What's Your Favorite Feature of Your Fishing Kayak?

[angelaclarksons]

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!

 

[adamcu280]

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?

I have more mobility and I can see into the water much better when I’m standing. I only sit in my kayak when I’m paddling or eating/drinking.

My fishing kayak is a NuCanoe classic 10. It’s pretty horrible as a kayak because it doesn’t track well, but as a lake fishing platform it’s sweet! It’s much lighter and easier to transport than either of my rowboats, sea kayaks, or my canoe.

 

[wanderingrichard]

Wow, 42 inches wide for a nucanoe! I thought my Adios hybrid was wide.

So, like Tinker, a lot of my fishing was oceanic. For that we needed a fast hull. Those are usually 28-33 inches wide and 14-16 feet long, with occasional 18 footers tossed in. (Usually ocean going tandems). Consequently, those boats have great secondary stability and meh primary. So people freak because they're "tippy". Doesn't seem like a lot of folks want to learn self rescue before they venture out onto the wild blue.

Hobie tried, somewhat, to meet those needs, but, we see where that's ended up.

OCEAN KAYAK, ( I have a T15) , Wilderness Systems, Native Watercraft , and several others all built hulls that fit that bill. Not any more.

Then, we get the explosion of "bass tard" boats, usually between 10 -13 feet and as wide as 44 inches, weighing over 80lbs, many now over 100, BEFORE adding electronics, accessories etc.

That's also why we get the "I gotta stand up, it has to have pedals, I can't compete" mentality. Bullshit.

Trust me, many who've fished from a yak for more than 5 years will tell you, your mantra should be "travel light, keep it simple. travel light, keep it simple."

OK, as a company, is no more. Corporate raiders folded them into Old Towne, and nothing that company makes anymore is suited for larger water. That's also happened to Wilderness, Feel Free, and Native..

Fishing from a yak was supposed to be simple, easy and cheap. My Trident cost 800 in 2008 and was considered top of that line. An AVERAGE "fishing yak" these days STARTS @ 1500 and goes as high as 6000. While adding massive girth and weight. How you getting into skinny waters with that sheet of plywood ?

So, what do you REALLY expect from your kayak?

 

[Kado]

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.

I like to stand when I can as I've always enjoyed looking down into the water and watching a fish as I'm bringing it in. I'll use a flexible stripping basket for line management.
I know a couple lakes and Puget sound shorelines where the wind or currents are perfect and at certain times of day, you can drift for a couple hundred yards and not have to sit down to correct my positioning from shore. I've tied a rope to my bow so I can pull myself up and gently seat myself when I want to. Now getting a fly stuck on that rope right at the point of the bow......total cluster!

 

[Tinker]

I can get a fly stuck in the bow rigging without batting an eye - and I don't need to stand up to do it. I see your point about watching the fish as you play it, but I don't see it any sooner when bank fishing than when kayaking.

I don't condemn the practice; I just don't understand the attraction of standing up in a boat that's not meant for doing it.

Then again, where I live, there's always wind and I'm constantly adjusting my drift, so standing would be counter-productive even if I wanted to try it. I'm trying to fish, not do Pilates.

 

[adamcu280]

I don't condemn the practice; I just don't understand the attraction of standing up in a boat that's not meant for doing it.

Wow, 42 inches wide for a nucanoe! I thought my Adios hybrid was wide.

So, like Tinker, a lot of my fishing was oceanic. For that we needed a fast hull. Those are usually 28-33 inches wide and 14-16 feet long, with occasional 18 footers tossed in. (Usually ocean going tandems). Consequently, those boats have great secondary stability and meh primary. So people freak because they're "tippy". Doesn't seem like a lot of folks want to learn self rescue before they venture out onto the wild blue.

Hobie tried, somewhat, to meet those needs, but, we see where that's ended up.

OCEAN KAYAK, ( I have a T15) , Wilderness Systems, Native Watercraft , and several others all built hulls that fit that bill. Not any more.

