Who has gone from Bassboat to Kayak?

And what were your thoughts, regrets, impacts, etc...

Seem as I am getting older and spending more time with wife, and older house that needs repairs.. I keep having less and less time to fish on weekends. Thinking of going to kayak and having one for me and one for my son... so we can go, or invite others, etc.

Thanks

I sold my Ranger 2009 Z520 this spring and have no regrets what so ever. In fact, I was a little relieved when I sold it because it had been sitting around taking up space because I no longer guided or fished the big tournaments and it had been replaced by my Hobie PA for fishing for bass for several years anyway. Since selling the Ranger I added a Hobie Outback to my two kayak fleet and have used it twice to take friends bass fishing and it has worked great. I also have fished Kayak Bass tournaments for the past 11 years and actually enjoy them more than the big tournaments I used to fish out of the Ranger. I'm 64 years old and no longer have the motivation to put in the time and effort to take care of a tournament bass boat and to put in the pre-fishing time to fish big time tournaments let alone the expenses involved. For me, at least, going to kayaks from a bass boat has been a very good idea and I have no regrets what so ever and I actually enjoy bass fishing more than ever.

Thanks for the feedback.. I'm 53.. so I'm not quite to your age yet... but I find myself fishing out of my boat less and less each year. Home repairs, trips with wife now we are getting close to empty next, kids off at college, church, etc. One would think I would be fishing out of my boat more.. but that doesn't seem to be the case.

tx_basser,

Drop on down to Lake Athens one day and I'll let you take a spin in my Meyers Sportspal S-15. It might change your selection process. You could purchase the S-13 model. It is 13'2" long and weighs 57 lbs., will fit on a roof-top or a truck bed with an extender, has a square stern for a trolling motor or a small outboard. The small outboards would be lighter than a TM and a battery. And, it'll carry two large men and gear. I paddle my S-15 over a mile out and then back . . . standing the whole way. There are just a few kayaks this stable and they weigh a ton and cost much more.

Here, you could go out paddle-only, or paddles and TM, or hook up a small outboard. Since all kayaks today are hybrids of other things, here you'd have a small boat/kayak hybrid. No need for a trailer or a cart. Comfort? No comparison.

Brad

I am 35 and have never owned a boat personally. My dad had a jon boat when I was young and then got a Ranger 25 years ago and I fished out of those up until 2010.

A boat is nice but the prices have gone up and significantly in some cases. Between my job and family I don't have time to spend every weekend on the lake and if I had a boat, it would do a lot of sitting. Plus now there is the ethanol in the fuel which can be a problem when a boat is in storage for long periods.

So a kayak offers me an easy way to get out and fish when I have the time and I don't have to worry about not being able to get where I want provided I don't leave my paddle at home. I also like how it forces me to think about where I will fish and with what. The exercise is also good too.

I catch more these days than I did in the past because I work an area more.

In the boat days, a slow fishing day usually turned into a glorified pleasure cruise going from spot to spot.

Really thinking hard about it, as I have had a boat off/on since I was 16, but I see that if I'm only using it half a dozen times a year the total cost of ownership seems to skyrocket. Yes it is paid for... but it still requires allot of upkeep, tires, batteries, maintenance, etc.

I have had several boats over the years. I was without one and looking to get another when I stumbled across kayaks. Got one instead of a boat. I've never looked back and no regrets. I've saved money, become a much better fisherman, have more fishing options, and fished some really cool places that I could never take my boats. My garage is a garage again instead of a boat storage unit. I guess the biggest impact is my wallet is fatter. No regrets here.

Had a buddy blow is motor 3 times in his Ranger. First time cost him $4,000 for a rebuild. Second time Wiseco Pistons paid for it because they had a flaw. Third time he sold the hull for a few hundred bucks. His was paid for too.

The cost of maintenance was also part of it for me. A new battery for my depth finder is $25 from Amazon. Tires and all that are for my truck so nothing I wouldn't have to deal with anyways too.

My garage isn't very big and the kayak doesn't take up much room with the wall storage mount. I keep most of my stuff in there too and then I have a room in the house for the rods, lures, and a few other things. Pretty easy to load up and go and I don't have a monthly storage fee.

