i would like to explore my options of purchasing a kayak for fishing and just getting out on the water. I am a beginner and live in north Louisiana. Are there any dealers in this area? Also, any tips from others on what would be the best vessel to purchase and where would be greatly appreciated.
Shreveport should have a dealer.
There is a sporting goods store in Ruston that carries Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks…peddle rather than paddle…but they’re expensive. Bass Pro Shop in Bossier City carries kayaks. They may carry the Ocean Kayak Prowler 13, one of the better fishing kayaks. Your problem may be finding a dealer where you try out a particular brand of kayak before you buy. Another option is kayakfishingstuff.com, they sell fishing kayaks on the website and ship to you…lots of brands and a good company.
You may want to check out a Louisiana fly fishing web site, those guys often use kayaks to fish from and my have a classified section with used ones for sale. texaskayakfisherman.com has a few coonasses on it that may be able to help you out. The Dallas/Ft Worth area is probably the place nearest you with a good selection of kayay dealers and different makes. Houston is a good place to look also, but farther away.
Book recommendation
If you’re just getting into kayak fishing, I recommend the book “Kayakfishing: The Revolution”. I’ve got an acquaintance who will be publishing a kayak fishing book soon. I’ve read a few of the chapters and they’re chock full of good suggestions, but not having read the whole book after an editor got to it, all I can say is it’s almost certainly worth the risk of money.
Here’s a sample: http://www.riversmallies.com/guestart_jlittle2.html
Pre-sales are available at his site:
http://www.blueridgekayakfishing.com/index.html
- Big D
Reply-kayak fishing for begginers
Ocean kayak Prowler 13 or 15 are great boats, the 15 has bit better glide but the 13 is still better than most. Mountainmanoutdoors.com carries them and I think the have the lowest price in the country on a few 2006 left overs. The Hobie Quest is also fantastic and has some really good storage, they put a lot of thuoght into the design and it shows, but its a little pricey but comes fully equipped. I think my old Perception Prism is one of the easiest paddling there is but they discontinued it so I just bought the O.K. Prowler 13, its stable, well designed, quick, light weight, tracks great, inexpensive, has a large weight capacity, and comes w/ seat. I got an old stock 2006 model today and tried it out this evening after pick up @ terminal. I saved a bundle @ mountainmanoutdoors.com even after shipping.