TackleTour

I have my choices narrowed down to three

Old Town Predator 13

Jackson Cuda 12

Jackson Cuda LT (lightweight version of the 12 with thermoformed technology)

My biggest question is: Has anyone fished a thermoformed yak and can justify the higher price over the Cuda 12?

I will be fishing ocean bays, reservoirs and a very slow flowing river

Just to make things more confusing. If you're looking at the Predator 13, you should also look at the Big Game II.

Have to agree about the Big Game. If you are fishing big saltwater, it is a workhorse. A rather large guy I know raves about what he can do by himself in one. In my skiff, he literally changes the center of buoyancy, LOL.

joeyblackwood wrote: My biggest question is: Has anyone fished a thermoformed yak and can justify the higher price over the Cuda 12?

I will be fishing ocean bays, reservoirs and a very slow flowing river

I haven't paddled one but they are very tough and light weight. For someone who is new to kayak fishing stick, with the poly yaks and take the extra money and buy the best paddle you can afford. As for kayak choice, stick with a 12 to 13 foot boat as they are easier to handle in the rivers and easier to sell if needed to. Good luck

bradbellflower wrote:Have to agree about the Big Game. If you are fishing big saltwater, it is a workhorse. A rather large guy I know raves about what he can do by himself in one. In my skiff, he literally changes the center of buoyancy, LOL.

I use mine for small water and have no problems with its agility. Its very comfortable and has tons of storage.

I've seen the Big Game and read a lot of reviews. I'm not a big guy, 5'8" 170. So don't need super stable or high weight capacity.

Not sure what your budget is but for long trips, my Hobie Pro Angler is champ. I also own an OK Drifter and Prowler but for long periods on the water, the hobie just makes life easy. I can fish hands free, I can peddle when tired and can stand up and stretch when needed. I transport it by loading it on top of my suburban.
If you can afford the Pro Angler, I wouldn't pass it up. I can also easily throw a cast net out of it if needed.
I spend most of my time offshore fishing oil platforms out of my yak or use it for catching stripes and reds inshore. The pro angler does it all with ease.

Question for piepuncher-
Looks like you have the Hobie Hbar standup assist bar on your craft there...was thinking about buying one of those, but sure would love to have a look at exactly how that mounts up, and it's position when at rest and when in use...any chance on getting a few pics specifically of that Hbar setup?

I also wanna ask a question, is sit on kayak more suitable for fishing than sit in?

Sit on Tops are generally considered the best for most fishing techniques.

Think of it this way:

If you were shooting basketball free throws, would you perform better: 1) sitting on the ground with your legs extended forward at a 90 degree angle to your torso? 2) Sitting in a chair where your elevation is such that your knees are bent at 90 degrees? 3) or, standing up?

Sure, so, the ideal seat is sort of high and the ideal kayak would allow you to stand, at least on occasion for casting accuracy or, say, flipping.

The downside for many SOTs? A sit on top exposes a lot of vessel (and you) to the wind and it makes paddling or pedaling more difficult so you generally can't move around on the water as fast as a lower profile sit in kayak; that, and a sit on top is often harder to "hold position" on the water.

Anyway, some thoughts! Brad

A sit on top kayaks main feature that make them great for fishing is that they are self bailing cockpits. Water can sometimes still get inside the yak through hatches, but the area you sit in drains through the scupper holes. They are usually already setup to be convenient for fishing as well, with rod holders, paddle holders, gear tracks already rigged. Sit in kayaks can sink if to much water gets inside from waves, rain, etc. and if you flip, good luck getting all that water out to flip over and climb back in. A skirt can keep some water out, but to hot to use during the summer. If you are mainly using it for fishing, I would go with a sit on top. Speed is not an issue if you go with a longer, narrow yak. The big, wide stand up yaks are slow because they are so wide and heavy.

Not in your selection but i like my emotion stealth angler. Sit on top and only 11 feet. I am around 195 and 6'1" and i enjoy it. Have had a great 1st year in her this year. I added two more flush mounted rod holders. 4 set ups total now. Here is a nice specimen this past August, X-4 cyclone and TD-Z ito did the work. Football anyone??

Forgot to add, really capable in dan diego bays!