Kayaks

[Justin]

hi

i am thinking of buying a kayak for fishing/recreational fun

for those of you raiders with kayaks, what do you look for in one?

i realise an open kayak would have more room for bucket, more tackle and bait

but i was thinking 2 rods, small tackle box, using soft plastics or lures and having my catch in a catchers net over the side would all suit a sit in kayak

looking about the 2.8-3m range, no rudder, possibly a single access hatch

if any one could provide pros and cons of the two types of kayaks based on thier own experiences to help aid my decision that would be appreciated

thanks

[kiro]

g'day champ..

i got a viking profish.. absolutely love it..!

i was mainly looking for storage room when i was shopping around. u'll think u wont need much, but then you always wanna take heaps of crap out with you... a rod for plastics, and one just in case something bigger comes along... and then a third to catch your livies with a sabiki rig on it.. then u need a net... then you get creative and make a livie tube to keep the livies alive! then u realise you cant find the fish cause you got no sounder.. then u start taking stupid amounts of plastics and lures to cover all the options..

never ends mate...

the profish is great IMHO. heaps of storage room, baitboard and cupholders, 30L storage.live bait tank... two hatches behind you for bait/lure storage.. heaps of room in the front/back of the yak for everything else! it comes with 4 built in rod holders and u can add many more... its also got a sounder compartment for your fishfinder/battery etc...

you can also have a look at the hobies if you want handsfree peddling... a little more expensive but well worth it i reckon..

let me know when u get one, we'll go out for a flick..

Roberta, do u have anything to say? lol

cheers

kiro

[craigtempo]

what sort of fishing do u want to do - where do u want to go fishing .

also a sit on yak i believe are safer and better suited to most fishing situations as they are self draining and very stable .

half the fun is modifying your yak to suit your needs ie fish finders - anchor trollies - trolling bars - rocket laurnchers .

viking make fantastic fishing yaks and there aussie built , i have a viking - tempo fisherman but they make several different fishing models .

check out the web site .

hobies are also good BUT twice the price .[ im thinking of getting one myself]

there are also a few yak fishing sites [ just google ] yak forums and im sure u will get all the info u need .

its a GREAT way to go fishing as im sure u will see .

any questions u can pm me

craig

[Justin]

thanks for the replies

my limitations are my car which is a small 4 door hatch, so im looking at one that can fit on the roof with soft racks attached.

i live in ryde, so pretty much going to cruise around lane cove river, around gladesville, around iron cove

could drive to narabeen or botany bay or anywhere really.

ive been land based all my life so dont know alot about fish finders or trolling, but id be keen to get some of those hard bodied lures that have the plastic bill to keep them at a depth and paddle around until something strikes. or troll a couple of silver metals i have. im open to anything.

ill check out those websites, i just finished a very long uni degree and taking 6 months off. hoping to catch some decent fish in my holiday

cheers

oh i was leaning towards a sit in kayak to have some shelter from the sun, or waves if its choppy etc etc.

[craigtempo]

i reakon u should look at the viking espri ......its a sit on yak but you can either put sun block on or wear long light pants .

if u still want a sit in have a look at one called the australis bass fisherman [ i think ] . again google- small light usable

craig

Edited November 9, 2009 by craigtempo

[Justin]

i checked out the Australis range and i dont think i like those much

prior to the viking website i was leaning towards either

Mission Access 280, Emotion glide, or the Dagger Drift 10.1 which are all sit ins and around the 900 dollar mark

Tho i found a viking supplier at pymble and im going to test run a sit on top viking Nemo before i buy anything just to make sure a sit in is what i want

ill pm you guys when i get one, im keen to learn about trolling methods and lures

cheers

[arpie]

.....Roberta, do u have anything to say? lol...... Hi kiro .... As a matter of fact ........ I do!!!

Hi Pinkus

We currently have 3 sit ins & one sit on! If you were up here, you could try them all!! However, I use my Hobie 'sit on' 99% of the time now. The others are for guests & the big one is Keith's. The Hobie is the ultimate fishing platform - hands free fishing as soon as you hit the water! Just now, lots of folk are upgrading to either the Adventure Islands (with 2 outriggers that makes it into a trimaran) or the new Pro Angler (which could almost be a boat! ) so there is a chance that you can get a SPORT (smallest of the series) from about $1000 - 1200 all kitted out, or even an Outback. Revos usually hold their price, but now that the AI & PA are becoming more popular, some Revos are also coming on the market, 2nd hand.

Before you actually buy any yak, make sure you put it on the water & try it (preferably with fishing tackle in hand) so you can see how it works. Make sure you try a Hobie, too! I had used my sit in for years, then as soon as I tried a Hobie, I knew it was the 'final' craft for me!

If you were doing small rivers for bass & had to 'portage' the yak over rocks & rapids, the 'sit in' comes into its own. You can shove stuff inside & behind the seat & once in a slow moving waterway, just needs the occasional dip of the paddle to correct the line the yak is going. A Ping Pong Paddle (tied on with bungy cord) is very handy for quiet direction changes when grabbing the paddle is just too noisy & even difficult to do in some spots.

