Hi all, glad to join the forum here. I have kayaked a bit with a friend of mine and have always enjoyed it and have been planning on getting one anyway, but I recently took up fishing as well. So now I want to combine the two, as I think it will be the ultimate enjoyment for fishing!
So, after looking at the low end super cheap stuff at Academy and Dicks and deciding against them, I then looked at the Field and Stream Eagle Talon while it was on sale. I decided for the money I would have to put into the Talon to get it where I want, I might as well go for a good name brand.
So I went to Austin Kayak and saw the Moken series with the wheel in the keel and wound up ordering a Moken 10 Lite, but now I'm having second thoughts and wondering if I should go up to the Moken 12?
The attraction to the 10 Lite is that I'm a petite, though very athletic female at 5' 1'' and 125. Most of the time I will probably be going out by myself, occasionally with friends. I'll be hauling it in the bed of my truck, so it won't be a problem loading a heavier kayak I don't think, however, hauling it up and down some of the steep banks of drop in and exit points of the rivers in the Hill Country by might be considerably more of a challenge if I were to go with the Moken 12. I've done it with my friend's Native non-fishing kayak, and it was doable, but I was definitely huffing and puffing a bit. And those had a wheel on the keel as well.
I'm mostly planning on fishing lakes and rivers around the Hill Country, Canyon Lake, Blanco River, Guadalupe, Pedernales, etc. HOWEVER, I like the idea of being able to fish just off the beach at the coast as well, just a little bit further out than I can wade out to while surf fishing. I would probably also fish protected bays down there. I know for coast fishing longer is better, but should I consider the heavier/longer kayak when 95% of the time I will be in the hill country? Or will it be doable size wise with the wheel and worth going for the 12?
Being my first kayak, I'm leery of going so long and heavy that it becomes a pain to take it out regularly without help.
Any thoughts?