Then, we get the explosion of "bass tard" boats, usually between 10 -13 feet and as wide as 44 inches, weighing over 80lbs, many now over 100, BEFORE adding electronics, accessories etc.

That's also why we get the "I gotta stand up, it has to have pedals, I can't compete" mentality. Bullshit.

Trust me, many who've fished from a yak for more than 5 years will tell you, your mantra should be "travel light, keep it simple. travel light, keep it simple."

OK, as a company, is no more. Corporate raiders folded them into Old Towne, and nothing that company makes anymore is suited for larger water. That's also happened to Wilderness, Feel Free, and Native..

Fishing from a yak was supposed to be simple, easy and cheap. My Trident cost 800 in 2008 and was considered top of that line. An AVERAGE "fishing yak" these days STARTS @ 1500 and goes as high as 6000. While adding massive girth and weight. How you getting into skinny waters with that sheet of plywood ?

So, what do you REALLY expect from your kayak?

Like fish hooks, kayaks come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. It’s up to the end user to find the one (or ones) that work for their needs. If the primary goal is fishing from a kayak in the ocean I’d never pick my NuCanoe, but I wouldn’t pick my sea kayaks either. However, a sea kayak or ocean-capable fishing kayak would be inefficient and/or overkill for the little lakes I fish.

No way I’m going to try standing in my sea kayaks but many fishing kayaks were designed for standing. Many are also capable of going offshore. In my experience, if I’m constantly adjusting my drift, I’m not actually fishing. I’d want some kind of pedal assist to keep my hands free.

Also, $800 in 2008 is ~$1200 today.

 

[Josh]

I think it really depends on what you are fishing for, too. With bass, I prefer like to stand up if I can. Is it necessary to catch fish? No. But I feel like it helps with my casting and placement, as well as seeing cover. If I were lake fishing trout, especially slower sub-surface/chrionomids style, I suspect I would prefer chilling in a comfy seat. But I mostly only kayak fish lakes for warm water fish.

 

[Brute]

I used to fish from a kayak in HI a lot…and it’s a great platform to free dive and spearfish from…there is one disadvantage in using one in the ocean; I was casting to a bird pile that had come close to shore, small school ahi crashing the bait, when I noticed the large tiger shark joining in the fray…I felt I was a bit too close to the water’s surface for comfort, and slowly paddled away…

 

[krusty]

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.

While I flyfished for nearly two decades from paddle kayaks (and many years prior in canoes) the real advantage of a pedal kayak (such as a Hobie) has nothing to do with greater speed....it's the ability to NEVER have to take the flyrod out of hand while fishing and controlling location and boat orientation through forward/reverse propulsion and rudder. A fly getting struck in the water, with the flyrod sitting in a holder, is almost always a missed strike.

A wind-drift is always useful when it's blowing in the right direction...but intermittently paddling or anchoring up is a PITA and wastes time that could be better spent fishing.

I still have and enjoy using my fleet of paddle kayaks....I just don't flyfish from them anymore.

Sitting side saddle in a SOT to get at a cooler or to change out rigged flyrods from rear holders is easy-peasy....but I don't pull many crab-pots in NE WA!

 

[wanderingrichard]

Like fish hooks, kayaks come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. It’s up to the end user to find the one (or ones) that work for their needs. If the primary goal is fishing from a kayak in the ocean I’d never pick my NuCanoe, but I wouldn’t pick my sea kayaks either. However, a sea kayak or ocean-capable fishing kayak would be inefficient and/or overkill for the little lakes I fish.

No way I’m going to try standing in my sea kayaks but many fishing kayaks were designed for standing. Many are also capable of going offshore. In my experience, if I’m constantly adjusting my drift, I’m not actually fishing. I’d want some kind of pedal assist to keep my hands free.

Also, $800 in 2008 is ~$1200 today.

Yeah, inflation sucks. I once converted the princely sum of @368.00 a month ( my pay rate when I went into the army in 76) to current values
I really haven't made all that much more since then each month.

