yes HOOKED!
 

the fish and dive thus far gets my vote....

i sweetwater fish in a johnboat but i wouldnt take that into the surf for any reason.... one good wave or power boat passing by leaving a wake...and your (swamped) flipped....so i'm looking for the saltwater alternative....

and that one gets my VOTE> :kewl: worth the money !!!

it's either that or a tin boat...but the "IDEA" is to get out on the water effeciently without any hassels so the yak seems to be the answer.

Raven, this guy must be your brother from another mother
 

http://www.martialartsacademy.org/qu...ctrickayak.htm

The link at the bottom doesn't work. His main homepage is...

http://www.martialartsacademy.org/quietmanfish.htm

That was awesome how he set that up....Got me thinking

Tough question to answer since alot depends on the conditions you prefer, your body type, your desire for stability vs. performance and whether you are conservative or n#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g futs.

I'd say these manufacturers seem to be the most popular and each seem to have a couple models worth looking at.

Cobra - http://www.cobrakayaks.com/kayaks.html
Ocean Kayaks - http://www.oceankayak.com/kayakinfo.html
Malibu - http://www.malibukayaks.com/kayaks.asp
Wilderness Systems - http://www.wildernesssystems.com/kayaks/sot.php
Heritage - http://www.heritagekayaks.com/sitontop.html
Hobie - http://www.hobiecat.com/fishing/index.html

These are primarily sit on top models, so I'm sure that there are others to consider.

insanely good info....Hooked
 

THANKYOU !! your chasing my winter blues away BIGTIME....

i was reading on his first site where he said: he was blowing by his paddling buddies... who couldnt make headway in the wind....
that happened to me one day.... and i had plenty of juice and power (it seemed) but the winds were just to strong....i eventually
had to put on my waders which i always have aboard...and i had to tow my boat all the way around the shore line to get back to my vehicle. people on the shore were giving me a bunch of stupid looks too...and i know how to SAIL real well and wished i had one... Wow ! he carries allot of gear !! which is why i said 450lbs and up capacity. I bought a gas motor now for the sweet water boat.

back to yaks: and tm's (trolling motors) i had once bought a riptide saltwater version but it didnt last long enough and cost $600.oo bucks Yikes
so i liked his method of buying hundred dollar motors and rinsing well. I still would want more thrust than 34lbs though and the riptide
was 55 pounds of thrust. the setup with the crate is sweet :kewl:

Steelhead , Hooked took care of the surf landings. That's the board is was going to go to for the surf landings. FishHawk

Surf Landings
 

Hooked, That was the site and Link that I was trying to remember on landings. I think I'm going to spend some time at Wingarsheek Beach up here practicing that technique this spring.... Truth be known, if I can find a small shallow cove out of the wind close to where I plan to fish, I don't mind waking a bit... :-)

i had no idea kayak ideas would get so much attention..

:)

i can't wait to try it out this spring!

I would recommend a SOT, probably easier to deal with in the overall experience.
When I am looking to buy something, I always check e-bay first. I just did a search for fishing kayak and turned up several below your price range and located within driving distance to pick-up. It is now the offseason for small boat sales and is a good time to buy.
Buy a good paddle and a good pfd. You will be wearing the pfd everytime you go out so buy one that you find comfortable.

MrHunters, There's a great launch spot down the street from your place in Kettle Cove. Be happy to take you out this spring/summer :-)

Also, maybe a s-b kayak event would be fun this summer....

i think idealy you would need to have someone in a CC with a radio or cellphone. OR be able to keep 2 yaks in the CC and launch them near the school.
I'm game to chase them though.. the last one i caught last fall was easily within reach of a shore launched yak.

Nebe, You got yak?

yes. 18 foot chesapeake 18.

sounds good to me... I have parking for two cars... and you can always take your chances at the beach...oOoooorr i could drive to the beach since i have a residence sticker and there is parking for three :)

BUT... Im gonna go out a few times to get my bearings and a little practice so i dont look like SUCH a n00b :)

whats a CC?

center console, acting as the mother ship!

oh... :)

The motehrship connection. can you dig it??? :smokin:

I can dig it.... Lets go paddling sometime!

When I looked into this last year, it didn't seem worth the hassle (to be legal). For BFT, you need a recreational HMS Angling permit. Sounds cheap ($22) and easy but to get the permit, the MNFS requires either a state registration or coast guard documentation on the vessel. This generally requires red tape, such as a hull ID, and other BS which I've heard takes months.

