Big Fish kayaks

[justletmein]

Sorry to post a thread about this, but searching for "big fish" yields nothing because Big and Fish are too common of words so the search function automatically removes them... so I end up with a search for "kayak" lol...

Anyhow, looking at the Big Fish 10.5 which is way smaller than I'd normally paddle but looks to be well built. I just need something to use for about a year while my son is down at A&M in Kingsville, being so close to Baffin Bay I'll be making some runs down there to fish with him. Ran across this one while looking and wondering what the feedback is on it. All the other ones I'm curious about I can just search and read what's already said, this one I'm stuck asking the question.

[Ron Mc]

Taking it to Baffin, you may be able to get by without the rudder on that specific tri-hull design, but I wouldn't trust it to track well without the rudder in big wind and big water.
If you're fighting a boat that doesn't track well in wind on Baffin, you may not be able to go very far. Again, a rudder or skeg will solve windcock on shorter boats. Either rudder or skeg adds to the keel length and resists spin.
89 pounds seems like a lot of pork for a 10' boat.
My brain for Baffin leans to more traditional and longer touring type boats, made for distance, wind slippery, good tracking - and lighter.

[justletmein]

Thanks Ron and some good points. Looking at these more in depth it appears the Cabela's Advanced Angler 120 is made by 3 Waters Big Fish, looks like a carbon copy of the 12 foot Big Fish. Seems like a tank but tanks might night handle well on the water. I read somewhere that it's actually rotomolded like the Yeti style coolers, now I can't find where I read it.

Others I'm looking at used are ATAK 140 and possibly new Vibe Sea Ghost 130, lots of good info on those and I'm still watching YouTube. I'd like to narrow options down over the weekend to 3 options and won't have the luxury of paddling them unfortunately as I've gotta buy by Mon/Tue. I'm kind of trying to get out of this on the "cheaper" side since it's only a temporary thing, once he's out of Kingsville and off to College Station I won't be using the kayak anymore. Maybe I should be considering resale value more than anything, hmmmm.

[YakRunabout]

A couple of options to toss out -

There are lots of kayaks for sale out there, may be able to find one that works for less $ than new. Either here posted down below or on the facebook tkf.

Another thought - if you just need it for a year or so - There are folks here who have multiple kayaks - perhaps someone would let you rent one for that time period?

Good luck on the search.

[Neumie]

3 Waters and the Cabelas are the same kayak and are manufactured by FeelFree kayaks. Also, nearly all sit on top kayaks designed for fishing are rotomolded.

I've only kayaked Baffin once, but it's certainly susceptible to SE/Easterly winds. A tank of kayak is not something you'd want in Baffin. The Vibe would be a better choice. Paddles well, decent stability, rudder, and holds their resale fairly well. I doubt you'll find an ATAK for under $1K, but if bought right used you shouldn't be out too much if you end up selling in a couple of years.

[Tombo]

You might expand your search to include any kayaks with the word Tarpon or Prowler. I consider these to be the Chevrolet and Ford of the kayak world. Both paddle well and sometimes include a rudder.
Slowrides Guider Service has been using Tarpon and Ride kayaks from Wilderness Systems for more than 15 years for his rental and guide fleet with an emphasis on the Tarpon 140.

[Ron Mc]

personal monikers notwithstanding, Tarpon is still the one sit on top that's recognized as a touring kayak.
You'd be hard-pressed to find 3 faster sit on top boats, especially in big water.
If it's a Ford, it's the Pantera of sit on top kayaks.

And 9 years later, there's still not a better rigging system than slidetrax.

[justletmein]

Darn I wasn't getting reply notifications for the thread for some reason.

Appreciate all the input, guess this thread is irrelevant as I think I'm going to scrap the "tank kayak" idea unless something really cheap falls into my lap. I'm going to the ACK SA location tomorrow or Tuesday to get a better idea. The Vibe SG130 is going to be my backup plan, it's cheap new and fully rigged so I'll literally buy that on my way out of town for my first trip if it comes to that. Until then, I'm looking for a good used ATAK or Tarpon I think. I used to have a Tarpon 120 and loved fishing out of that, so I'm comfortable going with a similar hull without paddling it.

[Ron Mc]

I recommend you visit TG Kayaks in San Marcos - he has many more different boats to look at there and can give you a demo on the San Marcos River in his back yard.
You also won't find any kid-salesmen there.

[JMS]

I recommend you visit TG Kayaks in San Marcos - he has many more different boats to look at there and can give you a demo on the San Marcos River in his back yard.
You also won't find any kid-salesmen there.

Agree TG Kayaks really know there stuff, they also have Jackson Kayaks which ACK does not. Good luck


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[shnick271]

We fish out of Miami Florida but only need to paddle 3 miles to get to some deep water. Check out the videos my good friend makes while fishing off his kayak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=229DberHIdc We don't personally charter for kayak fishing off Miami but I'm sure it would be a great vacation spot if you guys did a road trip and wanted to catch some big fish close to shore. You could bring your kayaks or there are a few local kayak charters as well. It might help to check out the target species off Miami and do some research before heading this way https://www.fishmiamicharters.com/fish-species. We're open to any questions so feel free to dm me If any of you head this way.