What is that fastest paddle fishing kayak with decent stability?

What is the fastest, car with the most cubic feet of storage and can tow a house up a steep hill and gets 40 mpg for gas mileage?

It's all about trade offs. Note: there is NO perfect kayak for every application.

Think about what type of water you fish the most or want to fish the most and get the boat for that. If you want to fish the salt and paddle way, way or there to fish - there are some proven designs like a Jackson Kraken or Wilderness Thresher / Tarpon.

If you want a pier to stand up and fish off of a Jackson Mayfly or Big Rig.

If you want speed and great mobility and want to stand and fish often without regards to cost a Hobie PA 14 is pretty sweet.

Go test paddle and then test paddle and then test paddle some more. Have fun picking a boat - remember it's NOT a race. Have fun coming up with the perfect boat for you.

Viking Profish Reload gets my vote.

I was living in south florida when the first Kaskazi, Dorado from South Africa, made it to the U.S. My fishing bud, Dr Hammer bought the first one. He bragged about it non stop for years and was probably more responsible for it being the most talked about fishing kayak online for years. Most of my kayak buds all ended up with one soon after. At 15' 8" in length and 24.75 inch beam, there was no other fishing kayak that matched the numbers for "speed". It was made of fiberglass, customized colors, and could be ordered in kevlar if you wanted to reduce its weight from 64 lbs down to the mid to high 50s and up the price to over $3000. I was jealous at first, as it was the most beautiful kayak I'd ever seen to this day. On the other hand, none of my friends, some 10 years younger, ever beat me in a race against my shorter, wider, Perception Illusion... so help me God.

Not only could they not keep up, they always stayed away from the oyster bars, mangrove roots, and anything else that might nick the fiberglass off their beautiful kayaks. They wouldn't paddle where the fish were inshore. For offshore that kayak was a winner. It did paddle great but the cockpit was the most uncomfortable kayak I had ever been in. It was like wearing a strait jacket. You were locked into place with no wiggle room whatsoever. I couldn't imagine being in that thing for 12 straight hours, my normal fishing day back then. Later on they did make a Dorado II, with longer and wider cockpit as many others who later tried it all agreed with me that it was too tight a fit. Just goes to show that speed (ease of paddling, glide) wasn't everything to me or most people for that matter. For me, comfort and use in different type environments was most important. I cringed every time I heard my buddies fiberglass scrape on oyster bars. For me, plastic was the best material ever made for taking abuse.

With that in mind, the most responsive kayak in plastic, at my weight of around 165 + 20 lbs of gear, there were several I really liked... #1 The RTM Disco, from France, 26 inch beam, 15' in length, and only 51 lbs 2. Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro, 26 inch beam, and 15' length and around 55 lbs (I hate molded in footpegs), and my choice for fishing different waters.. Perception Illusion, 14'9" length and 26.75 beam and 62 lbs. Perception plastic was the best to me, just a different sound and feel to it.

http://venturesport.com/specialty-kayaks/kaskazi-kayaks/kaskazi-dorado-ii/

RTM Disco below:


And the winner is...
Perception Illusion

Mine..

Stability, how, speed and stability dont usually mix. From the seated position, any of the stealth fishas and pro fishas, viking reload, 440, and 400, hobie revos(longer ones), the longer tridents, longer tarpons...
I have had 3 viking reloads, standing is possible but not super easy, i currently own both the viking 440 and 400, the 440 isnt lightning fast but still faster than most and i do stand in that all the time, the viking 400 is very quick, standing can be done but again not easy. I also have a stealth fisha 500, standing is impossible it feels stable seated but thats it but going faster than any other kayak is easy as pie. I love the fast yaks.

That dorado looks just like my stealth. There is no seat, its 27" wide and 16'4" long and like 50lbs

You must define "decent stability". I have a Native Ultimate Tandem 14.5 and a Viking Profish Reload, they are decently fast and stable and I've never turtled in them. Last year I was with 2 other people, we went down a sharp bend in the river, fast water with a lot of boulders. The other kayakers were more experienced than me and were in a Tarpon 120 and a long kayak like a Perception Expression. We all hit a submerged tree, the other two kayaks flipped, my Native leaned over and took on some water but did not flip. I also don't stand up to fish.

Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 and 160. Can't speak for the others but these two get my vote!

I like the 140, still one of my favorite all around kayaks. The 160 was a big guys speed kayak and probably the most popular offshore fishing kayak in Florida and Texas for many years.

I too have a fever for fast sit on top kayaks that's the rig-able for fishing. I love efficient paddling.

I assume OP is talking about sit on tops- There are people fishing with sit-ins but I think for most fishermen sit on tops are the choice of kayak.

With that said, I believe Kaskazi Skua is probably one of the fastest SOT that's fishable: 22.8 inch X 17.3 feet, 50.7 lb (fiberglass)
The stability is dependent on paddler's weight and height.

But at 22.8 inches with practice and experience it should be plenty stable for fishing for most. Moreover it has two large hatches that can accommodate all the tackle you want to bring.

Yup the Stealth fishing skis are up there among the very best FAST fishing kayaks.

Hard to pee from though. Hahaha