Kayak Recommendations? OK? WS? Need advice!!

Demo several boats before you buy.  Price alone is not a reason to go with a particular brand.  Most of the major brands make good boats  but every boat has a weakness to its strength.  A nice wide boat is great for stability, but has the speed of a barge, a depper hull is great until you get into shallows and rocks.  I haven't seen anyone mention it , but I prefer to have a rudder or at least a skeg. It helped me out a lot today at Oyster Point.

You definitely need to demo different makes and models to find the one that is most comfortable for your body. I found that bells and whistles are great but if you are not comfortable and the boat doesn't fit you well, you will start aching and the boat will never feel as "stable" as one that fits your body well. It might be as slight a difference as a bit wider space between the foot wells or how high low the gunnels/sides come up where your knees rest. Get in, don't paddle, lean back in the seat and relax your body as the boat drifts in the water. If it is not a comfortable fit, you will know in a few minutes. If it feels comfortable, move around to reach the rod holders or the hatches and see how natural or awkward that feels. When you find the right hull, you will know.

One thing I have learned in using my kayak is that there are certain styles/methods of fishing that are perfect for kayaks and some that are very difficult to do out of a kayak. For example, I find it often quite difficult to worm out of my yak because it moves easily in a breeze. Casting for bass to shorelines can also be tough because of the same reason and I often find myself drifting to or from shore and having to slightly reposition every other cast or so and having to do that with a hand held paddle cuts into casting time (Mirage drive or similar may be better for this). On the other hand, drifting in open water such as fishing for Halibut, Cod, or mooching for salmon is perfect for a kayak since a bit of movement will actually help you.

I use my kayak for bass alot, and I use it in a lake that is prone to always having a decent and unpredictable (speed/direction) breeze on it. I have learned that finesse/worming is futile unless done in a float tube so when using the yak, I now cast plugs and spinner baits. I will say though, my favorite method, by far, is to troll plugs along the shoreline. This method works well out of a kayak and is very productive.

Good luck.