So in regards to wind drift, those of us who've fished larger yaks in larger bodies have done several things: add a rudder and pedals to adjust for weather cocking while on drift or underway, or add a drift sock to slow us down, Or both.

With regards to the drift sock, I've always gone bow or stern on into the wind , and tossed it behind me. I'm a big guy, so lots of sail area. Very seldom would I clip the sock to my trolley and allow it to go to the side. That mistake almost killed me once over at Hoodsport.

Definitely you have to carefully pick your quiver for your selected waters. I know of one or two who fish from a sea kayak and many who use the smaller recreational style long cockpit yaks to fish the sound. (BTW, i do own an inflatable Hobie i9S that i use for smaller waters, though it hasnt seen a service, or the light of day in a few years)

However the industry has pivoted away from the lighter, more capable paddled boats to catering heavily to a small subset of fisher folk, much to the long term detriment of both the sport and the industry.

Electrification or addition of pedals to drive a yak in a lot of states requires you to register your yak. New York once claimed kayaks and canoes were not even considered floating devices and tried to outlaw them from public waters. That's one of the advantages and one of the reasons the sport was founded around paddlers. To keep the cost down.

Ok, soapboxed enough.

 

[wanderingrichard]

I used to fish from a kayak in HI a lot…and it’s a great platform to free dive and spearfish from…there is one disadvantage in using one in the ocean; I was casting to a bird pile that had come close to shore, small school ahi crashing the bait, when I noticed the large tiger shark joining in the fray…I felt I was a bit too close to the water’s surface for comfort, and slowly paddled away…

I remember Ikes encounter. Said the same thing you have.

 

[Tinker]

I've owned Hobie's, as I said, and you are never hands-free at sea or in wind stronger than a zephyr. One hand is always needed for the rudder to control the boat in waves - even small ones - the currents and the wind, and even then, a rudder is hardly any help unless you're moving (I had a rudder on my kayak). I guess in flat-ass calm water with no wind that's true, but those are rare days in Oregon. Not so rare near the San Juan's in the short times I've been there, and I can see how a pedal kayak could be fine in the Sound.

I never keep a rod in a rod holder; I don't even own one. I can tuck the handle under one knee and the rod over the other if I'm moving more than a foot or two, and for anything shorter, I know how to use a paddle with one hand.

Where do you keep your rods when traveling to where you plan to fish?

My close friend and former fishing companion spent Thursday this week getting a bit nuts catching (and releasing) coho after coho in two- and three-feet of water, littered with sunken logs and barely submerged rocks, in an area that's only fishable during a King tide.

What do you pedal-pushers do when the fish are in the shallows where you can't deploy your fins or drive unit? Fish where the fish ain't?

I'm unapologetically old school. One rod, one reel, one small box of flies, a spool of mono, a landing net, and a paddle and I'm good to go.

I need to add that Hobie's Vantage seat is darned comfortable compared to my seat. But they''re darned expensive if you lose one crashing in the surf - so there's that, too.

 

[krusty]

I've owned Hobie's, as I said, and you are never hands-free at sea or in wind stronger than a zephyr. One hand is always needed for the rudder to control the boat in waves - even small ones - the currents and the wind, and even then, a rudder is hardly any help unless you're moving (I have a rudder on my kayak). I guess in flat-ass calm water with no wind that's true, but those are rare days in Oregon. Not so rare near the San Juan's in the short times I've been there, and I can see how a pedal kayak could be fine in the Sound.

I never keep a rod in a rod holder; I don't even own one. I can tuck the handle under one knee and the rod over the other if I'm moving more than a foot or two, and for anything shorter, I know how to use a paddle with one hand.

Where do you keep your rods when traveling to where you plan to fish?

My close friend and former fishing companion spent Thursday this week getting a bit nuts catching (and releasing) coho after coho in two- and three-feet of water, littered with sunken logs and barely submerged rocks, in an area that's only fishable during a King tide.

