Buying my first kayak

Ok, so I'm new here and have only been kayak fishing once....and am looking to buy a kayak. Am looking at the perception pescador pilot 12 foot. I'll be doing mostly freshwater in the delta and lakes, but want to be able to fish for rockfish and halibut too. I know that boat is really new, but can anyone offer any advice? Seems pretty reasonable at $1800....

Is 12 ft long enough?

I am sure a lot of folks are going to tell you demo. So try to do that. If you can go a NCKA event you should be able to try a few of them. Good luck and welcome

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Lots of really good used kayaks out there too.  My first kayak was 12' scrambler.  It was great kayak....still is. Lol.  Got it for $300 and caught a lot fish on a lot of seas.   Fished it for several years before I got a bigger boat. Make sure to get something ur comfortable in before u drop $1800. 

In my opinion, the Pescador Pilot is a really good value.  But be sure to demo it first in the water.  Best if you go to a place where you can compare several ones.  Make a list of at least three pedal kayaks.  Try to do a speed run on each, ease of pedaling for decent speed (with reasonable effort),  and stability are important.  For me, speed is at the top with stability a very close second.  Weigh is also a factor for loading/unloading/launching.  Good luck!

I would buy a used kayak before you spend a couple of grand with a new one.
remember you need wetsuit, jacket, neoprene booties, VHF radio, fish finder, GPS, lip gripper, net, rods, gear, etc.

go to ise show next week and talk to Dan for Headwaters and see what he has at the shop in used fishing kayaks

I'm new to kayaking also. I was in your shoes last month I had two or three different yaks I liked and everyone told me to test before buying. Well I didn't test any I ended up buying a new one lol. It has worked out for me I love my yak I've had it for three weeks been out 4 times it's addictive  maybe I got lucky.

If you're willing to spend that much money, you might want to consider a Hobie. Lots of advantages to pedaling as opposed to paddling, IMHO. While a new Outback or Revolution is about $2500, a good quality used ones could probably be found within your budget.

I do recommend testing it out. It is the least expensive pedal boat out there which is good for sure. I have been on it and it works very well. It is not super heavy like some of the newer kayaks out there. The drive is smooth and the kayak moves and maneuvers well. Come to ISE the weekend and check it out in the adventure Sports booth, or in the Wilderness system booth, not sure which one it will be located in yet. Probably the Wildy booth. I am not sure if anyone has one yet that is set up as a demo kayak in our area. If so it would be Adventure.

Want to thank everyone for the replies and advice...I'll check out the ISE next weekend and see what I can find. Maybe I should look into a used boat....but I do want to fod one with pedal drive. Doesn't seem like there are that many used pedal drives for sale.....