New to the area... Looking for a vessel!

[pbb]

Welcome.

There are lots of great deals on craigslist. (and some bad ones).

You might want to check out OEX Sunset Beach, and even rent some of the models there.

Generally I would say if you are looking for good and used and not terribly expensive, you might want to focus on these four brands:

Malibu
Cobra
Ocean
Hobie

(There are other good brands but these are good brands that have sold a ton of good kayaks in the SoCal market over the years, and there should be a lot of out there for resale).

And you probably want to be looking for a model that is particularly designed for fishing.

OEX (at least the Mission Bay store in SD) sometimes has sales on "blemished" Malibu kayaks. Which you should also be aware of if you are buying used. A Malibu "BLEM" will be have those letters stamped into the plastic near the stern (starboard side, I think). They should be great kayaks, but don't thinking you are getting a great deal without checking to see if it's a blem.