What do you pedal-pushers do when the fish are in the shallows where you can't deploy your fins or drive unit? Fish where the fish ain't?

I'm unapologetically old school. One rod, one reel, one small box of flies, a spool of mono, a landing net, and a paddle and I'm good to go.

I need to add that Hobie's Vantage seat is darned comfortable compared to my seat. But they''re darned expensive if you lose one crashing in the surf - so there's that, too.

I suspect your obviously very dated Hobie experience occurred back in the days before Hobie 'kickup' fins became standard with their Mirage Drives...hitting a submerged rock or log means nothing...the fins move backward out of harm's way and then immediately resume their normal propulsive position.

I carry a fully rigged flyrod in a Scotty mount at hand in the cockpit gunwale, and two more differently rigged in Scotty mounts directed towards the stern...all easily accessed sitting 'side-saddle'.

I can assure you that Hobie kayaks are quite capable of 'holding their own' in wind speeds far beyond a 'zephyr', and even more so when equipped with Turbo Fins.

There's a very good reason Hobie kayaks are the dominant off-shore fishing kayak brand....world-wide.

 

[Tinker]

I suspect your obviously very dated Hobie experience occurred back in the days before Hobie 'kickup' fins became standard with their Mirage Drives...hitting a submerged rock or log means nothing...the fins move backward out of harm's way and then immediately resume their normal propulsive position.

I carry a fully rigged flyrod in a Scotty mount at hand in the cockpit gunwale, and two more differently rigged in Scotty mounts directed towards the stern...all easily accessed sitting 'side-saddle'.

I can assure you that Hobie kayaks are quite capable of 'holding their own' in wind speeds far beyond a 'zephyr', and even more so when equipped with Turbo Fins.

There's a very good reason Hobie kayaks are the dominant off-shore fishing kayak brand....world-wide.

I thought carrying rods in a rod holder was taboo? (I know that wasn't you saying that.)

You might have misunderstood the area where that guy was fishing: there's no chance you could deploy the fins or a propeller-drive. Kick up fins won't help in water too shallow and strewn with crap to use them. Heck, it's not all that easy to paddle there - you can only get half the blade in the water - but that's where he found the fish. In a spot like that, a drive unit isn't helping.

Sure, all pedal-drive kayaks can hold their own in the wind. That wasn't the point: in the wind, holding your own, you have one hand on the rudder lever. My point was that they aren't "hands free" except in ideal conditions. If you've been off shore, you know a kayak doesn't track straight even in tiny swells. We're not cutting through the swells like a boat; we're riding on top of the water and getting pushed around by it. They wont; stay on course if you're not constantly course-correcting.

Yeah, Hobies are popular, and Wilderness Systems Tarpons are no longer fishing platforms and Ocean Kayak Tridents have disappeared. Paddle-powered kayaks are dinosaurs, but that doesn't mean Hobie's are the world's finest fishing kayaks, they're just the latest thing.

Remember: hula-hoops were once the Number 1 world-wide fad, too. Just sayin'.

 

[Northern]

I thought carrying rods in a rod holder was taboo? (I know that wasn't you saying that.)

You might have misunderstood the area where that guy was fishing: there's no chance you could deploy the fins or a propeller-drive. Kick up fins won't help in water too shallow and strewn with crap to use them. Heck, it's not all that easy to paddle there - you can only get half the blade in the water - but that's where he found the fish. In a spot like that, a drive unit isn't helping.

Sure, all pedal-drive kayaks can hold their own in the wind. That wasn't the point: in the wind, holding your own, you have one hand on the rudder lever. My point was that they aren't "hands free" except in ideal conditions. If you've been off shore, you know a kayak doesn't track straight even in tiny swells. We're not cutting through the swells like a boat; we're riding on top of the water and getting pushed around by it. They wont; stay on course if you're not constantly course-correcting.

