looking at a kayak for stand-up fishing, if possible, and all around use

philos

philos

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I am looking at a H10 Ascend sit-in hybrid as I can get a considerable discount on that boat. I don’t think it’s perfect by any means, but I really would like something fairly inexpensive, fairly lightweight , that I could learn to stand up in fishing and maybe use for some waterfowl hunting.

Most of the fishing would be on lakes and ponds, and maybe calm backwaters in salt water.

I have a bed extender that I use now for longer items. That should work well for a 10 foot kayak.

What have you guys used that would cover most of what I’m looking for? Seems like there’s new boats or new innovations coming out constantly and I’m just not up to speed on what we have out there nowadays.
 
Why a sit in vs a sit on? To me a sit on is easier to get on and off of than a sit in is to get in and out of, more so if wearing waders. A 12' tarpon would be my # 1 choice, but might be more expensive. But, you might look at it for reference.
 
 
I second the sit on, I’ve had a few kayaks and my favorite was a Native Manta Ray 12 foot, it was extremely stable for standing up, has handles to make it easy to lift and I didn’t consider it to be heavy. Naturally, they don’t make that one anymore, as Native has shifted towards the propel kayaks as of late, which most companies are doing.

I also had a Lightning Strike HD, which is a pedal kayak, it was nice but it didn’t have great handles to be able to lift with so it made it awkward and some trial and error to get it on and off my car roof rack. I can attest to the stability though, I once for whatever reason lost my balance, fell forward, the entire bow went under the water with me holding on, then popped right back out of the water, I stood up and continued fishing like nothing ever happened. There was a bunch of boats around, so I’m sure they all saw me.

Check Facebook marketplace for deals on kayaks, in my experience, you can find some higher end ones for mid level prices.
 
Jackson coosa and cuda 12 ft.
Personally I do not like standing in anything.
Both these have a high and low seat positions.
I also would not go shorter than 12 unless you are just in small tight creeks.
My sons is a 10 ft and feels way more unstable.
The older cuda is my favorite with a ton storage and it good for lakes and rivers.
 
I had a Jackson Cuda 14 and sold it pretty quick. Have you thought about going to a super stable paddle board? That’s what I did. Way lighter and stable. Maybe not as fast but I am way happier fishing off my paddle board than I was out of my kayak. The weight difference alone of lugging that thing around.
I went with this one and felt it was more stable to fly fish off of than a sit on top designed to stand in.

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Dos XX said:
Why a sit in vs a sit on? To me a sit on is easier to get on and off of than a sit in is to get in and out of, more so if wearing waders. A 12' tarpon would be my # 1 choice, but might be more expensive. But, you might look at it for reference.
Click to expand...
I currently have a sit on top Jackson -I believe it is the original Coosa-and I tip that boat if I change my mind. Not stable at all, although it is on me and not the boat I believe. The last time I went kayak fishing I was using a cheapo sit in and it worked great. I think it was an Ascend D10. For me it seems the sit in boats are more stable overall. I do like the concept of the higher seat and the open platform of the sit on top but I place more emphasis on stability and comfort. Also the Ascend H10 is 12 lbs. lighter than the Sit on top 10T.

That said, I am going to borrow a 10T and see if I can feel more stable than my current boat. If I can get myself in tune with the 10T I will probably go in that direction.

@wyogoat - I am actually looking at an inflatable paddle board. There are a couple of fishing spots that I would like to have some sort of boat but packing in a canoe or hard kayak is not an option
.
Again the reason I am looking at Ascend is I can get a significant discount. If price were not a consideration I would look elsewhere. If portability was not important I would look at a bigger, heavier pedal drive boat of some sort.

Thank you for the replies.
 
philos said:
I currently have a sit on top Jackson -I believe it is the original Coosa-and I tip that boat if I change my mind. Not stable at all, although it is on me and not the boat I believe. The last time I went kayak fishing I was using a cheapo sit in and it worked great. I think it was an Ascend D10. For me it seems the sit in boats are more stable overall. I do like the concept of the higher seat and the open platform of the sit on top but I place more emphasis on stability and comfort. Also the Ascend H10 is 12 lbs. lighter than the Sit on top 10T.

That said, I am going to borrow a 10T and see if I can feel more stable than my current boat. If I can get myself in tune with the 10T I will probably go in that direction.

@wyogoat - I am actually looking at an inflatable paddle board. There are a couple of fishing spots that I would like to have some sort of boat but packing in a canoe or hard kayak is not an option
.
Again the reason I am looking at Ascend is I can get a significant discount. If price were not a consideration I would look elsewhere. If portability was not important I would look at a bigger, heavier pedal drive boat of some sort.

Thank you for the replies.
Click to expand...
In my younger days I could stand on a 12' Wilderness Systems Tarpon and flycast. I don't know if I could do it now or not. Are you flyfishing?

I looked at those Ascends at Bass Pro today. They have some discounts going on them if you have a card. That 12' sit on top was $150 off with a card. I didn't notice if the sit ins were discounted like that or not.

Active Junky shows giving 8% cash back on Bass Pro and 10% on Cabelas. I seriously thought about coming home and ordering it online for store pickup to get the Active Junky cash back. I talked myself out of it.

I am really wanting to get a little Bass buggy thing for some local trolling motor only lakes. I looked at their 10' Pond Prowler today, too. Man it seems flimsy to me. You can definitely stand up in one. I may look at a Bass Hunter.
 
For standing, nothing beats a hobie pro angler 14. Honestly, that kayak is the best 1 person fishing vessel in the world. I duck hunted out of mine with my lab, stood up and bombed casts on the ocean, etc. It broke my heart when I had to sell mine.
 
I have a feel free lure 11.5 and I fish both fresh and salt water with it. It’s definitely the most stable kayak I have used.image0000001.jpegIMG_1610.jpeg
 
If hunting out of it is a serious possibility I would push you toward a 12’ model and/or some sort of sit-in model. 10’ boat is great and easy to transport in a truck, etc, but there isnt much room left for decoys, a bow, a deer, etc after you are in there. Ive seen some sit-in models that use a removable “raised” seat so you sit at the same level as a sit-on, and you can remove that seat if you want to use it as a layout blind, etc. For a true crossover boat that would be my choice. My impression (never having used one) is that ascend model is such a boat???
 
Last year I bought a Hoodoo impulse and have been very happy with it. The price and quality is good too. After a few outings standing up and fishing out if it is pretty easy.
 
I've owned a bunch of different kayaks, including the H10. I used it for duck hunting because I could haul decoys and gear in it. The H10 is not stable enough to stand up in. I found the longer, wider, and heavier sit on top kayaks were by far the most stable.
 
“The relationship between a boat's waterline length and its hull speed is that the longer the waterline, the faster the hull speed. This is because longer boats generate longer waves, which move faster than shorter waves.”
My experience with kayaks is that stability is related to energy expended to make it move. As you widen the vessel it increases stability and makes it slower and harder to move unless you increase length which increases weight and thus slows the vessel. Long narrow kayaks are most efficient if you are the energy source, if you use an alternative energy source(electric motor) this is no longer relevant. If you must stand attach foam pontoons that lift out of the water when underway.
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An a guy that takes alternative energy in a kayak to heart
https://fb.watch/xEsfStVCzq
 
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