Kayak Anyone?

[Trouser Trout 0]

Just curious if anyone does any river fly fishing from a kayak. I'm looking at getting one to do some float trips down the river. The Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 seems to be the best choice for me. Wondering if anyone out there owns a kayak that they fly fish out of. I've seen a lot of info on saltwater flats fishing out of one, but not too much on streams and rivers. Any suggestions would be a big help. (And may make my decision of dropping some cash on one.) Thanks in advance!

[LeakyWaders 0]

Just curious if anyone does any river fly fishing from a kayak. I'm looking at getting one to do some float trips down the river. The Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 seems to be the best choice for me. Wondering if anyone out there owns a kayak that they fly fish out of. I've seen a lot of info on saltwater flats fishing out of one, but not too much on streams and rivers. Any suggestions would be a big help. (And may make my decision of dropping some cash on one.) Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

I fly fish from a Native Ultimate 14.5. It's a great kayak, and I would highly recommend it. The one thing that always stands out to me about this one is that it doesn't have much for your line to wrap around on. That's not to say it won't happen, because we all know that fly line ALWAYS finds something to wrap itself onto.

 

My one recommendation to you, especially if you fish rivers and streams, is to do yourself a favor and get the rudder kit right away. Not needing to paddle constantly to put yourself in the right position for a drift will allow you so much more time with a line in the water, that the $300 investment will seem like a no-brainer.

[MIKE*A 0]

I have a NW U-12 and love it! It's small enough and light enought that i can toss it up on my jeep w/no difficulties....the 14.5 is a better all around boat, particularly in bigger water....90% of my time is spent on smaller rivers though i did have my boat out on the Chesapeake this Summer.....To me, the only thing I dislike about the U-12/14 is how low the seat is...it's great for stability, but a lttle awkward trying to stand up or climb out.....I use a floatation cushion to sit on which gives me a lttle higher vantage point to sight fish and helps with the in/out, up/down issues....If I hit a little rougher water to where i want the lower center of gravity, I remove the cushion....There are a lot of nice boats out there,SOT's and hybrids...they all have their pro's/con's......The other boat I considered at the time was the Coosa...great river boat! It just diodn't work for me, primarily because of it's weight....Good Luck! Let us know if you have any more ???'s.

 

Mike

[Trouser Trout 0]

Leaky,

 

I'm glad to hear someone else always gets their fly line tangled in something! I was either going to have the rudder kit installed right from the factory, or maybe bypassing that and adding a drag chain. My interpretation of the concept of a drag chain will not only solve the tracking variances down a river, but also help slow the drift. Any thoughts?

 

Mike,

 

Thanks for the response. I was leaning toward the U12 at first, but being a bigger guy and constantly bringing too much stuff on a trip, the 14.5 has another 100lbs payload for all my gear. And I'm sure my "aqua-mut" dog would love to join me any chance he'll get. (and then decide to jump out and scare the fish!) Any extra room I can get will always be an advantage for me.

 

Is there a huge difference in speed between the 12 and 14.5? I know once I get one I'm sure my wife is going to want one, and I just figured if there isn't a major advantage of one over the other the 12 would be easier for her to maneuver.

 

Brady

[MIKE*A 0]

The 14.5 is going to track/paddle a lot better than the 12'.....especially with a rudder.....If you spend a lot of time on big water, you will want to get her the 14.5.....one other option is to get the 14.5 solo/tandem...pop a seat out slide one forward and you have a solo when you are on your own....

 

Mike

[yetavon 0]

Have been for several years now...out of several boats. For our small local river I have a Old Town Vapor 10' sit in,Its kind of a PITA at times but love it.Have thought about adding a raised seat. I also have a Malibu X-Factor thats AWESOME...can paddle and cast while standing in moving current!

[JSzymczyk 0]

Yes, I FF from my kayaks as much as possible. I am a Wilderness Systems fan, I have a Ride135, and a Tarpon 120. The ride is big and super stable- standing up fly casting is no problem on flat water. I can't stand in the tarpon but some folks can. I prefer the smaller Tarpon for river and stream fishing most of the time. Get a 14 foot boat on a smallish stream and it can seem that it takes up the whole space.

 

Check out Northeastkayakanglers.com and Kayakbassfishing.com there are tons of river fishermen willing to share knowledge.

[Guest rich mc]

many of our illinois smallmouth alliance anglers have the coosa brand. used on small and medium sized rivers . rich mc

[DeweyGreen 0]

I fly fish out of my kayak for a few years now. I have a whitewater kayak that I use. I was a whitewater guide for over 20 years so i'm used to keeping my balance, also the river I use it most on is a whitewater river so flat bottom lake or ocean kayaks don't work well..

But when I get a nice fish on it's a challange but fun.

[Phish 0]

Been doing it for 12 years. You have have the right craft in mind with Native Ultimate 14. Its a good one and bit better than the 12. Keep clutter to a minimum up front and keep it all behind you in crate or pack.

 

I fish out of Tarpon 140 and Ultimate 9.5 for small ponds. Waiting on the new Slayer for spring.

 

If you concerned about all the gear and yourself with weight you might want to look at Wilderness System Ride 135. It will handle way more than then U 14.