Yeah, Hobies are popular, and Wilderness Systems Tarpons are no longer fishing platforms and Ocean Kayak Tridents have disappeared. Paddle-powered kayaks are dinosaurs, but that doesn't mean Hobie's are the world's finest fishing kayaks, they;re just the latest thing.

Remember: hula-hoops were once the Number 1 world-wide fad, too. Just sayin'.

I also fished a lightweigt paddle kayak for many years before getting a pedal drive yak. I keep my little yak for certain situations, but you'll have to pry my Hobie from my cold, dead hands!
Is it perfect for every situation? Of course not - no boat is. But for lake or inshore fishing it's pretty hard to beat. You wouldn't catch me offshore in ANY kayak, for the same reason you wouldn't find me on a motorcycle on the highway.

I regularly fish my Compass in the shallows. You can peddle freely in a foot of water with no issues at all. I also just spent a couple days fishing weed-choked lakes with only a few inches of clear water above the thick weed beds; an abbreviated kick stroke will keep the fins close to the hull and propel you slowly through those areas to stalk fish, and it's easy enough to pull out the paddle if I need to go a longer distance through it. If I'm actually fishing in that mess, I use the fins to anchor my postion in the weeds.
In the very odd situation you describe, I'd probably just get out and wade fish

Basically, I can paddle my Hobie when needed for unusual conditions, but I can't peddle my standard yak for speed, and trolling in it is a PITA.
Maintaining a stationary position or drift in the Hobie takes only my legs, plus quick one-second uses of my left hand to shift or adjust the rudder before returning it to the line.
The ability to travel backwards with one hand on the steering and one for the rod makes both locating fish and trolling easier, and more comfortable than wedging the rod under my leg.
PLUS - I fish primarily for the strike; which I don't get to feel with a wedged rod or one in a rodholder.

Your point about a drive failing is sort of valid... I lost a fin once at the far end of a lake. But I had a paddle, so no big deal.
What do you do if you break or lose your paddle? Do you carry a spare on board?

I usually have 3-5 rigged rods on board, all easily accessible by just reaching back for them, and out of the way for casting. (Easy DIY rod storage system)

Just my 2 cents

 

[krusty]

I also fished a lightweigt paddle kayak for many years before getting a pedal drive yak. I keep my little yak for certain situations, but you'll have to pry my Hobie from my cold, dead hands!
Is it perfect for every situation? Of course not - no boat is. But for lake or inshore fishing it's pretty hard to beat. You wouldn't catch me offshore in ANY kayak, for the same reason you wouldn't find me on a motorcycle on the highway.

I regularly fish my Compass in the shallows. You can peddle freely in a foot of water with no issues at all. I also just spent a couple days fishing weed-choked lakes with only a few inches of clear water above the thick weed beds; an abbreviated kick stroke will keep the fins close to the hull and propel you slowly through those areas to stalk fish, and it's easy enough to pull out the paddle if I need to go a longer distance through it. If I'm actually fishing in that mess, I use the fins to anchor my postion in the weeds.
In the very odd situation you describe, I'd probably just get out and wade fish

Basically, I can paddle my Hobie when needed for unusual conditions, but I can't peddle my standard yak for speed, and trolling in it is a PITA.
Maintaining a stationary position or drift in the Hobie takes only my legs, plus quick one-second uses of my left hand to shift or adjust the rudder before returning it to the line.
The ability to travel backwards with one hand on the steering and one for the rod makes both locating fish and trolling easier, and more comfortable than wedging the rod under my leg.
PLUS - I fish primarily for the strike; which I don't get to feel with a wedged rod or one in a rodholder.

Your point about a drive failing is sort of valid... I lost a fin once at the far end of a lake. But I had a paddle, so no big deal.
What do you do if you break or lose your paddle? Do you carry a spare on board?

I usually have 3-5 rigged rods on board, all easily accessible by just reaching back for them, and out of the way for casting. (Easy DIY rod storage system)

Just my 2 cents

I've witnessed Northern in action...and can attest that she really knows her way regarding kayak flyfishing...especially from a Hobie kayak.

