For the most part I have been a bank fisher but have had little success in that area along Lake Conroe and some others. I started looking into perhaps getting a kayak to get into the deeper water and areas further away from the docks and shoreline I generally traverse. Are there any recommendations for a good basic introductory kayak? Things to look for and to avoid? Recommendations for shops? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Way too many questions you have not provided answers to yet. First suggestion would be to review the 2 threads that are pinned here in the kayak section. 95% of your questions will be answered there. Otherwise you will get 100 questions just in this thread.

What is your budget?
How tall are you? How heavy?
What bodies of water will you be fishing?
Peddle or Paddle? (This will depend on your budget too)
Etc, etc, etc.

Lastly, look for someone nearby that has demo kayaks. See if you can take a few kayaks out for a "test drive". Don't invest in something you haven't paddled yet. This could lead you to regretting your purchase or the sport. If nobody has demo days in your area, search Facebook for kayak clubs in your area. Many of the anglers you meet on there will allow you to paddle their ride for possibly an afternoon.

You can rent kayaks at Stow A Way on Lake Conroe. As already mentioned, you should rent before you buy because every kayak is different. For years, I used a tandem tarpon and it worked for me as I also fish out of a boat. I just bought a used Cuda 12, and this will be my fishing kayak. Good luck and do your research.