I'm a little worried about heading out to Elkhorn Slough, I don't quite know enough about tides reading the ocean. I was planning on taking a tour there with Kayak Connection to get a feel for the area instead of trying to go at it by myself. We'll see how it goes.

I'm looking for a place to kayak in the Aptos area. Preferrably 30 minute drive max. Freshwater only please,  and trip would consist of going out, then coming back to same spot, so no river runs. Just someplace I can paddle from 6am until 2pm before I get with family. Thanks!

Quote from: Squidder K on May 08, 2014, 08:23:30 AM

try a few boats out, every boat has its pro,s and con's.  Also try loading it and carrying it on your vehicle by yourself.  When you get around 13 feet things can get challenging in certain circumstances.  If all you are doing is throwing in a truck bed, not to bad, if you are putting on a a full size van roof, more challenging.  To get to my backyard, I had to go through a car port and two cars (one was a clunker that was getting given away for charity auction, the other was mine, care to guess which would I would aim towards if I was going to hit anything?)

Do you have any suggestions on where to go to try these boats out?

Good point on how to transport them. I will have a roof mount on a Subaru outback. Originally when I looked at the predator it said the weight was 72 lbs. I just looked at their official website and it now says 86 lbs. that's asking a little much for one person to put that on a roof of a "car"

I'm stronger than most people - I can bench press 240 pounds, 12 reps. I would not be able to load the Predator on top of my Chevy Tahoe without help, or some tool to keep the top of the tailgate from getting scraped up. I plan to buy something in combination with the Thule Glide and Set.. some kind of roller maybe in order to help load it on top of my Tahoe but it's still a beast of a thing to load. Right now I just load it in the bed of my truck, it sticks out about 48" and the tailgate is half open. A temporary measure until I can afford a roof loading setup.

RE: Trying it out, I plan to be at either Lake Del Valle or Shadow Cliffs (Livermore / Pleasanton) on Saturday to spend the day not catching fish. You can try mine out for 30-60 mins if you want to meet up with me. I'm deaf so communication would be iffy, though. E-Mail me at rjbarker@gmail.com if you'd like to do this.


@polepole:

It is entirely possible I misunderstood what they were saying. Thanks for the feedback on ocean usage!

I Love mine, I am 230 lbs. and can stand up on mine with ease. It is very comfortable and I have had several days over 8 hrs on it. It is not the fastest kayak but it is very stable. I have had mine in the Ocean several times, with the seat in the high position, and love it. Like everyone else has said try a few out first, the Jackson is also very stable.
Jeff

That's good to know, I've heard a lot of reports of poor secondary stability in the ocean. I had a difficult time seeing how, as I was able to nearly stand on the edge of my kayak during 10-12mph winds in the Delta.

I have the Predator 13. It's a nice boat, but admittedly I have very limited experience with Kayaks. It's the only one I could stand up on relatively easy (6'0 and 285), and is crazy comfortable.

Yup, I noticed that too! I contacted him but have not heard back yet. I have yet to find any deaf adults into Kayak Fishing.

Great Bass 2, I have no plans to venture out into the ocean this year. I figure I should get good at river/lakes first before moving on. When I do, I am definitely getting a transmitter. I am still researching how to deal with the lack of ability to use VHF radio. A non issue right now, but definitely in my plans.

Welcome to the madness, Ryan.

I fish over at Shadow Cliffs for trout. That's another place you can go. No need to pay for mussel inspections.

I was planning on heading over there sometime soon, actually! It's half the drive from my house. What kind of fishing bait do you use there?

Hi,

I am a new kayaker and angler. I know barely anything about either, but am having tons of fun.

I mostly Kayak in Lake del Valle since its local and I figure it's as good a place as any to start learning bass and trout fishing. And a safe place to learn to kayak and fish.

I am 30, my name is Ryan. I am also deaf, so if there are any other deaf people I'd be interested I'm meeting up.

Good to be here!