These are very valid points. And, we have talked about this a bit on various forums that if you are only using a boat a half dozen times a year (for many, it'll be even less than this), for all the costs and time involved, one could hire professional fishing guides to take you out. You just show up at the ramp, hop on board and away you go. You can pick different lakes, different species, the list of advantages is long.

This circles around to the extreme importance of buying something you will use and use a lot. If not, save yourself the money.

Brad

I live very near a lake and my HOA has a private launch. When I got a boat, the kayak got sold to a neighbor kid. If i didn't live so close to our launch, my boat would not get used much. For me it boils down to how much headache is/ or isn't involved. I can decide to go for a short cruise and be on the water in 30 minutes, hook up, get some gas, and park the trailer. 45 if the wife is going.

Your wife is fast! When my wife goes it turns 30 min into a hour and a half.

I do have a boat again but a ski style boat for the family to enjoy. I like using it to mother ship my kayaks around the lakes.

When I switched focus back to salt water I sold the bass boat. I loved the boat and used it often, but it wasn't viable for chasing reds in the marsh. Now I use kayaks and my Soloskiff. Love them too.

Why do you think you'll have more time to fish in a kayak?

I've had an aluminum bass boat and now have 2 kayaks. It's different fishing, but I don't know that one is superior to the other, they are just semi-different forms of fun. Even if you get a kayak, you'll spend money buying things for it. You still have to store it, maintain it, and haul it around.

I sold my boat about 6 months after getting my PA 12. I really enjoy the fishing experience more and I catch more fish. One I can get in areas boats can't and two I fish areas more throughly because I can't simply run across the lake. Plus fellow kayak fishermen are some of the nicest people you will meet.

Funny I ran across this thread. I am in the process of trying to sell my boat now and find a nice used kayak to use. Seems like y'all have been happy with the switch. I will still miss the boat, but since I have a lot less free time than I used to I think a kayak will get a lot more use. Taking the boat out was always an entire day adventure and I usually had to prep it the night before too.

The grass is always greener

Love fishing from my kayaks; but you really need to plan where you are going to fish depending on the wind forecast/water conditions. Then you have to commit to that area.

At times, I imagine it would be nice to run and gun to find actively feeding, aggressive fish instead of grinding it out on the location you chose. Also, the freedom to fish wherever you choose, no matter the wind

Then, I think of all the maintenance, titles, insurance, gas prices, engine issues, onboard chargers, multiple graphs, etc, etc

Well, I still have my boat. And I have a couple of kayaks. I use all of them regularly, and I enjoy them a great deal. All are paid for. I pretty much built my boat from a discard. Because I could. It doesn't cost me much to own it, because I do all of the service on it myself. I'm about to build a SUP, because I can. They all have different uses, and I use them appropriately. I'm 58, and I'm not getting rid of any of them anytime soon.

I sold my Ranger bass boat to get into kayaking. I do miss riding around in the bass boat from time to time. I enjoy both kayaking and the bass boat. I just couldn’t afford the gas/oil/inspection/upkeep with the bass boat.
I have thought about getting a small V-Hull or a skiff to fish out of too.

I bought a new Z18 in June and am using it quite a bit. Then a friend talked me into getting a yak to fish smaller waters and am loving it. I will also not try to take my new boat up the creeks so the yak will be used instead. Each one has it strengths and weaknesses but I can never see me being without either.

I have both and prefer fishing out of my kayak. Something about being closer to the action and more in tune with nature. Hard to explain, but you'll know it when it happens.

I bought a used bass boat several years ago and thought I had fulfilled my life's dream. I had looked at kayaks previous to that because I didn't think I could justify the cost of a boat (i.e., explaining it to the wife). I sold the boat within about two years after constantly having to spend money on it. And multiple times I would get to a lake and have problems with the boat that would prevent me from fishing. After I sold the boat I figured that each fish that I caught from it that I took home and ate cost me many hundreds of dollars per fish. If I had hired a guide every time I wanted to go fishing, I would have been able to get out at least twice as often, caught many times more fish and spent half the money. I learned that I should not be allowed to own a used boat. It was a very expensive experiment that had to be done as now I no longer have the craving. So I took what little money I had left after selling the boat and bought a used Outback. New vs used didn't make a lot of difference for a kayak. And there is a limited ceiling on how much you can spend doing things to it. After that, virtually no cost for maintenance, storage, upgrades. Get out more often, enjoy it more and catch more fish.

