TFF Brethren,

I'm having fun bank fishing so far ... but a trip to Lake Ray Roberts last weekend made me seriously wish I had a boat. I found a nice little trash-free, grassy knoll to cast from ... but all around me were these really fishy looking spots out on the water in every direction that I could only look at from my patch on the shore.

I've done a lot of research into kayaks - I know I want one. The question is, do I want a SOT that I can fish from sitting down, or do I want more of a hybrid design that will allow for stand up casting...

The pros and cons I can factor are this - SOTs are marginally lighter, slightly better suited for open water (self-bailing) and a lot less expensive.

Hybrid Designs like the Native Ultimate and similar, are heavier and more expensive ... but you can stand up in them, which is kind of a cool trick.

What do you guys think? Is standing from a craft the end all and be all? How much of a PITA is it to cast from a SOT sitting? Can I just paddle out on lakes and hop out from time to time and wade (and cast standing?)

Please enlighten me with your superior kayak fly angling knowledge.

Later,

J.

The only real acid test is floating and paddling it yourself. But as far as standing up goes, that is not really what kayaks are all about in my book anyway. A jonboat or some other type of boat would work better.

Casting out for kayak is not that hard at all.

It is probably easier to learn to sit and cast than it is to stand in a kayak.



That said, if the money is possible, look at the Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks, casting requires hands, it is nice to have them empty.

Just to muddle the mix...
http://www.nucanoe.com

my Native Magic 14.5(basicly a self bailing shallow canoe)is a breeze to fly-fish from...only because I can stand in it(waltz if need presented itself) but my Ascend fs12t angler doesnt do as well. Its all about your needs, if you might go in the rain or surf get something selfbailing-do all types of fishing...get one with a removable rodholder out front(center console between legs)...only flyfishing? then you might want no rod holder out front. That way you can use that space as your stripping basket. wading is great with any kayak, cause you can climb in and go across the cove where you keep seeing monsters breaking the surface.

It's a pain in my opinion. By the time you get some line out you have to stop false casting to reposition the boat. Once you make your cast, hurry up and get your line in to reposition the boat. Not to mention the pile of line sitting in your lap getting tangled on everything, the tip of your rod poking out over the sides waiting to be snapped by an errant branch or bump with the bank.

For fly fishing, my kayak gets me to hard to reach shores. For serious fishing, I use a spinning rod from the kayak.

That can all be fixed
Fly fishing boats
Gonna get some haters on this one but if you want to fish hands free(and paddle free if you moto it) this is THE BEST BOAT.

derik d has got the right idea, no good in the wind...but neither is flyfishing...

I agree with Brushiphile. Fly casting from a kayak in the seated position sucks.
You certainly get better at it with practice, but in the long run, you really need to either stand up or swivel around where you are seated.

I like the idea of a toon or jon boat.
Both are easy to manage without a trailer. Inexpensive. Can be paddled (short distances) or used with a motor (long distances) and they eliminate the headaches associated with casting from a kayak.

As far as kayaks go though, I�d get a Freedom Hawk, an Ultimate, or a Commander.
You can stand in the three above. Each can easily accept a trolling motor for long trips. They can be bought for less than $1k.

i've been pretty happy with my native ultimate, you may want to look at em

If you aren't looking to traverse big lakes, the good old belly boat (float tube) serves as a good fly fishing platform.* You're standing**, have hands free navigation, and it's lightweight and compact. Almost seems to have been made for flyfishing.***

* Not recommended for use in gator infested waters.
** Half your body is underwater, but you are standing.
*** OK, so it really IS made for flyfishing.

ahem

Short of one of these I too recommend the float tube. Mine's a bit more of a sit-up than a traditional stick-your-legs-through-the-hole jobber. Very comfortable, definitely hands-free, and good exercise especially on windy days.

Those, by the way, are only the days that end in "Y" here in TX.

I knew I could telepathically make JM post about a Gheenoe in this thread. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

By the way, here is one not too far from Tyler in Arp.
http://easttexas.craigslist.org/boa/1831249960.html

As you can see, there are a wide variety of choices as well as strong opinions on what works best.

If you can swing a test drive in a kayak that would be ideal. Give you some idea of what it's about. A float tube is a minimal investment that will get you out and floating while you get your kayak shopping on!

I will second the Native Ultimate! Very easy to stand in and cast from.