What's Your Favorite Feature of Your Fishing Kayak?

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angelaclarksons

Freshly Spawned
Hey everyone! I'm Angela, and I'm thrilled to join this community of fishing enthusiasts. I've been passionate about the great outdoors for as long as I can remember, and fishing kayaks have become my favorite way to explore new waters and reel in some exciting catches.
There's something incredibly freeing about being out on the water with just my fishing kayak and a few rods, ready for whatever the day might bring. I'm always on the lookout for tips and tricks to improve my setup and make the most of my fishing kayak adventures.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out with fishing kayaks, I'm excited to connect, share stories, and learn from all of you. Let's make some waves and catch some fish together!
 
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A fishing Kayak is one of those things I've always wanted, and may never end up getting. I got a pontoon boat years ago, used it a dozen times, and sold it after watching it sit in a corner of my garage for ten years. That's my fear - that I wouldn't use it.

Stability would be a major requirement.
Also, I'd like to be able to have it powered, either by an electric outboard or small gas outboard, to get me several miles without worrying about getting back.
Lastly, but maybe most important, is comfort. Most of the time, your butt is planted on that seat, and I've sometimes been in so much pain that I could hardly crawl out of the cheapo rotomolded (non-fishing) kayaks I've been in. I don't have back pain, but my tailbone is screaming by the end of a long kayak ride. So, I'd need some way to avoid that.
 
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Native Watercraft's seat is super comfy.

The hull is really stable which means it paddles slow. It's like paddling a kayak version of a Volvo 240, except obviously its quieter. It's also got a lot of room to pick up stuff. Like cool driftwood. That stable platform is good for fishing, true, but also for photography. I never thought that would prove to be important when I got the thing. It turns out perfect for stalking stuff during photo shoots

Can't say enough about the seat though.....
 
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I have a Hobie PA 14 360. I'd say all my favorite things about it and my least favorite things come from the same thing. Its a big Kayak.

Because its big its super stable. Picking up crab pots? No biggie. Kneeling to take a piss in the salt? Pretty stable there too. Whale watching boat zooms by at full tilt? Helps to be pointing at it but you won't feel like you're going in at any second. I haven't done it but standing on flat water and casting should be pretty easy.

Because its big it has a ton of space. I can put 4 fly rods in the hull rod holders and still have room for more gear rods on the back. Plus fish finders, crates, whatever.

Because its long, Its actually pretty fast once you get going.

But on the other hand . . .

It weighs a crap ton. Which means its hard to load into a truck. I hear of people putting these on car roofs and that makes me believe in Sasquatch because I don't know how they can do that.

Its a beast to pedal all day. Once it gets going it goes good, but getting up to speed can really wear you out sometimes.

Hauling this thing, even with the wheels isn't the easiest. Hauling it uphill sucks. Hauling it over sand sucks.


Its all tradeoffs. I went out at Neah Bay last week in an 11 Hobie Outback. It was super nimble but that thing felt wobbly and nowhere great to store gear.
 
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offensivename said:
I have a Hobie PA 14 360. I'd say all my favorite things about it and my least favorite things come from the same thing. Its a big Kayak.

Because its big its super stable. Picking up crab pots? No biggie. Kneeling to take a piss in the salt? Pretty stable there too. Whale watching boat zooms by at full tilt? Helps to be pointing at it but you won't feel like you're going in at any second. I haven't done it but standing on flat water and casting should be pretty easy.

Because its big it has a ton of space. I can put 4 fly rods in the hull rod holders and still have room for more gear rods on the back. Plus fish finders, crates, whatever.

Because its long, Its actually pretty fast once you get going.

But on the other hand . . .

It weighs a crap ton. Which means its hard to load into a truck. I hear of people putting these on car roofs and that makes me believe in Sasquatch because I don't know how they can do that.

Its a beast to pedal all day. Once it gets going it goes good, but getting up to speed can really wear you out sometimes.

Hauling this thing, even with the wheels isn't the easiest. Hauling it uphill sucks. Hauling it over sand sucks.


Its all tradeoffs. I went out at Neah Bay last week in an 11 Hobie Outback. It was super nimble but that thing felt wobbly and nowhere great to store gear.
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We've got two 12' Hobie Passports, both of which have been upgraded to 180 drives. Not a big offshore rig like a 150 lb PA 14, but easily capable of handling some pretty big swells and waves, and at a fully rigged weight of 83 lbs easy to pull on scupper cart wheels or a fat tire Wheeleez cart. Also easy to slide in and out of a pickup bed, but like any of my fishing kayaks in that weight range putting them on top of almost any vehicle is a real struggle.

Are you finding the 360 capability as useful as anticipated? I know, from personal experience, that reverse capability is a complete game changer for kayak flyfishing, but have wondered if 360 would be a truly useful addition.
 
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krusty said:
We've got two 12' Hobie Passports, both of which have been upgraded to 180 drives. Not a big offshore rig like a 150 lb PA 14, but easily capable of handling some pretty big swells and waves, and at a fully rigged weight of 83 lbs easy to pull on scupper cart wheels or a fat tire Wheeleez cart. Also easy to slide in and out of a pickup bed, but like any of my fishing kayaks in that weight range putting them on top of almost any vehicle is a real struggle.

Are you finding the 360 capability as useful as anticipated? I know, from personal experience, that reverse capability is a complete game changer for kayak flyfishing, but have wondered if 360 would be a truly useful addition.
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Yeah, to help with the loading/unloading I'm going to rig up some sort of removable winch system for my truck bed, its actually a little easier than one would expect with a hitch extension since it lets you get between the bed and the extension to act as a fulcrum to pull the boat over.

