Fritz:
Ok. I'm new here. I don't own a boat. I'm here for advice before I plunk the cash on one. So, in looking at all the boats I could afford, and talking to some friends that have fly fished out of yaks before, I have a question. How hard is line control to manage on a kayak in really life? I'm really interested in the Jackson Mayfly, but it's kinda spendy. And I am having trouble finding folks that actually use them and not just guys on YouTube regurgitating the PR lines from the brochure. I'm not trying to ask 'what's the best kayak for me' cause I know there's too many variables, but how hard is fly line management on your decks and what are some of the things you guys are doing to keep a snag free existence. We all know how much it sucks to blow a cast and look down and your line is wrapped around the ____________.
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The X Inn Keeper:
I used to fly fish out of my trident Occasionally the line would get wrapped on the hatch buckle, but replaced them with a bungee and never had another problem. Lots of good boat choices out there, Take your rod and demo as many as possible, then see which has the fewest obstacles to overcome. Good Luck ;0)
bryan:
Hey if you wanna try it out i got an extra boat i can bring out on a morning im in vacaville so grizzly or napa would be good and you can test iy. I have a couple boats with different styles so you can get a feel for what you like and not. Have extra pfd and all that too shoot me a pm if you wanna try it
Tote:
I've fly fished in the ocean in big wind from my kayak. Pretty simple minus the wind.
Tinker:
I fly fish - I only fish with a fly rod - from my kayak in fresh and saltwater. Having a clean deck is a very good thing and if you look at the Mayfly, it has all kinds of bling and doo-dads that will grab your fly, your leader or your line every chance they get.
You can expect to have twenty to thirty* feet of line, plus six to eight feet of leader, out of the rod when you cast and if you flub the cast or need to lay it down without casting, you want as little as possible on the kayak itself.
I like pre-2017 OK Tridents - they spoiled the 2017's for me - but there are others.
If you're going to fish with a fly rod only part of the time, you'll simply need to learn how to be more graceful than me around the add-ons on your kayak.
* I like to use 18' of T18 and leave a couple of feet of running line out of the tip top. Most integrated lines have a 30' head. Either way, it's a lot of line to keep from getting wrapped around this or that or caught under a gear track or wrapped around a drive pedal...