New to Kayaking in San Antonio area

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waterbound
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 9:20 pm

New to Kayaking in San Antonio area

Post by waterbound »

Hi all,

I went to Nueces river and got hooked catching white bass. I saw a bunch of people with kayaks with some pretty cool setups. I'd like to get one but don't have a clue what type would fit me. I talked to one guy who had an Ascend with 360 degree chair. Looked pretty cool. Would like to spend under $1000. Possible with a motor to help get you around. Any reccomendation is greatly appreciated.

Also anyone needing a fishing partner, let me know. Always good to have a buddy on the water.

Len
2W2X1
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:06 am
Location: SATX

Re: New to Kayaking in San Antonio area

Post by 2W2X1 »

I am too new to these local SATX waters to be of help in kayak selection. I recently moved to North SA a few months back and have shore fished several areas. I quickly learned that a kayak would be of great benefit. I purchased the cheapest entry level 10' fishing kayak to give this season a try with. If I love it and use it I plan to upgrade winter 2018. I'd be down to meet up and learn through trial and error!

I sold my Ocean Kayaks Prowler 15 back in CA since it was outfitted for beyond the breakers. Figured it would be too long for the local waters. If we were ocean fishing I could help you out more. Going to have to learn smaller waters and anchoring. :D

Best of luck in your search and shoot me a PM if you'd like to buddy up some time. Even if it is bank fishing until you are outfitted.
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Neumie
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Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:10 pm
Location: SA, Hallettsville, or Rockport

Re: New to Kayaking in San Antonio area

Post by Neumie »

If you plan on fishing around the hill country rivers or a little farther south for sand bass I'd look for a kayak around the 12' range. You'll want something stable and is more maneuverable to help negotiate rapids and debris. If spending time on a hill country river a kayak on the lighter side is beneficial to help in portaging.

The Bass Pro Ascend kayaks are a good choice. I prefer the 12T over the 128T because of price ($650 v $850) and weight (77 lbs v 96 lbs). You lose the hi/lo 360 swivel seat, but it's the trade off I'd make for the cost and weight savings. Plus, even though the 128T is longer you're not gaining any more weight capacity.

Native Watercraft is going to release the Manta Ray 12 XT sometime this early spring. It looks like a helluva of a kayak for $900. Obviously I haven't paddled it yet, but I really like the lines and think it would make a great all around kayak. My only knock is the 325 lbs weight capacity.

The Perception Pescador Pro 12.0 is proven hull that excels on smaller bodies of waters and rivers. Practically the bar which all entry level kayaks are measured against. Not the best tracking of this group, but it has a decent weight capacity of 375 lbs and is light weight compared to most kayaks. It drafts shallow too, which is nice for rivers.

The Vibe Sea Ghost 130 is another all around kayak that will handle bay fishing to small Hill country rivers. It's a China made kayak, but you do get a lot of kayak for the money; including a rudder. It has a ton of weight capacity at 550 lbs.

Two other kayaks which may be harder to find in Texas but look like great fishing platforms are the Emotion Stealth Pro (Cableas should carry it) and the Crescent Light Tackle. The Emotion is on the heavy side, but it does have a little more weight capacity than the Ascend. I don't know much about the Crescent, but I like th elines and it has great weight capacity at 500 lbs.

FYI, if you add a trolling motor to your kayak you'll have to register it with TPWD.
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Neumie
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Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:10 pm
Location: SA, Hallettsville, or Rockport

Re: New to Kayaking in San Antonio area

Post by Neumie »

I would have responded sooner, but TKF was down for awhile.

BTW, SA is a great place to live for kayak fishing. You're so close to all of the great Hill Country Rivers (Guad, Nueces, Medina), Lakes (Braunig for freshwater reds, Choke Canyon, Bastrop, Amistad) and the coast is close enough for day trips.
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