Kayak Recommendation

Hi guys,

So getting back into the swing of things here in Arkansas. I parted ways with my T-13, who went to another member here  a couple months ago and hear he's putting it to good use!

Question. I'm looking for a kayak that will mostly be used on slow moving rivers here. Thinking shorter, 10 ft range, sit on top of course. Any thoughts or experience you have with shorter yaks used for this type of fishing? Appreciate it guys!

Josh

p.s. trout from the Little Red River. Went fly fishing with a guide this past weekend and had a double digit day on the rainbows and browns. (if the pic attaches)

Hi guys,

So getting back into the swing of things here in Arkansas. I parted ways with my T-13, who went to another member here  a couple months ago and hear he's putting it to good use!

Question. I'm looking for a kayak that will mostly be used on slow moving rivers here. Thinking shorter, 10 ft range, sit on top of course. Any thoughts or experience you have with shorter yaks used for this type of fishing? Appreciate it guys!

Josh

p.s. trout from the Little Red River. Went fly fishing with a guide this past weekend and had a double digit day on the rainbows and browns. (if the pic attaches)

You could go with a Tarpon 100, but I would suggest the Tarpon 120 since it comes rudder ready. Its a good all around kayak.

Moken 10

No personal experience but doesn't Native make a lot of kayaks for that general type of use and area?

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Thanks guys. Will look into those suggestions. Thought was to keep it around 10ft for maneuverability in the rivers.

Josh

If you are looking for a river kayak, Jackson makes a river specific kayak called the Coosa.

Best advise would be to try out different kayaks and see what works best for you.

Malibu Mini-X is a cool little boat.  Light-weight for easy portaging and maneuverable, yet also has impressive storage space.  Buddy of mine used to use it for salmon and steelhead fishing on the Trinity River.  I paddled it a couple times and liked it.  Doesn't track quite as well as a longer kayak, but it gets the job done.

Jackson Coosa

I have the Ocean Kayak Caper, which is 11', and it's very maneuverable. It also doesn't go too deep, which is good when you hit the shallow spots in a river or creek. They also make an angler version, which isn't what I have. One downside is the back area is too small for a milk crate or 5-gallon bucket, although it fits an ice chest or a smaller bucket.

+1 on the Mini-x. I own one and it is a great fishing kayak. Plenty of room on the deck for mounting extra rod holder or sonar. Big rear tankwell can fit a cart and some gear. It has flush mount rod holders in the gunwhales and behind the cockpit. You will love it. Very stable.

Not to be biased or anything, but a slayer propel 10 would have the stability and size you're looking for, but also a pedal drive option for lakes and ponds.  Native will start selling them this year without the drives, so you could buy it and add the drive on later if you felt like saving a little $$$.

All great recommendations guys! Thanks! Now comes down to trying to find some to paddle here in Arkansas before buying...

Josh

Check out the Perception's Pescador Pro 100

 I have an interest in this style of kayak fishing and have time in a few of the boats mentioned.
Ive learned that a good "all around" boat isn't a good river boat, and a good river boat isn't much good for anything else.
 Boats like a Tarpon 100 or T120 have a significant keel and this increases the rivers influence over the back of the boat. Certain hydrology likes to grab the aft keel and will try to twist the boat over. I don’t suggest using a rudder in rivers and it will take away the drag chain/drift anchor option that is a huge help when fishing.

I have a significant amount of time in the Mini-X. Very agile and quick off the line. Super fun and easy to surf. But, it was not without issues that made river fishing tough at times.




 The chines are hard and that edge made the mini-X fun in surf, but in the river environment, that edge sits deep and allows the river to have a lot of influence over the boat. This quickens the drift and was frustrating when I was trying to fish prime spots thoroughly or my friends were fishing kayaks with softer chines.

There were a few comments about the ability to store gear in the tank well. This is not wise. The added weight drops that edge even deeper, and gives the river even more of a grip on the dynamic end of the boat.  Here is a photo of me with an over loaded aft on the Mini-X. It was challenging and made anchor ops that much more difficult. The added weight also caused the boat to completely submerge on even the smallest drops.


Like other boats mentioned, the bow of the Mini-X is spade shaped.



 Instead of rising up out of a wave or rapid (like a WW boat), M-x shoveled the water into the deck space. The Mini-X does not recover quickly and the Malibu hatches were not good at keeping water out. When the boat was swamped, the slow recovery exposed the hatches to prolonged submersion. Water would get into the hull and performance tanked. I want my river boats to have a lot of volume in the bow . This helps the heavier fishing SOT rise out of holes and haystacks and helps prevent the deck space from getting swamped.

For what I wanted to do and at that time, the M-x was the best river boat available.
That changed when a WW kayak company took an interest in fishing SOTs.


Like Cen Coast and Vwool suggested, the Jackson Coosa.

Notice how shallow the tank well is. This keeps the volume big in the aft section and helps counter the added weight of whatever drift anchor is being used.


The ability to elevate the chair and a flat work space for standing, helps lower horizon lines on the river. Every river runner knows “When in doubt, always scout”. These features help you scout rapids without getting out of the boat every time.
I am a ultra-novice fly flinger and the elevated chair position is helpful and obviously the easy stand up platform is helpful when sight fishing.

Also notice how small the keel is and this boat is also drag chain ready and easy to add a drift anchor system.



Good luck in your search and remember, just because a boat is 10’, doesn’t make it a good river runner.

A few more photos that show the subtle keel and soft edges of the Jackson under belly, as well as the full volume bow of the best river fishing boat that I have paddled.