- Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:01 am
#2281493
I’ve never been in either kayak you mentioned, so take this for what its worth.
Based on the specs, fishing in similar kayaks over the years and as a coastal fisherman, hands down I would say go with the Topwater...that is if money is not the primary consideration.
I’ve fished in a <10’ kayak for years. This includes BTB, mothership, bay, flats and marsh fishing. Wind, waves or chop never really bothered me. I just got tired of using a stringer and decided to go back with a larger kayak to hold a fish bag.
I now primarily use the Old Town Predator PDL and personally feel it’s in a league of it’s own. If the Topwater is only half as good, it’s still a heck of a kayak. In fact, I’ve even considered selling my 10’ Native Propel pedal drive and replacing it with the Topwater.
Pedal drives add a whole new dimension to kayak fishing and make it very difficult to go back to a paddle driven yak. If you do end up with the Topwater, here are a few recommendations. If you plan to do a lot of shallow water fishing, purchase extra sheet pins, props, latches and a hull plug...keep them on board with a wrench. In addition, make sure you maintenance the drive just like you would an outboard, which needs to be flushed and cleaned after every saltwater use.