Fishing Kayak recomendations

[Keiththom]

I'm looking for a really nice fishing kayak for pleasure riding and small-mouth fishing.  Mostly small ozark rivers, Meramac / current / jacks fork.  I typically carry camera gear so I'd like something pretty stable. (It will be carried in dry bags, but stability is still a plus).  I have lots of boats, but know nothing about kayaks.  Looks like sit on top models are the way to go.  The wife needs one as well. She doesn't fish but we room for things like camping gear is a plus, even for her. Thanks!

[Gavin]

Jackson, Perception, Nucanoe....you will pay a bit more...but you will get a better boat. Still prefer a solo canoe 14' or longer. Holds more gear, weighs less. Paddles faster than any 12' SOT that I have owned.

[tjm]

1 hour ago, Gavin said:

 a solo canoe ..Holds more gear, weighs less. Paddles faster

This is what I found when I researched kayaks, a yak big enough to support my fat self and fishing gear weighed about 6# more than my old tandem 17'er, so we never got the kayaks.

[Keiththom]

2 minutes ago, tjm said:

This is what I found when I researched kayaks, a yak big enough to support my fat self and fishing gear weighed about 6# more than my old tandem 17'er, so we never got the kayaks.

Ha Ha!  I might not have that issue. I'm a petite 195 lbs.

[Ham]

Best value, Perception Pescador 

[tjm]

5 minutes ago, Keiththom said:

Ha Ha!  I might not have that issue. I'm a petite 195 lbs.

You'll still get more capacity and lower transport weight with a canoe. Someday I'll weigh 195 again, we hope, when I was looking I was ~260 and as I recall Jackson and Perception were the front runners.

[Gavin]

My 13 year old daughter has a perception pescador. Her boat, and she loves it. Wife has a Jackson Coosa. The perception is a better hull IMO, but the seat is better in the Coosa.

[moguy1973]

Check out the feel free kayaks.  They make some pretty stable kayaks that have great seats. 

[Flysmallie]

7 hours ago, tjm said:

You'll still get more capacity and lower transport weight with a canoe. Someday I'll weigh 195 again, we hope, when I was looking I was ~260 and as I recall Jackson and Perception were the front runners.

My junior year in high school I played football at 265. I haven’t got any smaller. 
 

I own the Yugo of the kayak world, an Ascend. It might not be as nice cosmetically as some, isn’t going to win any races, but it’s a tank that will carry a lot of stuff. I’m not going to do an overnight in it but it will carry me, my tackle, a few rods, cooler, and dry bags full of gear. I think I’ll go back to a pelican case for my main camera and lenses. But that’s more from an easy access with good protection mindset than anything else. I cannot turn this kayak over. It won’t happen. It’s ejected me a couple of times but that only happens when I’m carrying a bunch of empty aluminum cans for some reason. 
 

I would recommend something with a high seat. Mine is pretty much flat with the water line and is a bit of a struggle to get in and out of but it’s very comfortable to float in. Friends have raised their seats or have higher seats and it seems to be easier for them. But they don’t have a fatass and bad knee. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dan hufferd]

i like my Vibe, seemed like the best buy at the time. I can stand in my 10 foot yak. I imagine the larger models would be very stable.