New kayak purchase—need help!

[thebowhunters]

Hey Doc all I know is when you get your kayak of choice you will fall in love with fly fishing out of it. I fly fish out of mind daily and love it. Enjoy

[Dave W]

I was wanting the Wilderness Radar

[Outback77]

Just my opinion, but depends on what you want to get out of it. From a pure kayak POV I love the paddling aspect. I just enjoy it, a lot of times more than the fishing. From a pure fishing POV the pedal drive wins hands down for several reasons, especially on open water. Having fished side by side in my Jackson Cuda 14 next to a Hobie pedal drive on a small (125 acre) lake and seeing how much more time I spend picking up a paddle to make even small adjustments VS what he did with a peddle here or there was crazy.

[txoutdoorsman24]

Doc, you are eight about Hobie being the best. Hands down best for stability and maneuvering with the new 360 fins. Can fish and paddle in all directions now. I want one of those for myself but I won’t drop the money bc I have a kayak just sitting. Old town Predator 13. It’s a great kayak for stability and tracking. I had a Jackson Coosa HD before it and didn’t like it bc it tracked horribly. Was very stable but slow. Like all have said, ACK is the place to go. There is a location here in San Antonio too off DeZavala.

[SneakyPhil]

Can't speak for pedal drive yaks but Wilderness System makes a great product. I had a Tarpon 140 and fished all over the Lower Laguna Madre area and never had any issues. I even fished windy days and the 140 cut through the wind fairly well. Whatever you do get a rudder.

[BigValley]

[mention]ultralite09 [/mention]any ideas?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[brandonsbird02]

Hobie. You will love them. I can't wait to get one of the new ones! They are fast, stable and you don't ever have to sit the rod down. On the coast, I could point it into the wind and with small flutter kicks of the pedals hold in place while i kept fishing. I loved mine.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Draco]

I have two Native pedal drives if you want to borrow them to try out on lake Travis. Their main advantage is they are much lighter than the Hobies and you have instant reverse when you need it.

[docmay]

So, I have always been a Jackson fan based on research. The biggest thing for me with their pedal drive was reverse. Seems like you could instantly reverse and hold position to fish. The original Hobie seemed to struggle with this, the new Hobie 360 seems to have all the bases covered. The only issue is the $2000 upgrade in price. I do like the idea of the Jackson or other prop drives with instant reverse. However, the new Hobie 360 seems to do it all. I can afford that if it is truly the best.

[killerbee]

Hobie has My vote.

[gander]

So, I have always been a Jackson fan based on research. The biggest thing for me with their pedal drive was reverse. Seems like you could instantly reverse and hold position to fish. The original Hobie seemed to struggle with this, the new Hobie 360 seems to have all the bases covered. The only issue is the $2000 upgrade in price. I do like the idea of the Jackson or other prop drives with instant reverse. However, the new Hobie 360 seems to do it all. I can afford that if it is truly the best.

I have a buddy who write's for Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine in their kayak portion. He is on Jackson's Pro staff. I could give you his contact info if you'd like to pick his brain. I know that he absolutely loves the Jackson's.

[Big Ace]

The reason that the Hobies are heavier is that they have a much thicker Hull. I’ve compared them all side by side. I’ve fished most of the competitors. I am a big Hobie fan. The Hobie accessories are expensive but make your rigging much easier. I currently run a PA14. If you really want the best get a Hobie and put a Bixpy on it.

[Mayhem]

I would buy the kayak that has the ipilot trolling motor in it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[docmay]

Sounding more like Hobie will be the answer. I wasn’t in love with the mirage 180 drive with pulling levers for reverse. I guess if I go all in with Hobie and a 360 it will do it all.

[guru27]

ACK just opened a new store in new braunfels at Tx ski ranch, I think they are doing demos on their lake. Might want to check that out if your looking for a demo. I just Upgraded from a paddle (vibe sea ghost) to a peddle drive(hobie outback), and I wouldn't want to go back. one thing about the PA is it is a big boat, not something that I would want to paddle and real distance. I haven’t had my outback long, but i think it is small enough that I could paddle it if I wanted to take it down a river or into shallow water for a day.