Allot of good information here for people new to kayaking, Thanks everyone for your input. I was very impressed with the wisdom shared here; I would like to share my thoughts on the Jackson line.
I have tried many different Kayaks; buying trading and so on, and hands down I keep coming back to a Jackson kayak. You won�t find a better kayak for the money that offers all your needs. If you�re looking to try out a Jackson Kayak I can put you in one as demo and you can try it for yourself. Anyone interested just PM me.

the hardest thing for me ... is the life jacket - still have not found one that i like yet. i have a wilderness systems ride and love it. it is heavy ... but very stable.

Have not paddled jacksons "Big Tuna". I do like Jackson & Wilderness in more protected waters. Hobie, Ocean, Malibu, Cobra etc etc for open waters. When the water is smooth n calm, in general, they all perform well. But, if you happen to find yourself in some nice choppy water because u got Caught out in some high winds (it will happen) trust me, your will want a yak that will more than just handle it. Jackson & WS are quality made for sure I'm talking about performance in white cap conditions. This is another reason why we stress that you pay attention to weight ratings. Remember, you will be carrying rigging, gear, beverage, snacks, hopefully a ice chest full of cold fish if your keeping. You should at least keep this in mind when your demoing different yaks. We have learned these things through experience. what works well in the ocean doesn't necessarily work well in creeks rivers but in my experence Jackson excels in the creeks n rivers. Really like mods that some lines like Jackson & WS, Hobie, Malibu have made for the angler. Angler Yaks have come a long ways & are still improving. The future looks bright for the kayak angler

I think Cobra secondary floatation could be better. Or at least on the navigator.

I guess I have missed the demos and haven't found any where here in NW Hou to try either a Pescador Angler 12 or a Sport caster 12.5. The counter person at the 290 Gander Mountain said that there was a local dealer that had a tank to demo yaks and that they had some times brought it them as well but she could not remember the name of the other store.

FTU I-10 had said that the next demo day will be in the fall.

My google search has not shown any rental places that are doing either of these yaks in their online listings.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Surely someone on N. Houston has a Pescador 12 (tarpon120 same thing) that you can paddle.

Guess not. Will figure s way sooner or later.

Thanks for the thought.

Austin canoe and kayak has a Houston location, not sure where but you might check them out,

ACK Houston Store:
5822 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77081
(713) 660-7000

Store Hours:
M-F 10am - 7pm
S-S 10am - 5pm

First off, thank you all for the great advice on kayaks. I'm looking to get into my first kayak very soon. I live in DFW and stopped at Mariner Sails and looked at the Hobie Mirage i9s inflatable.

Anyone have any thoughts to it? I'd use it for fishing and like the ease of transport with an inflatable.

Appreciate any feedback.

there is a post already about that inflatable yak recently

Based on your input/post, word of mouth, specs, ratings & personal experiences, this is what we've come up with so far...

For 2012

SPEED - Ocean Torque, Hobies w/ Turbo fins, & AI w/sail, Native Mariner, Ocean Prowler 15, Wilderness Tarpon 16

STABILITY - Hobie AI & PA, Cobra Fish n Dive, NuCanoe, Native Ultimate, Wilderness Ride

MANEUVERABILITY - Jackson Koosa, Malibu Mini-X, Ocean Frenzy

DURABILITY - Malibu Mini-X, Ocean Frenzy

LBS. CAPACITY - Cobra Fish n Dive, Hobie PA, Jackson BigTuna, Ocean Big Game, NuCanoe, Malibu X-factor

MOST VERSATILE - Hobie AI - Sail, Paddle & Peddle, Ocean 2XL Tandem, Wilderness Ride 11.5

MOST COMFY - Native Ultimate, Hobie PA, Jackson Kayaks

LIGHTEST - Native Tegris @ 30lbs., Malibu Mini-X, Ocean Frenzy, Tarpon 12 Ultra Light

HEAVIEST - Hobie PA, Malibu Stealth 14, NuCanoe, Hobie AI (sail & out riggers & Tramps), Hobie Outback, Wilderness Ride 135

BEST RIVER YAK - Wilderness Commanders, Jackson Koosa, Diablo kayaks, Wilderness 100, Native Ultimate

LAKE FREINDLY - Yaks 12' plus & 30" plus wide w/ a pronounced keel

BTB FRIENDLY - Hobie AI, Cobra Fish-n-Dive, ?

WORST - Pelican, ?

MOST BANG FOR $ (NEW) - ASCEND FS12T, Pescador 12, Ocean Scrambler, Red Fish 12, 14, Ocean Drifter, Pompano 120

MOST EXPENSIVE - Hobie AI & PA, Malibu X-Factor, Ocean Torque, Cobra Pro-Fisherman, ?

BEST ALL AROUND SOLO - Malibu 12 Stealth, Native Manta Ray 14, Ocean Prowler 13, Wilderness Ride 135, Hobie Outback, Cobra Navigator

OVERRATED - Perception Caster 12.5, Perception Search, Native Mariner

MOST STORAGE - Hobie PA, Ocean 2XL Tandem, Malibu X-Factor, Ocean BigGame, Native Ultimate, NuCanoe, ?


THIS THREAD IS FOR NEWBIES.
NEWBIES, WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE CONTINUE TO POST
YOUR QUESTIONS & COMMENTS IN A NEW THREAD.
Thanks to everyone for helping us make this thread work as a reliable source
of info to all the new guys coming into the sport

Great job Zombie! Thanks for putting in the time to help folks out.

It will basically turn in its own length and is actually my creek boat that works in wind and open also.

LOL, I went to Academy and got the cheapeast fullsize kayak they had. I guess I did bad.

Depends what you purchased, what kind of fishing you do & where you do it. Think they carry less Ocean Kayaks now and more Perception, Old Town & Heritage kayaks.
http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores...catalogId=10051
Seems like Academy was BLOWING OUT their Ocean kayak Inventory. Not a terrible place to get a yak if thats all you have around you. To bad they stopped handling Ocean IMO.
There was & may still be some incredible deals out there on the Ocean line from Academy Sports. In my experience i haven't found their staff to be too knowledgeable regarding Angler Kayaks. Visiting a kayak shop is a good idea. Fortunately Academy still carries the Pescador 12'


Heritage Angler 12' & 14'

Old Town Caspian

These all seem to be working well for most fresh water ways, shallow bays, creeks & rivers.