Kayaks

[Dhamilton1]

With spring season coming to an end soon or already over for some of us, I'm entertaining the wife's idea of getting some kayaks for this summer.

I will most likely get her a cheaper but decent recreation sit in kayak. However, for myself I'm looking at getting a sit on top fishing kayak, as I've gotten the urge to add fishing to my list of hobbies.

For those of you who kayak fish, what's a good sub $500, don't break the bank, fishing kayak that could be used on lakes and rivers/streams?

Looking to possibly use for water access when fall bow hunting too.


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[CALLM2U]

I'm no expert at all, but for that price range you're pobably looking at a Lifetime fishing kayak. Pelican is probably another one to consider.   

My family has several Lifetimes and they are holding up well. 

That being said, if you're going to spend many hours in it, you're going to want to do some upgrades to the seat for sure. 

[3bailey3]

I got my wife a D10 sit in from Bass pro, they alsp have some really nice sit on for fishing but way north of $500. Like already mentioned make sure you get one with a good seat, I have a Wilderness System that I can fish all day in it, Ole town also makes a good one but they are $$.

[Big Jeremy]

I've had a few sit-on-top kayaks for fishing and hunting access purposes. For your price range, you should be looking at the used market. Lots of folks get a pretty nice rig thinking they'll love it, and they might...but just don't have the time they thought they would. Resale value doesn't hold well on many kayaks.

Some things to think about:

1. Will you ever be loading this and moving it around by yourself? Probably so if using for hunting access...keep weight down if so.
2. Are you ever going to need to put a deer in the boat with you to get back to your vehicle? Keep weight capacity in mind and don't push limits too much, especially if in water that's moving fast at all.
3. If you want one that is somewhat lighter and has good weight capacity, you might prefer a small canoe.
4. The paddle you choose will make a big difference if staying on the water for long stretches of time.


Finding the right boat may take a few swings. My current, and favorite when considering all aspects, is a Crescent CK1 Venture. Seat is good (not as good as the AirPro MAX that was on my Wilderness Systems Ride 115X...that seat is THE standard), handles/tracks really well, only weighs 65 lbs. (still quite a bit to wrangle alone), has a 400 lb. capacity, and is very customizable with mighty mounts and gear tracks. I also much prefer the open cockpit style this one offers. I purchased mine used for $550 a couple of years ago and it had only been in the water a couple of times. It looked as though it had never been in the water.


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[patternfreak]

I have a Crescent Lite Tackle and my wife has the CK1. Great kayaks. I've had plenty of Ascends and Old Towns, this is a pretty big step up in quality and paddle-ability.

You could probably find a used Crescent around that 500 mark. Check Facebook Marketplace

[Dtrkyman]

I have a lifetime, doe's what I need a little fishing and a little duck hunting from it.


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