As a novice I have been looking at three models of kayak for ocean fishing. An Ocean Scupper Pro, a Wilderness System Tarpon 14, and a Perception Bimini. Can anyone furnish some useful guidance on this and the type of paddle to purchase?
I have
the tarpon 140 and its great for fishing. Lots of room for gear and very stable. It does let some water in by your feet though, as it has a flat cockpit. The seat stays dry and mine has no rudder and still tracks and turns well. Never paddled the other models but would recommend the tarpon 140 for fishing.
YES INDEED!
Go over to the FISHING board here at p.net. ANd do a search. You’ll get a TON of info on what boats are good, paddles to consider, thoughts and examples -including pix -on how to rig your boat and rigging for different kinds of fishing.
All SORTS of good info…
Just go to the fishing section with fishing inquiries -you’ll see my thoughts, as well as perhaps hundreds of others. And you’ll see a slew of kayak fishing specialty sites to check out for SUPER detailed info on same.
It’ll be quite helpful to you in getting set up, and make it great for you, after you’ve gotten rigged, to yakfish as you
Paddle On!
-Frank in Miami
you will not go wrong w/those 3
those 3 kayaks are all top SOT’s for fishing. my humble best advice is to demo all three (and more if you get the chance). alot depends on your size & how you think you might really use the SOT. like Frank, i paddle a scupperpro t/w, but i am only about 5’9", if you are 6’5" with a big butt you will not fit in a scupperpro. but any of the Tarpons would be a good fit. anymore I feel that almost any kayak will do the job as a fishing yak if you plan on using it only as a “flats caddy” & to reach those areas 3-5 miles away from where you might already be wade fishing.
on the other hand, if you think you might be doing some weekend camping trips in addition to your fishing day fishing trips a Tarpon160 might be a good choice for you. when i bought my scupperpro almost 5 years ago, I never thought about kayak camping, but i bet I’ve spent at least 125+ nights in a tent beach camping since buying my scupper. If I was to add a third yak to my fleet, it might just be a Tarpon120 because of its size (very easy to just throw in the back of the truck & go). check out www.paddle-fishing.com & www.tkf.com for more & GOOD LUCK.
tarpon 140 is a great yak, suv of yaks
with tremendous tank well and extremly stable. The only kayak that I would consider opening the forward hatch on ,out on the water. you ask about paddles, a 230 or 240 might be warranted since there is a tendancy to strike the side hand grips with the shaft sometimes. thought it was just me ,but others have mentioned the same. The grips are all that usefull and you might consider removing them if they are a constant problem.
Also Check Out
Where are you fishing? You should also check out Dennis Spike’s Coastal Kayak Fishing Boards. They have boards for the SOCAL, NORCAL, Florida, and the northeast.
Bimini
Is my vote, stable, moves at a brisk pace, lots of dry storage and tankwell.
Fishing Yaks
I think I would go with the Tarpon 16 and it would be useful for just about any type of paddling, including distance and camping, that plastic back rest seems a bit fisher price-ish though. I would probably remove it if possible. Ocean Kayak also has their fishing model the “Prowler” could ne worth looking into.
Brian