We have a collection of mostly SinK recs, but we just bought a place on Lay Lake in Alabama. I bought myself a touring kayak becuase the recs could not cover any significant distance, but hubby wants to fish. Any suggestions? Are the Hobie kayaks worth it? It would be nice if what he got could also be used like a touring boat.
need a new
wife who wants to buy me a new kayak…
What type fishing and where will he use it ?
Wilderness Systems
There are comments that the Tarpon 14’ boat is capable speed wise. I don’t own one so I cannot speak from experience.
I have a CD Whistler that I fish from all the time. I use a yacklip to hold the pole when I’m paddling. My lures go in tackle boxes in a bag in the cockpit. I keep things to a minimum. I’m kayaking,fishing and birdwatching. Binocs, camera and fishing supplies are withing reach.
I also have a Cobra Navigator for a sit on top. It is slow and the waves slap the hull so it is not quiet. Very stable and comfortable however. I fish from that also. It is a different animal to paddle.
Pro Angler 14
I have a Hobie Pro Angler 14. I don’t use it for anything but fishing, but there is no better boat for that use. The pedal drive is silent and efficient; the boat is extremely stable. Both hands are free to cast and retrieve, except for occasional steering inputs.
It’s bigger and heavier than other boats (too big and heavy to still call it a kayak, in fact) in either the 14- or new 12-foot version, but still car-toppable if you ever need to do that. It’s a fishing machine worth the rather exorbitant pricetag.
Love mine.
Lay Lake, AL
We have a place on Lay Lake. It is a dammed lake of over 10,000 acres. Freshwater. He usually fishes for catfish, bass, and crappie, but would probably like anything he could catch 
I bought him a fly rod for Christmas, so he may even try that in the boat.
How is it for distance?
We are on a 10,000+ acre lake, it would be nice if the boat I get him does not feel like paddling a 4x8 sheet of plywood (like one of the 1st recs we bought). Thanks for the feedback!
Prangler
– Last Updated: Jan-06-13 11:40 AM EST –
Coincidentally, the lake I fish most is also about 10,000 acres. So far, I haven't ventured more than a half mile or so from the launch. The boat is certainly capable of a lot more than that, but since I slow-troll both out and in, it would just take a lot longer to go farther.
My most comfortable cruising pace is about a quick walk, call it 3 mph. I troll at half that. Neither is tiring in the least, and pedaling the Prangler is almost exactly like being on a recumbent bike, effort-wise.
Jackson Kayak
Check out the Coosa or Cuda line from Jackson. If he is only going to fish the lake The Cuda would be the way to go. If he is going to fish moving water also look into the Coosa or for a compromise of both check out the Cuda 12.
Hobie
If I had a place on a lake so that the transportation issue was not relevant and if money was not a big issue I would go for a pedal boat so that my hands were free for fishing. Not only would it make trolling much more enjoyable but would also make it easy to keep the boat in position in the wind without having to screw around with anchors.
The only issue that might be a concern is that if hubby is at all rational and falls in love with fly fishing, some fly fishers insist on standing to cast. While this is possible from a pedal boat it might not be ideal. Also fly fishers usually do not do much trolling.
David
Cuda 12
Jackson Kayak pro-staffer here and I can highly recommend the Cuda 12 for your situation.
Coosachip got it right when he mentioned it first. The '12 came out of the angler group that wanted a boat that could go off-shore on occasion and maybe be used on rivers to go upstream easier than you could in a Coosa. But for what you’re talking about, the Cuda 12 would be darn near perfect; A boat he can fish out of (and stand if he wants) and yet long enough, and fast enough, to keep up with you should he want to accompany you on a jaunt around the lake.
The Cuda 12 is going to be the next addition to my personal fleet this spring.
yes
Get you Hubby a Hobie and youl never regret it. I sold paddling kayaks for 15 years to fishermen and then got into the Hobie the year they were invented about 15 years ago. You wont catch me or any of my thousands of hard core fishing customers with a paddle in our hands.
I would
suggest trying the Tarpon 160,OK Prowler/Trident 15 and if you can find them RTM’s Midway and Tempo.