I moved down to Austin from Dallas about 8 years ago. When living in Dallas, I fished out of my Champion almost every weekend (both for fun and in tournaments). Once I'd been down here a while I bought a Jackson Coosa and my Champion sat forever until I sold it. It's so much easier to throw some plastic in the back of your truck, and not have to worry about filling up w/gas. Fishing on rivers (vs lakes) is much more enjoyable to me, plus you have the added bonus of the exercise. I would advise getting a yak you can stand up in.

No regrets.

For any former boat angler making such a move to a kayak, evolution44 is spot on regarding standing and fishing from a kayak, its value. Even for those of us who are not coming from a fishing boat, this still applies. Then in the transitioning, all one is doing is trading some spots on the lake where a boat has an advantage . . . for those where a kayak has an advantage. For those out-deep areas where a boat might be preferred, there are all of those shallow areas off limits to boats. Then, add the rivers and small ponds and more. It becomes a matter of where one fishes a bit more since standing in each case makes presentations about the same. Brad

Just eliminating a trailer, outboard, and trolling motor basically rids you of the 3 biggest maintenance items... Kayaks don't have carpet either. Also eliminating the need to own and maintain a tow vehicle is huge for true expense. The hidden soft costs of boat ownership are really higher than cost of entry to almost any other hobby, and cheap boats make for horror stories. By nature they sit unused a lot and are generally a person's last priority not first.

For me personally, it comes down to wether I have a fishing buddy or not. The boat is a lot of overkill solo when the kayak is a lot of fun solo. Plastic boats take up a lot less room as well, and never require a mechanic either lol... No matter how many lies you may tell the wife to buy/keep a boat, convincing other boat owners kayaks don't have a huge advantage in ownership cost is a fools errand. There is no cheaper way to get time out on the water. They don't even have to be registered or titled, so they are even cheaper to buy and sell, and have one less (bi)annual upkeep item.

That said, you have to get to the lake to fish either way, so if the problem is that you don't go, a kayak won't make that better unless the only thing keeping you from going was paying for gas in the boat.

I have both but I have been kayaking longer. I thought I’d go to the bass boat and never look back at kayaking but I was wrong. I do enjoy the boat, but as others have mentioned it is more involved than a simple kayak. I think there are pros and cons for each and it really just comes down to what is more important to you. As for the boat you can cover a lot of water fast, fish with several people together, and manage harsher conditions easier. I find that if I don’t have at least 4 hours or more it is difficult to get out on the boat without being rushed. I can get out on the yak from the couch to the lake in under 40 mins. I enjoy fishing alone and being more in tune with nature. The kayak will make you more patient and focus on fishing vs. running to different spots. I’m fortunate to be able to have both and I like each in a unique way but if I had to pick one over the other it would be the kayak.

Hmm...I would have to be able to stand, for sure...really love my century 1801...am about to add a cougar marine sb160 scooter next Wednesday! I gotta get in the flats on the coast...

They both have their place.

I did, only because I was unsure how much I was going to be able to use my boat starting a new career. At first the kayak was great, new water and what not. But you were limited on where and weather conditions are a much more important factor. I still have the yak, it doesn't get used much, but it's cool to have for the chances a group wants to go somewhere and I can pull it off.

As for ease of use, probably about the same. Being able to keep everything in the boat was nice, just hookup to the trailer and go. No doubt I could get in the water and be fishing faster with the boat vs kayak. Maintenance really wasn't a big issue, even being an older boat, you're going to work on whatever it is if that hobby is your passion. As long as my FF, TM, big motor, bilge & live well pumps worked, I was good to go. It didn't have to be clean or pretty. Gas expense is probably the biggest con if you're going to compare the two.

I owned an older, small aluminum bass boat for several years. I fished out of a kayak for five or so years before owning the boat. I do not enjoy working on engines and the like. I can see why guys enjoy piddling with boat maintenance and repair and I would get pumped up and tell myself that I was going to really get into it, but I never did. Just not my thing. I also hated fighting the wind in the little aluminum bass boat. My kayak was an OK Scrambler that didn't track very well and was terrible in the wind. I was incredibly frustrated that the boat was a pain in the wind as well. I made plans to rework the boat a bit and significantly upgrade the trolling motor, but it didn't seem worth the money in the end. I was very happy the day I sold the boat. I went back to fishing out of my kayak, but was still a bit frustrated, so last year I upgraded to a much better, more modern fishing kayak with a nice seat. The wind is way more manageable and I can fish for six to eight hours or longer in comfort. I am incredibly happy. I would love to have a boat someday in the distant future, mainly so I could fish with family or friends and be able to hit fishing spots that are miles apart, but I would only want to own a newer boat that will have fewer problems and be able to afford the maintenance without getting uptight. That will probably never happen!

