Paddle Choice fishing kayak
 

Getting a Sportsman by OldTown 10.6. Says 36” wide, seems to be one of the higher set seats of the fishing kayaks I checked out.

I’m 5’9”. I will mostly be on freshwater lakes, possible from time to time in calmer ocean bays, harbors.

It has the Minnkota option(inboard version) but I still plan a lot of paddling, lord know I need the exercise.

From research I’m thinking about 260 CM. I typically like the fins straight on but I’ve only used an ocean type kayak, Hobie dual seat so sitting lower. Would like adjustability, I believe the Hobie paddles I have have three positions which would be good(might only be two been awhile).

Budget $100-200, looking at bending branch at high end of budget. What should I be looking at?

I like aqua bound paddles. You can get some of their glass and carbon composites under $200.

However, if you can spend a little under $300, the aquabound whisky fiberglass paddle is a thing of beauty! So light and strong. You may find spending a little extra to get a really fine paddle is worth it. Imagine you bought a new Cayman GT4 and put snow tires on it for track day...that's kind of like paddling a sophisticated and HEAVY modern kayak with a heavy floppy plastic paddle.

You dont want plastic blades like the Hobie paddle uses. Every amount of deflection in the paddle is going to result in you wasting effort.

You can find a paddle with carbon fiber shaft (rigid) and fiberglass blades (rigid) in your budget if you shop around. You will need to determine if you are a high angle or low angle paddler as that will weigh into your choice of paddle. The paddle is going to make the biggest difference in your experience on the water.

Even though I don't use mine, if you're not using a peddle kayak, the paddle is your engine.... not an area to skimp on its quality.

Funny you should say that because it has the minnkota built in. But I plan to mix it up, need the exercise and sometimes just may go out to explore minus the motor, not fishing. So, I don’t feel I need the best money could buy. If I didn’t have the motor, I’d certainly have the money for the best.

LOL, That's going to be a beast to paddle. As long as you use low power all day, the battery will last awhile. I found the weight of the battery outweighed the value of the power when I had a 35lb thrust watersnake. Cheaper lithiums might change that.