My getting started plans.. Let me know your thoughts

[CaDucatiMan]

I will start with picking a kayak then do a little bio for those who want to understand what I want to do with it and where I am coming from.

For me I am down to either an Ocean Kayaks Prowler Trident 15 Angler or a Hobbie Adventure angler. I feel the bigger fishing kayaks are better suited for touring/camping style kayak fishing as well as better able to handle chop.

I have a family trip (with in-laws on Oregon) coming up and found a ocean kayak brand rental and sales place on the river where the in laws have the cabin. I think I will rent one and take it on a weekend test run. I will spend most of the time on the river with the others but plan to make one run down river to the harbor and out into the swells to see what I think.

I am leaning towards the Trident. I like the rod pod and I want to put a LCD Graph/GPS under the sonar shield, add a VHF radio and wire in a LiFePO4 battery pack to keep amp hours up and weight down. I also want to do a plumbed bait well. I worked for a boat dealer in high school (1993) and these days I work in aerospace on the worlds most bad arsed aircraft. So mechanical aptitude and fabrication skills are there in abundance.

I have a handheld SPOT that I originally got for when I ride the dual sport cycle all over the awesome trails I have found out about in CA.

I was formerly MNDucatiman... ok I never have been on all kayak fishing before as any other name but I did grow up in MN fishing freshwater. I cut my teeth on my dads 16ft deep V and had the DNR permit to drive it years before I could legally drive a car.. I have paddled mostly sit in yaks on calm lakes and rivers.

Since I have moved out here I started by fishing some piers, jetty and surf fishing spots. Then I moved up to the cattle boats and have landed some decent barracuda, rock fish, and kelp bass.

I started using some of my freshwater bass rods for the pier fishing and a surf rod I bought on vacation years ago.. Then I found a very lightly used accurate boss 270 on Ebay from a land locked state. It had one offshore trip on it. I paired it up with a used custom built Calstar that was in mint condition. It was a lot of bang for the buck going used but well taken care of.

Eventually I want to chase yellowtail around La Jolla when my schedule permits and even take the kid on an annual kayak fishing/camping trip on Catalina. He is 12. I have a hard time getting the kid price on party boats since he is 5-7 and 158lbs. He can out swim me in the pool and handled a sit in sea kayak on a bay in lake superior very well when he was much younger. I know with enough education and practice we both will become really good at it.


In about 3-5yrs I will own my own mother ship (38' or larger) and my wife can keep an eye on it while enjoying the yacht side of the sport fishing yacht while we paddle. Hey she got her Maserati and when it's paid off someone gets his boat!

For now we will paddle out the surf to the La Jolla kelp. For Catalina we will have to have a friend run us across in his Bertram the next time he makes his own run to the island or find another option to get them there. Looking at the cost of a few days rental for a real fishing yak on the island I think it is actually more cost effective to BYOK for longer outings.

It's my first post so I thought a proper introduction was in order. I look forward to the experienced feedback that comes from others who share a passion for fishing and the outdoors.

Thanks!

[kobra]

Welcome to the site and good luck picking a kayak. Looking forward to some sucessful fishing reports.

[baitcasterboy20]

Nice introdiction, you sound like a nice guy. Hope you like the kayak that you choose