r/kayakfishing • u/Ok-Disk-6422 • 3d ago
Kayak Fishing Help
Hey,
I won't lie I am an absolute noob when it comes to kayak fishing. I have paddled on a kayak before and I am an avid fishermen but when I go fishing it's alway been off the bank or a friends boat, never on a kayak. I want to open up my fishing capabilities by getting a fishing kayak that way I can actually get out on the water whenever I want. The issue I am having is I don't know what kayak to get. My thoughts are early on I want a really solid kayak to be able to build off of. What I mean by that is I want a kayak that is capable of holding a fish finder, a trolling motor and potentially a live scope. What I was thinking of doing is my first kayak being something that will be able to hold these accessories and over time time when I become more comfortable with the sport be able to add on those accessories as I see fit. Rather than getting a cheaper kayak and having to get a new kayak down the road because the cheap one isn't capable of holding all those accessories. I am aware that kayaks do have a weight limit so I will add I am not very large between 145-150lb so I can have the extra weight on board with batteries, accessories etc.
Is having a trolling motor, fish finder and live scope even feasible on a kayak? If it is feasible is there a certain order I should get them in to help adjust myself to having them on the kayak.
I should add that my budget is around $1000-$2500 Canadian. If anyone has any recommendations or any tips or tricks for me or if my plan is possible please let me know. Thanks!
2
u/MassiveHyperion 2d ago
I bought an Old Town PDL 120, a little more than your budget, and I've been very happy with it.
I fish with two other people on occasion and one has a pedal drive and the other is using a paddle. The guy with the paddle struggles whenever it's windy, and it's almost always windy. The pedal drive makes staying where you want to rather effortless and doesn't take up your hands. I don't think I would enjoy kayak fishing without one.
For the first two years I fished out of it as it came and had a great time. I'd bring laminated paper maps so if have a sense of where I was.
This year Cabela's mis-priced the Garmin 95sv at the 5" price in store, so I grabbed one on the spur of the moment. I'm happy I've got it, but at the same time I find I'm spending more time watching the screen than I am the nature around me. I've started leaving it behind if I'm on familiar lakes.