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Posts: 43
Location: West Virginia | Hello all. Looking to get a kayak to muskie fish out of. Go alot by my self and the 12ft jon is a to hard to try to drag over the bank by my self. Was looking for any suggestions of what model to look for and what to use to land the fish with. |
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Posts: 246
Location: Grand Marais, MN | My friends and I fish out of mad river synergy 12 footers for musky all the time. Unfortunately that is a discontinued model, but it is great because you can even stand up in them without outriggers. Light enough to carry by yourself for short distances, tough enough to drag all day. We dont fish alone, so we like to land with a frabill cradle, safe for fish and you because you are that much closer to a fish with lots of big hooks in his mouth. Have landed with musky sized net, too, but that is cumbersome on these kayaks, and hard to do alone.
I cant recommend that anyone kayak musky fish alone because there is a lot that could go wrong that could put you or a fish out of commission very quickly if you were by yourself.
I'd recommend a Ocean Kayak angler series, perhaps the trident 13, fast, lightweight, super fishable and customizeable.
hobie makes one with fins you can pedal with, but that thing you could not carry or drag by yourself, and one of the benefits you have for kayaking is getting over skinny water, but with that model, you have probably 18" of draft. The hobie is very comfortable and you sit a little higher up, though.
Edited by bigfoot 10/23/2013 12:41 PM
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Posts: 246
Location: Grand Marais, MN |
picture from a few years ago
Edited by bigfoot 10/23/2013 12:37 PM
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 rsz_1img_2714.jpg (190KB - 700 downloads)
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Posts: 95
| A buddy and I fish the creeks around here a lot for muskie. I use a 10ft bass hunter. Like you said, it's a pain sometimes to drag but I can usually drive right down to the riffle where I plan to fish. He however fishes out of a hobie kayak. It's a pretty nice setup. Sort of hard to figure 8 out of but other than that I see no real disadvantages. The hobie is a pedal drive, which makes for hands free fishing. It uses a rudder for steering. You have control of the rudder via a lever on your left hand side. Steering it can actually be done with the baits. A lot if the baits (bucktails, some top water prop baits, and crank baits will actually pull the boat in the direction of your cast. So, as you keep casting, you keep inching further up the river. He uses a net to land the fish, but I find it sort of cumbersome. I think it's easier to pin the fish up against the boat, or use something like a boga grip.
Just an FYI. Idk your budget but the hobies are pretty pricey. Around 2k...but if I were getting a kayak.. This is defintley the one I'd want. If I had it to do over again I believe I'd buy a sea eagle 285. Only weighs 40#, will accept a trolling motor and has room to stand. |
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Posts: 95
| Another thing I forgot to mention. The hobie has wheels on the bottom, that allows for easy pulling across riffles. |
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Posts: 496
| Guys, I work for a Kayak company and started Musy fishing from them , it's OK at best . No real place for a net and Im not a fan of Boga grips . KY 221 the Hobie boats are great in deeper water but you need to take the peddle drive out when you come to shallow water. The Hobie boats also DO NOT have wheels on the bottom . You can get a trolley cart for them but that is a separate piece that you have to carry along with you and strap onto the boat , not to be left on the boat . If the wheel is important "I think it is" then check out Feel Free Kayaks. They have a boat coming out in the next month that has a hi low seat , will be WIDE and stable and will fit the bill "for a kayak anyways" I would recommend looking for an old Coleman Crawdad ..... They are rotomolded plastic and work great for small creeks "throw over the bank style" I also have a 12 foot jon boat and I can say getting a little winch is the key to getting up the bank . I got mine from Tractor Supply for a little over 100.00 . Good Luck |
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Posts: 84
| the old town predator is awesome, really stable, comfy seat, but kinda heavy at 72lbs |
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Posts: 95
| Idk how his wheel things work. All I know is I see him kick it upright all the time and take off pulling it..pretty convienent if you ask me. I have never once watched him take out his pedal drive either. We fish creeks. Pretty shallow. Deepest holes are usually 6-7feet. His kayak works for him and he kicks my ass catching fish out if it.
A kayak isn't my first choice either. My idea of a perfect small water muskie boat is exactly what I said I fish out of. A bass hunter ex. Why? 1) you are sitting up above the water in a pretty comfortable swivel seat, 2) very stable, 3) only 700$
Lets compare weight of various creek boats.
1) Coleman crawad, no comfortable seats that come with the boat unless you or the previous owner install them- 133#
2) bass hunter ex- ready to go out of the box- 135#
http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1258683...
The boat you mentioned is..no lighter than my boat, like I said earlier..if weight is an issue and he fishes alone. There is nothing out there that is going to compete with the sea eagle 285. I have a buddy that fishes out if one and its a killer setup. And only 42#
Edited by Ky221 10/23/2013 3:09 PM
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Posts: 95
| Here's one from last week. I took the pic and we are both standing. We both stand and fish as well. With two people space gets limited but we make it work. With you being by yourself you ought to be golden.
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z480/coyotehunter1/95C7362E-BCA...
Edited by Ky221 10/23/2013 3:06 PM
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Posts: 1000
| Ocean Kayak Trident 13. Paddles straight and fast. Very stable for standing up straight. Tons of storage. Humminbird transducer compatible
That said, kayaking for muskies isn't easy. The lures tend to pull you around. dbl10's is hilarious. |
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Posts: 246
Location: Grand Marais, MN | it isn't easy, but it is fun and challenging.
you do get pulled around by double 10's but i like to use this to my advantage. If it is really windy and getting blown around a lot, I set up so that I am casting roughly into the wind so the drag of the lure will keep me from moving too fast. Or you can use the pull of a dbl10 to slowly move the kayak around for you instead of having to paddle. |
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Posts: 43
Location: West Virginia | thanks for the replys. I really like to look of the sea eagle. How durable are the sea eagles. I fish alot of small creeks and may have some brush and snags that i go over plus any shallow spots to drag over. I really like that u can stand in them. |
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