Canoe vs Kayaks for Fishing/General Use

[Elkslayer67]

Can you put two seats in the VanHunks PA?

No

 

[bascheman]

Ive had both kayaks and a canoe. Its generally me and my wife when ever I go out. All said I prefer two kayaks over one canoe. they both fit easily in a truck bed and its easier to fish solo. Plus two kayaks means you can split gear much better. Im currently looking at the ascend kayak canoe hybrid which looks very promising for duck hunting, fishing, and a small-ish deer.

 

[aaron600rr]

Bought a couple Old Town 120pdl kayaks a couple years ago. They've been awesome so far and have interior storage compartments for gear.

 

[Mtns2hunt]

I prefer a Coleman scanoe. Not sure if the make them anymore but works great for hunting and fishing. It's very stable, good in winter, and has a small electric motor. It fits in my truck and I attach a small set of wheels on the bottom when unloading. One man operation.

 

[OneGunTex]

A bit late to the party but 100% go for the canoe. Almost got a kayak and im so glad we got the 14ft canoe instead.

I can fit 2 people, the dog, a yeti full of beer, and a couple of rods & gear in the canoe. Can go all day, camp overnight easy. I can paddle it by myself with the dog, 3 dozen decoys, gun etc and duck hunt from it. And I can load/unload it myself too

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Bought a couple Old Town 120pdl kayaks a couple years ago. They've been awesome so far and have interior storage compartments for gear.
View attachment 698240

That's a beautiful photo!

 

[kfili]

I'll throw my .02 for just fishing or 90% fishing I think a good SOT kayak would be the way to go- but to open more options Canoe is going to be better. Im looking to get a canoe to do some canoe camping trips and take the kids out since they dont sit as well in our kayaks- if I was just fishing I would prefer a dedicated fishing kayak.

Also curious if the nucanoe panned out and how you like it?

 

[Z Barebow]

I used to have a canoe (Fiberglass=Heavy) I wanted something lighter that I can load into pickup box myself. Additionally I want the lower profile so it does not catch the wind. (IE Kayak) I bought this little Vibe Skipjack several years back. It has helped me fish spots regular boats have difficulty accessing.

I have it rigged with a Garmin Stryker 4 depthfinder and I use a fixed anchor A LOT. (I rigged it with a quick cleat and a caribeaner at the stern. This allows me to fish down wind. I also carry a drift sock if I want to cover a little water.

Once the wind reaches 20 MPH, I am done fishing. Pic from a couple of weeks back. (2nd lake I fished that day as it took me 10 minutes to load up from lake #1) and move)

 

[Blake_08]

I know this thread is older and you've probably made your decision, but if not, check out an Ascend H10 or H12. It's a canoe/kayak hybrid with open cockpit and the ability and space to carry more weight (still 1 passenger though). Stable enough for me to easily stand and fish, yet still light and nimble. They have a very comfortable seat and are light enough to handle with 1 person. I bought my H10 on facebook marketplace for 250, used only 3 times. May be a good fit for you.

 

[mjh]

Man that Ascend H12 really does look nice but at 16-18 lbs more than my tandem canoe and 40-41lbs heavier than my solo canoe I just don't see me getting something like this. I really liked the Native Watercraft Ultimate it comes in at about 65lbs. Still too much weight.

 

[Crusader]

I used to have a canoe (Fiberglass=Heavy) I wanted something lighter that I can load into pickup box myself. Additionally I want the lower profile so it does not catch the wind. (IE Kayak) I bought this little Vibe Skipjack several years back. It has helped me fish spots regular boats have difficulty accessing.

I have it rigged with a Garmin Stryker 4 depthfinder and I use a fixed anchor A LOT. (I rigged it with a quick cleat and a caribeaner at the stern. This allows me to fish down wind. I also carry a drift sock if I want to cover a little water.

Once the wind reaches 20 MPH, I am done fishing. Pic from a couple of weeks back. (2nd lake I fished that day as it took me 10 minutes to load up from lake #1) and move)

Is that a Skipjack 90?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I have had a feel free lure kyack for years...it has a built in wheel in the keel makes getting to the water super easy, it's about 65lbs, has enough dry storage in the bottom of the yak for tents, gear, ect. I have had no complaints...perfect for a fishing float for a couple days. Great seat and easy to stand on. I dont have pedals because they just drag in the shallower parts of the rivers I float plus there some small rapids.

 

[Sooner]

I've had literally every fishing kayak made from Ascend to Hobie's. As far as floating rivers nothing beats the Nucanoe Flint. It's an awesome little boat. If you want to carry more stuff the Nucanoe frontier is the way to go. We did a three-day Camp/float on the Buffalo River a few years ago and it was perfect for that. For lakes there's nothing that competes with a Hobie PA14. Now days I just have a bass boat or two and a flint.

 

[TxLite]

I’ve spent quite a bit of time duck hunting and fishing (lakes, rivers, salt marshes) out of my kayak and it’s been great. It’s an ocean kayak prowler 13 and has a nice cargo area in the back for toting decoys. I can stand on it to fish (results may vary) and it’s been an all around great boat, but can be a bit much to maneuver on some of the river launches where we have to climb down a ledge roughly 10’ to get to the water.

 

[Z Barebow]

Is that a Skipjack 90?

It is.

 

[Crusader]

It is.

Copy, thanks

 

[Boarmaster]

If you were using it for fishing only go with a couple fishing yaks. But for your stated need I would go with a canoe.

 

[MallardSX2]

Canoe. With a little electric troller.

 

[OXN939]

I'm looking at going out and buying a used canoe or kayaks. I have no idea what I'm doing. We had a long fiberglass canoe we repaired and used for bass fishing, but it was just destroyed in a windstorm. My son and I primarily used the canoe for fishing on lakes and the Shenandoah River.

Considerations:
- Portability is important: We have to drive a ways no matter where we want to fish, so getting it on/off or in/out of a truck is important. We also have to portage the canoe/kayak sometimes to get to a public spot to put in.
- Versatility: the more we can use it (beyond fishing), the more use it will see. I had envisioned using the canoe to float the river and hunt ducks as well. Hunting might be the other primary use.
- functionality: we primarily will use it for fishing/hunting slow water/lakes, often shallow water. Possibly a space for a dog and/or trolling motor also. This is starting to sound a lot like I want a jon boat, but at this stage I'm looking for something we can carry.

Lifetime Yukon. Can find these for under 500 bucks used pretty easily. Plenty of payload for a whitetail, fish great, lots of storage, stadium seat, keel wheel to help transport, rails for mounting electronics. No registration required and gets into more places than anything motorized.

 

[TheCougar]

Canoe. With a little electric troller.

That’s what I got. NuCanoe Frontier 12 with a trolling motor. Slowly pimping it out.