Help - Selection

[hookster43]

Thanks for the tips. Yes I am green and I hope I am doing this right. I have never been on a forum like this, and I am still not sure how to communicate with all the members.

I am about to take a lesson with the kayak, but I do know how to fish!!
I want to purchase a kayak, but there are so many good products out there I am at stand still right now. Fish finders, gps, handheld radios,...
It can be overwhelming. I just want to fish at my own pace, with out too
much complication, oops, to late!! Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

hookster43

[PerryC]

Hookster,
I moved your post here because I though it would get more replies and exposure. Hope you don't mind

I always ask anglers who are looking at kayaks a few questions, such as do you have any kayak dealers near you who rent kayaks? Is so, which brands? Buying a model of kayak without paddling many beforehand is always a risk that you may not like the way it feels after you've spent a bunch of money.

Also, what is your body style? For example I'm 5'11" and 240. So for myself, I just don't fit into smaller kayaks very well.

Next would be is it more important to you to be able to sit back and relax while fishing, in maybe a wider kayak for example, or do you want a narrower/longer kayak which will get you from point A to point B with less energy expended.

If you could estimate where you plan to spend 80% of your fishing time, it may help also. Do you plan to hit mainly inshore such as bays, or lakes and such. Or is offshore where you want to fish?

This would be a good starting point I think. Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
Perry

[hookster43]

Perry, thanks for the speedy reply and thanks for putting me on the right track. I'll get better at this.
To answer your question(s) Yes I do have dealers near me, and today as
a matter of fact I went to Malibu Kayaks and tried the xfactor. I have
not been on another Kayak so I have nothing to compare to yet, but it
seemed o.k. I am going to take a lesson with a friend down south near
La Jolla as that is where I am going to begin. I have a couple of contacts
that fish the area and I am all ears at this point.
My body style is the out of shape kind, but I am working on it. I am 6'2"
240 + or - a few, You know!
Comfort is my main concern, I will be out on the water many hours, that's
just my style of fishing. I am the first guy casting and the last one to reel in!!! I fish a lot of cattle boats, and long range stuff, I am sick of it!!!!!!

I as I stated earlier, I will be fishing La Jolla at first, until I gain confidence
and then the sky is the limit, but mostly offshore.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to share with me, I will talk to you later!

Keith

[fishfinder]

Great start try several boats I bought the xfactor just because of the rear 90* hatch sounds silly but i also loved the way the kayak handled . I fish in the bays and never paddle more than a couple of miles. If you want a offshore boat you want a lighter fast boat.

Please don't do what i did and go buy a ton of fishing gear. Keep it basic don't go out and buy a bait casting reel if you don't know how to use one. Wait on the fish finder. learn how to work your boat nothing is more frustrating than over shooting or running into the bridge pilling when trying to sneak into position. Go out a learn how to fish the bay and maneuver your boat when you master the basics then you'll be ready to learn new skills. I had the hardest time learning to work with the current and not against it- just that skill improved my fishing by 100%

recently a WISE old freshwater bass fisherman told me the key to fishing is the ability to approach the body of water and understand that 90% of the water in front of me doesn't hold fish. I must find that 10% were the fish are hanging out once you find that spot or spots then catching is easy
I thought he was going senile

Now i go out with 3 inch grubs in three different colors and i always catch fish bass, halibut, croakers what ever is in the bay

[Beachem]

Keith,

I’m going to jump a step forward. After you try several kayaks and found the one you like. Get a nice comfortable seat. You don’t want to scrimp on the seat. You’ll be sitting on it for hours, get a good one. Take a look at the Surf to Summit GTS Airwave it has a high back and it had an air cushion seat! It’s just an inch or two higher and really makes a difference after a long day of paddling around La Jolla. The air cushion is the absolute best. My wife and I both have them and it really makes a difference. I’ll post a link below.

Get leashes for your rods. A $15.00 leash can save you a bundle if a launch or landing doesn’t go as planned.

http://www.surftosummit.com/product/62.aspx

One more last thought, if your in San Diego area and going to try a Ocean Kayak Prowler give Allen’s Kayaks a call he had a demo set up with the surf to summit set that you can request.

