Looking to get into kayak fishing.

I currently have a Mariner 4 with a 55 lb trolling motor.  It is mainly used as a family outing in protected areas. I'm thinking of getting a kayak.  Would it be better to get a pedal drive, or a cheap paddle kayak and slap the trolling motor on it?  Is a 55lb trolling motor on a kayak sufficient to fight current and wind? 

Welcome, DIYLJ.

I'm not a motor guy, so I'll let others chime in on that, but I would like to see any DIY lures you've done...

I currently have a Mariner 4 with a 55 lb trolling motor.  It is mainly used as a family outing in protected areas. I'm thinking of getting a kayak.  Would it be better to get a pedal drive, or a cheap paddle kayak and slap the trolling motor on it?  Is a 55lb trolling motor on a kayak sufficient to fight current and wind?

Fresh water, salt water, both?

Welcome, DIYLJ.

I'm not a motor guy, so I'll let others chime in on that, but I would like to see any DIY lures you've done...

Are we allowed to post lure pics in a Kayak forum?  I make mainly large saltwater jis and saltwater flies.  Jigs in 4 to 8 ounces mostly.  Flies are used as drop shot, or as similar to the chatterbait.

I currently have a Mariner 4 with a 55 lb trolling motor.  It is mainly used as a family outing in protected areas. I'm thinking of getting a kayak.  Would it be better to get a pedal drive, or a cheap paddle kayak and slap the trolling motor on it?  Is a 55lb trolling motor on a kayak sufficient to fight current and wind?

Fresh water, salt water, both?

Salt water only.  Around Pillar Point harbor mostly.  Kayak for dropping of some crab traps and catching rockfish.  My main concern is got suck out to the open sea.  Of course I only go on calm days. 

I think 55lb will be quite bit for one person kayak...
Is the trolling motor salt rated? Are you using a marine deep cycle batteries? If so, that will add up quite bit of weight...
I think you should try the kayak without it or try them on small lakes first?
Good luck & be safe out there 

I think 55lb will be quite bit for one person kayak...
Is the trolling motor salt rated? Are you using a marine deep cycle batteries? If so, that will add up quite bit of weight...
I think you should try the kayak without it or try them on small lakes first?
Good luck & be safe out there 

The battery is LiPO4 100AH, it weighs around 29 pounds.  The trolling motor is around 23 pounds.  So, 52 pounds is quite a bit of weight.  I read another thread that said if the kayak flips, it might be hard to unflip it.  So, I guess a pedal drive it is.  I'm looking at kayak that weighs not more than 80 pounds.  I have a Honda CRV and think anything heavier would be hard for me to car top it.

Welcome to NCKA DIY.  I'm new to kayaking fishing, but I really enjoy my pedal drive.   

Welcome to NCKA DIYLJ 

I think 55lb will be quite bit for one person kayak...
Is the trolling motor salt rated? Are you using a marine deep cycle batteries? If so, that will add up quite bit of weight...
I think you should try the kayak without it or try them on small lakes first?
Good luck & be safe out there 

The battery is LiPO4 100AH, it weighs around 29 pounds.  The trolling motor is around 23 pounds.  So, 52 pounds is quite a bit of weight.  I read another thread that said if the kayak flips, it might be hard to unflip it.  So, I guess a pedal drive it is.  I'm looking at kayak that weighs not more than 80 pounds.  I have a Honda CRV and think anything heavier would be hard for me to car top it.

Sounds over the top. I use a watersnake T24 with 2 20ah lithium batteries. It will run my Wilderness Radar 135 all day trolling. No problem for enough power in the wind. Of course I'm not out in a hurricane. lol

I think 55lb will be quite bit for one person kayak...
Is the trolling motor salt rated? Are you using a marine deep cycle batteries? If so, that will add up quite bit of weight...
I think you should try the kayak without it or try them on small lakes first?
Good luck & be safe out there 

The battery is LiPO4 100AH, it weighs around 29 pounds.  The trolling motor is around 23 pounds.  So, 52 pounds is quite a bit of weight.  I read another thread that said if the kayak flips, it might be hard to unflip it.  So, I guess a pedal drive it is.  I'm looking at kayak that weighs not more than 80 pounds.  I have a Honda CRV and think anything heavier would be hard for me to car top it.

Welcome
You should not limit yourself to 80 lbs.
The following video motivated ( 80 years old lady loading Hobie Kayak) me to invest in Thule Hullavator and makes car topping much easier.



Paul

Thanks for the welcome.  Anyone here have the Pelican Catch Power 100?  It looks perfect, with motor mounting and battery placement.  It looks plenty stable from Youtube Videos.  Would boat/kayak hybrid like this work well in the ocean?  I don't plan to go far, just far enough to drop off some crap traps and fish away from shore or jetty.

Thanks for the welcome.  Anyone here have the Pelican Catch Power 100?  It looks perfect, with motor mounting and battery placement.  It looks plenty stable from Youtube Videos.  Would boat/kayak hybrid like this work well in the ocean?  I don't plan to go far, just far enough to drop off some crap traps and fish away from shore or jetty.

It might be difficult to paddle if the need arose. Stable yes, since it's almost as wide as it is long. Not sure how it would ride the chop though. 10ft is too short for a kayak in the ocean.

i just bought a big fish 108. One big beast, but one stable platform and the forward/reverse with the pedal deive is great.
I actually tried to get thrown out and had to lean well beyond the "rail" to get it to throw me out while standing.

Looking at it in the water, it is one thick boat. It sits about a foot and a half out of the water so now I have to see if I can recover in deep water.

Other than that, it is a really comfortable platform with plenty of room and the seat is real comfortable. It is a heavy kayak at 115 pounds, but I needed a boat that big so I can relieve the pressure on my back by standing up in it without going over.