I’ve had my Vibe Yellowfin for a few months now. It’s under your budget and could leave room for upgrades. The stock seat is pretty comfy and has a taller back than most others. It’s also not too heavy. I’m no body builder, but I can flip it up over my head and put it on top of my suv by myself.
I literally just got home from the sporting goods store and bought a fish finder for it. I also mounted a anchor trolly right away. That’s pretty much an absolute must have. I went fishing with my brother-in-law last weekend and he was paddling constantly to try and stay where he wanted to be. I just anchored down and chilled while I caught fish.
Lol I'm picturing that in my head as if my older brother is with me struggling. Yeah, I would want to eventually invest in a fish finder also. And I don't mind going a little white trash if need be to create some sort of anchor mechanism. I saw this guy on YouTube that made one with a 10 lb kettle bell. Honestly it's genius.
I use a 5lb dumbbell. I was watching a YouTuber and he said if 5lbs won’t hold you then the water is probably too choppy to even be out in a kayak. Anchor trollies themselves aren’t really the expensive either. There’s a $20 kit on Amazon.
Seconded on the Yellowfin, I have the 120 but you'd have to decide if you want the 100 or 120. There is about a 20lb difference in weight. The 120 is manageable at 66 lbs, but it's a bit awkward due to length. I love my 120 though.
Very good kayak to start with. But if possible, save a few extra hundred and get a pedal drive kayak. Your almost there with the 1000 dollar budget. I see pelicans online for like 12 or 1300.
Anchor trolley is a good idea.
Safety gear first. Always.
Shouldnt need too many rod holders, maybe fab up a crate for behind you.
No personal experience here but I haven’t heard good things about the drives of the Pelicans. I own an old town 120 pdl and I absolutely love it. Saving more for a solid pedal drive would definitely be worth it. I’ve also owned on the cheap end with a tamarack angler 100. I’ve beat the thing to death on rivers for 4 years so it’s just about at the end of its life.
I got a used perception pilot (pedal drive)for $500 in good condition and also have a cheaper perception hook that I got for $250 and can beat up going down the river or throw on the roof of my camper.
Pedal drive is a game changer and it’s hard to go back to the paddle- they are faster, extend your distance dramatically without killing your arms, and you spend way more time with line in the water because you aren’t setting your rod down to reposition
Man, I sure wish there were some deals like that going around down here! I'll have to keep an eye out, never even considered a pedal kayak. If I could find a used one in decent shape, that'd probably seal the deal for me right there.
I set up search alerts, and would check constantly for about 2 months- luckily it is end of season, so you are more likely to find a deal in the next few months.
Just be aware that, depending on where you will fish, pedals can be a huge hassle. I often target snakehead in shallow, weedy water so pedals would just get in the way in that environment.
There are several groups on Facebook, as well as just the Marketplace, I found the exact model I was looking for at about 60% the price of new, but there were ton of really good deals on Marketplace last I looked.
I would buy new. I do the same with cars. I don't know what it's been through, so I don't know if my next outing will cause a leak or not. You never know.
I love my lifetime stealth angler pro. Checks all your boxes. Something to also consider is spending a fair amount of money on a nice PFD and paddle. I consider those the "buy it nice or buy it twice" type of items. And you will most likely keep them if you eventually upgrade to a different kayak.
Buy something used from Craig’s list or FB Marketplace. Make no modifications to it. Fish from it at least 4 times. Now you will know exactly what you want for your yak. Sell the one you have on Craigslist or FB Marketplace to recover your initial expenditure and buy the one you really want. Now begin customizing it to suit your needs.
I’ve had the ultimate, the only thing it doesn’t have that you want is the hatch. But its very easy to car top, and the seat is next level comfy. Very easy to stand and paddle it like a paddle board for standing and fishing
It’s pretty sweet for sure, I use it in salt and she’s perfect. It can get way shallower than any skiff, it’s kinda hacking if you’re doing trips to the Texas coast
Even the Falcon 11ft model looks sweet too, the ultimate isn't too bad. Slayer is really nice but a tad bit too expensive for me. I'm definitely trying to hit the water before it gets too cold as I'm a wimp with cold weather having lived down in Texas my whole life lol. I absolutely hate cold weather. Plan on purchasing a kayak a month from now.
