Need Advice: Buying Fishing Kayak

A few years ago I bought a 16' Lund and even fixed her up a little bit. (I've got a modification thread on this site somewhere.) Well, to make a long story short I'm going to sell the boat this year. I've got a daughter now, garage space is at a premium and I didn't even take the boat out once last year.

I'd still like to do some fishing occasionally, but since I'm always fishing by myself anyway and I thought a fishing kayak might be the way to go. I figure it's easier to put in the water, I don't have to worry about outboard maintenance and it won't take up nearly as much garage space. Also, in my few years of boat ownership I never had any success in water deeper than 10 feet or more than 150 yards from shore. All I ever did in my Lund was cruise weed beds catching bass and the occasional pike. I can probably do that from a kayak pretty easily.

My question to you is this...

What should I look for in a fishing kayak? Are there any must-have features? Are there any features that are unnecessary gimmicks? I've noticed some are transducer compatible, is that worth it? Are there any brands to avoid?

And just so you know, I'm 6' and about 180 lbs and I'd like to keep my budget under $800. I might be able to justify more after selling the boat, but there are some other purchases I'd like to make too.

As Always, Thanks!

Try this forum. https://paddle-fishing.com/

Don't buy anything under 12' they just spin on you.

Rich should be along with some advice. He alternates between kayak and a 16 ftr.

I've had several kayaks and keep going back to canoes but if you can find a Heritage redfish kayak you won't be disappointed they are awesome. I really liked my Pelican paddlesporst kayak. It was the most versital and one of the least expensive of all. They are made in Canada I believe but our Sams clubs and such carry them. Make sure to look through Craigslist.

For the best selection in your price range, I'd recommend a trip to Academy Sports. They carry the Perception line of kayaks and also the Heritage line that Fishfreek mentioned above. They also carry a few Ocean Kayak models which I have owned several of.
Honestly my favorite was the Ocean Kayak Prowler Big Game II, but that one was over $1300.


It was rigged with rod holders, sonar/gps, a fish cooler bag...
Kayaks are like anything else, in that you can spend as much or as little as you want. I would recommend rotomolded vs. thermoformed, at least 13' in length. Raised seats are far more comfortable and wider=more stable, however, slower and more effort to paddle.

It's addicting and peaceful and fun and if you're a true outdoorsman, you'll love it.

Oh yeah...one more thing...when you hook a 40" bull red from a kayak in 18" of water, just sit back and hold your rod tip up and hang on. We call that a Florida sleigh ride!

2015 Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX
1996 Evinrude 25hp 3 cylinder looper

Wilderness Systems makes a good yak, the Ride 115 and 135, can get it bare bones or already rigged, depending on what you want. Excellent seat as well. I've had a Ride 115 and now have a Nucanoe Frontier 12 rigged with a tiller steer 40# TM. It all depends on what you want, but strongly recommend a test paddle before buying. Lots of retailers/dealers have demo days so you can see what fits and what doesn't. CL can save you some $$ as well as lots of people buy yaks, use 'em 2x's or for a season, and then hang out in the garage for a year or more.

We have a couple of places near me that have pools so you can actually try before you buy. Graderman is correct Academy Sports has a great selection.

Kismet said:

Rich should be along with some advice. He alternates between kayak and a 16 ftr.

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Yes, Rich should have some advice. He also belongs to the Texas Kayak Fisherman site where kayaks are what they do. A good resource and they even let Northerners join!

https://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/

Have been following this post!
Was just out to Cabela's in Hamburg PA, there was a fully "pimped out" kayak there with a price tag of over 3k! :shock:

FishyItch - - - can you subscribe to the World Fishing Network (WFN)
or Pursuit (PRST) on your cable TV service ?? many good yak fishing shows on them.
They often go into great detail of what boats to use for what waters.
That would help steer you in the right direction.
I am not ambidextrous - so there is no way I can paddle, balance and fish
all at the same time.

Johnny, you often bring a smile to my ugly mug. Ha Ha
"I am not ambidextrous - so there is no way I can paddle, balance and fish
all at the same time." The plan when kayak fishing is to PADDLE...then FISH...and if you have to BALANCE very much,..you bought the wrong kayak. Trust me, this I know.

To the OP....you've already been given tons of good advice. Academy; Sports Authority; Dicks; Costco; Sam's; REI and a ton of other big box type retail stores all carry some decent kayaks. Amazingly, even Amazon offers some yaks, too. REI rents yaks for a reasonable price.

READ THE REVIEWS. Start from the bad reviews and work your way up. You can learn a lot from what other people DON'T like. If you find XYZ yak, type "review XYZ yak"in your computer and you will get a ton of different places where people mentioned their likes and dislikes.

The very best advice that I read above was to "try it before you buy it". That is mostly impossible with any of the vendors listed above, unfortunately. That is where the specialty shops shine. Most will rent or even just loan you a yak. They will help you rig it and go out of their way to be sure you get a yak that fits your need. They will cost more, often a lot more.