Is the 360 worth the price jump is a tough call. Turning a 14 footer with just the rudder and skeg is a pretty wide turn, the 360 though pretty much lets you turn on a dime, theres also less effort in switching to reverse, I find in the 180 drives I tend to sometimes get stuck in a weird half reverse setting.

The 360 isn't as magic as for some reason I thought it would be, its in the front of the yak so you still can't go sideways or anything, and sometimes I find myself fighting the drive to go exactly in the side angle I want to go at. The biggest downside though, is that the drive isn't user serviceable and is really expensive if you need a replacement.
 
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offensivename said:
Yeah, to help with the loading/unloading I'm going to rig up some sort of removable winch system for my truck bed, its actually a little easier than one would expect with a hitch extension since it lets you get between the bed and the extension to act as a fulcrum to pull the boat over.

Is the 360 worth the price jump is a tough call. Turning a 14 footer with just the rudder and skeg is a pretty wide turn, the 360 though pretty much lets you turn on a dime, theres also less effort in switching to reverse, I find in the 180 drives I tend to sometimes get stuck in a weird half reverse setting.

The 360 isn't as magic as for some reason I thought it would be, its in the front of the yak so you still can't go sideways or anything, and sometimes I find myself fighting the drive to go exactly in the side angle I want to go at. The biggest downside though, is that the drive isn't user serviceable and is really expensive if you need a replacement.
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Thanks for the insight!
 
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Just the net simplicity and ease and low cost and low maintenance of kayak fishing. I have a Hobie Revolution 13' with regular old school, non reverse, non rotating mirage drive. Love the speed, love the fish finder for finding bait, and absolutely love getting towed around by a big king (hasn't happened in the past 3 years though).

It suffers once the currents at pt defiance get to be around 2 mph, and I can't jump to a far spot fast, nor do I really trust some of the boats around me to give me the space to be safe, but I am 100% convinced the kayak platform fishes vertical jigs for salmon better than any boat can once you are actually there. Less wind affected, and easy to stay dead vertical over your jig the whole time you are jigging with little adjustments and kicks.
 
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offensivename said:
Yeah, to help with the loading/unloading I'm going to rig up some sort of removable winch system for my truck bed, its actually a little easier than one would expect with a hitch extension since it lets you get between the bed and the extension to act as a fulcrum to pull the boat over.
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I almost asked why not just get a Boondocks TBone, the reread this part.

Can I suggest a simple block and tackle rigged 4 to 1 attached to the front bed rail and run to the rear ?
 
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wanderingrichard said:
I almost asked why not just get a Boondocks TBone, the reread this part.

Can I suggest a simple block and tackle rigged 4 to 1 attached to the front bed rail and run to the rear ?
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Thought about this too, mostly I'm worried that I wouldn't have the hands free to manage the yak as it goes up and over the bed extender.
One thing I will say is that I don't like the boondoxe TBone. A buddy of mine has one he uses with his PA12, I don't like the lack of arms on the side. I have a Malone that has very tall side posts that move in and out and I find they really help guide the kayak into the back of the truck. I load the kayak stern first and I find sitting on the bow as you pull the kayak up it really wants to squirm off the extender.
 
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While I've flyfished from kayaks for many years I hadn't anticipated the degree it would improve my hookup rate.

I bought the first Hobie for my wife...she doesn't fish but likes to accompany me on pleasant summer days on the lake...looking at wildlife or reading a book...but paddling made her shoulders sore.

First trip out we were amazed at how effortless it was for her Hobie to move along at a good clip.

She urged me to take it out flyfishing.

I knew after the first trip that my days paddling while flyfishing were over...my hookup rate easily more than doubled, simply because there's no necessity for the flyrod to ever leave your hand...no course or boat orientation that requires use of a paddle.

This, of course, meant we needed another Hobie...which is frequently piloted by our grandchildren when I take them flyfishing.

I no longer carry an anchor because wind now means nothing...it's easy to hold position, drift in any direction/orientation desired...including travel upwind.

And I can cover a decent sized lake...something that those on inflatables often struggle to manage, especially on windy days.

A Hobie kayak is a flatwater flyfishing machine.
 
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Josh said:
For me, I'd say stability. I don't need a sleek and fast paddling kayak. What I need is something wide and stable so I don't worry about tipping in when landing a fish or standing up to cast.
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I've been fly-fishing from a kayak for nigh onto twenty years and I still don't understand why people feel a need to stand up. You can drift right over fish and not spook them, and you can learn to cast forty feet (or more) sitting down. Always makes me wonder why, if someone must stand up to cast, why don't they buy a pram?

Pulling pots is simple - and stable - if you learn to sit side-saddle, and I haven't yet caught a salmon or a halibut that made the boat feel tippy. Maybe that's just me.

I've owned a lot of kayaks. I've owned Hobies and was happy to get rid of them. I found I lost more than half of the available space to my legs and the drive itself - as you do with any pedal-powered kayak. Speed? What's your hurry? Major muscles to propel it? The largest muscle mass we have is the combination of our back, our shoulders, and our upper arms. And when the drive fails - and they do - pedal-powered kayaks are pain to try to paddle back to shore. Hands free fishing? A myth. One hand must always be on the rudder-lever to keep the boat oriented - pedals don't eliminate the wind-vane effect.

I like paddle-powered kayaks. Clean decks, tons of room, large enough hatches to use the inside of the hull, and the ability to make subtle adjustments for which you still need to use a paddle with a pedal-powered kayak.

Everyone's mileage will vary.
 
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