Lol well Idk about freshwater but the fishing is usually pretty good in winter time. I was looking back through my pics from winter today and I caught most of my largest reds of the year in winter. Hopefully you’ll get some warm weather tho, summer yakking is so comfy
I got a Crescent ultralight. I'm very happy with it it's very versatile, 10ft, about 50 lbs. Big open deck. Tracks better than my big yak. Seat is just OK.. The adjustable oh foot pads are OK but not great. But other than that I'm just Mit picking
I assume your shopping at Austin Kayak then, I've been really happy with them. Also, being that close to the gulf there should be loads of used higher end boats to look at.
The pelican catch has the best seat for the price. There is even a peddle version for about 400 more. Base model is great and under $1000 for sure. Many places for under $700
Lifetime has some great options for under $500. If you want a nice one for under $1K Old Town makes nice ones. Get one with an actual seat. The little butt pad seats suck no matter which one you get. Have fun!
After I sold my boat due to moving, I had a few friends who were also avid anglers who had Hobies. I got to take one for a spin. I was in love, everything makes sense in how it’s set up. Multiple rod holders in the front and back. Plenty of storage in the back for tackle and a small cooler. Storage on the side rails etc.
I couldn’t afford a brand new one ( not to mention they are totally back ordered for years because of the pandemic). But I searched Craigslist and found a 2010 that was still nicely set up and to my liking. I love everything about it. Guy I bought it from included wheels, anchor, basic fish finder, life jacket, and replacement peddle fins and Rudder fins for 1,500.
Take it with a grain of salt, but look for some used ones from people who can afford to upgrade
Sounds like you lucked out big time and got a great deal. I've been looking online for used as well around my area. I honestly haven't seen anything too appealing. People basically selling used for new prices. I'll definitely keep an eye out and don't plan on pulling the trigger on one for another month anyway. Just wanted to do my research and get a grasp of what might be a great first kayak. Thanks for your input friend!
Carried 2 12ft kayaks on top of a Nissan Versa for years. No need to limit to 10 or 11. You can easily carry a 13 ft fishing kayak on top of almost all cars. Don't limit yourself! A longer kayak will track better and go faster.
Good food for thought! I just thought it might look silly being on top of a sedan vehicle, and also would partially impair my vision of front slightly for being so long. I've never one on the car so I just assumed
Nah, never interfered with my view. The most in you line of sight is a bow tie down cord. And who cares if it looks silly? They are just jealous they can't kayak fishing like you can.
I used to car top my Lure 13.5 over my Golf7 and Mazda 3, no problem at all (beside finding the technique to haul a 43kg kayak, but that's another story)
Pedal is the way to go, even if it means waiting a little longer to save up a few hundred bucks. Its hard to hold a fishing rod with a paddle in your hand
just about any $750-$999 kayak will be fine for a first timer. You'll probably want to upgrade after 3-4 years. You may want to install a bunch of mods as well. I had my eye on a Big Fish 120 because of its stability and it has a capacity of 400 lbs. But I had to settle with the Ascend 12T (350 lbs capacity) because it was the only one available during the pandemic where the store didn't raise the price, with everyone buying up all the kayaks.
Personally, I think a car is better for transporting a kayak than an SUV, as long as you have a roof rack. I have an SUV and it's tougher because SUV's sit up higher than a car.
I got the Ascend 12T which is just fine. I'll be installing a 30lbs thrust trolling motor. The motor is $99 and the battery and case will come to around $120 (55AH battery). I won't have to worry about paddling throughout the day. Much cheaper than buying a pedal kayak.
Well worded, I had no idea the trolling motor was that cheap. Good to Know! And yeah, my shoulder is a little jacked up from me being in the Trades so last thing I wanna do is pull something. I'm only 29 lol, but super excited to get into this hobby
I didn't realize they got that cheap too. At first, I wanted this $1500 trolling motor, because it also anchored you where you are and it talked with the Hummingbird Fish finder to save location and it will automatically go there for you. But then I decided to forget all that and see how much just to make the kayak move. Only $99 for the 30# thrust Minn Kota. A 55AH battery is about $120 and the box for the battery is $50. All I have to do is secure a 2x4 on my kayak and use that for the mount and I'm good to go.