Personally, assuming the ice is out in Madison (just a joke, I lived in Chicago for the first 40 years)....I'd try to find some local kayak fishing groups and beg, borrow a test ride from the participants. Absent that, then Craig's-list listings may find someone who will allow a test ride. Buying used is a great way to get good yaks, and rod holders; paddles; anchor trolleys; and more, all for a lower price than new. Looks for seriously worn spots where the guy dragged the tail end of the yak over driveways. Don't buy one of those unless it is a bloody bargain. Any yak shop can plastic weld almost any hole to the point where it will be as safe as the original hull was.

You are really lucky because of your size. Almost any yak will fit. Not so, with we "full-figured" chaps. Ha Ha. ( for reference, I am 76 yrs; clumsy; 250 lbs and 6'1)

Remember wider is more stable but slower. Narrow is faster but tippier. Longer is faster and steers better. Shorter turns best for tight streams.

I've owned two 11 foot Lifetime Mantas ( for stability when I started out) Heavy; wide; stable; slow.
One Wilderness 11 foot RIDE 115. Stable, wide; slow but I loved it.
I presently own Two 9 foot Malibu Mini-X yaks. One I keep in TN. and one is here in TX. I would have loved to have the 12-foot version (now called a Stealth) but transporting the yaks has been an issue. So, these stubby little craft(s) fit INSIDE of my van, making transport very easy.
I added home-built rudders on both of them, and they steer much better now.

I have no idea what else I can contribute, but if you come up with any questions, please ask away. There is a ton of knowledge out there, available free for the asking. Oh yes, definitely join https://www.texaskayakfisherman.com Unfortunately, the site has seen diminished posting in the last few years. You should also join the same group on Facebook. The FB group doesn't seem to have the depth of experience as does the website, but, Lord, you can learn a lot just reading past posts. regards, richg99

Oh, yea....We like to figure that 66% of the stated capacity is the true usable capacity. If a yak specs say it is rated for 250 lbs. I'd only use it if my gear and myself weighed less than 150 lbs. or so.

richg99

All of this is great advice. More than I even anticipated. There's a paddle shop here in town and I think I will definitely go there to try one out. Unfortunately they don't carry the kayak I've been thinking the most about.

I've been doing a lot of research over the last two days and so far the Pereception Pescador 12 is the front-runner. I might even go for the new "Pro" version for the added features. My wife is an REI member so going there would make the most sense for a big purchase.

I know someone mentioned Perception already, but does anyone have any thoughts on the Pescador 12 Pro? I think I would spend the extra $100 or so for the extra features (stadium seat, transducer set up, etc).

Again, thanks for all the thoughts. Really great!

FishyItch said:

All of this is great advice. More than I even anticipated. There's a paddle shop here in town and I think I will definitely go there to try one out. Unfortunately they don't carry the kayak I've been thinking the most about.

I've been doing a lot of research over the last two days and so far the Pereception Pescador 12 is the front-runner. I might even go for the new "Pro" version for the added features. My wife is an REI member so going there would make the most sense for a big purchase.

I know someone mentioned Perception already, but does anyone have any thoughts on the Pescador 12 Pro? I think I would spend the extra $100 or so for the extra features (stadium seat, transducer set up, etc).

Again, thanks for all the thoughts. Really great!

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The Pescadore 12 is the exact same boat as the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, which was a very capable fishing platform. My wife had one and was very happy with its stability and tracking. Last I checked, you could get one for about $600. I think they make a Pescadore 14 now as well...

As far as transducer mounts...check out my pics above. I ran the Lowrance Elite 4x on my Ocean Kayak. Before that I had a humminbird and both times I set up my transducer to shoot thru the hull. Less complicated and no chance of catching it on anything. The first one was pressed down into a bed of silicone and when I switched to Lowrance, I bedded the transducer in plumbers putty. Never had a problem.

2015 Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX
1996 Evinrude 25hp 3 cylinder looper

I also just noticed a recent CL post for a Native Watercraft Ultimate FX 12 for less than $1000, but the hull looks like a very different design. Its got just one scupper hole way up in the bow. It looks like the transducer would need to go over the side on a gear track if I didn't want to drill through the hull.

Any thoughts on this yak? Even used its more than I wanted to spend but is it that much better than a used Pescador 12 Pro?

Ahhh yes...Hybrid yaks. There are basically three main types of fishing kayaks.

Sit in (SINK) Sit on top (SOT) and the hybrids. I'd guess that most avid fishermen would prefer the SOT and the Hybrids. The SINKs (no reflection on their floating ability!) do not have room for many rod holders; crates; and generally don't give one the ability to change directions while seated; sit on the side (great for shallow water fishing) and putting up a lot of accessible gear, IMHO.

Since you live in Wisconsin, and SINKS protect you from the weather more than SOTs or Hybrids would, you may see a lot of guys fishing out of them.

The hybrids are thought of very highly. If you are not going to go BTB/offshore, and you don't mind not having scupper holes (i.e. you will have to mop up or bail out the yak while you are out, if it rains or you get into heavy water), then they might fit your needs. They are generally higher, hence they are blown around by the wind somewhat more. They often have **** comfortable seats..and that is a big factor, IMHO.

Check it out, especially if you can get a trial run. richg99

https://www.austinkayak.com/products/14691/Native-Watercraft-Ultimate-FX-12-Kayak.html