Paddle vs peddle - input from guys who have done both successfully needed

[Salty]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Tomas

When I was buying my first kayak I decided to go with paddle kayak as I did not want to spend $2k+ on Hobie. After fishing for few months and realizing what kind of fishing I actually want to do (fishing any kind of structure in current where you need to keep position)
I went back and traded my kayak for Outback.
I absolutely love it and never regretted doing this because I am out on the water almost every weekend so the extra money is worth it to me.
You can absolutely fish successfully with paddle kayak and just like others mentioned launching peddle kayak in surf is raiser because they are typically a lot lighter.
On the other hand I have launched from surf in LJ multiple times already without any issues.
Another plus of having your hands free when fishing peddle kayak is enjoying coffee/beer while trolling or getting to your spot. And you can also rig up while on the way.

Yes! I completely agree with this last part. I've never personally done "real" kayak fishing (not just taking a single rod out on a rental) on a kayak without pedals. But my friend that got me into kayak fishing that I go with all the time has an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13. I have a Hobie Passport 12 with pedals. Every morning while we're cruising out of the harbor, I can easily get through the harbor while sipping my coffee and swapping rigs, etc. It's become a tradition where halfway through the harbor, I raise my coffee to my buddy and say "cheers!" while he is paddling away and he stops briefly to give me the finger. That in itself is nice enough. But also the fact I can can keep up with currents while fishing between kelp and structure is something I would not want to give up and outweighs any negatives associated with beach launching, etc.
Another point is that my buddy is constantly complaining that his Fish Finder always getting wet as he moves and paddles. Hasn't caused any issues for him yet since he has a hood on it now, but maybe something to consider.
There may be purists out there that will still choose a paddle over pedals, and I'd leave it to them to explain why they prefer it since I have next to no experience there. But for fishing purposes, I'll stick with my pedals! (I realize I'm new to the kayak world, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Chances are I'm wrong about a lot of things lol)