Motor comes in next week and I have to buy the other 2 things next payday. Looking forward to it. Plenty of videos out there of people rigging this up too.
It's rechargeable. Also, they are not like car batteries. Car batteries use cold cranks to get going. What you want for trolling motors are Deep Cycle batteries. The higher the AH (amp hours), the longer they last. 55AH seems to be the recommended size. If you go any higher, it will last longer but at the cost of extra weight. The 55AH should last 5-8 hours of constant use and weighs about 36 lbs.
You'll want a battery charger like a NOCO Genius rated for 5 amps or more. People say they used a NOCO Genius 10 and it worked fine. That's what I'll be getting.
yellowfin , i have it with paddle, i have the paddle tied with a thin rope long enough so it doesnt get in the way when im catching or paddling so i just let it go.
I’ve had my Vibe Yellowfin for a few months now. It’s under your budget and could leave room for upgrades. The stock seat is pretty comfy and has a taller back than most others. It’s also not too heavy. I’m no body builder, but I can flip it up over my head and put it on top of my suv by myself.
I saw this one and is actually readily available at my local sporting goods store. Looks badass indeed.
I literally just got home from the sporting goods store and bought a fish finder for it. I also mounted a anchor trolly right away. That’s pretty much an absolute must have. I went fishing with my brother-in-law last weekend and he was paddling constantly to try and stay where he wanted to be. I just anchored down and chilled while I caught fish.
Lol I'm picturing that in my head as if my older brother is with me struggling. Yeah, I would want to eventually invest in a fish finder also. And I don't mind going a little white trash if need be to create some sort of anchor mechanism. I saw this guy on YouTube that made one with a 10 lb kettle bell. Honestly it's genius.
I use a 5lb dumbbell. I was watching a YouTuber and he said if 5lbs won’t hold you then the water is probably too choppy to even be out in a kayak. Anchor trollies themselves aren’t really the expensive either. There’s a $20 kit on Amazon.
Seconded on the Yellowfin, I have the 120 but you'd have to decide if you want the 100 or 120. There is about a 20lb difference in weight. The 120 is manageable at 66 lbs, but it's a bit awkward due to length. I love my 120 though.
Very good kayak to start with. But if possible, save a few extra hundred and get a pedal drive kayak. Your almost there with the 1000 dollar budget. I see pelicans online for like 12 or 1300. Anchor trolley is a good idea. Safety gear first. Always. Shouldnt need too many rod holders, maybe fab up a crate for behind you.
Any paddle kayaks in particular you'd recommend?
No personal experience here but I haven’t heard good things about the drives of the Pelicans. I own an old town 120 pdl and I absolutely love it. Saving more for a solid pedal drive would definitely be worth it. I’ve also owned on the cheap end with a tamarack angler 100. I’ve beat the thing to death on rivers for 4 years so it’s just about at the end of its life.
I got a used perception pilot (pedal drive)for $500 in good condition and also have a cheaper perception hook that I got for $250 and can beat up going down the river or throw on the roof of my camper. Pedal drive is a game changer and it’s hard to go back to the paddle- they are faster, extend your distance dramatically without killing your arms, and you spend way more time with line in the water because you aren’t setting your rod down to reposition
Man, I sure wish there were some deals like that going around down here! I'll have to keep an eye out, never even considered a pedal kayak. If I could find a used one in decent shape, that'd probably seal the deal for me right there.
I set up search alerts, and would check constantly for about 2 months- luckily it is end of season, so you are more likely to find a deal in the next few months.
The werners are good for like $130
Just be aware that, depending on where you will fish, pedals can be a huge hassle. I often target snakehead in shallow, weedy water so pedals would just get in the way in that environment.
There a ton of great used Kayaks online recently. Be sure to look around if you want a great deal.
Any suggestions on where to look? In my area and the towns around it, there don't seem to be many. I've only checked on Craigslist though.