Bug-e and others make a valid point about getting a "modern" fishing kayak. If someone is used to fishing from a boat, a cheap or uncomfortable kayak is too big a step down.

It entails a decent outlay of cash to get a good kayak fishing platform, get it set up correctly. If someone drops out of the boat world and ends up in a new $300 kayak, they are going to have dreams about the good old days in the boat, nightmares about their current state of affairs.

But, we are getting very close, now. More and more kayaks are appearing that are stable enough to stand in (a big deal for many of us), pedal or paddle, some are super light (thermo-formed), many will have available power options for those out there who want a TM or small outboard. If battery technology can make one more decent paradigm shift increasing amp hours to weight ratios (and bring the price down!!!), kayaks are going to attract a lot of attention.

Kayaks that can be tossed on the back of a truck bed, rolled down to the water with little effort, that can be stood in . . . they are starting to appear on the market.

*** I'd like to see more marinas update their facilities and add some dedicated kayak launching areas. Numbers may soon support this.

Brad

I sold my boat in June and bought a pedal drive kayak. To me there are upsides to both. For instance, the boat I could go all over the lake several times, so if I wasn't catching fish, I just fired up and moved. The kayak on the other hand takes significantly more effort to move like that, so I end up fishing a spot much more thorough and end up catching fish I probably would've missed in the boat. I do miss the bass boat and hope to get another very soon, but I enjoy the kayak way more than I thought I ever could. River fishing would probably be my favorite thing about the kayak. The rivers we have out here, there isn't any bass boats going to be in there with you.

Brad: Yeah, I can't imagine moving from a boat to a cheap yak. It would be terrible. I also would encourage basically all serious fisherman to invest in a modern fishing kayak even if they are moving from bank fishing to kayak fishing. I upgraded to a Pescador Pro 12 from an OK Scrambler and I feel like I'm the richest man on the water when I'm fishing. Such a HUGE jump! I didn't realize how much time I spent fighting the wind and how uncomfortable I was until I made the switch. It's an amazing difference.

Bug-e I agree, had I started kayak fishing from a cheap yak I would have never gotten into it. My first and only kayak is my PA 12. I road one at a MS demo day and felt very safe in it. The only other kayak I had paddled was a cheap goof around one a friend has at his lake house and I almost turtled a dozen times.

Best boat is a friend’s boat. Of course, it’s in the shop or he’s fixing the trailer half the time, but that would be true if it’s your boat.

Boats pros: range, comfort, space, more wind and iffy weather resistant.
Boats cons: potential costs and likely maintenance issues.

Kayaks pros: costs, simplicity, durability, potential stealth, and ability to get into cover or real skinny water.
Kayaks cons: comfort, wind and weather restrictions, lack of range and speed.

I like fishing out of a boat on a lake while standing and moving around the structure with a troll motor.
I like fishing the marsh and shallow bays while standing in stable kayak slowly creeping around scouting for fish.
I don’t like sitting while fishing from either platform

I had an 18 foot aluminum and a 21.5 foot glass boat, sold them both and switched to the kayak. Better exercise and I became better at dissecting a spot and pulling fish I would have left with the boat. Don't have to have a big vehicle to tow the boat and can afford longer and more diverse trips on the same budget. Do I miss the boat, some days I do but I still can catch fish with the kayak. The big keys are I can launch the kayak when the drought is keeping boats off the water and I don't have the gas and maintenance to deal with. I don't have to have a special configuration to put the boat in salt water and there is nowhere I can't go with it. Only you can decide what is right for what you want to do but if I ever own a boat again it will not be a bass boat...

Good luck finding YOUR sweet spot!

I just bought me a PA14 a couple months ago. There are some Pros and Cons of course.

