YakAngler Kayak Fishing Feed

Vibe Kayaks "Sea Ghost": Vibe Kayak Sea Ghost 130

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:42:27 +0000

I have had this kayak for a little over a year and have fished just about every body of water I could find. It is stable enough that I can stand up and fish in wind and chop on the chesapeak bay. I have taken this boat underway with me and have dished Cuba Florida and NJ. Comes with 4 rod holders and the boat tracks great. This boat can hold a lot as well. Just to see if it could be done I had myself my son in the back ( he is 2) and my wife on the yack. We paddled a good half mile in a smaller river that was narrow. I was still able to mover the yack around trees rocks etc. Never did I feel like I was going to flip. For the price you can not find a better kayak. Vibes customer service is amazing as well and there is not headache if you call with an issue. They honor their warranty. I would like to add I have beaten this kayak up on rocks through the woods.

Vibe Kayaks "Sea Ghost": Should be boat of the year!

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:13:11 +0000

I was looking at much more expensive kayaks, the Jackson Cuda 12, the Lure 11, the Coosa, and a few more boats. I can't tell you how great this boat is, it exceeds everything that I expected. It's super stable for larger people such as myself, being 260 pounds and 6 foot tall. The weight limit on it was a plus factor as well. All in all this boat is the best boat you can buy for the money. Can you spend more and get a boat that performs just as well? Yes, but why?

Ocean Kayak "Trident 11": Great kayak

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 18:27:37 +0000

Great Kayak. I recommend it. Use it all the time. Spend most my time out in the bay or a couple of yards into the Gulf - Galveston area. I don't use it for long distances, but I can fish for hours if you get a nice comfortable seat. I wish I could reach the front hatch when fishing. I can load and unload the kayak without a problem to the truck.

Feelfree "Lure 11.5": Feelfree Lure 11.5 (WARNING) THIN KEEL

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 16:17:37 +0000

First off let me start by saying I do love my Feelfree Lure 11.5, it’s an awesome kayak, very stable and I love fishing from it. I’ve had mine for less than a year I want to say I purchased it in Feb-April from ACK. Now for real truth. My buddy talked me into buying it and since then we’ve persuaded a few others to join us with the feelfree. A couple weeks ago my buddy told me he had put a hole in his at the Keel and that I should take a look at mine as well. I did and sure enough it was paper thin. This came from rolling the kayak to the bed of my stock truck (on the wheel) and picking up the back end to place it on the tailgate. Maybe 6”-12” of movement forward. I’ve probably fished my kayak less than 30 times since I’ve had it and it’s always been on open water, no rocks, oyster beds etc. I took it down to ACK where I purchased it and they took pictures and said they would send it to Feelfree to have it looked at but that there were “extreme excessive dragging” that had been done to my kayak and it was the same as if I had “dropped my kayak off a 10 story building and then came in to try and warranty it out”…YEAH that’s what I thought. So they sent the pics in, along with my serial number and about 10 days later I received a voice message that stated that due to the excessive dragging that they would not take care of any of it but I could come down and they could fix the hull that it’s done all the time (I’d have to pay). So I contact Feelfree directly and basically was told the same thing that ACK has plastic and they could fix it. I could completely understand if I abuse my equipment but I baby it, If I’d had it for a year or two I could understand. But this hasn’t even made it once summer. Bottom line is For the money you pay you should have the support/design to take loading/unloading into a standard truck for more than one summer, the kayak is awesome but feelfree support/ability to see their keel design is flawed, thin. Since the start I’ve learned of 3 others that had the same problem.

Smith Optics "Chamber" Sunglasses: Smiths for me from now on...

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 23:48:22 +0000

Much like Chris, these were my first pair of "high end" sunglasses. At first I was hesitant about spending this kind of money on sunglasses, but after buying fifteen dollar sunglasses at the local department store for the past 20 years, I figured the cost would offset itself eventually. I really didn't expect the Smiths to be all THAT much better than any other pair of polarized sunglasses, but WOW was I wrong! These things are super clear and really cut down the glare from the water. Sight fishing is improved greatly. Cheaper brands just don't compare. Only downfall of the Chambers that I've found is after wearing them on the water all day long, they are a little bit uncomfortable. But like I said, it's not until after a really long day on the water. I've decided that here on out, Smiths will be all I wear.