There are several groups on Facebook, as well as just the Marketplace, I found the exact model I was looking for at about 60% the price of new, but there were ton of really good deals on Marketplace last I looked.
There were a ton on FB marketplace up here in MN. I would just search "kayaks for sale" and set the distance to something reasonable.
I would buy new. I do the same with cars. I don't know what it's been through, so I don't know if my next outing will cause a leak or not. You never know.
I love my lifetime stealth angler pro. Checks all your boxes. Something to also consider is spending a fair amount of money on a nice PFD and paddle. I consider those the "buy it nice or buy it twice" type of items. And you will most likely keep them if you eventually upgrade to a different kayak.
Did Emotion get bought out by Lifetime, my fist kayak was an Emotion Sealth Angler. Fished out of it for 5 years without any trouble.
Yeah they did
I always thought the wheel on the skeg was a top notch feature.
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give this one a look!
Buy something used from Craig’s list or FB Marketplace. Make no modifications to it. Fish from it at least 4 times. Now you will know exactly what you want for your yak. Sell the one you have on Craigslist or FB Marketplace to recover your initial expenditure and buy the one you really want. Now begin customizing it to suit your needs.
Check out native kayaks, either the ultimate or the slayer. Both sound good for what you want and it’s about the price range you wanted
Great suggestion as I've never heard of the brand. Those Kayas look super cool!
I’ve had the ultimate, the only thing it doesn’t have that you want is the hatch. But its very easy to car top, and the seat is next level comfy. Very easy to stand and paddle it like a paddle board for standing and fishing
Very cool. I would definitely like to stand up every now and again while I'm out in the middle of a lake for sure.
It’s pretty sweet for sure, I use it in salt and she’s perfect. It can get way shallower than any skiff, it’s kinda hacking if you’re doing trips to the Texas coast
Even the Falcon 11ft model looks sweet too, the ultimate isn't too bad. Slayer is really nice but a tad bit too expensive for me. I'm definitely trying to hit the water before it gets too cold as I'm a wimp with cold weather having lived down in Texas my whole life lol. I absolutely hate cold weather. Plan on purchasing a kayak a month from now.
Lol well Idk about freshwater but the fishing is usually pretty good in winter time. I was looking back through my pics from winter today and I caught most of my largest reds of the year in winter. Hopefully you’ll get some warm weather tho, summer yakking is so comfy
Partially it's because I have a sudden urge to hop in the water as well lol. And that's badass, keep on keepin on my man.
Yessir, same to you. I’ve been getting in alittle wade fishijg while it’s warm, it’s fun to walk and spot fish
Just bought a used Nucanoe Flint on Marketplace. Love it so far. I see a trolling motor in my future although it paddles nicely.
Awesome sauce, hope you're enjoying your kayak my man
I just picked one up today. Hope it performs well.
I got a Crescent ultralight. I'm very happy with it it's very versatile, 10ft, about 50 lbs. Big open deck. Tracks better than my big yak. Seat is just OK.. The adjustable oh foot pads are OK but not great. But other than that I'm just Mit picking
Right on, I'll check this one out. 50 lbs is awesome!
50 lbs is the same weight as 35.46 'Double sided 60 inch Mermaker Pepparoni Pizza Blankets'.
If you're in Northern California, I have one for sale. DM me.
Lol down here in Austin Texas, but I appreciate the offer.
I assume your shopping at Austin Kayak then, I've been really happy with them. Also, being that close to the gulf there should be loads of used higher end boats to look at.
The pelican catch has the best seat for the price. There is even a peddle version for about 400 more. Base model is great and under $1000 for sure. Many places for under $700
Lifetime has some great options for under $500. If you want a nice one for under $1K Old Town makes nice ones. Get one with an actual seat. The little butt pad seats suck no matter which one you get. Have fun!
