My wife said my budgets around 550. Have been looking for awhile. The perception sport 12 pescador seems to be a decent craft. Also lookin at the scramblerxt and the basspro ascend fs12t. I mostly surf fish and would use it to run baits but would also like to go btb under decent conditions. Also using on the flats and lakes. Just wondering some honest opinions and recommendations. I know a lot of people wouldn't go btb in any of those but growing up iin florida we used to take sups out there and fish when the weather was right so I imagine one of these would fit the bill. Much appreciated!

I have the ascend, I would not take it BTB. I have been out on a big lake with it in windy conditions and felt like I was out to sea. It stayed afloat, but I was soaked. A good kayak, but if I fished btb I would want something a little more dry.

That said, I had waves coming over it and it never sunk LOL. I am real happy with the Ascend. Just not sure about recommending it for btb.

Out of those three I would get the scramblerxt. Ocean kayaks makes nice yaks, I have the prowler 11T and love it. jmo

Scrambler XT

If BTB is what you're gonna be doing most of the time, you might consider some other yaks like the cobra fish and dive or malibu x factor. Might have to save a little more or find one used. I'd ask around at TKF on the Beyond The Breakers Forum over there.

i have a mini x on classifieds if your interested.very popular yak.

The scrambled is excellent for getting through the surf and rough conditions. It's main drawback is a lack of space. The seat area is very narrow and if you have a lot of junk in the trunk, it can get uncomfortable on a long paddle. Not the best choice for saltwater flats as it gets some bad hull slap. If your main goal is paddling out baits at the beach, the scrambled would be a great choice.

As for the yaks them selves, I have no experience with any of them. As for saltwater fishing, I live in between Houston and Galveston so thats where I fish, all of those kayaks are better than my pelican castaway and it does just fine for me in the bays. As for BtB make sure its a calm and makes sure you wind and / or current will be helping you coming back inshore, you will be worn out and the last thing you need is to have to fight them on the way back in. I would recommend you look on craigslist and check the classifieds here and on TKF (www.texaskayakfisherman.com) for used kayaks. Kayaks never really wear out so a used one is just as good as a new one just so long as it has not been punctured at any point. You will get a lot better kayak for the price, for $550 you can get a $800ish kayak if its used, also if you buy used you can get get all your money back when you sell it, whether you dont like it or to upgrade later) I would recommend one of the big boy kayaks, there are a few that are reasonably priced. I got my fiance a WS Ride 135 for $540. Retail new is about $900. Its got the size you want for storage and has a 35" wide beam, I can stand up and paddle / cast from a standing position in it just fine, very stable. The other recommendation is the Cobra Fish N' Dive, its a shorter yak but has a really wide beam and is rated at like 600 or 700 pounds max load, which is crazy for a yak that size. Its the most stable and build for, as it says fishing and diving, makes deep water reentry much more feasible. There are a ton of kayaks out there, I would look for used. As for flats fishing, any kayak will do, so I would look for the BtB ones.

better not let her read that Kinda like telling her she should wear sweat pants because there is more growing room in them

She wanted it because she is scared of falling into the water and getting eaten by sharks, which is silly, but it is what it is. She is only like 120lbs and can walk around on it, stand one the side wall, even can walk to the front and hang ten, all without capsizing, the hang ten makes the back end come out of the water a good foot, but still enough to stay afloat lol.
And I got it for her so I can use it when she doesnt come, MUAHAHA

good thinking

Well done!

For bait running, the Scrambler XT would probably be the best because it was designed for the surf, so it has an upswept bow. This allows it to ride up over the waves instead of pierce them. This also makes it much easier to surf on the way back to shore. The Pescador 12 is an '08 model Tarpon 120, which was designed for speed. It has a sharp bow, which tends to pierce the waves rather than ride over them. The Ascend stakes out the middle ground in between.

For BTB, all 3 fall short because of their 12 foot length. More length not only = speed, but also more capacity. This is essential for when you're hauling 30lbs of gear out in 15 foot swells, 3 miles from shore, while trying to avoid oil rig pylons. Most BTB paddlers are using 14 footers, if not 15 or 16 footers.

But back to your choice of yaks, make sure you demo them. If you can't demo them, by all means at least sit in them. The Scrambler XT has a small butt pan as it was designed by a 145lb man named Tim Niemier. Usually, people much larger than 200lbs literally don't fit in the seat of the XT. Even if you can squeeze into the seat, think about how you're going to feel after 2 hours of paddling. OK made a version of the Scrambler called an XL, which did come with a much larger butt pan, but it is a retired model, so it may be hard to come by.

Hope this helps.

I just thought he was some kind of sadist.

I've found some decent online deals and seems like I can afford a malibu minix. I know for being a shorter yak it won't track amazing but being able to handle 325lbs and able to take large wakes and waves due to the rocker I think this will work for me. I'm pretty sure I can use to to take out to the rigs off pins and mustang in decent weather and it will be perfect for running baits and flats fishing. Thanks all for the quick responses!