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River fishing in a Kayak


cb76

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Well, let me be the first one to break the ice in this forum. I have never been in a kayak but a friend of mine bought one and uses it to fish the river. He has been using it mostly in the North Fork of the Holston. According to him this is a blast and I was wander if anyone on here has done this. I might be interested in trying this but like I said I have never been one. The closest that I have been to one was in a canoe many years ago when I was in the scouts. I am considering one but don't give a hoot about any fancy white water adventures or rolling one or anything like that. What I am looking for is one that is stable (I would hate to take a plunge with an insulin pump on as that would be the end of that) and not too outragously expensive. Just wandering if anyone has had any experience with them.

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I used to, but I prefer my Crawdad, so I sold it. I had a Tarpon 100 with rodholders. It worked well on the river. I sold it to a buddy of mine up in Newport. Last time I talked to him he said he would sell it. Check it out at Wilderness Systems and if you like the Tarpons I can get you his contact info.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, let me be the first one to break the ice in this forum. I have never been in a kayak but a friend of mine bought one and uses it to fish the river. He has been using it mostly in the North Fork of the Holston. According to him this is a blast and I was wander if anyone on here has done this. I might be interested in trying this but like I said I have never been one. The closest that I have been to one was in a canoe many years ago when I was in the scouts. I am considering one but don't give a hoot about any fancy white water adventures or rolling one or anything like that. What I am looking for is one that is stable (I would hate to take a plunge with an insulin pump on as that would be the end of that) and not too outragously expensive. Just wandering if anyone has had any experience with them.

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I do a lot of float fishing and made the switch this year to fishing kayaks. I bought 2 Native Watercraft boats - a 14.5' Manta Ray for myself and an 11' Manta Ray for my son. The Manta is a very stable "sit on top" boat designed specifically for fishing. The 14 weighs in at 65#, the 11 at 50. I don't think I can flip mine if I try. After canoe fishing for so many years (and taking periodic swims after flipping the canoe), the stability of these boats is amazing, as is the storage and amount of gear they can carry.

There are 5 or 6 brands of decent "sit on top" boats designed for fishing. My suggestion - don't go buy the cheapest model hanging on the wall at dickssporting goods or seasonally at Sam's. You'll soon outgrow its capabilities (and be stuck with a boat no one wants). While good boats retail for $1100 or more, I found mine brand new online for less than $650 off-season. There are also good used boats to be found. Check out www.paddling.net for really good boat reviews, fishing setup and a really good classifieds section. Also check out www.kayakfishingstuff.com for a good classified section and really good setup tips. Ebay has several as well.

If I figure it out, I'll attach a couple photos of my 8 year old in his boat on Sugar Creek, in south Middle Tennessee.

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I do a lot of float fishing and made the switch this year to fishing kayaks. I bought 2 Native Watercraft boats - a 14.5' Manta Ray for myself and an 11' Manta Ray for my son. The Manta is a very stable "sit on top" boat designed specifically for fishing. The 14 weighs in at 65#, the 11 at 50. I don't think I can flip mine if I try. After canoe fishing for so many years (and taking periodic swims after flipping the canoe), the stability of these boats is amazing, as is the storage and amount of gear they can carry.

There are 5 or 6 brands of decent "sit on top" boats designed for fishing. My suggestion - don't go buy the cheapest model hanging on the wall at dickssporting goods or seasonally at Sam's. You'll soon outgrow its capabilities (and be stuck with a boat no one wants). While good boats retail for $1100 or more, I found mine brand new online for less than $650 off-season. There are also good used boats to be found. Check out www.paddling.net for really good boat reviews, fishing setup and a really good classifieds section. Also check out www.kayakfishingstuff.com for a good classified section and really good setup tips. Ebay has several as well.

If I figure it out, I'll attach a couple photos of my 8 year old in his boat on Sugar Creek, in south Middle Tennessee.

Benn thinking about one myself thanks for the imput

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  • 11 months later...

I know I'm late on this topic, but, I fish out of a yak quite regularly. They are great for covering the deeper slower pools. I like to anchor off the shoal and work the shoal real good then float some more. I have a Native Manta Ray 14. I would also like to add a Old Town 119 to my arsenal. The Native handles my water real well. I fish in it year round.

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  • 6 months later...

Hey smoke, next time I am up there I can bring my 119. It is forsale by the way. It would be okay for paddle-ups but I think you will like the speed of the MR14 better if your going all the way down.

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