Kayaks

[fshng84 0]

 

nope, no offense taken. When I fish the river after work, I have one rod, my paddle, my crate with a water bottle, drag chain, some fly/lure boxes and PFD, and that's it. I remove all but one strap in the parking lot above the ramp, back down, hit it and get it. 50 seconds on a good day.

Ah ... in that case, I am like you. It takes me less than a minute to launch and clear the ramp, too.

It takes me 5 to 10 minutes in the staging area to get everything in the boat and ready to launch, but no time at the ramp.

 

I also agree, I despise the people who linger on the ramp doing all the stuff they SHOULD have done in the staging area.

 

 

Ditto on the less than a minute launch and lingering on the ramp!

[fshng84 0]

Can anyone recommend a nice kayak for under $500? I am mainly looking for something that I can easily load into my pickup by myself and that is fairly stable in the water. I plan to do some fishing out of it but it doesn't necessarily have to be a fishing specific kayak.

 

Been using a 9.5' featherlite kayak by heritage (before they went out of business).

 

Kayak weighs ~38 lbs. Can lift it with one hand which is nice when the boat ramp is clobbered or when launching from other than the boat ramp.

 

It's the sit inside model that paddles easily, handles well on windy days on the local lakes (Lavon and Texoma). Bought it because it was on sale for under $400 and because it was lightweight. Took the chance on it's paddling, stability, manueverability... got lucky, thumbs up on all three!

 

Thought was as long as it was easy to use - load, launch, carry (on shoulder)... then, I would use it. If it had any shortfalls, I would workaround it. So far, for the fishing that I do, it has been a good fit.

 

Here is a video playlist as well as an online article where I use the featherlite to give an idea how I use it. There is a Emotion Spitfire (SOT) in some of the videos. That's a second kayak that I picked up when Cabelas was clearing them out; went for $150 on sale. It's heavier and harder to paddle than the featherlite.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Kayak Fishing - Tips in Trolling

[Hookedintheear 0]

The local Walmart here has started carrying them. Academy Sports carries a few different types also.

[Bimini15 0]

Perception Pescador 12 looks pretty good for around $500 new. Just remember that there are other mandatory expenses associated: PFD, paddle, comfy seat, PVC pipe, flowers for the Mrs...

[FlaFly 0]

Bimini... that's another good point. Many, if not most of the "rod holders" in kayaks fill with water and aren't good on your rod handles (assuming you're using spinning or bait casting tackle). It's a good idea to put PVC pipe extenders in them so your rod is inserted into the PVC above the water. If you're using fly tackle, you'll need to get a rod holder made especially for fly rods, since your fly reel won't fit in the well-type rod holders.

[fshng84 0]

Went kayak fishing on the local lake. Will get a video posted; wind and waves today but no issues with the featherlite. Only waves that were an issue were the ones created by the wakes of boats and jet skis that passed by.

[FlaFly 0]

When I fish lakes in Fla, the way I avoid those kinds of waves is to fish on a weekday. Weekends are terror!

[fshng84 0]

When I fish lakes in Fla, the way I avoid those kinds of waves is to fish on a weekday. Weekends are terror!

Much better on the weekdays here too! ;-)

[fshng84 0]

Went kayak fishing on the local lake. Will get a video posted; wind and waves today but no issues with the featherlite. Only waves that were an issue were the ones created by the wakes of boats and jet skis that passed by.

 

Here is a video clip on the kayak. Still working on the fishing video.

 

[mikechell 0]

When I fish lakes in Fla, the way I avoid those kinds of waves is to fish on a weekday. Weekends are terror!

I'll agree with this ... unfortunately, us "not-yet-retired" youngsters can't always make that choice.

[FlaFly 0]

It's called Flex-time. Make a deal with your boss... work Saturdays, take your choice of weekdays off.

[mikechell 0]

No can do, Kemosabe.

I teach classes ... can't just tell the attendees, "Oh, change all your flights to Sunday so we can hold class on Saturday. I am going fishing tomorrow so don't come in."

[Bimini15 0]

The PVC pipe serves many purposes:

Rod holder or holder extensions. You can rout it to acomodate fly rods and creatively use some bungee or velcro to secure them.

Stake pole. If I fish real shallow, I like this better than an anchor.

PVC pipe kayak cart. Just type that in Google and you will see tons of variations.

I also use PVC pipe as a push pole, but that is in the canoe. Can't stand up in my kayak.

That is just what works for me. You can find many other uses for PVC in kayak fishing if you go online.

[fshng84 0]

 

Went kayak fishing on the local lake. Will get a video posted; wind and waves today but no issues with the featherlite. Only waves that were an issue were the ones created by the wakes of boats and jet skis that passed by.

 

Here is a video clip on the kayak. Still working on the fishing video.

 

 

 

Here is the fishing video from that trip; did go out again today. Much calmer!

[fshng84 0]

Much calmer Monday compared to Sunday. Managed three keeper White Bass and a number of undersized ones kayak fishing with the Featherlite. Re-post of Sunday's videos and posing Monday's action.