Field & Stream "Eagle Talon 12": Great yak for the price!

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 23:22:13 +0000

Loved my Talon, was my first kayak, bought 4 yrs ago, have caught everything from bream to king mackerel. Its a tuff little rig. I also have a Jackson Cuda 14 and I will put the 400 dollar yak up to the 1500 yak anyday. Kinda regretting it but just sold it to a coworker for 25 bucks less than I paid for it, not a bad investment.

Vexilar Sonar Phone "SP300": Vexilar SP-200 Sonarphone

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 21:39:38 +0000

I was one of the forum members selected to test this product, and I'm glad I was. The unit comes with very good instructions for install/setup. Features included in both the Navionics and Sonarphone app were well above average for a sonar in this price range. The apps do use a substantial amount of battery, so be prepared to charge your device on the water or turn the screen off when not actively using the app to save battery. This unit has very good adjust-ability for most settings and definitely had more settings than I knew how to use properly at first. All in all, a very well thought out product that is a value to any kayak angler out there. Tight lines friends!

Vexilar Sonar Phone "SP300": Vexilar SP200 Sonar Phone - Not practical for this angler

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:21:42 +0000

Before using the Vexilar SP200 I had to order an aftermarket waterproof pouch for it, since the one included isn't -really- waterproof. That problem solved I loaded the yak and headed off to give the SP200 a try. OPERATIONALLY everything went fine. The hardware synced up with the app in no time at all and the controls were very easy to understand (albeit a bit clumsy to use in the waterproof envelope). The picture and resolution were very good. So here's where I have "issues" with the product. When I turned the unit on (4pm) I had almost a full charge on my phone battery (96%) two hours later (during which time the phone was VERY warm to the touch) the charge was down to 4% and I elected to turn the Sonarphone off. Who knows, maybe it's coincidence (I have my doubts) but since that afternoon my phone battery would not hold a charge for more than 3 or 4 hours tops. After resetting this that and the other, I finally went down to the AT&T store where I was told that very likely -some- APP caused my phone to run hot, thus damaging the battery. Since the phone was a couple of years old, I elected to upgrade into a new phone as opposed to purchasing a new battery. During the drive home from the AT&T store, with my new "device" riding beside me, the thought occurred to me...Why the heck would I want to take the chance of ruining an $800 "device" (due to water damage, etc, etc) just so it can take the place of a $100 depth finder ? The answer (FOR ME) is that I don't...I stopped at Cabela's on the way home and bought a little $129 dollar depth finder which I will hook up this weekend.