I hope I'm wrong or the regs loosen up. Last years info is at http://www.nmfspermits.com/other/05ComplianceGuide.pdf

Rec info on Tuna is on page 26 & 27


:poke:

Steelhead...there was talk last winter of a s-b kayak gathering. Quite a few guys on the site crept out of the woodworks with interest. Unfortunatly it didn't pan out. Would be fun though.

Lets all talk at the Plug Fest. Maybe we can get one organized for this summer siomewhere.

October,November,December,January,April?

sounds good.

MrHunters, I'm thinking June. By then the water isn't Freezing Cold. It's only Cold. :-)

We're having a tourney out here on the Island Sept. 22nd-24th.Most of the info is on my site. Just got my first Yak last season (Prowler 15) and wonder why I didn't do it earlier. The first hookup was a little harrowing for me but what a ride.

Todd, That sounds like it would be fun! My first hook up in the yak was a 34" Bluefish in chop that was about 3'. That was exciting!

ESpn2 right now Bass Tech is rigging out a fishing kayak

That's where the mothership comes in....

I like the mothership idea. In the estuaries and along the coast where I encounter cruising and feeding bass, they aren't as disturbed compared to a powerboat approaching. You might be able to get closer to a feed with the kayak and not put it down. I think this is a technique used fairly commonly on the west coast to chase fish off shore.

Good call on the basstech show.

Steelhead- that must have been quite a ride. come on out in the spring or fall and we'll hit some spots.

I've sat in the middle of feeding spanish,bass,blues and albies snuck up on them and either drifted into them or they came to me,All i can say is "what a rush' .Also i love to be able to position myself to cast to the lee siides of some big rocks by me as there are always bass just waiting there for some bait to swim by.The lure goes by and wham an explosion and then the sound of a screaming drive.

I've sat in the middle of feeding spanish,bass,blues and albies snuck up on them and either drifted into them or they came to me,All i can say is "what a rush' .Also i love to be able to position myself to cast to the lee siides of some big rocks by me as there are always bass just waiting there for some bait to swim by.The lure goes by and wham an explosion and then the sound of a screaming drag.

I'm far from being an authority on this and I hope someone can prove me wrong because I'd be up for it.

One of my friends has a permit for his hydra-sports and he hooked up with some footballs last season off the North Shore and CCB. I was going to have him tow me out off Thacher's but I ran into too much red tape trying to stay legal. He told me that not only did I need a permit but the boat needs to leave and return to port under it's own power, no tender boats permitted. We ended up just taking his boat (and only finding bluefish).

I couldn't confirm everything I was told but from what I've gathered from the info on nmfspermits.com, only permitted vessels may fish for BFT (and the other regulated species) and the the permit is a vessel vessel permit which is not transferable.

If there is a loophole or an easy way to get a permit, sign me up.

If not, my story will be that the bluefish I'm livelining is for a monster bass.

Anyway, I'd be up for a get together next season and could bring an extra kayak.

:hidin:

haven't used my kayak around Block Island have been around Newport, Jamestown and from Narrow River south along the rocks of Narr...some nice stripers caught and released, what a rush

Mike, that pic is too funny! Is what the mothership is really for.....:rotf3:

Tricked out Heritage 14'5"
 

ESPN as Nightfighter posted was giving the complete custom job to a Heritage Kayak. Fishfinder, trolling, motor, pontoons, rod mounts, access holes into the Yaks body to help with mounting screws/bolts. Awesome rig.

FF wheres that pic from.

Did anyone see the article about Mako fishing in a Kayak?

CRAZY

SOT vs SIK
 

Having fished from a SIK for the past five years, I have always had a great experience with it until one day last summer off of Gloucester. The waves were small but I was a bit overloaded - always try to travel light but not this time -- as I was trying to get into the kayak, I stumbled and then flipped the kayak, ruined and lost a number of items including a radio, a waterproof camera that decided it no longer wanted to be waterproof and several other small tool items.

The guys I was joining all had the SOT kayaks, they had a ton of stuff, were stable and seemed to be a lot more stable than my SIK.

That said, I am going to switch over to the SOT myself. Check out the newenglandkayakfishing web site, they should have some good photos of battlewagons and that will give you a good idea of what you are looking for.