Hello all. I found a kayak on line that I could not pass up for the price. It is a Pelican 100 I believe. Not ideal for fishing but not horrible either. I found it a little unstable for fishing out of. As a matter of fact the first time I took it out I rolled it - in about 40 feet of water I might add. Anyway I was wondering do most of you actually fish from the yak itself or do you just use the yak to get somewhere and wade? Also is there anything I can do to help stabilize it a bit- maybe put some buoy bags on either side? Thanks and please forgive my ignorance.

First, yes, I fish out of mine 99% of the time. Seems like every time I go wade fishing I wish I had my yak.

Second, if it is a rounded shaped hull, anything you can to to aid in stabilization would probably be a plus, but will probably slow you down a bit.

Third, in my opinion, the only difference between a yakker that has not rolled his boat and one that has.....is time.

Hey man...I had two of those before I got my Ocean Kayak and I' was the same way. I'm a big guy so I always thought I was going to roll it. I never did it but go through this kayak part of this forum and see some of the "out riggers" that people have done. They are very crafty and some look inexpensive too.

like this one... http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ckl#Post4313879

Stabalizer bar is the way to go. If your a big guy you could also add two of those on top of each other for extra weight, but i would make them set up to barely touch the water to reduce drag they would create. They would be on there to be sure it doesnt roll not to prevent it from tipping at all to side to side.

In a fix you can tape an empty 2 liter bottle on either side just aft of your hips.

This is hard to say without sounding like a smart arse, but you really need to sell it and get yourself a more stable kayak. Like said above sooner or later you will turtle, but if you have a stable kayak that will be few and far between and only because you pushed the limit and were asking for it.

For a fishing kayak you need one that has good primary stability when sitting flat in the water, and one that also has good secondary stability when you start to get a little over exuberant when reaching around for rods and reels and things while fishing. The secondary stability is when you lean too far over and the kayak tips but kind of hits a wall and doesn't go completely over unless you just continue on and don't pay attention to the kayak telling you you've reached the limit. Some kayaks have only primary stability and if you tip too far when you reach the point of no return, you end up in the water, as you or either on it, or off it!

I've got an Ocean Kayak Caper, and it's ideal for fishing and stable enough to reach around and even sit sideways while casting, and I feel completly confident that I'm not going to tip.

There are a lot of stable kayaks for bigger guys, and before you get turned off by a tippy one, you might try out a few by going to some of those demo days that the kayak shops put on regularly.

Kokomo Kayaks and Southwest Paddle Sports in San Antonio, and Austin Kayaks in San Marcos have demo's you can rent and try out.

http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/information/kayak_design/kayak_stability

I had the same problem with stability as you are having. Once I found the right yak I have been able to move all around in it without feeling like it is going to flip. Go demo some at upcoming demo events.

No Jimbo that was some very helpful info. You didn't come off "arsey" at all. Thanks.