 

[Northern]

I've witnessed Northern in action...and can attest that she really knows her way regarding kayak flyfishing...especially from a Hobie kayak.

Thank you, and back atcha!

 

[wanderingrichard]

Can't vouch for Tinker, but, yes I carried a spare paddle half on board when fishing offshore. On my 18 foot Delta, I carried a full 2nd paddle.

Farthest I ever went on my Trident was about 4 miles out so I could cover a hidden wreck that yielded 2 very nice grouper and several dinner sized red snapper.
Fishing "the rock" @ Pacific City is easily doable, and if you want a sportier adventure, turn and go right, around the corner, and north about a mile. There's a nice rocky cove that doesn't get all that much attention. But, be prepared to constantly correct for wave and wind push.

Fishing fresh water, as Northern said, I'd often get out and wade fish, using the yak as mere transportation. Dragging plastic across gravel bars to get to pools that have been choked off can have its rewards.

 

[Tinker]

I regularly fish my Compass in the shallows. You can peddle freely in a foot of water with no issues at all. I also just spent a couple days fishing weed-choked lakes with only a few inches of clear water above the thick weed beds; an abbreviated kick stroke will keep the fins close to the hull and propel you slowly through those areas to stalk fish, and it's easy enough to pull out the paddle if I need to go a longer distance through it. If I'm actually fishing in that mess, I use the fins to anchor my postion in the weeds.
In the very odd situation you describe, I'd probably just get out and wade fish

Basically, I can paddle my Hobie when needed for unusual conditions, but I can't peddle my standard yak for speed, and trolling in it is a PITA.
Maintaining a stationary position or drift in the Hobie takes only my legs, plus quick one-second uses of my left hand to shift or adjust the rudder before returning it to the line.
The ability to travel backwards with one hand on the steering and one for the rod makes both locating fish and trolling easier, and more comfortable than wedging the rod under my leg.
PLUS - I fish primarily for the strike; which I don't get to feel with a wedged rod or one in a rodholder.

Your point about a drive failing is sort of valid... I lost a fin once at the far end of a lake. But I had a paddle, so no big deal.
What do you do if you break or lose your paddle? Do you carry a spare on board?

I usually have 3-5 rigged rods on board, all easily accessible by just reaching back for them, and out of the way for casting. (Easy DIY rod storage system)

Just my 2 cents

And a well-spent two cents it is!

Everything you said I found to be easier to do when paddling, but that's just me.

You can't always jump out to wade. Sometimes you're going to end up butt-deep in mud - don't ask me how I know.

I know the abbreviated pedal technique, but it doesn't work in every situation. Sometimes you need to get the hell out of there, right now. Short pedaling doesn't do that very well.

I do carry a second paddle, but I've never needed it. I've never managed to break a paddle - not even when using it to pry myself off a reef when a breaker had me pinned to it. It may be because I use expensive paddles; I don't know the answer to "why" I've never broken one. I just haven't.

Every kayak is a compromise. The compromises pedaling forced on me never fit how and where I fish, but I can accept those that my Tridents force on me.

I'm going to take a moment to congratulate all of the folks who pedal a kayak on this board. No one has talked about "peddling" their kayak and you'd be shocked how often folks on kayak forums get that wrong. Good job!

 

[SpawnFlyFish]

I fish out of an Old Town kayak, and there are so many aspects I love about it. The pedal drive, in particular, is phenomenal and easily one of my favorite features. It’s perfect when it comes to staying in position while targeting or fighting fish in areas with tidal currents or wind. I can focus entirely on the fish without worrying about drifting. A couple of pedals forward, a couple back, and I can hold steady exactly where I need to be, which has allowed me to land countless fish.

 

[Matt B]

https://oldtownwatercraft.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/kayaks/fishing/sportsman-autopilot-136

You know this thing is a fish slaying ride. It's also 5 grand and weighs 158 pounds.