Ocean Kayak Caper

3/1/05

I could use some advice.  I have never fished off a kayak in the ocean.  I am wondering how suitable the Ocean Kayak Caper 11 footer is?  I weigh 120 pounds and my height is 5 1/2 ft.  I'm not very strong, so I am thinking a smaller kayak such as a caper might be more suitable?

thanks,

Kfish

Welcome to the board !

Sure! GTO19 (Eric) paddles one - I've seen him go through some BIG surf at Linda Mar with a OK Caper  
But a smaller kayak does not track as well as a longer kayak.

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/choosing_a_fishing_kayak.asp

IMO: Try out several kayaks before you make a decision.


You can test paddle some yaks on some of the places mentioned on this link - give 'em a call!

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=78

Good luck and paddle safe!

Hey Kfish,

I've been fishing out of my Caper since late last summer, primarily in the Bodega Bay region of Sonoma County.   I'm not sure, but as far as I can tell I'm the only one with a Caper on this forum.

So far I haven't ventured more than a 1/2 mile from shore.  However, nearshore and within Bodega Bay, Tomales Bay, and several local lakes, it's been a great little fishing kayak.  Later this spring if conditions are right, I may test it a bit farther from shore for Salmon.

Pros:

low price, very stable, maneuverable, wide seat, light weight, plenty of room (I'm 6'1"), has a decent front hatch ( I can easily store 2   7.5 ft rods  below deck when launching through the surf).

Cons:  
not very fast, doesn't track as well as the larger kayaks, has a fairly small back tank well

So there are a few trade-offs.

Generally speaking the longer the kayak the "faster" it is. Faster in the kayak world means more efficient. You do one stroke on the Caper it will take you 10ft (for example) the same stroke on a Prowler will take you 30ft (again for example).

The bigger the kayak the heavier it is however. I am not a strong guy but I can lug around a Prowler (60 some odd pounds). You can always get a cart to traverse long distances. Kayaks are tough and you can abuse them a lot without a lot of damage so tossing it around or dropping it is not something I really worry about.

The other issue is room. When you go out on a kayak you have to take everything you need with you plus any fish catch, you always want more space. I have not seen a caper in a long time but I would look at the drifter if you want something smaller.

I would take out a few kayaks and paddle them. You will feel the difference on the water much more than I can convey.

Hey kfish,

If you got the cash, you may want to look into the sport. Small, light (45lbs) but the propulsion system uses your legs, which is a larger muscle group than your arms. You'll be able to sustain long paddles and keep up w/ much longer and faster yaks.
It's short and stubby and the deck layout sucks for the most part. The hatches are all but useless (tho u can stick fish in the middle one between your legs).
It does have a large tankwell that accommodates the longer crates so you'll be able to take stuff w/ you. But in this day and age, it's all about bringing the least you can to do the job.

The strongest selling point, you fish with your hands and "peddle" with your feet. This will allow you to work "boiler" rocks or hover any "holes" during a current.

check out http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com for more information on a bunch of different yaks.

IMHO a Caper is a bit short for all but the flattest days offshore, even then short boats are too close to matching the hatch for GWS for me to be totally comfy.  A person your size would do well in a longer, lighter, narrow boat like a SPTW or a Tourer.

For lakes, bays and slow rivers the Caper is a great little yak.

i have  a caper and have been using it now for 2 years and i love it.ive used it when the swells were huge down in big sur and have had no problems at all.my freinds use  the longer prowler and i can keep up with them even when we go on long distance paddles  .another reason i like it is i can carry it by my self and it fits in the bed of my truck with ease.im 5 foot 8 and 145 pounds.


scawfish please explain what you mean by this:

even then short boats are too close to matching the hatch for GWS for me to be totally comfy.

I think he means that a great white shark would see a caper as a meal.....because it's shape and size would be similar to an elephant seal .....Scwafish = correct me if I'm wrong.

"Match the hatch" is flyfisherman speak for fishing with a lure that imitates the food that is immediately available in a certain environment.  In the case of the GWS, that'd be a pinneped or dolphin or somesuch.  He said that because both BASK shark attacks the shark attacked the smallest kayak in the group.  A solo kayak the shark may attack no matter the size if he feels like it, but in a group they'll always take the weakest - which is either the smallest or the one that lags behind the rest.

For those with an irrational fear of sharks, I'm developing a shark zapper that imitates the electric pulses of electric rays (which drive off sharks) and runs on the 12V FF battery.  I've got the prototype built now and just need to put it in a tupperware and test it on a leopard shark in the next few months, if he jumps out of his spots when I hit the switch, I've got a winner.    

Hana-thats what I was thinking.  Even it they would go after a bigger boat, the more plastic the better. Like PS said, the people on BASK that got hit were in little short boats.

About two months ago, I saw a news story of the first proven shark repellent which is based upon the scent of dead sharks.  It's supposedly a natural repellent.

Hmmm... maybe I should try taking a few dead sharks, let them rot in a bucket, collect the smelly juice, put in a squirt bottle, and test it the next time I fish in the bay.

If dead shark juice doesn't repel sharks... I'm sure it'll repel fishermen

If dead shark juice doesn't repel sharks... I'm sure it'll repel fishermen

dude...you might just attract half the asian community with that smelly stuff   ....especially our Filipino bros  

I can just imagine a bunch of Flips homing into the scent and then chasing you with a bowl of rice  

My electronics are cheap and clean at least.  I think they'd drain down a pair of lantern batteries in a day though, so I'll probably need to upgrade to a rechargeable battery.  Out of water it's comparable to an electric fence generator, so it could guard my gear from banana wielding folks on the beach too.  

About two months ago, I saw a news story of the first proven shark repellent which is based upon the scent of dead sharks.  It's supposedly a natural repellent.

SO I should keep a dead shark and drag it behind me when I go fishing?    Hmmmm it could work.

I suppose shark smell might scare the fish away too.  Ooops!

-Allen