Tag Archives: Fishing Kayaks

Fishing Kayak Buying Tips

Buying a new fishing kayak can sometimes be a tough task, with the sheer amount of options available for you to choose from, it is no question how beginner kayak anglers, and even seasoned veterans can have issues choosing the right boat. A lot of anglers will wonder if the kayak they purchased for fishing is really right for them, or if they would have been better suited by choosing a shorter, or longer kayak, or changing the width of the boat, or even the colors, sometimes. These are all legitimate concerns, but in order to buy the right fishing kayak, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind.

First, you are going to want to consider the size of boat you require. This is a crucial decision. Take your body size into consideration, as well as the types of water you are going to be fishing in, and the amount of gear you are going to have to bring along. Fishing trip length plays a huge role in figuring out the exact gear required, but must be taken into consideration before you sink down your hard earned money on a boat that may not be big enough to hold the gear that you are going to need.

Skinny waters require a different type of kayak, than fishing on open water, such as large lakes, or oceans, where boat wakes and waves are going to cause instability. Storing the kayak is also a consideration to make while you are thinking about the size of the boat. Not only are you going to want to have adequate leg room, and storage space, but you are going to have to make sure that you have a place that you can properly store the boat. Most people use garages, and hallways, if the fishing kayak is stored indoors, whereas others will build PVC racks to store their boats outside.

Ocean Kayaks

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Ocean Kayaks are another brand that I am particularly fond of, and a lot of other anglers around the parts that I fish tend to fall in love with them as well. There are two classics that are going to be around forever that I see people using all the time, as well as one of the newer Ocean Kayak models that they just released. This boat is bound to change the way kayaks hit the water, as well as the amount of people that kayaking is available too. No longer will shoulder injuries and other painful irritations keep people out of the water. Let’s talk about the classics first.

The Ocean Kayaks Prowler 13 has got to be one of their best selling models. I see more anglers using this boat every weekend than practically every other manufacturer of fishing kayak, hands down. You can spot these banana boats from a mile away.

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At 13 feet long though, it is still slim enough to be an extremely quick kayak, which is probably the reason it sells so well. You don’t have to worry too much about the swamp booty on this boat, the scuppers are arranged nicely to keep it from happening.

Kayak Fishing Edge – Ocean Kayaks – Prowler 13

One of Ocean Kayaks bigger boats, the Big Game 13, has to be another kayak that I see a lot of anglers using. This one looks wide enough to stand up in, as well as carry the kitchen sink. I haven’t personally seen anyone slinging flies from one of the Big Game’s yet, but I am pretty sure it has happened already.. there are some pretty graceful kayak fishermen out there! There is a massive amount of storage on this boat, so if you are one of those anglers that likes to take everything with you, you might want to consider adding an Ocean Kayaks Big Game to your plastic fleet.

Alright, this last boat blew my mind when I had first seen it. I have tried putting trolling motors onto kayaks before with successful results, but Ocean Kayak outdid themselves with this one. The Ocean Kayaks Torque has a Minn Kota trolling motor built into the stern, that can be removed and replaced with a drop down skeg setup. These skegs are perfect for rocky areas where rudders would get busted off, but the hype is in the motor. From my tests, I didn’t receive very much speed from the trolling motors. A respectable 4mph or so, which is nice, but I was expecting power boat speeds.. I’m a guy.

Kayak Fishing Edge - Ocean Kayaks - Torque

Kayak Fishing Edge - Ocean Kayaks - Prowler Big Game

From what I have seen with this one, they have remodeled the motor and moved the head with a dial for controls up to the center of the boat. The steering is controlled by a rudder, which means you really only get forward and reverse if the rudder is busted. I have tried using paddles to steer a motorized kayak, and trust me, it is not something that you want to experience. We’ll see in the next coming fishing seasons how these kayaks hold up, but one thing is for sure, you are going to see a lot more of Ocean Kayaks Prowler 13 and Big Game!

Fishing Kayak

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More and more people are choosing to use a fishing kayak as their primary means of reaching the water, and they are quickly learning that there are a lot of benefits to using fishing kayaks over stinkpots, or larger gas motor powered boats. There are a lot of advantages to using fishing kayaks over large boats, mainly because of the ability to stealthily move into shallow water to creep up on unsuspecting fish. Above all, kayaks are a very cost efficient way to get onto the water, and you can often find a fishing kayak for sale near you for very cheap.

If you are someone that is going to need to go out and purchase the best new shiny kayak to fulfill your needs then you are probably going to want to consider reading some fishing kayak reviews to ensure that you are getting everything that you need from the boat. Manufacturers tend to do a very good job at providing anglers with what they are looking for, but sometimes they throw a boat together with accessories mounted in random locations. These are almost a waste of money because you are going to buy them brand new, and turn around to sell them when you find out that they are uncomfortable.

For those of you that want to save some money, but still get on the water you are going to be able to find used fishing kayaks that have been scratched and dented, but are still floating. Often times you are going to be able to find someone that, like mentioned in the previous paragraph, have dropped large sums of money to rig out their shiny new kayak, only to find out it isn’t right for them. When they turn around and tell the boat is your best chance at getting a super deal, and getting into the sport for less than a few hundred dollars.

photo credit: rappensuncle

As stated, there are tons of fishing kayak accessories that can help you get more from your fishing trips, coming in the forms of rod holders, paddle leashes, comfortable seats, fishing crates, trailer setups, and even trolling motors mounted to the rear of the boat. While these types of motors don’t give you the speed that you would expect, they still produce 3-4mph and a lot of fun while you are bouncing around fishing, saving your energy.

Just make sure that you have spent the time figuring out exactly how you think you want your boat setup, so if you do end up purchasing brand new you will still get the fishing kayak that you are looking for. If you are attempting to buy used fishing kayaks, you won’t get to be a choosy about which kayak you buy, but they often come pre-rigged with kayak fishing accessories, and are ready to put in the water.