3/8 WINDY stockton/ladd's/brookside/port/san joaquin deep water channel

windy, windy, windy...... i had just gotten a sevylor sk100ds inflatable kayak and was dying to try it out to see how it performs etc... what kind of trouble i'd see myself getting into with a smaller 'yak.  what a good/bad day to do it!!! there was so much wind out there that i almost had to click my ruby high heels to get back to kansas.  i was almost to the point of being scared. i don't know how the hard shell kayaks feel like, but with an inflatable, you drift so fast that if you don't keep paddling you won't get to where you want to go.  i knew that from the get go, but it just felt worse today.  i don't know if it's the velocity of the wind or size of the kayak (9'6", i think), but the wind blew me ALL over the place.  the sea eagle that i have probably would have done about the same, but it probably would have felt more manageable. 

anyway, onto the report.  i got off work at 3 and wanted some water time and went to the nearest place there was water, which was at the end of march lane in stockton.  i drove half way down and put the kayak in and paddled to the other side, which looked a lot more protected than the side i came from.  i trolled a chartreuse wal mart brand shallow diver and hooked up with 7 undersized stripers and 1 keeper.  nothing impressive, but with those numbers it looks like the bite should be on fire pretty soon.  no pictures...., i know i know...  but it was so windy i had to keep paddling and had no time to snap anything.  thanks for reading. 

Sounds like you had some great success for getting blown around in an inflatable!  WTG!   

I'd say that in general you will probably receive advice to ditch the inflatable and get a plastic kayak ASAP.  That is my advice, anyway!  I had an inflatable many years ago and it was a stepping stone on my way to discovering the real deal.  Good luck, and thanks for posting.  Also, I may be totally ignorant of how badass an inflatable can be at this point.   

loleta, i'm pretty sure you're right about the "real" kayak.  for me, my best bet is with an inflatable because 1)  i don't have enough space at the house i'm renting, 2) inflatables give me better (to my knowledge) launching options (i just carry it down the rocks), and 3) i hate those roof racks .  the one i have now only weighs 28 lbs and the sea eagle weighs 32 lbs iirc.  it was real fun today, especially thinking that i wasn't going to catch anything.  i packed all my bait fishing gear and my milk crate only to leave it because of the wind.  all i took was a wal mart cherrywood rod and my trusty chartreuse wal mart wobbler  .  thanks for the advice, but i think in my situation, the inflatable is my best bet. 

Congrats on the success at Ladd's.
I spent many a day and some nights fishing there as a kid.
It's cool when the big ships are in that "small" channel!

I believe we are over thinking this.  He is onto some simplicity, which is why we generally have chosen kayak fishing in the first place.  I love the simplicity to the "Walmart" gear.  From what I see, the lesson learned is to choose your day/conditions.  I wouldn't use that kayak for ocean fishing, however the inflatable kayak has its place and time.  Sounds like you found something that works for you & your situation.  Have fun, stay safe & choose your days wisely.