Just Another Noob looking for advice..

[OVERBOARD]

Hi guys and gals,

First off, my name is Tom and I'm just taking an interest in the kayak fishing world, but I am VERY interested. I'm 34 and live out in the gainesville area, but I travel all over NOVA, MD and DC, everyday with work.. I grew up in Tappahannock VA, and lived in Boston for the last 8 years, until finally moving back to VA in March. I had a boat up north that i chased striper around with ,but sold it at the end of last season, and I am missing being on the water something terrible. So as I'm not ready to invest in another boat at this point, I've been looking into the Kayak as a perfect alternative. I don't get a ton of spare time with the little lady and the 3 kids, but my wife is pretty good about letting me get out every once in a while.

I'm looking to purchase something in the near future since i can spend the winter time setting the boat up if need be, but I don't know where to start... Obviously doing searches for "best fishing kayak" or similar leads you to a bunch of comments and reviews but tailoring those results to fit you can be very time consuming. I'm a pretty big guy i guess at 6'2 and 230-240 depending of breakfast of course, and I also know that i would like something stable enough for me to stand up in every once in a while. I picture myself mostly fishing bigger water, but I'm also known to drop in a pond or lake and hook up on some large mouth, or head to a nice river and camp over the weekend.

I've narrowed down a few aspects of what I'm looking for but I still have a long way to go. So far I think i want:

-something as stable as possible
-something with good seat width, I don't think leg room will be a problem in many of them
-Something with high weight capacity since me and gear will be pushing 320lbs or so and I like the idea of some left over buoyancy in case i want to add one of my kids at 40 lbs or really pack it up for a camping trip

Now, I have run across a few that seem to fit the bill nicely, such as the pro angler, the big tuna, etc.. and I'm not opposed to grabbing one of these If i can find the right deal.. However if there is something a little cheaper that is still a great kayak but "without the name" so to speak i would love to know about it.. Also where can I go to actually look at some of these things and check them out? Who has a good selection of several brands?

I looking forward to learning a lot from you guys, and hopefully meeting you on the water... Maybe even before the end of the season=)

[DOGFISH]

From what you are describing, the ProAngler would fill the bill. I have one and fits everything. It would do nicely for adding a child.

[OVERBOARD]

So i stopped yesterday and checked out a hobie outback w mirage drive but it was entirely the wrong layout for me. The seating left me way to close to the pedals even when set up for the most room possible. I also checked out a tarpon 140, which was nice but seemed a little narrow for me. I'm not sure it would be stable enough. The last one i looked at was a jackson cuda. I really liked it a lot. It had plenty of room, a stable feel (of course i was not in the water with any of them), and also plenty of useful storage. I like the console right there but also wonder if it will get ib the way of moving my legs around to stay comfortable. I still want to see the PA 14, which is out of price range unless i find a used one around 2k, or the old town predator which is supposed to be really nice and is the same price as the cuda.

[dhawk]

I am also a big guy and if I was buying right now for fishing the bay my choices would be the PA 14 of course if you can afford one the jackson cuda 14 or big tuna or the malibu x factor these are all super stable the jacksons give you elevated seating the PA is the easiest to fish from imho and the xfactor I own and can say it is super stable tracks well but you dont have a elevated seat which makes it a little harder to transition to standing.

[The Lost Navigator]

Hi Tom: I'm the proud owner of a 2012 Hobie Pro Angler. I fish the Chesapeake, the Outer Banks, the Gulf of Mexico and areas in and around Charlotte Bay, Florida. At 6'2" 230 I needed to make a change in the main seat. I added a seat track which gave me 2" in vertical height and 4 inches of aft movement. I can now open the internal fishing box without it interfering with the seat bottom. With a 38" beam, the vertical lift of the seat does little to affect negative stability and the 4" of aft movement improves the center of gravity. The 4 inches of aft seat movement also allowed me to move my pedals back to position 3. I have 31" inseam. It also gave me extra storage area under the left and right side of the seat. Anyone with a yak will tell you that storage space is at a premium. As I stated earlier, I have the 2012. The 2013 has a fancier seat and you wont' have the option of adding a seat track. I'm sure their are plenty of 12's around. Also, the seats between the 12 and later are NOT interchangeable. Thank Hobie for that.

[Turtle135]

Probably the first thing to decide is your propulsion method (pedal or paddle). If you decide to go the paddle kayak route take a look at the Wilderness Systems Ride 135.

