Looking for advice for my first kayak

[bunnielab]

Hello,

I have recently been bitten by the fishing bug and after a few months of fighting thorns, ticks, and angry geese I have decided I want a kayak to fish from.

The basic plan I have is to buy a basic kayak in the next week or so just to get in the water is summer. Then, after I have some time to figure out what features I really want/need, buy a nicer yak this fall or winter. This way I will end up with a spare/loner yak as well.

The two I am are looking at are:

Ascend FS12T
http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-FS12T-...3110707113412/

Or

F&S Eagle Talon
http://t.dickssportinggoods.com/prod...413993.4414792

The main feature I want for now is adjustable foot rests. I have rented a few different yaks and I have never found one with molded rests that I could get comfortable in. Other then that I am open to any suggestions in roughly the price range of the two above. For reference I weigh about 240lbs and don't plan on carrying a ton of gear to start with.

Thanks

[clm]

Hey bunnie, I have the ascend, not that new model, but the one with the notorious leaky hatches. Looks like they have fixed that issue by removing them. I absolutely love how it paddles. I was out today on it. I can keep up with my wife when she is in the outback. For the price, it is nice. Lots of rod holders, good stability. It could use a middle mounted handle, but that is my opinion. I store mine on its side in my garage and being able to turn it sideways and carry it with a handle would help. The seat is very comfortable. I was standing and casting from it today. If it was windy or choppy I don't think I would try it though. I'm 5' 6", 200 lbs. I have no issues paddling it for 4 hours. My last trip to chapel point state park was windy and choppy. I had my 60lb daughter on the bow and had no issues paddling her around as well.

[john from md]

The Ascend is a good starter fishing yak as long as you don't plan to paddle it for too far. I can't speak to the Talon as I have no experience with it.

Regards,

John

[wedge]

Bunnie,

My first kayak was the F&S Eagle Talon SOT (now on sale for $459.00, $100.00 off the reg price), I don't think you can beat it for the price considering all the accessories. It's a little heavy, but it paddles OK, good enough for an entry level kayak. I still use mine from time to time. The seat's not as good as the ascend seat, but I think the F&S tracks a little better than the Ascend. Either way both will suffice for an entry into a great sport...it's a blast fishing from a yak. Good luck.

John

[Rev0575]

Hi. I am a new kayaker and bought a used F&S Eagle Talon SOT. So far I've been out on 3 trips and am very pleased with it. I weigh around 250 and I feel very stable in it. I did upgrade the seat and will be putting a fish finder on it this week. It does comes with a lot of accessories (rod holders, anchor, adjustable foot pegs, etc.). There are a good amount of YouTube videos out there of people showing their mods and reviewing the kayak. Good luck.

[bunnielab]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Yesterday I went and sat in both of them and looked them over in person. I am leaning towards the Ascend. It seems to be better laied out in terms of being able to reach stuff while sitting in it. The main complaints people seem to have with it are; the seat sliding out of the ridges and excessive flex in the upper hull right where the front of the seat is. The seat moving seems to have an easy fix, not too sure about the hull flex issue. I was planning to buy this weekend in anticipation of having next week off but it looks like I am now working then so I have a bit more time to mull this over.

I think I am going to order a NRS Chinook pfd this evening and then start looking into what paddle to get and would love any advice on that matter as well.

thanks

[Turtle135]

You may want to consider the Pescador 12. This is the same mold as one of the older models of the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120. I suspect it will be more durable (rotomolded polyethylene construction) than the other kayaks you are looking at. I do know several anglers who really like this kayak and use it as their primary fishing platform.

some reviews:

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/show...html?prod=2463

at Hook1 they go for $ 549.00 with free shipping:

http://kayakfishinggear.com/pescador...variation=7858

If you are interested in this kayak I recommend calling Hook1 (they always seem to throw a few extra's in when you call) and I believe Snagged Line members get a discount with Hook1.

Good luck!

[bunnielab]

Looking at the Pescador 12 led me to some reviews of the Wildnerness Tarpon 100. It seems to retail for around $700, more then my target but not hugely so. From the reviews it ses to be a much more well reguarded yak then the two I was looking at. I am willing to stretch my budget if it makes more sense to get a yak that I will not need to tweak much if at all.

The weight limit on the Tarpon is only 325 but I don't really plan on bringing a huge amout of kit with me so I think the 75lb will be enougt to play with. I am going to call around tomorrow and see if anyone local stocks them.

[JohnE]

Where do you plan on fishing? I would imagine the 10' is only really going to be good for small lakes and ponds, and you are probably going to want something with a higher weight capacity if you weigh that much. But actually the tarpon 10 should be a great starter kayak if you only plan on fishing small water.

If $700 is not out of your budget, then you should forget about those store brand kayaks you were thinking about and get something from a real kayak manufacturer. You are headed in the right direction looking at the tarpon. I highly recommend going with something from Wilderness, but others are good also.

I think you should really check out the ride 115. Looks like they have some for around $800 on the big auction site with free shipping. Prices should be down on the regular version since the 'x' is out now. I have the ride 135 and it is a great all around kayak..I can carry tons of gear for longer trips, it is typically fast enough for me, and I can stand up paddle the thing easily. Might as well get something you will be happy with for a long time if you will drop that much money on it. The only issue I have with it is they didn't think about putting recessed tracks behind the seat like they have on the 'x'. I also wish it was little faster, but you can't have one yak that is going to do everything perfectly. For me, the ride is the closest thing.

[kevinfry]

the tarpon 100 is far more tippy than the 120 models and the 75lbs of play really means sitting lower in the water and therefor being slower. There are several tarpon 120 copies...literally copies since they use an old mold. The Pescador and West MArine Pompano 120 are 2 such. I have the latter (pompano), It has the foot pegs u want, an awesome anchor trolley, base for rodholder or fishfinder, ...and it is a deal at $549 and right now it is being offered with a $100 rebate! I have pics i'll send in PM. here is link with video
http://www.westmarine.com/rotomold-k...sand--12972444

[Turtle135]

Looking at the Pescador 12 led me to some reviews of the Wildnerness Tarpon 100. It seems to retail for around $700, more then my target but not hugely so. From the reviews it ses to be a much more well reguarded yak then the two I was looking at. I am willing to stretch my budget if it makes more sense to get a yak that I will not need to tweak much if at all.

The weight limit on the Tarpon is only 325 but I don't really plan on bringing a huge amout of kit with me so I think the 75lb will be enougt to play with. I am going to call around tomorrow and see if anyone local stocks them.

Where are you located? There is a Meet and Greet scheduled on the Upper Potomac (Brunswick) on the 28th of this month. I could bring my Tarpon 100 with and you could get a test paddle in. I have an extra paddle and PFD. I could also let you get some seat time in my Ride 115 for comparison.

[bunnielab]

I went by West Marine today to look at the Pompano 120. It seemed leagues more robust then the other two yaks I was looking at. The promo had ended but they offered to sell me the remaining floor model for the sale price and I went for it. It was $540 out the door with a basic cartop carrier. I am pretty excited. Thanks for all the help and advice everyone!

Now I just need to buy a seat and a paddle. Any recommendations for those?

[clm]

Congrats!

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Turtle135]

Congrats on the new kayak!

Never shopped for a seat for that kayak but for starters check this youtube video out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u594v3oS4I

As I guideline, for a kayak that width, I would look at a 230cm paddle

[kevinfry]

You'll be able to do a lot of fishing in that boat!
I put an Ascend seat on my Pompano and it works/fits great! Much cushier than my old one. I got it for under $50 on a sale....normally $64. They are out of stock at the Arundel mills store. They do have the even cushier deluxe model for $84.