I have only fished out of the kayak a few times, but I'll tell you its definitely a different experience. If you don't get a pedal drive kayak, if bass fishing, you'll be floating off from the location of where you are wanting to fish. Must get anchor or etc. If you just have a paddle to stir you, you'll constantly be paddling to keep boat position. I got the anchor wizard to help anchor me for all situations.

You must also think about more physical exertion on your body. Lifting and taking down the kayak from trailer or bed of truck. Some kayaks are lighter than others but it's still strain on your body. If you don't have a cart to pull your kayak, you'll be lifting it with a partner. Even using the scupper hole carts you have to tilt over your kayak when going to the water and then again when pulling it to your truck. Taking off and putting back on your fishing tackle is another thing you'll have to do over and over every time you go fishing with scupper hole carts. Boonedox landing gear is the way to go but its more expensive than the rest.

You must also think about what part of the lake you want to focus on fishing since you don't have the outboard to haul [censored] and get to where you want. Wind mph will play a factor if you should take the kayak out or not. Don't get a real cheap kayak. The cheaper ones are real tipsy and you'll have more of a chance of flipping it over. If this happens think about rods or tackle you may lose if it happens.

Good summary, KingFish1183.

A pedal kayak "can" be more conducive to holding water . . . but just in certain conditions. In others, paddles work every bit as well, in some cases, better.

One "proof" of this is look at who is the best kayak angler in Texas: Guillermo Gonzalez. He fishes out of a paddle kayak, a Diablo. And, if you just generally look at the leader board, there doesn't seem to be a decisive edge to pedalers.

For sure, though, and you are right on track with a good anchoring system like the Anchor Wizard. If you do find yourself planning to be stationary for a while, being able to quickly pin yourself with an anchor or even a stake pole is a very big deal. Else, you float off.

*** One other new offering a few months away that will bridge the gap between a boat and a kayak is this new Blue Sky Boatworks with a catamaran arrangement. I think it is supposed to come in around the same price as the PA 12s and 14s, in that range. I've heard it is fast; if so, it'll attract some buyers I think.

Brad

That blue sky pontoon is badass but 120 lbs is too much for me to load/unload in my 4x4 truck and haul up the hill after a full day of fishing.

It very well could be too heavy. On its positive list of accessories, though, it has built-in wheels that flip up and down. No need to buy anything to pull it around.

And, it was designed, width-wise, to fit in the back of a truck bed. For someone without a truck, apparently the two outriggers comprising the "catamaran" form can be broken down into separate pieces. Hmm? It might possibly be carted to the water with different options in this case including car topping the long pieces.

I really want to see it. I think it will fill a niche.

I believe I heard that it pedals up to 8 mph. If so, it'll attract some attention. And, there will be power options, too.

Not really a kayak, per se, more like the little plastic bass boats that are popular.

Brad

LMAO! Guillermo could fish out of a Pelican and beat most people in a bass fishing tournament so really not much of an endorsement for paddle vs pedal and, for the average fisherman, hands free fishing is an absolute advantage and a no brainer for tournament fishing. I just looked at the KATS Angler of the Year standings for 2017 and 6 of the top 10 were in Hobie pedal kayaks...might be a 7th guy too but I don't remember what kind of kayak he fishes out of. In addition, two previous Anglers of the Year who used to fish out of paddle kayaks switched last year to pedal kayaks. I don't know if you've ever fished a KATS events...but there are now as many pedal kayaks as paddle kayaks which wasn't the case when KATS started 11 years ago.

Agreed on Gonzalez that he could fish out of almost any kayak and win, place or do very well. BUT, those were his sentiments regarding what he needs to excel in kayak fishing tournaments, not just mine. Guillermo's current Diablo is for sale, if it isn't already gone. Like someone said, buying his would be like buying a kayak with tons of mojo.

For Guillermo, he says it is about standing with absolute confidence. He also fishes deep more than most, as I recall. He could likely do all he is doing now from a PA 14, for sure, as they are also very stable, good for deeper water.

He is getting another Diablo, just upgrading to a newer model year/model.

For certain, in KATS and others, there will be more and more pedal kayaks each year. So, it reasons that we will see more and more in the top 10 each year in pedalers. For larger lakes where an angler might need to cover more water to get to remote fishing spots, that's additional time to hang a hook over the side.

Brad

I sold my Sea Champ last summer and bought these for the wife and I. I have fished and caught more in 2 months in these than the previous 2 years out of an outboard.