Kayaks for Fly Fishermen
Sep 23, 2019 17:46:29 #
Hello everyone, My wife and I are avid fly fishers and we are looking into kayak fishing. We plan on fishing some lakes in the Sierra's, as well as the Delta and some slower rivers here in California. We do not plan on fishing in the Ocean or fast moving rivers. We have been watching videos on the topic, as well as reading reviews, and I believe we have selected kayak's that fit our needs. Perhaps you fine folk might be able to weigh in on the topic.
The first kayak (for me, 230lb) is the Big Fish 120 with rudder. I will occasionally be taking the dog (60lb lab) with me. #1 selling point is stability and the clean deck for stripping fly line.
The second kayak (for my wife, 140lb) we are looking at the Lure 13.5. The big selling point for this is seat comfort, my wife has chronic back pain, and room for the hound. The deck is also relatively clean.
I was wondering if these seem like good kayaks for us to start with, or if you have any other suggestions.
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by slinkyracer
The first kayak (for me, 230lb) is the Big Fish 120 with rudder. I will occasionally be taking the dog (60lb lab) with me. #1 selling point is stability and the clean deck for stripping fly line.
The second kayak (for my wife, 140lb) we are looking at the Lure 13.5. The big selling point for this is seat comfort, my wife has chronic back pain, and room for the hound. The deck is also relatively clean.
I was wondering if these seem like good kayaks for us to start with, or if you have any other suggestions.
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by slinkyracer
Sep 23, 2019 17:46:33 #
Sep 23, 2019 17:46:37 #
I have. It is a beautiful boat, however it is a bit more expensive than we wanted to spend. It has some amazing features I would have a hard justifying spending that extra $500.
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by slinkyracer
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by slinkyracer
Sep 23, 2019 17:46:52 #
Have you done much kayaking before?
Do you want paddling performance or stability as your primary focus? If you want something that has really good paddling performance and an open deck, I highly recommend checking out the Crescent Lite Tackle. I love mine, and still can't believe how fun it is to take out.
I'm in-shore quite a ways (Montana), but have taken it on rivers, lakes and ponds.
We also picked up an UltraLite kayak for the wife, but I'll be damned if that one isn't fun as hell too...and like a little go kart on the water, still fishable from, still pretty stable and overall one we both greatly enjoy. It does better in smaller water for sure, but both kayaks have been great.
Being in California, check out Headwaters Kayaks. Also check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc2f7xglcEI&
Both the Lite and UltraLite Tackles are in his video. Dan is awesome (and the owner of Headwaters), and if it wasn't for him I would've went straight to Vibe or FeelFree, which both are great. But I would've missed out on the Crescent yaks, which cost me more to get due to no sellers being nearby. I had to pick mine up from Iowa.
It really depends on what you want though...again stability or paddling performance. I wanted to have a kayak I can really enjoy with or without fishing, though it is really rare I hit the water without fishing gear. Regardless I really have enjoyed my time with the LT, and while I'm still working on being more confident standing and fishing...its A LOT easier on a calm pond than a semi-busy or windy lake that's for sure! The stability is surprisingly good while still having plenty of rocker to be maneuverable, which has proven to be fun and really handy and something I didn't really expect to appreciate as much as I do.
The ULT is so fun, we're talking about getting a second one and selling our old Perception Sound 10.5's to fund it. That way we both of a small water kayak. Where the ULT can make do in 6-8" of water or so... the LT needs 10-12". But its a bigger kayak with more rocker for the bigger water compared to the ULT. Both are quite fun.
Here's a quick video of ULT stability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyY5D5bEsCc
The LT has a faster top speed, but the ULT gets up to speed and does everything faster, and it feels more fun. Is easy to carry to the water. I purchased a C-TUG (standard version) to go with the LT, fits in the nose storage with room to spare when broken down. Makes hauling the LT anywhere I need from my truck bed a piece of cake. I was at the lake for 7 hours yesterday, and enjoyed all of it...was able to assemble the C-TUG, strap my LT to it, load up in the truck and head home in minutes.
Here's some more videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kBQdkCERUc&
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVX3qf3Me70&
Here's a comparison of the 2019 and 2020 Lure 10's, I know that's not quite what you're looking at but should give you an idea of what the 13.5 has.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZE890iUMM8
The Moken 12.5 is another one I was looking at...I was on the fence between it and the Lite Tackle. Overall I feel I made the right decision for me, but YMMV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt4yHzBtZqw
The seats in both I find very adjustable and comfortable...maybe not as good as some other seats with more padding. I don't know... I do know compared to all other kayaks I've ever used, they're so comfortable I can sit all day and keep on going. Its nice to be able to take them out and use them at camp too...though they are pretty low to the ground, that may or maynot work for you.