Believe me, a rudder can be a huge advantage! in slow flowing water, just by moving the rudder, you can traverse a lot of the water, without having to paddle/pedal! So don't 'discount' a rudder. Easier to get a yak with one, than to add one later on.

The Australis bass doesn't track (go straight) as well as some of the others ..... Perception yaks are better (I have one of each, so am totally unbiased in this comment!) I have the smaller Perception (the Minnow just less than 3m) but the Acadia 280 (virtually same length but wider) is also a very nice one & very stable.

The longer the yak, the better it handles in rough or choppy conditions. With the shorter yak (3m or under) you tend to 'bob from wave to wave' rather than slicing thru them as with a longer yak. Make sure you get a good life jacket (the inflatable ones are much more comfortable & are about $80) & have it in your yak (preferably on) with every outing. The padded life jackets get a bit uncomfortable, especially in 'sit in' yaks.

I am pretty sure that by law, Sit in yaks must have polystyrene foam secured in the front & rear sections of the yak, so that even if full of water, they should still float. Any that don't would indicate they are extremely old. Sit on yaks are basically air filled plastic containers, & most don't have additional floatation, tho many folk do put some pool noodles inside if they go offshore, for extra floatation in case of leaks or water getting in when a hatch is open.

Don't be too worried if the yak has surface scratches - it just means they have been fishing where the bream hang out (near the oyster leases etc!) However, it IS a good bargaining point for lowering the price!

My Perception Minnow fitted easily onto the roof of my old Ford Laser ....... you could even try folding the front & rear seats down on your car, put a tarp (or big bit of carpet) across the seats & just slide the yak into the rear of the car ....... much easier to put in & out rather than on the roof. Just carry a towell with you to towell it down before putting it in the car. I do this with my Hobie now, in my VW Campervan! Muvch easier than putting it on the roof of the trailer.

Once you get into your yakkin' - you'll just love it!!

If you have rear rod holders, make sure you put in a poly pipe 'insert' that sticks out about 20-30cm so the rod sits snuggly in it. Cut a small chunk out of the front of the pipe so that the reel 'sits tight' in the hole .... if you are trolling, you are unlikely to lose your rod on a fish strike or snag ...... if you don't use them, you will surely lose a rod eventually!

Hope this helps you with your decision making, whether you go sit in or sit on. The most important thing to do is to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!

Cheerio

Roberta

[Justin]

thanks roberta

i havent heard of the perception minnow before, tho i know an outlet that sells the perception blast for 700 which has similar dimensions, maybe it replaced that model?

its so difficult to find out about these brands and models as there is no one website or outlet that has them all available for viewing!

i will deff be trying before i buy

cheers

[craigtempo]

i saw some good small sit ins today at Boating Camping Fishing ...... $599

not bad

craig

[Mattofoz]

hi

i am thinking of buying a kayak for fishing/recreational fun

for those of you raiders with kayaks, what do you look for in one?

i realise an open kayak would have more room for bucket, more tackle and bait

but i was thinking 2 rods, small tackle box, using soft plastics or lures and having my catch in a catchers net over the side would all suit a sit in kayak

looking about the 2.8-3m range, no rudder, possibly a single access hatch

if any one could provide pros and cons of the two types of kayaks based on thier own experiences to help aid my decision that would be appreciated

thanks

I'm also looking into a kayak for fishing and recreation.

I'm leaning towards the new Hobie Pro Angler for a fishing platform though I am waiting for the new Malibu Kayaks range to hit the BCF stores first.

I really want to sit in a Malibu X-13 and a Stealth 14 till I decide. I went in to BCF at Auburn Syd on Thursday afternoon and was told that the shipment was delayed till around Xmas.

So I'll hit BCF again just after New Years.

Matt.

[craigtempo]

I'm also looking into a kayak for fishing and recreation.

I'm leaning towards the new Hobie Pro Angler for a fishing platform though I am waiting for the new Malibu Kayaks range to hit the BCF stores first.

I really want to sit in a Malibu X-13 and a Stealth 14 till I decide. I went in to BCF at Auburn Syd on Thursday afternoon and was told that the shipment was delayed till around Xmas.

So I'll hit BCF again just after New Years.

Matt.

arrhh yes the pro angler , shes a big boat

at the recent abt at narrabeen there were alot of oros on the water and a swear they look like a nimitz class aircraft carrier .

let us know when u guys have your yak if u want to hook up for a fishing session

craig

Edited November 15, 2009 by craigtempo

[Mattofoz]

I once had a Australis Platypus which was a sit inside which I used a lot when I lived up at Long Jetty and sold it to pick myself up a sit on due to me having such long legs I was afraid I would flip and struggle to free myself . Though this was a year ago and still haven't bought one.

I would say check out the Malibu X-13 and Stealth 14, but they're at 4m+ length. Then there is the Stealth 12 at 3.8m length.

As someone mention above the Viking Espri looks good, 3.5m legnth, 79cm wide with payload of 150kg.

Matt.

I'd be up for a fish with anyone in the Sydney region after new years.