I am considering a new fishing platform, after seeing some of the rigs on places like kayakfishingstuff.com I am wondering how a SOT yak would work for some of our local waters.
How do they do in the wind? Can you stand to sit in them a long time? Any model recommendations? How do they compare to a canoe? If you have fished from one I have plenty of questions so lets get after it!Jigz
I think Tincanfish fishes from a sit on top kayak quite a bit… He or maybe Kayote would be your best two options for an opinion on that I think… not sure who else does but I know I’ve seen yak posts by those two.
Hey Jig’s,
I do must of my fishing from a S.O.T Kayak. I just love fishing from them. I have a Malibu Pro explorer and a Cobra Navigator. They work great for the local waters.
They are very stable when thing’s get a rough out there. They are made for the ocean so they can take a lot of wind and waves. They have self drain holes called Scuppers that drain any water that might splash in .I do all aspects of fishing from mine.I Troll, jig, Cast and this year I will Fly fish from mine. This past summer Kayote and I took our yak’s down the green and had a Blast. We paddled from the dam down to Browns park. They handled the rapids up to cat IV with no ploblems.
I can fish in mine all day with out any problems. I have a good seat. Seats are thing’s that you would want to spend a little extra money on. There are a lot of Models to choose from. It all depends on what you are looking for. My Malibu is a good all around fishing Kayak. It has pole holders Built right in. Theres alot of room inside the yak for all my gear.
Check out Ocean Kayak, Malibu kayak’s, Hobie Cat Kayak’s and Wilderness Systems Kayaks on line to start with.
If you want I can take you out for a Demo fishing trip with the yak’s .
Tincanfsh
I think there is some info on the float tube board under the best of the best about yaks. Check with Tubedude on that one.
There is no denying that fishing yaks have really gotten more popular in the past few years. If you have visited any of the yakkin websites you have seen lots of pics of big fish subdued from those craft.
It all boils down to what kind of fishing you want to do, and what you are willing to put up with or give up, compared to what you want to get from your system.
**Hands down, yaks give you more mobility and range. The downside is that you have to invest a lot of your fishing time in maintaining position, expecially with even the slightest breeze. **
Tubes and toons provide more hands-free fishing, but limit you to a smaller area, unless you have toon with an electric motor. The toon with motor combo is quite popular in Utah, since you can fish a longer ways from the launch area and still have hands-free positioning by using your fins once you get to the honey hole.
As Tincanfish suggests, seating is a big issue with yaks. If you are not comfortable, it will be a long day on the water. However, if you get rigged right, you can have fun and catch plenty of fish.
Be sure to check out all the options. If you plan to keep a few fish for the table, you need to work that out. You either need a fish storage compartment or strap on a cooler somewhere. Many fishing-oriented yaks have addressed all the issues.
Let us know what you decide and post some pics of your tricked out ride. (poetic, huh?)
Thanks for the replays guys,
Tincanfish,
I would love to go out on a yak demo! I’ve been in a canoe plenty of times and a sik a few times, never been out on a SOT yak. A demo from someone with experience would be great. Let me know when this would be possable…I’m guessing you only take them out in warmer weather?
Jigz
After exactly one season of fishing and kayaking under my belt, I think fishing from a yak is a blast.
I have a Scupper Pro by Ocean, and am getting an XFactor by Malibu, just to give you a couple more models to look at.
The Scupper is a wet ride, the XFactor is not.
One of the paddle sports companies hosted a demo days last summer in SLC, you may want to investigate that.
I’m a big guy, 6’4", 240lbs, and I can sit in my yak all day comfortably, I do use a high back seat for back support.
Wind is a problem, but possible, it just makes it more work to paddle, not like a canoe, where wind is a killer.
The lower the yak is in the water, the less the wind can grab it, i intentionally went out in foul conditions last year with a fully loaded yak, just as a test, and in 20mph sustained winds and 2’ chop I still paddled from Hideout to Carter Creek (5 miles?), it just made it harder to track a straight line, and the ride was wetter than usual.
Boat control while fishing was difficult, but this year I will have a ‘sea anchor’ (drogue) and an anchor trolley system to help deal with boat control.
I don’t paddle in winter, only because I don’t have the right gear, with a drysuit you could still paddle in cold weather.
Yak fishing is a blast, check it out, you won’t be sorry.
P.S. For some ideas, check out plasticnavy.com, these guys fish saltwater, and you won’t believe the amount of rigging possible on some yaks, fish finders, nav lights, up to a dozen rod holders, bait tanks/live wells, bait cutting boards, fish lockers, outriggers, trolling motors, you name it, and someone has it on their fishing yak.