Same with the seating position in both the ULT and LT, you sit lower than many other sit-on kayaks. That does lend to helping them feel more like paddler-oriented kayaks. But having the freedom and openeness to fish is so nice. I'll post up some pictures here at some point. One complaint I have about Crescent LT and ULT was finding more about them, Dan @ Headwaters really sold me on them, so did the owner of Crescent who answered some of my questions and lined me up with a reseller in Iowa. I may have the only LT and ULT in Montana right now, and while that doesn't matter so much...how much fun we've had with these boats has led me to try and share my experience with people where I can.
What you're looking at also sounds good to start with. How do you plan to haul them to the water? You may want to consider a C-TUG (don't go cheap here) for a kayak trolley, it makes a world of difference. There are other trolleys as well, depending on what you go with like FeelFree with the "wheel in the keel" that's also replaceable once it wears out, might be a good option too. If you have a truck bed, and some ratchet straps you should be okay, if you're going to load them up high, do some testing. I've seen a few kayaks come off of roof racks due to overloading, or improper assembly, etc.
Consider a good quality paddle too, I have a BB Whisper which is a decent budget paddle, but I'll be replacing that with an Angler Pro or something lighter weight soon...the more miles you put on the more your arms and shoulders will thank you.
Also, depending on your goals, you might want to consider a pedal-oriented kayak out of the chute. A lot of folks are enjoying these in water where you can use them. I knew I'd be in some shallower stuff so I avoided that option for now. Though after paddling 5-6 miles yesterday, I was feeling it... a pedal yakker probably would've had energy to go a bit farther. Hard saying...I haven't used one and can only go off of what I've heard. They also generally cost a bit more too.
Lastly, there's a lot of right choices, and I doubt you'll be disappointed with your purchase. Enjoy and tight lines!
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by kursah
Do you want paddling performance or stability as your primary focus? If you want something that has really good paddling performance and an open deck, I highly recommend checking out the Crescent Lite Tackle. I love mine, and still can't believe how fun it is to take out.
I'm in-shore quite a ways (Montana), but have taken it on rivers, lakes and ponds.
We also picked up an UltraLite kayak for the wife, but I'll be damned if that one isn't fun as hell too...and like a little go kart on the water, still fishable from, still pretty stable and overall one we both greatly enjoy. It does better in smaller water for sure, but both kayaks have been great.
Being in California, check out Headwaters Kayaks. Also check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc2f7xglcEI&
Both the Lite and UltraLite Tackles are in his video. Dan is awesome (and the owner of Headwaters), and if it wasn't for him I would've went straight to Vibe or FeelFree, which both are great. But I would've missed out on the Crescent yaks, which cost me more to get due to no sellers being nearby. I had to pick mine up from Iowa.
It really depends on what you want though...again stability or paddling performance. I wanted to have a kayak I can really enjoy with or without fishing, though it is really rare I hit the water without fishing gear. Regardless I really have enjoyed my time with the LT, and while I'm still working on being more confident standing and fishing...its A LOT easier on a calm pond than a semi-busy or windy lake that's for sure! The stability is surprisingly good while still having plenty of rocker to be maneuverable, which has proven to be fun and really handy and something I didn't really expect to appreciate as much as I do.
The ULT is so fun, we're talking about getting a second one and selling our old Perception Sound 10.5's to fund it. That way we both of a small water kayak. Where the ULT can make do in 6-8" of water or so... the LT needs 10-12". But its a bigger kayak with more rocker for the bigger water compared to the ULT. Both are quite fun.
Here's a quick video of ULT stability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyY5D5bEsCc
The LT has a faster top speed, but the ULT gets up to speed and does everything faster, and it feels more fun. Is easy to carry to the water. I purchased a C-TUG (standard version) to go with the LT, fits in the nose storage with room to spare when broken down. Makes hauling the LT anywhere I need from my truck bed a piece of cake. I was at the lake for 7 hours yesterday, and enjoyed all of it...was able to assemble the C-TUG, strap my LT to it, load up in the truck and head home in minutes.
