Good kayak for the area.

Started by BenFishing, May 18, 2012, 03:45:51 PM

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BenFishing

Maryland people,
I know Dick's Sporting Goods has their Field & Stream Eagle Talon Kayak going on sale tomorrow.  It's normally around $550, but tomorrow it will be $399.
It's a great little kayak for the price.  12ft long, and comes with a lot of extras that you usually have to pay extra for on other kayaks.
I've had the chance to use a couple of these before, both in the ocean and on lakes.  Pretty stable...I can stand and fish out of one.  Three rod holders, plenty of storage.  Tracks well.  Durable. If you're short on money and want a kayak that is more than suitable for plenty of area on the Bay, and all the lakes, ponds, and calmer rivers around here, I'd check it out.
It isn't the best yak in the world, but for most people, it will suit your needs.

Note: I'm posting this in the MD section because I don't know if all Dicks Sporting Goods are offering this sale, but I do know the one in Gambrills/Crofton is.
Also, I do not work for Dick's.  Just trying to help the shore guys that wanna get out on the water, but don't have the $1000+ that a lot of other angling kayaks cost.

Edit:  Called Dick's back, and apparently this sale will be at all their stores.
Yes, that is a gator in my profile picture, but I was trying to catch a bass, so it counts!
One 3ft long, 10 pound "Largemouth" for me.

Capt.Nick

That model is a sit inside,better know as sinkers.I've been kayak fishing more than 10 years and use mine several times a week year around. I say go with a sot,sit on top for safety.They are self draining so they won't fill with water if you capsize,you can reenter by frog crawling up the stern.I've never fallen off my sot,they're very stable.SOT's were designed in California over 30 years ago.Someone got the idea to mold out a place to sit on a surfboard .As far as getting a wet butt,buy a pair of nylon breathable waders,get the next size bigger for winter use by being able have room for heavy clothes.You can sit with your legs over the sides and it still won't tip over.A 12ftr. is good for lakes,ponds,tidal rivers.They must be 12ft. to get a permit at md. reservoirs.for the bay,go 14-16ft.
25 miles from the nest

BenFishing

The Field & Stream Eagle Talon is a sit-on-top.  The Eagle Run is a sit -in.

The slightly longer kayaks are definitely better if you're out in the Bay, or Atlantic, but a 12 will still get the job done.  I've caught 6/7ft sharks on 12ft kayaks in Texas....not always recommended, but still, not that bad.
Yes, that is a gator in my profile picture, but I was trying to catch a bass, so it counts!
One 3ft long, 10 pound "Largemouth" for me.

Capt.Nick

Then that's a good deal.I thought they were sinkers.If I hooked a 6/7ft. shark in my kayak,it would definetely be a loooong distance release,via a knife>I've caught some nice Makos off shore and they'll chew the hell out of you're boat in anger.I had a friend that boated a 300+# mako and it bit a hole through his hydraulic trim hoses,took half his rubrail off on one side and did  nice job on sanding down his hull while he was at it.I get the willies thinking about sharks in a kayak.I still have to go snakehead fishing on the Potomac this summer.I believe a good kayak trip would be up Hunting creek from Bell Haven Marina.They charge $3 for kayak launching.And now...Back to docile...Bass fishing
25 miles from the nest

BenFishing

Quote from: Capt.Nick on June 04, 2012, 02:48:22 PM
Then that's a good deal.I thought they were sinkers.If I hooked a 6/7ft. shark in my kayak,it would definetely be a loooong distance release,via a knife>I've caught some nice Makos off shore and they'll chew the hell out of you're boat in anger.I had a friend that boated a 300+# mako and it bit a hole through his hydraulic trim hoses,took half his rubrail off on one side and did  nice job on sanding down his hull while he was at it.I get the willies thinking about sharks in a kayak.I still have to go snakehead fishing on the Potomac this summer.I believe a good kayak trip would be up Hunting creek from Bell Haven Marina.They charge $3 for kayak launching.And now...Back to docile...Bass fishing

These are all bulls, lemons, and reef sharks.....while bulls are very aggressive, they aren't nearly as hyper as a mako.  My one buddy has a sailing kayak, and he has even fought some small tiger sharks, 6 to 10fters, and released them right up by his kayak.....his kind of not right in the head.

Snakeheads from a kayak....IU just recently fished the Anacostia, from shore.  I didn't see any other anglers at all, but I was catching snakeheads easy!  There were a lot of them there!  I was in the northern D.C. area, to well into Maryland.....frogs and buzzbaits.  That was a couple weeks back, but I just talked with a fisheries guy, and he said that he had been at Kenilworth Park and they were all over that pond area there.
Yes, that is a gator in my profile picture, but I was trying to catch a bass, so it counts!
One 3ft long, 10 pound "Largemouth" for me.

zim

 Ben- did you pull the trigger and pick one up?
saw your questions about the Patapsco- there's limited shore launching at Belle Grove if you're up for a paddle!

BenFishing

Quote from: zim on June 05, 2012, 10:37:48 AM
Ben- did you pull the trigger and pick one up?
saw your questions about the Patapsco- there's limited shore launching at Belle Grove if you're up for a paddle!

Yep, pulled the trigger.  Just busy doing some cheap customizing to make it suit my style.  Probably gonna have to buy another just for the reservoirs.  Already took this one in the Potomac and a local marsh...It'll be decent to have two fishing kayaks for around $600 total.  It's stable, for me....but I also stand on the bow of canoes and fish, so stable for me, might not be stable for other people.  Tracks well in freshwater.  The back tray won't hold a full size milk crate, but I don't use milk crates, so not a worry for me.  It's definitely sturdy.  I took it up to the Harpers Ferry section of the Potomac and purposefully bounced it off boulders and scraped it over stuff....no big scrapes and no punctures, and the sealed areas stayed dry.
Yes, that is a gator in my profile picture, but I was trying to catch a bass, so it counts!
One 3ft long, 10 pound "Largemouth" for me.