NuCanoe "Pursuit": Stable and fast kayak

Fri, 21 Aug 2015 14:44:05 +0000

You can view my video review of the NuCanoe Pursuit here: https://youtu.be/Ma_akxwUpfg In 2015 NuCanoe came out with their latest kayak, the Pursuit. It’s a slimmer and longer version than their other kayak, the Frontier. It comes in at 13.5’ long, 35” wide and has a open deck with lots of rigging options. Plus NuCanoe released a new frame style seat that takes their chair game to a new level. Let’s take a closer look and see if it’s a Catch or a Release. The rotomolded polyethylene kayak has two access points to the hull. One small circular hatch, similar to Hobie’s, in the back and a big hinged hatch with a removable tray in the front. The hatch in the back is too small to pack much of anything inside the hull, but it does allow you access to the back for any rigging you may want to do. In the front the hatch has a deep removable tray which easily holds extra bottles of water, lunch, straps, and much more! When traveling, I removed the tray and stored it in my car. In it’s place, I was able to pack 2 spinning rods, 1 fly rod, fly bag, hawg trough, and life jacket. The Pursuit offers 4 rod holders that stretch the front third of the yak and small ledges to rest the butt of the rod near the seat. I was easily able to fit my 9’ fly rod with room to spare. Plus it offers a paddle holster on each side near the rod holders. It is easy to place the paddle down on either side with a single hand. As far as rigging, this kayak has endless possibilities. There are 6 sets of freedom tracks, which are similar to YakAttacks Gear Tracks. Two 14” tracks in the front, 54” tracks on the floor, and 18” tracks in the stern. This allows you to move the seat anywhere on the floor tracks plus you can easily add your gear on the floor, the front, or back tracks! Looking at the stability and speed of the Pursuit I was quite impressed. As I mentioned earlier the kayak is 35” wide. This puts it wider than many of the kayaks on the market, but helps tremendously with the stability. At 6’ tall and 160lbs I was able to stand up, turn around, walk to the front and back without any fear of tipping. I even had my 75lb dog with me and he walked all around, looked over the edge, and even walked off the kayak and the boat never felt like it was going to tip. Now even though the kayak is wide it has some good speed. When I was paddling casually, I was able to get 3mph. When I pushed myself and paddled fast and hard I got up to 4mph. Is it the fastest out there, no, but it has very good speed for the width. They have raised their game with the new seat. It is a lawn chair style seat that offers high/low positions and lumbar support. The seat back can easily be adjusted easily with straps and clips. Plus you can adjust how tight the cloth on the seat is with straps pretty quickly. With the freedom tracks the chair can easily be moved along the 54” freedom tracks and is completely removable. After kayaking for 7 hours I had no back or leg pain. Plus my bum and back stayed dry due to the breathable mesh. Now let’s look at the weight. This kayak comes in at 82 pounds. It has a self bailing capacity of 350lbs and a max capacity of 500lbs. At 82 pounds this kayak is only a little heavier than many other kayaks on the market. At this weight, and without any handles on the side, it makes it very hard to cartop. I’ve tried a couple different ways and still struggle. If you had a friend with you that could help, or a bar that extends out of the car rack, or a trailer that would make all the difference and loading/unloading it wouldn’t be much of an issue. However there are some other issues that I’ve noticed. Two have to do with the seat and attaching it. This is a personal issue but when I get to the water, I want to be on the water asap. The seat takes a little bit of time to attach to the tracks. Nothing horrible, but it does take more time than other kayaks. The second is that the nuts that holds the seat to the tracks loosen up over time. Especially when moving between the high and low seat position. On multiple occasions when I moved to the higher seat position the whole chair slid back and the back bolts came out of the track. To reattach the seat I needed to go to the shore, get out, and fix the seat. The one way to solve this is to periodically check the nuts and make sure they are tight. I have noticed other issues but NuCanoe has been on top of it and solved those issues. After contacting them about the issues they quickly responded and sent me an update kit. Plus they solved these issues in all their new kayaks so anyone who purchases one from now one will have the ones with the updates. This kit fixed many issues, like the rod tubes coming out of the front plate, the front and back handles popping off due to too short of bolts, short seat straps, and the screws holding down the hook for the paddle leash. I’m very happy to see that they resolved these issues and were on top of fixing them for customers who already purchased the kayak. Overall, the NuCanoe Pursuit is a super stable, speedy kayak that paddles very easy and tracks straight. The rod tubes keep the rods safe and out of the way when not needed and the paddle holster helps hold the paddle in place. With a wide open deck it makes it an ideal kayak for fly fishing and the tracks lets you add accessories easily. Even with the issues, especially since they resolved many of them, this is a fantastic kayak. At the price point of $1599 it is in the higher end for some paddle kayaks, although this is where the trend seems to be going. Even for that price, the Stable, Fast, and Open NuCanoe Pursuit is a CATCH! Check one out and see if it’s the right kayak for you!

Jackson Kayak "Coosa HD": Loads of Goodies

Thu, 20 Aug 2015 16:48:37 +0000

I've owned my new JK Coosa HD for a little over a month now and I can truly say I totally am in love with this yak. I took it on a week long camping trip on a couple high elevation fishing lakes in the Sierra Nevada mountains and spent many hours over those five days. The location where I launched the yak was extremely rocky so I had to run the yak over the rocks and even paddle the yak back onto the rocks when exiting the water. After the trip was over I turned the yak over and only a couple minor scratches on the surface. I paddled with ease and the yak handled very smoothly and turned on a dime. At one point I paddled near land in about 10ft of water and stood up and began casting and felt very comfortable casting and retrieving. The seat is very comfortable and there are five settings in which you can place so you can move it back or forward and sit down low or up high. I like having the ball mount rod holders and tracks to slide my rod holder where I want it on the side walls. Another feature that I have found useful is the rod tip holders which I just slide my fishing rod tip inside and lay my rod down on the grooves which holds my rod in place when I'm paddling through the reeds or low hanging tree branches so my rod doesn't get caught. The removable console on the floor is quite handy and can be easily removed if desired for more floor space. I keep mine in place because my fishfinder battery fits inside nicely and my fishfinder sits on top. The best part is that I didn't have to drill any holes into my yak, just the console. Inside the console their is also a small tube which I use to put a spool of leader line on and the line feeds through a small hole facing me. I then just pull through the hole and cut the size I want and I don't have to bother with the spool of line. There are two spacious compartments for loading gear in, one on the front and rear of the yak with plenty of room to carry an abundance of gear. This yak comes from the factory fully fishable and ready to go. There just isn't much of anything you need to add to this yak.

