Perception Caster 12.5 ???

I found a Perception Caster 12.5 kayak for 400, new used once, would this be a decent yak for fishing the local rivers for salmon/striper and some mountain lakes for trout?? Looks like it has a decent size tankwell  in the rear, not sure how dry these casters ride. I have heard they use decent materials in mfg these yaks.  Looks like easy mount for rod holder in center and fish finder. Or should I just save up a few more bucks and buy a Manta Ray 12?? This yak looks like its laid out pretty close to a Manta Ray. I know the Caster is a discontinued model.  Any comments?? Thanks.

Propfishn,

I don't know where you are located but here's my 2 cents:

A Perception Caster 12 footer retails for $830.00. It's listed weight is 62 pounds. IMO: pretty heavy for a 12 foot kayak. You can probobly find a cheaper one but it does not change the fact that it is a heavy kayak.

An Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 footer retails for $789.00. But you can get it at Aquan Sports in San Carlos for $621.00 (non-angler edition) The listed weight for this kayak is 54 pounds.

Granted I have never paddled a Perception, I have paddled the Prowler 13 and think it's one of the better shorter kayaks out in the market. And it's definitely ocean worthy.Try one if you can.

Other (12 to 13 foot) models to consider:

Tarpon 120 by Wilderness Systems
Fish & Dive by Cobra Kayaks
Navigator by Cobra Kayaks
Quest by Hobie Kayaks
Scrambler by Ocean Kayaks

Anyway, good luck and hope you find a kayak that fits you right!

WELCOME TO THE MADNESS!!!

You can probobly find a cheaper one but it does not change the fact that it is a heavy kayak.

I got to agree w/ Mooch on this one. Weight of the yak has really become important to me as well. Basically if it is a heavy yak, it better be a real bad ass paddler to make up for it. Probably the main reason why no one in their right mind would buy a NuCanoe or a WaveWalker.. 88lbs./120 Lbs.... You'd have to hire a chiropractor in advance if you bought one of those. 

Z

Hey, thanks for the info, the $$ is kinda guiding me right now in a yak purchase plus some features I can use, bought too many toys this yr already, I doubt I will ever be doing any ocean yaking, mainly due to recent shark attack scenarios, hehe, but you never know. I am mostly gonna be fishing the Feather river locally for smallmouth, stripers, salmon during their season runs, and a few trips to some local mountain lakes for trout trolling.
 

I finally got that perception caster 12.5 a few wks back, nice yak, laid out just about same as  a 120 tarpon or a Manta ray 12, but a little lower to the water, should be good for windy days. still gotta get out there and test drive it soon. Same weight as manta ray, actually 4 lbs less than. Narrow too. should be fairly fast.

First fishing trip in the Perception 12.5 caster was a success, got four nice smallmouth bass, couple 15", and two 17", had great time, threw back maybe 7-8 1lb smallmouth bass.  the yak performed very well, very stable, tracked well, fast enough, no leaks, spent 3.5 hrs on the water, covered a couple miles of river, fishing slowly both directions in the rocks. Very good control in the good holes, etc. Even easy paddling in the swift areas I was fishing, moved right along as I casted. Can't wait for the salmon to start stacking up in there, it will be fun with the yak.