Question from a prospective newb
 

Hi all,
I have lived inland all my life and recently moved to the coast.
I have been loving the fly fishing here both off the beach and in the SD bay.

My float tube has seen better days and its time to get something new. I figured why not look at all of the options including a kayak which is what brought me here.

For me, the pros of the tube are comfort, hands free to fish while the legs do the work, portability, easy storage etc.
The main con is not being able to travel great distances due to the drag of the tube and often battling against wind and current. Despite this I have been very fortunate in the places I have fished and have caught hundreds of fish in the 7 months I have been fishing here.

I have always dreamed about one day owning a fishing kayak and heading out to sea. However I really do get sea sick. I borrowed a friends kayak, launched from Fletcher's cove and did a couple of miles towards LJ. I really started feeling ill and had to beach in a hurry!!

So, if I were to get a kayak its only use would be to fish in the bay.
My sessions in the tube last 3 to 4 hours (held to ransom by my bladder!).
I am also concerned about lower back pain with ones legs stretched forward for so long. I am 6'1" 210lbs and at 52 my body is not as supple as it once was!

Given the above would I still be a candidate for a kayak (inflatable or rigid) and if so what kind?

I will be fishing the bay on Thursday in a kayak as a guest of someone who is using a guide service after which I will have a better idea.

Thanks in advance!

couple words for ya.... Hobie Pro Angler. do it.

52 came and went a while ago for me. That being said, demo a Hobie with the mirage drive. Those are the peddle powered kayaks. You can check them out at http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/. OEX Oceanside will be glad to let you demo them.

Hell of an upgrade from a tube, a Outback may work better for ya. :D

First of all....welcome to BWE:D

There are many things to consider on your first yak purchase
money
money
money
& you guessed it, money

All kidding aside. Unless you live in an apartment and have no place to securely store your kayak there are several storage solutions out there for you. If you want to stick to the 'hands free' style of fishing my suggestion would be a Hobie. I'm not promoting it because I own one but because I've owned both paddle and peddle types. Ask most most people that have owned both style of kayaks and 9 out of 10 of them will say they regret not buying a Hobie sooner.


I've only had the urge to toss my cookies once and I held it in, I didn't peddle back to the beach, I held my ground. That's the day I landed two WSB in under an hour. If you have to toss your cookies just do it. It will make you feel a lot better and you'll be providing free chum:puke:. Perhaps, you can try some sea sick pills like dramamine or the medicated patch until you get the hang of it. I've heard of some herbal, legal herbal, solutions but have never tried them.

I'm a sexy 5'10' and 230lbs and 41yrs old. On average I'm on the water once a week and usually spend about 8hrs on the water. Yes, it does get uncomfortable after about the 6th hour but once you catch that big fish you forget all about it.

You will be carrying to many sharp objects on your kayak so I would recommend you stay away from the inflatables.

Wow. Many thanks for all of the replies.
Yes I have had my eyes on the mirage drive Hobies and have seen them in use. Really good stuff but at a huge price!

Assuming bay only usage, what's the smallest I could go that would still give enough stability and tracking. I would have to load it onto roof racks on the car, offload the other side and carry it down to the water.

From the Revolution at 11' 6" to the Pro at 13'8".

There's no way you're putting a PA on a roofrack:eek:

I carry my outback in one of three places: my truck bed, my truck rack or my yakima rack on my accord. I DO NOT use the J-hook because the outback does not sit well in them, I carry it upside down.

Well, I would'nt exactly say no way.........

Is that safe? I was basing this on the amount of weight that the racks state they should carry and the fact that he has a bad back.

I know my sedan can carry about 160lbs on the roof, the big plastic boat should be fine.....:linesnap: maybe .... lol:confused:

Completely. I've been hauling that pig around on Thule racks since March of 2010, in all kinds of conditions. They've got a published max load of 165 lbs. You're probably right about the bad back though.

If your fishing within small areas,
maybe look into one of those pontoon kick boats, youll be able to unzip and piss with ease and your legs will be extended however you need..
That being said the Hobies are incredibly well built fishing crafts without a doubt the best crafted and surprisingly hold value well...
But a bit pricey especially the PA.
If you dont need to travel far and want a kayak u may want to look into the malibu stealth, I loved the 12 (just tracvked like shit and was slow)and for a bigger dude the 14 would probably be the call, you may never use the livewell flyfishing the bays, but in a lake you can throw your rainbow trout in there and keep em alive till you leave, and most importantly the stability and catsing platform are great for the money.
And Im sure Andy (iceman) has one in stock for you to try.

I was wonderin' does the air deflector help?...lol kiddin...great picture :reel:

Yeah it helps a lot. They call it a Fairing. It's reduces wind noise big time.

Coming from someone with the back of a 80yr old man. I never have back issues in either of my kayaks. I had a High Back GTS Expedition Seat, and 4+ hours in my Stealth would not leave me feeling any pain or discomfort. Now, 8+ hours in my Hobie Pro Angler, and I feel great! No discomfort at all. All my pain is in my lower back, and the kayak does nothing to irritate or promote back pain. In fact, since having the Hobie, I have had less daily pain in my back due to the theory that "Motion is lotion"

I float tubed for many years and still miss it often.....NOT. :D Get a fat stable kayak that will not make you feel uncomfortable out there.

Even if you feel like you are going to only fish bays, YOU WILL eventually want to venture out in the open again. You will.

The doctor prescribed patches work great for avoiding sickness, however you will feel a little fuzzy or behind some fog all day. The patch also made me have dry mouth like hell. I can tell you for sure that for ME ,the more I went on the water the less I started puking. I still puke one in a while but thats only when I see George pulling out a limit of WSB.

Don't be stuck on a Hobie, buy something really cheap and later upgrade if you decide to stick with it. Hobies are great (have one) but there are many, many incredible fishermen catching huge fish from non-hobies.


Hey in a kayak you can piss any time, sometimes it might even be not all over yourself!:D

Welcome to BWE.

I carry my Hobie PA on my roofracks as well. I have a Scion XB toaster box with Yakima racks. I find loading my PA at 135lbs 100000x easier than loading my 65lb Malibu stealth into some J racks. Once someone shows you how to do it, it becomes easy. Takes 2 minutes to get it on and off, all by myself and I also have a bad back.

Thanks again.
My back is not that screwed I just have a tendency for lower back pain and if I am seated in kayak position for many hours it may give me grief. Maybe Drake has a point though!

Stinky, I like the idea of cheap to start. I dont want to buy too wrong such that it puts me off totally. What length and type (sit on , sit in, width etc.) should I be looking for?

Also, in a non hobie, how do you guys handle the current and wind wanting to turn the boat while you are fishing? Remember I will be fly fishing so there will be even more time between positioning the boat and getting the cast off.

One problem that might occur with a Hobie is that drive and the big hole sucking up your line. You'd have to paddle with any line on the deck. A regular paddle style yak will give you lots of room to strip your line without tangles.

I have a really bad back and have found some yaks better than others. I usually last about 5-6hrs before the pain is too much. If you start hurting you can always throw your legs over the side too. That makes a big difference to your body posture.

Many thanks Ed. Very good point about the line.
Now to find the one yak thats better than others on the back.
I think I will be in one of the Ocean Kayak models this week for a few hours. Lets see how it goes.