Northwest Fishing Reports

I have been bank fishing for bass my whole life and I am now looking for a kayak so I can get out on the water. I am looking for any advice on a kayak to get or looking to see if one of you fellow fisherman have one for sale.

I have a 1 man pontoon which is better for casting in my opinion since your up above the water a bit. A kayak will get you places faster though. Ive fished out of both and pontoon is the way to go for me. I got mine barely used on craigslist for $200 a year or 2 ago.

I just found one on craigslist the other day, and bought if from the guy yesterday. It is a Lifetime Payette Sit-Inside fishing kayak with two rod holders behind the seat, and one in front. I took it out right when I got it, but it was a nasty windy day so I didnt get much of a chance to fish. I do like it though. It is light enough for me to carry it half a mile to the lake I went to, but large enough to be plenty sturdy on rough lake waters and to fit myself as well as my fishing gear inside. If you are in the Bellingham WA area, the guy I got it from said his cousin has the exact same one he is looking to sell as well. I could send you a PM if youd like.

Craigslist is a good place to find a used one.

The other guys raise some good points. Is a Kayak the best option for what you want to do, and if so, then do you get a sit-in or sit-on-top? There are pros and cons to both. Where and what you're fishing for can help you answer those questions.

I bought my first kayak last summer after trying to figure out what I wanted. I wanted a fishing kayak that was stable, easily handled, but not really expensive. The price range can be from about $200 all the way up to over $2000 depending on build and accessories. I did quite a bit of research on the subject.

I ended up getting a lifetime sit-on-top 11' fishing kayak that was on clearance at Sports Authority for less than $200. It's not very light, but still pretty portable and is very stable. It tracks fairly well, but will get blown around easily in the wind. Overall, for the price I paid I have zero regrets. However, it is not quite as portable as I really expected it to be due to it's weight. The sit-in kayaks are much lighter, but also have their downsides.

Happy to answer any questions you might have. Either ask on the forum or send me a PM.

Good luck with your decision.

It's going to depend on what you fish for, and what your price ceiling is. I personally fish out of a Hobie Pro Angler 14 (14ft Kayak) that is a sit on top, pedal drive, so hands free fishing. It suits the he type of fishing I do. But's its also on the top end for price.

Honestly, the best one will be the one that suits your needs. Sit down and figure out exactly what type of fishing you want to do, then make sure what you are buying can accommodate that. Do you want to be able to mount equipment on it like sonar or rod holders. Pedal or Paddle? Lake, River, Salt? Fitting what you want to do is more important than what the best is.

It you are not price adverse, the Hobie Pro Angler's are unreal. You can accessorize to your heart content, Fish standing up or sitting down, pedal forward, backward.






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I would not trade my canoe for any Kayak. A canoe can be easily carried by one person and doesn't care if I bring a hundred pounds of stuff with me. My family is not into it so I paddle solo, sometimes for a few days. Trolling is great, when you hook a fish the boat glides to a stop. My net is only 18 inches long because the fish is swimming in the water right beside you. Wind can be a problem though.

As other have said, it depends upon what you're fishing for. I have 3 kayaks, a pontoon boat and a couple of float tubes. I'm a fly fisherman but casting is not my strong-suit. This means my fishing style mostly consists of casting as far as I can then if I need or want to kick away and let more line out. Then I'll strip in 15 - 20 feet of line and kick away from it again moving around the lake that way. If it's a bigger lake then the float tube is out as you'll expend all your energy just getting anywhere and I'll switch to the pontoon boat and fish the same way. I love being in my kayaks but don't usually fish from them because I want my feet to maneuver around since I don't use a rod holder. If you're either good at casting or it doesn't matter you can't beet a kayak for ease and speed moving around.

I've got two wooden strip builds that I made with one being 21' long and only weighing in at 32 pounds so it's very fast. If you want a kayak and don't want to spend a lot, Costco has them in the neighborhood of $300 and they're pretty comfortable, very stable and not a sit on top so if you see some waves you won't be wearing them or having some of your gear wash away.

After using inflatable boats and an inflatable kayak I bought a hard body sit on top kayak last summer and have loved it ever since! Bought mine at Walmart for $160

juan1981 wrote:After using inflatable boats and an inflatable kayak I bought a hard body sit on top kayak last summer and have loved it ever since! Bought mine at Walmart for $160

Is something like this able to have an electric motor mounted to it, or is it too small? I am looking for a small boat that I can put an electric motor or small outboard on. Sorry if this post is a bit off-topic!

Juniah87 wrote:

juan1981 wrote:After using inflatable boats and an inflatable kayak I bought a hard body sit on top kayak last summer and have loved it ever since! Bought mine at Walmart for $160

Is something like this able to have an electric motor mounted to it, or is it too small? I am looking for a small boat that I can put an electric motor or small outboard on. Sorry if this post is a bit off-topic!

Although not designed for it, some kayaks can support the addition of an electric motor/battery. You can find youtube videos of people who've fabricated electric motor mounts. Although it might be a fun project, that would use up a lot of the weight capacity that the cheaper kayaks are rated for. You'd be better off getting a personal pontoon for that purpose. That's a popular model that people routinely add an electric motor to.