LIVE Watersports "L2Fish": Best Fishing SUP!!

Wed, 19 Aug 2015 14:47:59 +0000

The L2Fish is one of the best fishing platforms out there. It is quit, fast, and stable with the capacity to take all the gear you would ever want. The fins are removable, but can be a little long when you are stalking reds on the flats, but I have been told that Live is working on a solution for that and the board does to track to bad even without the fins. Best part about it is that it is made in the good old US of A! Great product and company!

Wilderness Systems "Tarpon 130X": First impressions of the Tarpon 130X

Wed, 19 Aug 2015 12:20:20 +0000

I was lucky enough to have a chance to paddle the new Wilderness Systems Tarpon 130X earlier this month. This was just my initial impressions as it was only a quick demo and I didn't get to fish out of it. The first big change you will notice is the new AirPro Lite seat. No longer are you sitting on the deck like the old Tarpon 130 models. The seat is extremely comfortable but there is no high low option, you have forward and aft adjustments to get your trim just right. The boat is fast and has great glide, it still feels like the quick Tarpons of the past. I did notice that it has a little bit more flair than the older Tarpon models, this gives it a little more stability and I assume a little more weight capacity. Did I say it's fast? The basic deck layout if very similar to the original Tarpon 130s but the tankwell is slightly different, it has more tie down points and reminds me of the Thresher. The biggest change of the deck was the addition of the Wilderness Systems FlexPod. They didn't have the motor installed but I can only imagine how fast this thing will fly with the Torqeedo installed. I can't wait until Wilderness Systems comes out with a pedal drive system that works with the FlexPods (You know it's coming!). Great improvements on an original that was already great.

Lifeproof Cases: Nothing Better on the Market

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 17:16:34 +0000

I travel a lot and my iPhone is essential for work. I cannot afford to lose the use of it by it getting wet when I am fishing. I've have a Red LiteProof Fre case for both an iPhone 4S and 5S from the day I bought them and not once have I had an issue on the water. The cases are smart and are very suitable for everyday use. My only complaint if you want to call it one is the need for the external headphone adapter, but I guess that's essential to maintain waterproof integrity. My next iPhone will have one of LiteProof's cases on it the day I buy it.

Wilderness Systems “Commander 140”: 140 Commander fishing Kayak

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 16:09:48 +0000

I had a great day fishing in my Wilderness Systems > Commander > > 140 fishing kayak I purchased it from Outfitters three > years > > ago. This little Kayak is very > versatile. > > I have used this kayak on the ocean, ponds and lakes in > this > > province with no problems. Sometimes in rough water > within > > reason. The kayak is very stabile and can handle any > fish > > you haul in. There is great all round recreational > > value in this kayak that shouldn't go unnoticed. Since > these > > pictures were taken I have installed a fish finder, > GPS, and > > phone mounts

Mountain Khakis "Granite Creek" Pant: Durable, high quality quick dry pants

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 12:39:18 +0000

I bought my first pair of MK Granite Pants about 4 years ago. I now own three pair and they've become my everyday pants. All are in great shape despite almost daily use for many years, albeit with a few grease and fly cement stains here and there. These pants are indeed quick dry and perfect for wet wading. They are also extremely comfortable under waders and with thermals. The zippered pockets—right rear, inside right front and inside the cargo pocket had held up well and are used regularly to secure can’t lose object like keys, wallets and cameras. Although the price is steep at $83, they are clearly worth the price if you value durable, functional and lightweight pants that will almost dry on a dime in no time at all.