I'm taking a guess that someone here fishing on a kayak. I'm just wondering how steady they are. Let's say I go out on Stillhouse/Belton Lake and a 18' Mercury boat passes by me, will I get flipped? Do you guys enjoy fishing off kayaks rather than boats?

they are all about balance. If you're clumbsy, you're getting wet. period. and if you turn and face the wake, that might not be problematic, but it will carry you with it..

Kayak or Canoe? Which is better.

Yes some are steady some are not. You can always add a stabilizer if you're worried. I like the Hobies: Revolution, Outback, etc.. but you can probably fit in a Hobie Sport well enough. They also have a Mirage Drive so you can paddle or peddle (like a peddle boat). Come to think of it you can add sails to them too. Good Stuff.

I've been in canoes and in/on kayaks, I prefer a Sit On Top (SOT) kayak.

Yep, as a start I'm probably going to get 2 kayaks with stabilizers. Saves us the cost of the motor, registration fee, and high end repairs. Didn't know there such things as stabilizers, thanks man. Is it possible to get a trolling motor on a kayak? My brother got blown up in Iraq and can't due physical activity because the inside of his lungs are burnt.

Any idea what the cost of 2 kayaks will be? Both with stabilizers and one with a trolling motor if possibe? (USED)

I think a lot of people perfer the Sit-On-Top(SOT) kayak for fishing. The Sit-Inside-Kayak(SIK) if small limmits tackle and if large is influenced more by the wind than the SOTs. A long narrow yak is fast. A wide shorter yak is slower and usually more stable. Yaks have an initial stability and a secondary stability. You want a yak that will handle your body weight plus gear and still leave a few pounds shy of full capacity. There are several new models that have motors. If you are primeraly fishing lakes you will probaly be happier with a least a 14 foot yak. If you fish the coast you what a yak with a hull shape or rocker that will handle the surf. Good yaks new are in the $800 t0 $1200 range. With a motor you will be looking at $1400 t0 $2400. Most motored yaks sugest a rudder wich is about another $200 to $400. Used yaks are usually about 60% to 80% off new prices. Try to paddle before you buy, they all have their own personallity. Never paddle with out a PFD $80-$100 and a good paddle (~$100). You can easily spend another $1000 on kayak toys. Rod racks, stake out poles, anchors, drift chutes, wet water entry, knives, bogas, seats, carts, lights, carry racks, etc.

Thanks.

+2 on the PFD, don't overload, go with someonene or have a float plan that someone else knows of.

Don't worry too much about the price and keep an eye out for a good used yak on Craigslist.

Don't go fishing your first time out, either! Get to know the kayak, how to paddle, handle it, etc. before loading anything that you don't want to lose.

I might be 16, but I'm not that dumb!

I saw a tandem kayak out on the Intercoastal a couple of weeks back. They seemed to do "ok" when we went by in a 65' vessel. Of course some models are more stable than others.

I think the law states that you must has a whistle along with your lifejacket while in a kayak.

Secure everything you can to the kayak. There are nets with leashes, paddle leashes, along with leashes for "stuff". Think that you will flip the thing sooner or later, so tie most of your stuff off.

Which brings me to this. Take it somewhere and flip it, in a safe location (or with someone close by with a boat/close to a dock). Then see what it takes to get back in. Better to do that in a controlled enviroment, than when you are in a bad situation.

Some of the kayak stores have places to try a few out. Also there are demo days where you can go and try a whole bunch of them out. Heck I think I tried like 8 of them out in one day. This included the Hobie's with the mirage drive, and the Ocean Kayak Torque (the one with the Minn Kota trolling motor installed). As noted in other threads the Hobie would not need registration numbers, but the Ocean Kayak Torque would.

There is a forum called Texas Kayak Fisherman (I think is it). Hunt that one down for a load of Kayak info.

Hobie Mirage is foot operated drive. It seemed to work real good when I tried one. I really enjoyed powering the Hobie's that I tried out. Native Watercraft has one that is also foot powered (but more like pedalling a bicycle), although I did not care for it, and I am a cyclist. On both of these, you can remove the drive mechanism and paddle normally. I believe neither of these would need registration numbers.

Can your brother operate the foot drive? If not then the Ocean Kayak may be the answer.

Ocean Kayak has the Torque model. This one has a Minn Kota trolling motor mounted as part of the package. It did have reverse unlike the Hobie Miriage drive. This one would need registration numbers.

There are aftermarket kits to mount a trolling motor on the back of a kayak. Don't know how well those work. That Ocean Kayak was pretty slick. Steering was done with your feet, and the drive speed is set by a dial between your legs.

Again, search for Texas Kayak Fisherman for more info

He can do foot drive, but not for very long distances. Thanks everyone.

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/
lots of info on kayak fishing