My Dad recently purchased me a nice 12' Ascend Angler Kayak. He asked me if it would be alright as part of my upcoming birthday gift(s) and I assuredly said "yes." It's gonna be a great exercise tool too beyond just seeing nature and catching fish all the time, so I'm really looking forward to it all!

As well as finally owning my own Kayak to fish on, I've also become more and more interested in crab trapping. I've seen some videos of people pulling up their crab pots from Kayaks and would love to experience that beauty of nature myself soon enough. Anybody else try trapping with their Kayaks yet and, if so, do you have any tips, pics or stories about it all? I'd love to see what ya got. Thanks.

After reading thru all the Rookie post you hopefully have gained enough knowledge to know what to look for in a Fishing Kayak.



So what kayaks should you demo 1st?

CLICK HERE - Article on top 10 Angler Kayaks


Remember each of these also has there own + & -
Paddling as many as you can side by side.
You can demo a new kayak and buy a lightly used 1 for less.

Thoughts from any SEASONED yakers?

Alrighty then. Suit yourself with the thread. I was only trying to help and bring some "excitement" to it.

Now I know what a "sink" is......haw haw

Try, try, try BEFORE you buy. The two best peaces of advice I can give is to try out diffrent kayaks before you decide on which one is right for you. Go out with friends, or go to your local kayak shop and let them take you out and try a few kayaks BEFORE you buy. I studied and studied on kayaks when I bought the first one. I thought I had done my homework well and went out and bought a kayak.
A month or so later I had it up for sale be cause I didn't TRY IT BEFORE I BOUGHT IT. Be patent, go demo a few kayaks first. Compare the different models side by side. Then and only then put you hard earned money one the counter to purchase you first kayak.

The second thing is to get hooked up with a experanced kayaker, or group of Kayakers in your area. Let the first few times out be with people that are willing to get you started off on the right foot.

Note: If anyone is getting started in kayaking and needs someone to go out with them the first couple times I'm happy to be there for you. I live up by Ray Roberts but can meet down around Lewisville or Grapevine. It's not hard getting started but to have someone there to give a couple timely pointers helps.
Shaun

Just took out my new vapor 10. Great kayak. It tracks good, fast, comfortable. My kid loved it too. With the large cockpit we both had a good ride. Totally dry inside the boat. Stable enough to feel good about. All around great kayak and right now it is 100 dollars of at academy thru Saturday.

I agree totally. Drunks in big boats crash into other big boats all the time so any help being seen the better. They should start making more life jackets in bright orange etc too IMO.

I agree with all who say try before you buy. But after watching videos on the new WS Ride 115 I may buy before I try.

Whats the general opinion on Old Town kayaks? Academy has a 10ft vapor angler on sale near me for $279. Just going to be used for small ponds.

old town has been building some quality canoes & other small water craft for many yrs. IMO for small tanks n ponds the vapor is OK. Just know what its limitations are concerning weight capacity. Sit In Kayaks can certainly be nice in the winter time when the water is cold but R harder to get in n out of especially if you turtle (Dump Over) on the water. If the water is cold (Below 60*). SOTs (Sit On Tops) are easier & just make more sense the other 8-9 months out of the yr.

I finally had the opportunity to paddle the Ride 115 for a few minutes after a customer demo last Saturday morning. BTW the customer followed me to the store afterwards and purchased the same Ride that she demoed. This amazing little 11' 6" yak is rated for a 500# payload. It carried me as if I wasn't even there. That little Ride has excellent performance while still having the maneuverable characteristics of a shorter boat. Another neat point...the customer had never paddled a yak before but was out in the lake standing up and comfortably bouncing back and forth in less than 30 minutes from the first splash. Her boyfriend was so impressed that he ordered a Camo Ride 135 yesterday.

Wilderness Systems has done a great job with the re-do of the Ride 135 as well as the introduction of the new Ride 115. Most of you probably know but the redesign of the Ride 135's hull increased the payload from 400# to 550#, kept the superior stability, PLUS added an extreme increase to the yaks performance.

Upcoming events to try a Ride will be on the 10th at Fly Fish Texas at Athens, the TFF Spring GTG, Thursday afternoons and several Saturday mornings at White Rock Lake. Call me for details.

