Tag Archives: ocean kayaks

Best ocean fishing kayak under 10′?

I’m not new to kayaking or the ocean but i am new to the idea of fishing from a kayak. i cant decided if a sit on top or a sit in style kayak is better for ocean fishing but i’ve found these so far, but i am open to suggestions on others.

Mysto by Ocean Kayaks,
http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/single_kayaks/mysto.html

Perception Prodigy 10.0 Kayak
http://www.backcountry.com/store/PER0080/Perception-Prodigy-100-Kayak.html

The Blast, by Victory Kayaks
http://www.noyopacific.com/victorykayaksblast.html

Ocean Kayak Fishing

To remain safe while ocean kayak fishing, you are going to want to think about a few key aspects of what is going to happen while you are out on the water. The currents that you can encounter while fishing on the ocean, especially around islands and other large pieces of land can be incredibly difficult to maneuver in. The sheer size of fish that you can catch while you are fishing from a kayak is also a problem that many people are not prepared to encounter. Lastly, you can easily receive sun damage to your skin if you are not taking the necessary precautions, such as sun block, and adequate clothing.

Despite what most people believe, covering up your skin is necessary while you are ocean kayak fishing. Long sleeves, and khaki pants are a great way to protect your arms, chest, back, and legs from severe sunburn. A good fully brimmed hat, with a cloth down your neck is a great way to not only stay cool, but also protect your face and neck from sunburn as well. These are severe problems, that if you are planning for any amount of time on the big water, must be thought about before you leave the beach.

If you intend to do any fishing near islands, or other large pieces of structure, you are going to want to take the currents into consideration. At different times of the day, and different phases of the moon, the currents will move in different directions. To ensure that you remain safe, even if you have been through the spot before, keep the currents at the forefront of your thoughts, while you are padding around large pieces of structure.

Lastly, once you start hooking into fish, make sure that you are keeping your body weight centered, especially if you are not using any sort of outrigger setup, to keep the boat steady. If you think the pressure if the fish is too much for you, and you may flip, lessen the drag on your reel, to give the fish more room to run. As he begins to tire out, you can then apply more drag, and become comfortable with pulling large fish in, from a kayak. As long as you think about these things, your ocean kayak fishing trips will be much more enjoyable, both during, and after.

Ocean Kayaks

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!