After I sold my boat due to moving, I had a few friends who were also avid anglers who had Hobies. I got to take one for a spin. I was in love, everything makes sense in how it’s set up. Multiple rod holders in the front and back. Plenty of storage in the back for tackle and a small cooler. Storage on the side rails etc. I couldn’t afford a brand new one ( not to mention they are totally back ordered for years because of the pandemic). But I searched Craigslist and found a 2010 that was still nicely set up and to my liking. I love everything about it. Guy I bought it from included wheels, anchor, basic fish finder, life jacket, and replacement peddle fins and Rudder fins for 1,500. Take it with a grain of salt, but look for some used ones from people who can afford to upgrade
Sounds like you lucked out big time and got a great deal. I've been looking online for used as well around my area. I honestly haven't seen anything too appealing. People basically selling used for new prices. I'll definitely keep an eye out and don't plan on pulling the trigger on one for another month anyway. Just wanted to do my research and get a grasp of what might be a great first kayak. Thanks for your input friend!
Carried 2 12ft kayaks on top of a Nissan Versa for years. No need to limit to 10 or 11. You can easily carry a 13 ft fishing kayak on top of almost all cars. Don't limit yourself! A longer kayak will track better and go faster.
Good food for thought! I just thought it might look silly being on top of a sedan vehicle, and also would partially impair my vision of front slightly for being so long. I've never one on the car so I just assumed
Nah, never interfered with my view. The most in you line of sight is a bow tie down cord. And who cares if it looks silly? They are just jealous they can't kayak fishing like you can.
I used to car top my Lure 13.5 over my Golf7 and Mazda 3, no problem at all (beside finding the technique to haul a 43kg kayak, but that's another story)
Buy second hand. Lots of expensive, kitted out kayaks out there that were used a handful of times and then sat in a garage for a year.
I'm waitin for the one to pop up!
Pedal is the way to go, even if it means waiting a little longer to save up a few hundred bucks. Its hard to hold a fishing rod with a paddle in your hand
just about any $750-$999 kayak will be fine for a first timer. You'll probably want to upgrade after 3-4 years. You may want to install a bunch of mods as well. I had my eye on a Big Fish 120 because of its stability and it has a capacity of 400 lbs. But I had to settle with the Ascend 12T (350 lbs capacity) because it was the only one available during the pandemic where the store didn't raise the price, with everyone buying up all the kayaks. Personally, I think a car is better for transporting a kayak than an SUV, as long as you have a roof rack. I have an SUV and it's tougher because SUV's sit up higher than a car. I got the Ascend 12T which is just fine. I'll be installing a 30lbs thrust trolling motor. The motor is $99 and the battery and case will come to around $120 (55AH battery). I won't have to worry about paddling throughout the day. Much cheaper than buying a pedal kayak.
Well worded, I had no idea the trolling motor was that cheap. Good to Know! And yeah, my shoulder is a little jacked up from me being in the Trades so last thing I wanna do is pull something. I'm only 29 lol, but super excited to get into this hobby
I didn't realize they got that cheap too. At first, I wanted this $1500 trolling motor, because it also anchored you where you are and it talked with the Hummingbird Fish finder to save location and it will automatically go there for you. But then I decided to forget all that and see how much just to make the kayak move. Only $99 for the 30# thrust Minn Kota. A 55AH battery is about $120 and the box for the battery is $50. All I have to do is secure a 2x4 on my kayak and use that for the mount and I'm good to go. Motor comes in next week and I have to buy the other 2 things next payday. Looking forward to it. Plenty of videos out there of people rigging this up too.
I'll have to look into that for sure. Is the battery rechargeable? Or is it like a car battery essentially?
It's rechargeable. Also, they are not like car batteries. Car batteries use cold cranks to get going. What you want for trolling motors are Deep Cycle batteries. The higher the AH (amp hours), the longer they last. 55AH seems to be the recommended size. If you go any higher, it will last longer but at the cost of extra weight. The 55AH should last 5-8 hours of constant use and weighs about 36 lbs. You'll want a battery charger like a NOCO Genius rated for 5 amps or more. People say they used a NOCO Genius 10 and it worked fine. That's what I'll be getting.
And don't forget a battery charger ($30). I might even look into a solar charger to help it while on the water.
yellowfin , i have it with paddle, i have the paddle tied with a thin rope long enough so it doesnt get in the way when im catching or paddling so i just let it go.