Thanks for the add. Need advice

[BacklashCity]

I will start off by saying thanks for the add. My love of fishing has grown the past 3 months and I have been buying a lot topshot maps trying to find new spots around rockport and ULM but iv noticed a lot of these spots can only be reached by kayak so that's what brings me here. I would like to buy a kayak that is stable enough for me to stand up in. I'm 6 ft and weight 230. I have surfed most my life so I would like to say I have a decent balance. I have been looking at the pelican catch 120 because of its tunnel hull and seat adjustability. Any advice ? Thanks

[Dustin82]

From one noob to another, I can say you will only know what YOU really want when you try some. I spent several weeks trying to figure it out. I went from wanting a hobie and trying to convince myself I would pole around the marsh in it. Then I went to wanting an ATAK 140, a super stable kayak to stand up in. I was also thinking about a cuda 14 as something a bit easier to paddle. I ended up going out with a guide and paddling an ATAK 140 he provided, it was ok but I sure wouldn't want to paddle it a few miles. I tried his Tarpon 140 on the way back and quickly decided that standing wasn't really necessary, that I would much rather paddle something much faster.

I ended up buying a thresher 140, which is VERY similar to the tarpon 140 in speed and ease of paddling. It is a good bit more stable though and has much better storage in my opinion. Its technically an offshore kayak, but it serves my needs perfectly. You could probably stand up in it since you likely have good balance.

Moral of the story, no matter what you think you want, you won't know for sure until you find a way to try out some different types. See if a local place does some rentals or see if there are any kayak guides you could go with.

[akwidrush]

Just like Dustin82 said try as many out as you can. I too im a newb to this kayak world try and took what seemed like forever to figure out what i was comfortable in. I ended up getting a Cuda 14 after trying out ATAK 140, X-factor, Trident 13, Old town predator. Try to find out if any demo days are coming up the one I went to was in early April in Aransas Pass they had Hobie, Viking, Ocean kayak and i think Old town. Good luck and let us know what you end up getting.

[kickingback]

... I have been buying a lot topshot maps trying to find new spots around rockport and ULM but iv noticed a lot of these spots can only be reached by kayak so that's what brings me here.... Thanks

Got a question for you if you don't mind. What is a Top Shot map? Is it the same as Top Spot maps? And where do you get the Texas maps of these?
Thanks.

[BacklashCity]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I will call around Kayak stores and try and demo. Yes these top spot ( or top shot can't remember ) maps can be sold at academy however I find them at HEB for a few dollars cheaper. They seem to be good maps however everywhere I decide to go fishing you need a yak. I'm going to take the advice. I'm currently in between the pelican catch 120, ascend 128t and the feel free moken

[Welderdude]

Don't overlook the slayer, diablo and big game 2.

[TKFStubb]

The Texas version of the Top Spot maps is the Hook-n-Line series. Almost all of them have TKF's input for kayak launches and fishing spots. You can get them at Academy, ACK, FTU, and other good fishing/kayaking stores.

[Salaqua]

I am 6'3 and 205. I have a Jackson Cruise 10 and it is standable and with more practice I might be able to stand very easily. However, I am getting a Jackson Big Rig next summer because I want more stability. Granted, this yak will not be the best for long paddling, but in my area, Victoria, there are plenty of places to fish without going far out. I also need more space to organize. I have cords everywhere on the yak and get tangled because of it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[BacklashCity]

Update:
Well I never tested any out. I watched a lot of YouTube and read probably 100 reviews and decided on an Ascend FS128T. I was going to drive to Basspro to get it this weekend but I read a few more
reviews and decided not to get it due to the soft plastic and the width. So next on my list was a moken. Feel free seems to offer a lot of upgrades. So I probed the classified here, Craigslist and the local Facebook page. Finely today I just so happened to load up Craigslist and found this guy for 600 bucks. It has oyster rash. It's missing the Uni track mount and no scuffer plugs but hey I felt it was a good deal.