Wilderness Systems
http://www.wildernesssystems.com/pages/index/homepage

Hook1
http://kayakfishinggear.com/wilderne...skayak--2.aspx

Appomattox River Company
http://www.paddleva.com/Kayaks-Fishing

[gotcharc]

Have you tried the Big Tuna?

Hi guys and gals,

First off, my name is Tom and I'm just taking an interest in the kayak fishing world, but I am VERY interested. I'm 34 and live out in the gainesville area, but I travel all over NOVA, MD and DC, everyday with work.. I grew up in Tappahannock VA, and lived in Boston for the last 8 years, until finally moving back to VA in March. I had a boat up north that i chased striper around with ,but sold it at the end of last season, and I am missing being on the water something terrible. So as I'm not ready to invest in another boat at this point, I've been looking into the Kayak as a perfect alternative. I don't get a ton of spare time with the little lady and the 3 kids, but my wife is pretty good about letting me get out every once in a while.

I'm looking to purchase something in the near future since i can spend the winter time setting the boat up if need be, but I don't know where to start... Obviously doing searches for "best fishing kayak" or similar leads you to a bunch of comments and reviews but tailoring those results to fit you can be very time consuming. I'm a pretty big guy i guess at 6'2 and 230-240 depending of breakfast of course, and I also know that i would like something stable enough for me to stand up in every once in a while. I picture myself mostly fishing bigger water, but I'm also known to drop in a pond or lake and hook up on some large mouth, or head to a nice river and camp over the weekend.

I've narrowed down a few aspects of what I'm looking for but I still have a long way to go. So far I think i want:

-something as stable as possible
-something with good seat width, I don't think leg room will be a problem in many of them
-Something with high weight capacity since me and gear will be pushing 320lbs or so and I like the idea of some left over buoyancy in case i want to add one of my kids at 40 lbs or really pack it up for a camping trip

Now, I have run across a few that seem to fit the bill nicely, such as the pro angler, the big tuna, etc.. and I'm not opposed to grabbing one of these If i can find the right deal.. However if there is something a little cheaper that is still a great kayak but "without the name" so to speak i would love to know about it.. Also where can I go to actually look at some of these things and check them out? Who has a good selection of several brands?

I looking forward to learning a lot from you guys, and hopefully meeting you on the water... Maybe even before the end of the season=)

Tom,
I run the Jackson dealership at Valley Mill in Germantown MD. We have all the JK fishing kayaks available for free demo. I also have a used 2013 Jackson Big Tuna for sale for $900. You are welcome to try it. It has the capacity you are looking for and is great for families.Thanks, Jim at Valley Mill (301)840-7388

[OVERBOARD]

I did look at the Big Tuna on the rack, and it would be great if I wanted to take another person, but I feel like most of the time I will be solo and the seating position when used solo seems awkward to me. 75% of the boat is sticking out in front you which would have to make it light in the front, and it just seems like a ton of unusable space.. I think they should have added a third chair position that was central in the boat for use when solo.

However as a Jackson dealer.... When is the Big Rig gonna be available??

[Turtle135]

Hey Overboard. Another thing to consider since it sounds like you are looking at large (and probably heavy) kayaks is how you will transport it. The easier it is to get on the water the more you will use it.

[OVERBOARD]

point taken.. but i plan to strap it in the back of my truck and i can run the tow hitch support if needed.. Also, Given the weight of most kayaks, I'm not too concerned with being able to handle it.

[OVERBOARD]

i was actually mistaken about the Big Tuna seating position earlier.. I guess it does sit more centrally when running solo. I started watching some more videos about it and i do like the idea of the kids easily riding along.. That would definitely make it easier for me to get out on the water more often... It is BIG though

[dhawk]

I would take a test run with it. It might surprise you my xfactor looks like a barge but paddles very easy and is pretty fast for its size

[The Lost Navigator]

The PA14 weighs in at 110lbs dry, so that is something to consider. I trailer mine as you can see by the pic. Loaded out, it can handle 640lbs. I have no trouble as long as I can back up to the water. If I have to carry any distance, I need wheels or another body

[Memory Maker]

HOBIE PRO ANGLER is what you want .............. Call Easton Kayak ......... they had a PA Demo 2012 for $2100 if they didn't already sell it .......... there are used 1's in that price range

[OVERBOARD]

for those of you that have the 2012 pro anglers is the seat that bad or are people just obsessed with the newest and greatest.