Bob

[hookster43]

Thanks Beachem / fish finder, that stuff is huge, I reeeeeally appreciate that. One thing I already learned is to slow down and really do the research. Thanks guys, Keith

[Incredible]

If you are near Malibu Kayaks then head a bit further south to Newport and see Jim and Julie at Paddle Power. If you liked the X Factor try the Prowler Big Game. It does better in wind, tracks well and has gotten better reviews than the X Factor. Very stable and comfortable. I am heavier than you and this thing can handle me and my dive gear for a few miles at a time and I have had mine out in all kinds of conditions. Here is a pic of me standing on my Big Game and Perry riding on the side of his while drifting.

[PerryC]

Keith,
You already got great advice from Fishfinder and Beachem. All good stuff If offshore is your main intent, you may owe it to yourself to look at some of the offshore style of kayaks. By that I mean the Prowler by Ocean Kayak, the eXtreme by Malibu Kayaks, the Tarpon by Wilderness Systems. And if you may like pedaling instead of paddling, the Hobie Kayaks offerings. By the hull being more streamlined in addition to being longer and a bit narrower, they'll be a bit better at cutting through the water and handling chop and swells than some of the shorted/wider ones can. That's not to say the shorter/wider ones can't by any means. They can and they do.

When it comes time to test, some dealers will apply any rentals charges towards your purchase. Also most will let you test a few models after one another so you can see the differences in the hulls. Also be sure to ask if the kayak you're looking at buying is a first or second. Some seconds are cosmetic blems, some have had a hull defect that has been fixed. Scupper areas are big for molding problems, also the tail of the kayak can have problems with flows when being spun. Cosmetic blems are often a decal looks bad, or an area of the surface is not the same as the surrounding area.

Seats are very important. Most supply good back support, but those with a thin butt pad can be trying at times. Sometimes there is not enough padding on the bottom, and the circulation to your legs gets hindered. Some are not bothered by this at all, others it seems to bother more. I use the seat like Beachem pointed out, and have been very happy with it. It has greatly extended my comfort range in the kayak.

The comment about keeping it simple is very wise. Alot of us carry alot of gear and get too involved in buying accessories before we know they will work for our needs, or learn how to really handle the kayak.

Lessons are a smart start. I think basic kayak lessons and a surf zone lesson is always good. Pick one where they teach you how to re-enter
your kayak from the water if possible. Trying it a few times in calm waters would be a good idea in my opinion, you just never know.

Hope this helps a bit, Take care.
Perry

[hookster43]

Again, thanks guys for the info. I am reading books, looking at videos, talking to you good folks and doing all I can to ready myself for success
on a Kayak. It's a bit overwhelming.
A few things and believe me,( I just want to go buy all the goodies), that I think are critical to start out with are GPS VHF and anything related to safety that might be pertainent. I am going blind looking at these things.
What's the mainstay for VHF and GPS. Once again price is not so much a
concern but I don't want to throw it away either. I have made a decision
to get on the water with the kayak post purchase and get familiar with
the operation and control first, but I am anxious to fish too. That brings
me to the next couple of questions. I am looking at different ways to
store live bait. I am hesitant on which way to go!!!
Fishfinders, what's good?

Thanks again, Keith

[fishfinder]

First How to keep bait alive
Save you money for electronics

1st way my favorite (cheap $10.00) Bait tube

http://www.plasticnavy.com/bait-tube.htm

Great system if you make your own bait and storing what you need.Not much drag when paddling


2nd way (cheap 14.99 at walmart) trolling bait bucket
good way to store a lot of bait-you cant paddle with it too much drag so every hundred yards you have to dip the bucket for oxygenated water -pain in the butt to try to stuff all your bait into so you need a regular bucket have them put the bait in the bucket then transfer them to the trolling bucket

http://boaterslandfishing.com/6502492.html

3rd way most expensive (60.00 bait tank)
Great system but takes up a lot of room and every gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds thats paddling an extra 41 pounds completely filled

http://martialartsacademy.org/quietm...ait%20tank.htm


Fish Finder
Get a unit with GPS it helps a lot you can mark locations where you caught you last fish or where you dropped your nets you can even track what route you took (good in fog).I own a cuda 240 with gps I like it but, the failure point is the rubber connector in the back I prefer a screw in connector.I haven't had a problem with mine yet but after plugging it in a couple thouand times I know it will fail and ill have to buy a new transducer

VHF
Buy the least expensive that has the longest range with the longest battery life

I have the Uniden Atlantis 250 Handheld VHF Radio.It has both the AC home adapter and a car charger.It ships with the dedicated battery and a battery backup that allows you to use AA batteries


http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...=SearchResults

Good Luck
Pete