sit on slower but more stable, better for bay?

[yakyakyakehihe]

I want a kayak 10-12 feet for fishing north jersey lakes. some are pretty choppy cause arebig 250 acres. I'd really like to take it in the barnegat bay also, It's not a big bay or very choppy like chesapeak or raritan or deleware bay. I'm 160 pounds 5 foot 8.
i'd love answered asap( don't want a good deal to get away):

Are sit on tops slower than regular/traditional yaks?
Are sit ons more stable and better in choppy water (I'd assume non sit ons are more likely to tip if a wake/wave hits the side compared to a more flat bottom sit on)

it looks to me that regular/non sit on tops are easier to paddle but less stable. it looks like the deck of a sit on is so close to the water that a sideways wake/wave will get me drenched. Is a wide sit on the most stable for a choppy bay, but just more energy consuming to paddle around? the bigger it is, the more stable? ps i don't care if non sit ons aren't made to store fishing equipment, i'll put itside a regular yak if i have to, i'm not picky.
thanks

[Gingerman]

You're going to get wet in a sit on top boat. It won't take a wake to do it. There are scupper holes in it to handle the water you'll ship. That said, there's more room to put and access things in a sit on than a sit in. It is stable because of the low center of gravity you mention, and certainly easier to move around on than in a cockpit.

In a cockpit boat, please take some lessons, and learn how to exit an upside down boat, or better yet, do an eskimo roll to get yourself back up. It's not if you'll dump, but when, and how will you handle it.