I am looking for a kayak for bays. lakes and slow moving rivers to paddle and fish. I am looking for a SIK in the 12-14’ range. I have narrowed it down to a Pungo 120 and Loon 138. Any others in that class I should consider?
Nah
Just the Loon 
Paddle them both first if you can. I have never tried a Pungo, but have no complaints with my Loon 138.
From all I’ve heard, the Pamlico may
be better for fishing than the Pungo. I like my Loon 138, but she’s not a light boat. Tracks very true. Not the fastest bird in the market place, but easy to paddle. Didn’t see where you are from, but if the water is warm most of the year and you like to get off your kayak and wadefish shallow areas for reds and specks, you may want to consider a sit on top. Take a look at the post on fishing and touring kayaks. Several options are mentioned there.
Perception Sundance 12
It has a sealed rear bulkhead unlike the Pungo or Pamlico and the cockpit is a foot longer than the Loon.
It’s a GREAT yak for fishing.
Yak Remendation
I live near the Chesapeake Bay and want a SIK for this purchase and uses. I have looked at the Loon and Pungo and am planning to demo both. I want to make sure that I do not miss out on something else that may be a good fit for my needs. I plan on using this for the local rivers bays inlets and ponds. This is not going to be a fishing yak but one I will use it for fishing occasionally.
Two other boats to consider from the
same maker:
Old Town Adventure…a bit narrower width, maybe better manueverability.
Wilderness System Tsunami…Maybe the 125 or think the make a 145 model. Narrower beam, but looks good stability wise.
While I love my Loon 138, if buying a new sit-in, I’d look long and hard at that Tsunami. For knocking about in, it looks a lot faster than the Loon.
LL Stingray
I’m the newest of newbies, so this is just an opinion, borne out only by limited test paddling of the Pamlico and Pungo. I bought a Liquidlogic Stingray 14, for basically the same uses as you’ve described. After about 4 hours paddling it on a local lake, I’m very well satisfied. Just another option you might want to consider before making your decision.
My fantasty: I win that LL Manta Ray.
Need to add to my fleet now that both boys found out they like to paddle.
Recommend a YAK
I was at a Store this past weekend and they had a liquid logic that they were recommending. I do believe it ws the same model. Looked ok but I did not look that close at the time. I wanted to do a little researh on that brand since I had not heard of them before.
recommend a Yak
How does the Old town Dirgo compare with these boats?
The Dirigo comes in a couple of styles.
At least one of the models is basically a dressed up Loon. Others are a newer design. Those have the flatter stern deck. The Dirigo should have similar paddling characteristics to Loons of the same size, with some small variations. They are all wide beam boats and all have similar bow and stern profiles, except for the flat stern deck. For fishing, they are great sit inside boats, equally good, depending on size for camping and exploring.
Recommend a Yak
I called LL Bean yesterday and they ae having a Paddlefest in Annapolis MD next weekend. I thinbk I will go a do some serious demo’s before I make a decision. Thats for all the input.
Recommend a Yak
Well I went to the LL Bean demo day in Annapolis, MD today. It was a nice setup and they had plenty to paddle. I did not come home with what I thought I wouldbut am very happy with my choice. I ended up buying a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 125. I may not be much of a fishing Yak but will do for those occasional times I want to throw the rod out. After all the research I decided I wanted a kayak that I could enjoy paddling on bays rivers and lakes and not something to exclusively fish out of. What impressed me was how light it felt on the water. Extremely stable and tracked very well in the stiff winds we had today.
Fishing Yak
I am very pleased with my Perception Sierra I purchased in 2002. It is very stable, tracks well, is comfortable for lake fishing. i have not used it to fish streams/rivers yet.
I would not recomment a Pelican Gateway 116.
Sunny inflatable by Innova
At first, the idea of fishing from an inflatable kayak seemed strange to me. But, after using the Sunny on a recent trip, I found that my apprehensions were unfounded with this boat. It paddled well, was very stable and the material is so thick and heavy that you would have to work very hard to manage to put a hook through the skin. When inflated firmly, it feels like a high quality white water raft, not at all like a pool toy or inner tube. Not only that but I was surprised to find that it was very quiet, too as the paddle or other gear did not make much noise when hitting the sides.
I know that people fish successfully from all kinds of boats, but I was very pleased with the Innova Sunny and will not hesitate to use it again for fishing. It also has the advantage of being very easy to transport.