I agree with others who say, there is no single best Yak. May be why many have a fleet of them? My little Tarpon 100 is a great yak for a light weight, throw in the back of the truck & go out for a few hours after work or on the weekend. May not be good for long distance or speed, but finding a place to unload that's not too far to the fishing hole is usually not a problem. Nice size for kids to have fun on too. Paddle before you buy is sound advice but if I had the money right now I'd go buy a Coosa without trying one out. I already know from not paddling one it's not a speed demon, can be a bugger in heavy wind, mostly designed for river fishing, seat to die for etc. etc. If I had lots of money I'd buy a ride 115 without trying it out also. That's just me tho. New to kayaking folks should study as much as possible to figure out what will be best for their needs & test paddle the ones they narrow down too. Nothing worse than regretting what could be a large investment for many folks. Right now a 400 dollar used yak would be a large investment for me being I'm busted broke..

It really depends on your style of fishing that determines if you have the perfect kayak.

I have what I consider the perfect kayak, and that is "for me" and it does everything that I need it to do.

It's light enough for me to handle and load on top of my Jeep at 48# and it's 31" wide and is rock stable. It has a huge front hatch that I can load two rod and reels, my seat, my lifejacket and have it all self contained where I just grab it and go.

That said, you can never have too many kayaks, so I'm looking for another kayak right now since I already have two, but need another for my other grandaughter, so instead of picking up a cheaper one, that may get used just a few times, I'm going to go with a more expensive upgrade, and I'm looking at the Malabu Stealth 12.

Afterall, when your able to find an excuse for a new yak, you might as well take advantage of it!

I love my wilderness systems commander 120. It is the most stable kayak I have ever been in. I can stand, turn around, cast, fight fish, do back flips in the summer, etc.. The removable seat is extremely comfortable, but I spend most of my time in the captains perch. I like the higher seating position both for paddling and fishing. It is also requires little thought or effort to stand up while in the captains chair. Due to the hull shape it tracks extremely well without a rudder. It is a bit of a beast to turn though. Its not the fastest boat out there, but once you get up to speed it moves along pretty well. I can paddle for hours without a break.

It is an extremely good creek boat. During the winter and spring, I wear waders and can jump in and out of the boat to fish or drag the boat over big logs. It handles light rapids well. Tight turns in rapids can be tough but are doable with the right technique. You can lean this boat almost all the way over on its side and it wont tip.

It handles well on lakes too. I've been out in all sorts of conditions on all the major lakes around here including texoma. On windy days I get some splash from big waves over the bow. It is usually minimal amounts of water, and it pools in the back. This is due to the open, canoe like shape of the kayak. I plan to get the bow bag/cover to help with this.

Accessories are very easy to add due to the track system that runs the entire length of the boat. I have added an anchor trolly, fish finder, work platform, storage boxes, rod holders, drink holder... all attached to the tracks and all easy to re-position or remove. You can also fit a ton of gear inside the boat, plenty to camp for multiple nights. A dog or child is also not a problem.

It has a trolling motor mount at the back. I have rigged a trolling motor with an extra long tiller handle and moved the controls forward to a box on the deck. It moves along nicely and is easy to steer, though I have only tested it once on private water. I will need to get the yak registered before further trials on public lakes.

I have had mine for a couple years and I would guess it has seen ~200 trips. Nothing has broken, and it has held up very well. I bought it at Mariner Sails. They gave me a good deal and allowed me to try the boat at WR.

cons:
1. boat smells like fish.
2. She is a heavy mama. about 60 lbs. The padded sides do make it relatively easy to carry, but there are times when I would like a lighter boat.

Pics taken shortly after I bought the boat:





This winter:


I almost forgot to mention my favorite feature of the boat. Get a long kayak paddle or paddle board paddle, and you can easily paddle from the standing position. You can actually lean into the paddle strokes and move along pretty fast.

I also own an 11 foot perception sit in yak. It was my 2nd yak, and is now my "friend" boat. It is slightly faster, and more maneuverable. You cannot stand in this boat, but secondary stability is excellent. The seat is ok. If you have back problems, make the seat a priority in your purchase. A good seat makes all the difference.

Future additions to the fleet:
1.Native Watercraft Versa Board
2.Liquid Logic Coupe
3.Feel Free Moken 10
4.Wilerness Systems Ride or Tarpon (If I ever get into ocean fishing)