new to kayak fishing need help

[kayakin cadien]

Hey ya'll. I got kayak fever. I have been obsessing for a couple of weeks now, and will be looking into buying a kayak soon. I want to do as much research as possible first. To give you an Idea of what I am looking for I need a kayak that is gonna have a good seat or be easy on my back. something 12' or under and 50 lbs or less. price range around $500 or so. Anyone have suggestions/ experience ?

also until i get a kayak I will be renting one to go fishing Tuesday, weather permitting, in the Grand Isle area. The tide is supposed to be real good. Any suggestions on launch locations or advice pro/con for my location ? I'm all ears.

Thanks

[who-yak]

I don't think your going to find a 12' under 50 lbs or in that price range. Hopefully I'm wrong. Check out The Backpacker they are a club sponsor and have a store in Lafayette and maybe B.R. Good luck and welcome to the club.

[Musicdoc]

I agree with who-yak. Maybe you can find a demo at the Backpacker. Good seats are definitely worth their price, so I wouldn't cut costs there. I saw a post where someone mounted a nice hard-backed swivel seat on a yak. It looked like a good idea, but might put your weight too high in the boat, thus making it less stable. Welcome to the club.

[marshdaddy]

If you rent from Calmwater Charters or Bobby Lynns, after you finish fishing, ask if you can paddle a few other brands or models if they have any. Might help you decide what you want in a boat. Bobby Lynns is in Leeville and Calmwater (Danny Wray) is in Grand Isle.
Both are members of this club and will point you towards the fish. :welcome: to the club.

[BayouTiger]

Welcome. I have a 12' Native Watercraft MantaRay 12 and absolutely love it (I used to have 2, but sold one of them to get someone else into the yakfishing frenzy). The Natives are known for having the best seats in the market, and I can attest to their comfort, plus it's easy to maneuver from the bed of the truck (or from the top of the rack) to the water. My recommendation is to try out as many as possible before swiping your card. Try to get with other club members to see if you can try out theirs. I'm in Grosse Tete, so if you want to try out mine just let me know.

I picked up my MR from Pack & Paddle in Lafayette, who also happens to be an excellent club sponsor--super nice folks and they have a great selection. They offer discounts on their kayaks for club members and often have demos for sale. If you call them up they'll have them ready for you to demo at Lake Martin by the time you get there. They pretty much "niced" me into buying my first yak from them.

Regarding where to fish in Grand Isle, if the beach was open to fishing, I'd be spending most of the weekends surf fishing or around the bridge. Good luck.

[marshdaddy]

2011 models will be coming out soon. The 2010's will be on sale soon. Also, Backpacker and PacknPaddle usually have End of Summer clearance sales. Give them a call.

[Psycho Joe]

Welcome!!!

To get the best advise on a kayak we need to get some personal info such as:

height, weight, and how you plan to transport the thing.

It's really funny seeing a 14.5 foot kayak on top of a 13 foot Ford Escort!!LOL

[kayakin cadien]

checked out the back packer here in baton rouge... it was alright. the guy tried to sell me the kayak with the foot pedals pretty much the whole time. Height is 5'8" weight is 150. the vehicle i'll be using is a honda civic. which is why i was kinda shooting for the 12' or less in the kayak length. the roof on that stupid car has a pretty dramatic slope but it can reasonably hold a 12' or less kayak canoe etc. with the foam blocks rig. it held onto a 14' canoe suprisingly well. I will check out the store in lafayette it's only about 45 minutes from my house.

[ReelThrill]

Here is a boat that nubbed wonder is selling. For the extra $200 this is a great boat that is rigged and ready to go.

http://www.bckfc.org/showthread.php?1410-Tarpon-140

[BayouTiger]

Warren (Papawd) and I went to Bass Pro this afternoon and saw a new line of yaks they're carrying. Can't remember the name, but their 12' looked like an excellent starter yak for less than $500 (I think it was around $489). Looked wayy better than the Pelicans that Academy sells. You might want to check it out.

Just found a link: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10213830____SearchResults

Looks like it might be what you're looking for?

[valvguy1]

Hey ya'll. I got kayak fever. I have been obsessing for a couple of weeks now, and will be looking into buying a kayak soon. I want to do as much research as possible first. To give you an Idea of what I am looking for I need a kayak that is gonna have a good seat or be easy on my back. something 12' or under and 50 lbs or less. price range around $500 or so. Anyone have suggestions/ experience ?

also until i get a kayak I will be renting one to go fishing Tuesday, weather permitting, in the Grand Isle area. The tide is supposed to be real good. Any suggestions on launch locations or advice pro/con for my location ? I'm all ears.

Thanks


Backpacker is selling the Ocean Caper Angler for 509.00. Having said that............ I've seen Nubbed Wonders T140 with the goodies for 700.00 A great deal. It's fishing ready.

[yak-aholic]

I too have looked at that boat and it looks like it would be an upgrade from the cast-away. I'm really impressed by it for the price.

[papawd]

Warren (Papawd) and I went to Bass Pro this afternoon and saw a new line of yaks they're carrying. Can't remember the name, but their 12' looked like an excellent starter yak for less than $500 (I think it was around $489). Looked wayy better than the Pelicans that Academy sells. You might want to check it out.

Just found a link: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10213830____SearchResults

Looks like it might be what you're looking for?
Yeah that yak @ Bass Pro looked O.K. for the price, I would check Pack N PAddle in Laffeyette so You could demo a few yaks as well as Backpacker as Bayou Tiger said we are in Grosse Tette ya can demo ours if want ......Try and demo as many as possible

[kayakin cadien]

willing to spend more than 500 now that I realize I will regret it if i don't. Gonna check out pack and paddle. also going to rent a kayak from the rec center @ lsu they have some sit on tops and I really want to fish tuesday. weather permitting.

anyone ever hear of or use those hurricane kayaks ? they use trylon (have no idea what that is except its prob. a polymer different than most used on kayaks) but they seem to be in my weight range. is a light kayak gonna be more tippsy ?

[nubbed wonder]

Thanks for the props Eric, and yes this sweet yak is still on the market. Eric gonna send you a PM about the weekend.

[marshdaddy]

is a light kayak gonna be more tippsy ?


Profile of bottom, width and length will determine tippsyness (stability). Mostly profile and width more than anything.

[marshdaddy]

Hey KC, check out the thread on boats on sale at Massey's. Some awesome boats for very good prices.

[revredfish]

Manta Rays are excellent but pack and paddle does not carry them yet. I got my two MR11's in VA for $500 each out the door but I picked them up while in state. found the company on ebay worked out a deal offline. getting last year's model is a great way to save money. that boat from bass pro does look pretty good but nobody here has used one and that would make me nervous. keep shopping or buy one of the aforementioned used yaks. course I bought my first yak from my brother and never regretted it. resale on yaks is usually pretty good (unless it is a pelican)