Strummerfan and myself launched out of Jonas Green a little after 7 am and fished til around 11. The water was almost flat and great! We both caught a small striper, some perch, and strummerfan picked up a croaker. All-in-all a good morning.
This was the first fishing excursion for my new Cuda 14. It handled well and is extremely stable, loved it! Have to say it was much easier to get from the truck to the beach and back than my Pro Angler. The rudder did prove to be an asset on the water fishing and drifting. If I had not ended up with the rudder on my kayak at the time of purchase then I would certainly be looking to order one to install.
Since I fly fish I really like the way the fly rods were staged on the kayak and I was able to rig them and put them on before I left the house. This was a real time saver and let me get right to fishing after the launch. Also on my PA if I wanted an additional rigged fly rod (9') I had in my rod holder on the crate and occasionally would catch my fly while casting. With the center storage, and rod stagers, on the Cuda I probably won't be taking out my crate as I did on the PA. The front storage area on the PA was good but hard to access for me. The Cuda's hatch is easily accessible from the seated position with moving all around. I think this was a good choice of kayak for me with the lighter weight, comfort seat, rod staggers, and storage access. I can also place my flag in one of the two rear Ram rocket tubes provided with the Cuda.
I know there is no one kayak for everything and everyone has to choose what works best for him or her but these are just my opinions based on my needs and wants. Figured it might help or confuse someone trying to make a kayak buying decision.
It was good getting out and paddling, had to get use to that after 4 years of the Pro Angler, but the weight of the PA was getting to be tooooo much.
This was the first fishing excursion for my new Cuda 14. It handled well and is extremely stable, loved it! Have to say it was much easier to get from the truck to the beach and back than my Pro Angler. The rudder did prove to be an asset on the water fishing and drifting. If I had not ended up with the rudder on my kayak at the time of purchase then I would certainly be looking to order one to install.
Since I fly fish I really like the way the fly rods were staged on the kayak and I was able to rig them and put them on before I left the house. This was a real time saver and let me get right to fishing after the launch. Also on my PA if I wanted an additional rigged fly rod (9') I had in my rod holder on the crate and occasionally would catch my fly while casting. With the center storage, and rod stagers, on the Cuda I probably won't be taking out my crate as I did on the PA. The front storage area on the PA was good but hard to access for me. The Cuda's hatch is easily accessible from the seated position with moving all around. I think this was a good choice of kayak for me with the lighter weight, comfort seat, rod staggers, and storage access. I can also place my flag in one of the two rear Ram rocket tubes provided with the Cuda.
I know there is no one kayak for everything and everyone has to choose what works best for him or her but these are just my opinions based on my needs and wants. Figured it might help or confuse someone trying to make a kayak buying decision.
It was good getting out and paddling, had to get use to that after 4 years of the Pro Angler, but the weight of the PA was getting to be tooooo much.