Capitola/ New Brighton 5/24

Thanks for your input, what dont you like about the WS ride 135?

Just currious?

The kayak shop in town has a good deal on the 135 right now, money is TIGHT!

oh and Im 6'2" 210 or so..

I personally didn't like the WS Ride I paddled, but that was prior to some redesigning by Wilderness Systems. I paddled one out from the Santa Cruz harbor up around the wharf & then up the coast a few miles fishing for rockies.
I'm 5'10" & close to 200# and to me the Ride felt like a barge; hard to turn, and with a lot of wave slap between the "pontoon" style hull form. It was VERY stable though, if the wind had been down I could have stood up in it easily.

A few kayaks later I bought a WS Tarpon 140 that I've been very happy with for the past few years. The Manta Ray is a good alternative.

Your kayak choice will have a lot to do with how & where you'll paddle most. Price & appearance can sometimes be distracting.

Good luck!

I found the ws ride135 for $814.41with tax included, out the door, not bad huh?

ah, shoot.... this is a tough call.... its hard as it is to justify to the family even spending this much, but it will get good use.

Well, ill do some lake fishing when we go camping for sure, but nothing to serious..

Main use will be in santa cruz and capitola, maybe oyster point if the fishing is good and its flat..

The ride is more stable than the tarpons right? but not as easily paddeling and turning?

Porky my bad I should have read more carefully. I was thinking you had your eye on the WS Tarpon 130. I read "WS 135" and instantly thought 130. That is my fault. The WS Ride is awesome. I was bummed I sold mine. There is nothing wrong with the Ride. Very stable yak and tracks very well. You will be happy with the WSRide. Aquan had one on sale for $550 but I think that one is gone by now.

Once again sorry I was reliving horrible WS 130 moments.

Aquan had one on sale for $550 but I think that one is gone by now.

It's still available, I believe = call (650) 593.6060

Hey, no worries...

thanks for the input...

So is the wave slap really bad that i hear of? Whats the down side to this?

Im really looking for something stable in our local waters as this is my first kayak..

I imagine there all gonna feel great considering what i fished from last weekend....

which was that old ass Malibu Two (seater), with the bunk back rest and no storage.

hmmmmm, is that $814 price out the door pretty good? Thats brand new too.

Porky I suggest you call Aquan now $550 out the door you cant beat that.

It's all relative. I was just tossing in my 2 cents. & as I said, it was prior to some design work by the manufacturer. The Ride wasn't for me, but may be perfect for you. Just be sure you paddle one before you buy it, to make sure you'll be happy.

Aquan sounds like they have the deal on this yak.

great info and good points!!!

Thanks, I appreciate it!

Ill check out Aquan, Im aure I can find it on the web.

Porky

For the kelp beds I recommend a shorter medium action rod. It gives you better control getting in & out of the kelp. My personal favorite is an Ugly Stick bass rod with a Shimano level-wind. 10 pound test is good - strong enough to pull off most kelp , yet light enough to snap off if you get really stuck. I just use common bass / hair / scampi jigs in the 1/4 to 1+oz range. a metal or bristle weed guard is critical or else you will be hung up all day.
I put the lure close to the tip so I can poke it through the canopy. I only drop it a foot or two at first because some species prefer to lie right under the canopy. Then I work it lower.

I am in the same boat or lack of boat that you are in. I've been demoing but haven't found The right, affordable, starter Yak yet.  I speak like I know those beds because my grandparents lived a block from the Capitola beach and had a 9' rowboat I frequently launched into those kelp beds.

Did you see the recent links to craigs List in the classifieds forum? A Scrambler XL and a couple Hobie Outbacks

good info...

So you work the jig downward... then just jig it up and down till you drift threw the pothole?

Man, i saw a ton of dead ducks or whatever in that kelp, whats up with that? They just end up there?

Yeah, cant wait to get my own Yak.... Im ready to get out there ASAP!

No havent seen those links, ill look for them!!

I might stop once or twice on the way down, but the waters not that deep. you hit bottom quick.  depending on the definition, I don't work "potholes" persay but go straight down through the canopy. Any tiny gap I can get the lure in.  Kelp is, or, is just about the fastest growing plant on earth so the canopy spreads a long way from the stalk. 2-3 feet off the stalk is often a good drop point because a lot of fish like to lay right in the stalk. If you can't tell by the lay of the kelp , just grab a piece and tug to locate the stalk. When they stike you have to horse them away from the stalk.  If they do wrap you aroung the stalk, be patient, you can usually slide them up the kelp to the surface. vist the Monterey Aquarium's kelp forest if you are curious about how fish behave around kelp.

interesting! I would have never attempted to drop right into the canopy.. great info, so any place i can get that lure to, do it right...

Dam, I wish I was off work now so I could go!

Ya know, like a year ago, i watched some guys launch their yaks, and hit the kelp, they hit it for an hour and came back fit a fat stringer of good size rick fish of some sort, big suckkers, really dark in color. Almost kind of dirty looking.... but they killed so quickly. Thats when i took interest in this whole thing.

The lures are easy to find - Walmart - Fishermans Warehouse - San Jose Flea market.
The fish are probably Gopher RF or Blues. Hope to see you out there. Will probably go to Capitola in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll see you there.

Kirk

Mooch, Thanks for the phone #, Ill give them a call!