Here's some more videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kBQdkCERUc&
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVX3qf3Me70&
Here's a comparison of the 2019 and 2020 Lure 10's, I know that's not quite what you're looking at but should give you an idea of what the 13.5 has.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZE890iUMM8
The Moken 12.5 is another one I was looking at...I was on the fence between it and the Lite Tackle. Overall I feel I made the right decision for me, but YMMV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt4yHzBtZqw
The seats in both I find very adjustable and comfortable...maybe not as good as some other seats with more padding. I don't know... I do know compared to all other kayaks I've ever used, they're so comfortable I can sit all day and keep on going. Its nice to be able to take them out and use them at camp too...though they are pretty low to the ground, that may or maynot work for you.
Same with the seating position in both the ULT and LT, you sit lower than many other sit-on kayaks. That does lend to helping them feel more like paddler-oriented kayaks. But having the freedom and openeness to fish is so nice. I'll post up some pictures here at some point. One complaint I have about Crescent LT and ULT was finding more about them, Dan @ Headwaters really sold me on them, so did the owner of Crescent who answered some of my questions and lined me up with a reseller in Iowa. I may have the only LT and ULT in Montana right now, and while that doesn't matter so much...how much fun we've had with these boats has led me to try and share my experience with people where I can.
What you're looking at also sounds good to start with. How do you plan to haul them to the water? You may want to consider a C-TUG (don't go cheap here) for a kayak trolley, it makes a world of difference. There are other trolleys as well, depending on what you go with like FeelFree with the "wheel in the keel" that's also replaceable once it wears out, might be a good option too. If you have a truck bed, and some ratchet straps you should be okay, if you're going to load them up high, do some testing. I've seen a few kayaks come off of roof racks due to overloading, or improper assembly, etc.
Consider a good quality paddle too, I have a BB Whisper which is a decent budget paddle, but I'll be replacing that with an Angler Pro or something lighter weight soon...the more miles you put on the more your arms and shoulders will thank you.
Also, depending on your goals, you might want to consider a pedal-oriented kayak out of the chute. A lot of folks are enjoying these in water where you can use them. I knew I'd be in some shallower stuff so I avoided that option for now. Though after paddling 5-6 miles yesterday, I was feeling it... a pedal yakker probably would've had energy to go a bit farther. Hard saying...I haven't used one and can only go off of what I've heard. They also generally cost a bit more too.
Lastly, there's a lot of right choices, and I doubt you'll be disappointed with your purchase. Enjoy and tight lines!
--
by kursah
Sep 23, 2019 17:47:03 #
Thank you so much for the reply! I will have to take a look at the Crescent Light Tackles. My wife and I are planning on heading up to Lodi to purchase from Head Waters. They have boats you can rent and since we are inexperienced I figure this would be a good move on our part.
For me and my wife, stability is really important. At some point we may opt for a pedal drive/trolling motor which is one of the big perks of the Lure 11.5 and 13.5. You can aftermarket upgrade the boat. As for the Big Fish 120 I am most impressed with the the large open deck. We definitely want something we can be confident about standing on.
Do you have any experience kayaking with dogs by any chance?
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by slinkyracer
For me and my wife, stability is really important. At some point we may opt for a pedal drive/trolling motor which is one of the big perks of the Lure 11.5 and 13.5. You can aftermarket upgrade the boat. As for the Big Fish 120 I am most impressed with the the large open deck. We definitely want something we can be confident about standing on.
Do you have any experience kayaking with dogs by any chance?
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by slinkyracer
Sep 23, 2019 17:47:08 #
Sep 24, 2019 10:10:33 #
I agree with kursah. Go to Headwaters Kayak in Lodi. The entire staff is great. I think Dan and his family have moved north for the next few months to Shingletown and will be working in their Redding store. As for kayaking with a dog make sure you put a PFD on them and use a paddle leash in case they go for a swim you can just grab the leash and pull them in. Learned the hard way. Dog went over board dropped the rod to grab the dog. Got the dog but the rod was at the bottom of the lake. Lol. It was a cheap rod so no great loss.
Sep 24, 2019 16:02:25 #
I didn't read much concern above referencing the dog other than the last post. Yes I am a dog person and would love to take mine with me but there is fishing time and dog time. Fishing for fun , sport or consumption takes concentration especially on a kayak. Your weight plus dog weight 290lbs dry. One or two gets we, weight goes up plus how do you keep the dog still. Just saying. Your choice my friend I wish you all the best of luck in your venture.
plumbob
plumbob
Sep 24, 2019 19:05:22 #
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