New to forum and kayaking.

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Malachy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 10:55 am

New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Malachy »

Located in the Woodlands, 70 yrs old, retired and looking to get caught on some fishing. Thanks for this opportunity.
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kickingback
TKF 5000 Club
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by kickingback »

Tell us about your kayak, your skill level and what kind of fish or fishing you would like to do? Reds, trout or flounder can all be caught in the shallows of East and West bays especially near the grass or shell shores and around marsh cuts and drains. You can catch these fish in lights around homes, docks, and bridges at night as well. Give us an idea what you are looking for and we can be more specific. There is also BTB ( beyond the breakers) once you are familiar with your kayak and can launch beach surf through the breakers.
Good for you on getting out at 70!
Malachy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 10:55 am

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Malachy »

I have not settled on a kayak as yet to purchase, as I am trying to decide between a Hobie PA or some other model.

Love to fish period. However I tend to fish more salt than fresh water.
Coldspring
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:47 am

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Coldspring »

I am 74 and my wife is 72 and we are about to head out to Fort Parker state park with our new Wilderness 140 Tarpons. The 1st time out I had a problem with the rudder and had to take it back to the dealer to be fixed. You are lucky to have 2 nice paddling shops right across I45 from you, Southwest Paddle and ACK. Patrick at SW was very helpful and met us at Lake Woodlands and let us demo 3 of his boats 2 Hurricanes and a used Tarpon 160 he had for sale. We decided on the Tarpon 140's from ACK the 16 ft 160 was just a little to long for us and we just liked the Tarpon 140 a little more and there is a substantial difference in price. One big advantage for the Hurricane is that it is about 25 lb. lighter which may be a problem if you are by yourself. We found that with both of us loading and unloading from our trailer is not a problem. but I can see that it may be a problem in the future (I have noticed that 50# feed sacks are a lot heaver than they were 5 years ago so Hurricanes my be in our future). If you go to ACK ask for Ralph or Andy.
Tallgrass07
Posts: 187
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Tallgrass07 »

Good on you for wanting to get out and paddle around. Figure out how you'll store and transport a kayak--do you want to lift it onto a vehicle roof, use a pickup truck bed, or a trailer? Thermoformed yaks are lighter than the rotomolded ones. Hurricane, Necky, Old Town, and others have kayaks in the 45-55 lb range. Don't forget to budget for a good, light paddle and a comfortable PFD.
Malachy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 10:55 am

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Malachy »

Thanks for the info. I'm 70 years old and still in reasonable shape. My balance is an issue so I'm concerned about stability.
Coldspring
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:47 am

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Coldspring »

ACK has their fall demo day coming up (I think it is Sept. 16 & 17 in Conroe). Try to go you will be able to test paddle a lot of different kayaks and see what feels best to you (what is good for you might not be good for me). When we were shopping for our new kayaks I though I would like the Tarpon 160 after we got a chance to paddle one we decided that it was just a little to long (the staff at ACK had been telling me that.) Also 1 of them said the 140 was a lot more stable than the 160 2 said about the same and 1 said the 160 was a lot less stable. My wife and I both do not find any stability problems with either of them and really think they are at least as stable as our Coosas which are supposed to be very stable kayaks. I have balance issues to after a stroke and a bleed in my brain but it is only an issue when getting in and out of the kayak.

I would also recommend that you go across the freeway and talk with Andy or Ralph before the demo day to narrow the ones you might be interested in when you are not in the middle of a crowd.

Patrick at Southwest Paddle Sports just a couple of blocks north of ACK would be glad to schedule a demo of the Hurricanes for you if you are interested in a lighter kayak
quigly7777
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:23 pm

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by quigly7777 »

Totally recommend ACK Demo Days. I went to two, Austin and San Marcos to decide on the Lure 11.5.
Malachy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 10:55 am

Re: New to forum and kayaking.

Post by Malachy »

Thanks, just passed by AKC yesterday.
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