First boat - freshwater, mostly flat?

I live in Sonoma County and I really want a boat.  In the short term I figure I'll be spending a lot of time in Spring Lake, chasing smallies on the Russian when it calms down, a little bit of time at Lake Sonoma or Clear Lake, and then maybe some road trips to some picturesque flatwater.  I mostly want to have a good time, explore water, and get comfortable paddling and fishing from a kayak.

Sure, I can foresee eventually wanting to get into Bodega Bay or Suisun Bay or the Napa-Sonoma Marshes, to chase rockfish, pile up crab traps, or hunt ducks.  Sometimes it might be nice to bring along my girlfriend, and maybe someday I'll bring a dog along.  But I don't want to try to buy the "perfect boat" now.  I want a simple, affordable boat that won't leave me disappointed.  I'll be loading and unloading it myself on a 2019 Subaru Outback.

Sometimes I think a used aluminum canoe would be a great fit here.  I'm kind of hard on gear and I like things that seem to thrive on neglect.

But, I probably will buy something new and something I gotta paddle instead of pedal (to minimize initial investment).  I have a sizable REI dividend, so something they carry would be a big plus.  If the Tarpon 120 was cheaper, it'd probably top my list.  Everyone has great things to say.  I wonder about the Pelican Catch Mode 110.  Will it be a dog if I want to paddle "way over there" on a bigger lake?

What should I be thinking about as I try to figure out how to spend my money here?

I think you are off to a good start by identifying what you plan to use your kayak for, and choosing a suitable model for that purpose. 

Are you going to get a second kayak for your girlfriend, or will she ride with you?  Not that a 12ft kayak like the Tarpon won't have room, but you might run out of load capacity faster than you might think with two people plus gear on a single kayak. 

My first kayak was a used tandem Perception Tribe tandem.  Its big, orange, and heavy.  That said, I can take my wife and a kid/dog with me, it's stable, it's fast because its 13.5ft long, and it's tough.  It isn't as easy to fish from as a purpose built fishing kayak, but it works.  Used tandems are cheap and easy to find in good condition, and enw ones aren't terribly expensive either.  Perception Tribe and Ocean Kayaks Malibu 2 are both common rental brands, and are easy to find new and used.

My pedal kayak is the pedal drive version of the Pelican you mentioned.  It pedals and paddles fine, has some nice features, is stable, and seems pretty durable.  It is not very fast though, so I plan my trips carefully with it - pedaling against a tide current and headwind are rough. 

Loading and unloading is all about technique.  Youtube has a lot of helpful videos for that part. 

 

I mostly want to have a good time, explore water, and get comfortable paddling and fishing from a kayak.

If the Tarpon 120 was cheaper, it'd probably top my list.

I wonder about the Pelican Catch Mode 110.  Will it be a dog if I want to paddle "way over there" on a bigger lake?

What should I be thinking about as I try to figure out how to spend my money here?

Welcome to the community. 

I advise that you save up and get the boat at the top of your list - or commit yourself to diligently looking for a used one.

The Pelican may be fine and a blast on easy water and calm days, but when you find that you really love the ocean and other big water (basically inevitable), you will want something more suited to covering ground and providing safety and comfort.

What you should be thinking about, in my opinion, is how this sport is super fun and addicting.  A common story here is that someone buys a beginner kayak, settling for less features and smaller size based on saving money, and then they find out how much they love this and get a good boat.  Save yourself the trouble and just get something that will best support your ability to properly discover the sport.

Best of luck~

All good advice above.

Another thing to consider is that if you buy a name-brand kayak new, it would likely have pretty a decent resale value, in the unlikely event that you decide kayak fishing is not your thing.

I would look at some used ones first. There is a nice looking Jackson coosa HD in the classifieds on this website listed by BigJim recently reduced for $900. Used only 1x. Looks pretty perfect for what you want to do. I was going to buy one myself for the Russian river. Shoot I may be talking myself into this one 😂

You could then use your REI rewards for safety gear (life vest, please purchase and use one) and some paddle gear (shirts/pants/shoes etc) and maybe some fishing do-dads as well.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=100331.0

There’s also a cuda 12 listed by member Raacerx for $600. I used to own one of those and it would do what you want nicely as well. It’s just over in Sebastopol which would be an easy pick up for you. He’s also got a vibe shearwater for sale, but it’s a lot more kayak for more money.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=100334.0

Personally I would not want to paddle that Pelican kayak you mentioned. Short and wide would make it less than ideal to paddle. I would also skip the canoe. For fishing a kayak is a much better platform.

In my case , I was given an old,tandem.  It was a terrible  boat. It was not stable, it didn't track  very well.  After about 1 hour my ass would start to hurt.  The storage was lacking.  It was exactly what I needed.  I learned a lot. I went out and got an outback. And have been happy ever since. I was lucky and I didn't have to waste money on a inferior boat. 

You need to be aware of weigh the kayak will carry/support.
Don't buy something with the thought of getting better in future
Get something that will do all types fishing and get used to it. Cheaper in long run
Older Trident 13 for paddle, or Hobie peddle outback or depending on your weight ?
 And fish any were any time

Good advice so far.  Thanks and keep it coming.  My weight is about 190.