Kayak Fishing

[MoSportsmen]

I did the MR 340 last year, so I have spent a lot of time in a kayak seat. I get pretty uncomfortable sitting locked into a kayak seat so I got one of these http://www.rei.com/product/810392/therm-a-rest-trail-seat

at the recomendation of others that have tackeled the 340. These pads are wonderfull not just for kayaking but for many outdoor purposes. I ended up buying two and I keep one in a hunting pack also for sitting on the ground, great around camp too. Sitting on one right now at work. Your butt will love you for it.

Tom

[Flatbottom Boy]

there are a couple key design flaws with the fs12 ascend that bps sells, which, in my opinion are inexcusable.

1. There are no scupper holes in the seat section. which means all the water that ends up there, will not drain out and your butt will be soaking wet all day. great way to get chapped butt.

2. The scupper holes that do exist are about the size of my pinky. far too small to drain water quickly and effectively. They'll work fine for a small splash, but not for anything more than a pint or so of liquid. I don't like where they are placed as when the boat is loaded they tend to be at a level equal to the rest of the footwell, which leads to pooling of water in the footwell areas.

are these terminal faults in a boat that is half the price of a coosa or trident? the 2nd probably isn't a huge deal, but the first, no drainage where you sit, is a deal killer. the pelican castaway 100 suffers from this issue too.

Are you referring to the SOT FS12? The FS10 I bought has a seat that not only drains well but is removable so you can put it on the beach and hang out by the fire or whatever. The FS12 did not have the good reviews that the 10 footer I purchased has. For the money I'm liking this boat...with all the "hobbies" I have my budget is shrinking rapidly.

[bferg]

+1 for the Jackson Coosa! That thing was made for fishing. VERY stable- so stable that you can actually stand on top of it and fish in flat water. This is a huge plus if you are used to being higher in the water. The 2 position seat is also a huge plus. Great storage and very good design.

[Wayne SW/MO]

So I asked what happens if he flips and hits his head on something and gets knocked unconcious...no inflate, not good...The recharge CO2's are kinda pricey for them..

The chances of you being piined are much greater here than you being knock out. I would put that low on my list even on the class IV's Ive run out west. If you need the floatation the price of a new cartridge will be worhth it I'm sure.

I see a lot of talk about the Coosa, but what makes it worth the extra money over the old tried and well accepted Tarpon?

Rod holders behind you are where you put the rods you want to get rid of, and it works. :lol:

[Stoneroller]

what extra money? the coosa is $999, the tarpon 120 is $985. $14?

coosa was designed from scratch as a river kayak. the tarpon was not. end of story.

i'm not getting the rod holder thing. are you saying you run through overhaning trees and strainers and they snatch your rods out of rear facing rod holders? there is a simple fix for that. stop running through overhanging stuff that would snatch your rods. =) or better yet, store them inside the hull of the coosa. even a 9 foot fly rod fits.

[FishinCricket]

i'm not getting the rod holder thing. are you saying you run through overhaning trees and strainers and they snatch your rods out of rear facing rod holders? there is a simple fix for that. stop running through overhanging stuff that would snatch your rods. =)

Uh, avoid ovehangs and strainers in an Ozarks stream? Is that even possible?

[bferg]

Sure, the rod holders will get your rods snatched if you go under a low overhang with them. But I floated down the lower part of the Kings and only had to worry about that maybe 2x during the entire day. Now, Indian Creek or a smaller stream might be a different story.

I won't claim to have fished on a lot of different Yaks or be able to justify the price point vs. other boats...but I know the Coosa was designed to be so stable that you can stand on it to fish- even fly cast. If you like being above the water then this is a great feature. If you don't want to stand the adjustable chair gives you just a little more elevation and it makes a big difference in my comfort fishing while actually sitting in the boat. It just has a very well thought out design...

[Wayne SW/MO]

what extra money? the coosa is $999, the tarpon 120 is $985. $14?

coosa was designed from scratch as a river kayak. the tarpon was not. end of story.

i'm not getting the rod holder thing. are you saying you run through overhaning trees and strainers and they snatch your rods out of rear facing rod holders? there is a simple fix for that. stop running through overhanging stuff that would snatch your rods. =) or better yet, store them inside the hull of the coosa. even a 9 foot fly rod fits.

Well that is not what I saw last year and that was why I made the comment. What did they do different to make it an all round kayak?

Stop running under stuff? How about tight creeks or trees over the water? I can store my rods inside my Tarpon, including 9' fly rods. It is easy to forget rods behind you, especially in tight situations. I put a rod holder behind me on my Tarpon, it was a waste as far as I'm concerned. I can lay all my rods in front of me starting from my crotch and keep them safe.

Update, I just made a quick look and I'm still seeing $200 difference.

[Stoneroller]

where are you seeing this difference? ACK has the Tarpon 120 for $985. Coosa's sell for $999 at the alpine shop. I'm just curious because jackson may have bumped the price this year. still worth it.

i have had a rod hang in a tree once, because i failed to avoid the tree. my fault. it was extremely dangerous to retrieve the rod though, but i did it. There are occasionally, places along the river where an overhanging tree may be unavoidable, and sure your rods could get snatched out of the rear rod holders but the coosas are angled down much more than those on the tarpon or even my trident and if your head can fit under the obstruction, usually your rods will too. a valid concern though. although forward facing rods tend to snag on things and snap off tips. it's the lesser of 2 evils and really comes down to what is more comfortable/accessible/safe at any give time. I move my rods around frequently if I see something coming that might be an issue. this is where the manueverability of the coosa really shines. you can do 360's in the middle of current with 2 paddle strokes.

This brings out a very good point in that river fishing demands much, much more attention than floating on flat water. Which makes it doubly important to choose a boat that is tailor made for the specific environment you will fish the most. hell we could all float downriver and catch fish while sitting on a couple of logs lashed together if we had to, but why settle. (i love the tarpon for flatwater fishing, it's a great yak, i don't want anyone to think i'm bashing it or anything)

wayne, we should go fishing this season and i'll let you take the coosa for a spin.

[ollie]

I have had my Pam 100 now for going on 9-10 years now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Put a hole in it about 4 years ago and used a hippp patch on it and it hasn't leaked since. Great for the smaller streams I fish around in. For the price of them you sure get your moneys worth though!