tournament so really not much of an endorsement for paddle vs pedal and, for the average fisherman, hands free fishing is an absolute advantage and a no brainer for tournament fishing. I just looked at the KATS Angler of the Year standings for 2017 and 6 of the top 10 were in Hobie pedal kayaks...might be a 7th guy too but I don't remember what kind of kayak he fishes out of. In addition, two previous Anglers of the Year who used to fish out of paddle kayaks switched last year to pedal kayaks. I don't know if you've ever fished a KATS events...but there are now as many pedal kayaks as paddle kayaks which wasn't the case when KATS started 11 years ago.

Agreed on Gonzalez that he could fish out of almost any kayak and win, place or do very well. BUT, those were his sentiments regarding what he needs to excel in kayak fishing tournaments, not just mine. Guillermo's current Diablo is for sale, if it isn't already gone. Like someone said, buying his would be like buying a kayak with tons of mojo.

For Guillermo, he says it is about standing with absolute confidence. He also fishes deep more than most, as I recall. He could likely do all he is doing now from a PA 14, for sure, as they are also very stable, good for deeper water.

He is getting another Diablo, just upgrading to a newer model year/model.

For certain, in KATS and others, there will be more and more pedal kayaks each year. So, it reasons that we will see more and more in the top 10 each year in pedalers. For larger lakes where an angler might need to cover more water to get to remote fishing spots, that's additional time to hang a hook over the side.

Brad

I sold my Sea Champ last summer and bought these for the wife and I. I have fished and caught more in 2 months in these than the previous 2 years out of an outboard.