Hey Jigz,
I fish out of the yak all year long. I fished little Dell all the way to Ice on. And will be on it as soon as ice off. I have been told that I’m certifiably insane, hardcore and uniquely bizarre. But I like to think of myself as dedicated. I don’t have a dry suit yet but will invest in one shortly. I use my waders. They keep me dry and warm until the weather get’s better. I when it’s windy I try to use it to my advantage like casting to bank or doing a slow troll bounceing jig’s off the bottom. I have a fish finder I need to put on my yak as well as a cooler type livewell/ lunch and fishkeeper. I will be more then happy to have a on lake demo when ever you want.
Tincanfsh
guys, thanks for the resources and answers, just a few more questions: When I fished alot from a tube I seemed to have trouble with a few boats (usually water skiers and jet skis) that would often come to close for comfort, swamp me with wakes, make me think I was about to be run over etc, Do you have similar problems in a yak? I was thinking that maybe since they are a bit more visable the problem might be reduced a bit.
Tincanfish, thank you again for your offer, I think I will take you up on it. Next couple of weeks won’t work to well, but if you have a free weekend the latter part of April or May I’m up for it!
Jigz
Boy Tuber, that sounded biased against yakers. LOL. My next SOT purchase will be the new Adventure by Hobie. You can peddle this yak for hands free angling and easy positioning. With this inovation I do believe it is the finest human powered fishing craft you can get. We need to start a Utah Yak Club. We could hold races against Tubers and Tooners. Speed or distance, your choice. Hehehe.
Good Fishing, Kayote
Okay, then after the “race”, we will have a fishing tournament, to be held in breezy conditions. Special awards will be offered for all yakkers who can maintain at least one minute of uninterrupted fishing without having to paddle.
No prejudice on my part, Special K. I really respect the great advances in yak design and in the number of savvy anglers who use them to good advantage. It’s all a matter of personal preference, according to the kind of fishing you do and what kind of craft you need to git 'er done.
As my old buddy Dirty Harry says…“A man should know his limitations”. That holds true of just about every aspect of life and living…including choice of fishing platforms.
For example, you may go chasing after a couple of 20 year old hotties, but I wouldn’t. You’re single, I’m not…and I ain’t wired for two twenties (Ba dum dum).
[reply]
When I fished alot from a tube I seemed to have trouble with a few boats (usually water skiers and jet skis) that would often come to close for comfort, swamp me with wakes, make me think I was about to be run over etc, Do you have similar problems in a yak?
Jigz [/reply]
When I fished alot from a tube I seemed to have trouble with a few boats (usually water skiers and jet skis) that would often come to close for comfort, swamp me with wakes, make me think I was about to be run over etc, Do you have similar problems in a yak?
Jigz [/reply]
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Yes.
The boats are one thing, usually they give me a wide berth, and if they don’t the old ‘shaking fist in the air’ routine gets them to move away.
If there is limited sea room for boats, I understand, and I just deal with it.
PWCs are a different story, some of those guys think my yak is a toy for their amusement, and want to buzz me REAL close, or even make tight turns around me, those guys are the reason I always pick up a couple small rocks off the shore, just lobbing them in the general direction of a PWC gets the point across.
I’ve never used my bear spray (range 30-50’) on a PWC, but I will before I let one swamp me, I carry the spray on deck. If he is close enough to pepper spray, he is illegally close.
I hope I don’t start a flame war with those statements, but to me, buzzing another boat is the same as playing chicken on a canyon road, and I’m not playing around with someone trying to hurt me.
Visibilty: To a distant boater, the most visible part of a yak is the paddle blades flashing through the air, followed by your PFD (because these are farthest above the water line), so choosing bright colors for those items is a good thing.
My PFD is bright yellow, so is my yak, and I put SOLAS (Survival Of Life At Sea) reflective tape on my paddle shaft.
A mini strobe light on your hat will be highly visible, and an air horn in poor visibilty is a good idea, if a boater is not looking where he’s going it’s hard to ignore one of those air horns.
I have found that no matter what you are on the water with kayak, float tube, pontoon, canoe and motor Boats. I will still get buzzed and bothered by Jet and water skiers.
This past fall I was out to Steinaker kayak fishing with Kayote and K2. The three of us were in a small group side by side. Trolling and BSing. I dropped of the pass and went in shallow to try find some bass. A boat was coming toward Kayote and K2 and instead of turning it went inbewteen the two of them. There was only about 20ft in between Kayote and k2.
Tincanfsh
Hey Billy,
Great to have you back on line. Some people just don’t have a clue when it comes to water safety. I’ve come across quite a few idiots while out yakfishing, but I’ve never felt I was in danger. The worst is when they send a wave over the bow and soak you.