[chesapeakeblend]

do any of you go long distances by boat to fish? i mean paddle 5-10 miles then fish?

i just sold my rec. boat to purchase a t140 but am wondering about a super fast boat to really get out and fish. all i typically carry is one rod and 1 softside tackle box anyway. it seems all these boats i look at that are all rigged up almost defeat the purpose of a light, nimble machine. i guess that is relative.

my main question is if anyone uses a sea kayak to paddle and then do some fishig too? i saw some beautiful pics over at springriver corp. this weekend of around tangier sound, fox islands, etc. or where they have been touring. my wheel got to thinking about touring boats to really get out there.

thoughts please

mike

 

[Ross]

I use a 17 ft CLC Cape Charles. Reasonably fast. Almost always take a fly rod. Sometimes travel more than 5 miles to fish.

 

[Chad]

Try the Tarpon 160i. It should scratch both itches. The ability to carry a little more gear is nice if you want to paddle somewhere and then get out and fish. With the little amount of stuff you are talking about carrying the older style 160 would be sufficient and ARC (890-0500) has a few left at a significantly reduced price. The 140 is nice and fast for it's size but it is not a rocket ship.
Chad

 

[boats]

With there easy launch from about anyplace a Yak does not have to go very far. I have always thought of most yaks as 3 Knot boats. If the tide is with you 4 knots and if against you 2 knots. That pretty much limits your range to a couple of miles from the launch. And makes playing the tide pretty important.

But there is a whole lot of good fishing 2 miles from good launching spots. The best thing about a Yak is you can get right on top of good structure without fear of damage like in a regular boat.

Boats

 

[boats]

I missed your point about super fast boats. Some yaks are faster than SOT's but not a lot. The fastest non racing Yaks I have ever paddled are big tandems. With 2 paddlers who can work together 6 knots is possable for fairly long periods. They are easy to push 5 knots.

Excluding racing boats and Yaks totaly unsuaitable for fishing, a real fast boat is about 4 knots. A burst of speed you can do better but 4 k is the best you will do for long periods.

That's 25 % faster than most of the fishing sit on tops but still only 4 knots. The range is hardly any more.

Get something thats comfortable can carry your gear and take care of you when the weather changes. And find launches close to good spots.

Boats

 

[chesapeakeblend]

boats - i think you are raising a good point. i am having trouble finding places to launch that are close by. looks like that is a different situation in the lower bay and some of the eastern shore. from the western shore it is near impossible from what i have found.

thanks for the breakdown on speed though. i am looking at that older t160 as chad pointed out. i think it is still between the t140 and t160.

mike

 

[boats]

Up the bay access is a problem. Sometimes there are small obscure places that only the local guys will know. End of my street in Va Beach is a public right of way for about 15 feet although if you look it appears private. I use it all the time.

Couple of years ago the ajoining property owners tried to close it but a bunch of us threatned them with a lawer and they droped the effort

That's a good thing about local clubs they can stick together. We may be loosing access at the southern tip of the HRBT but the Yak club is working on the city now to maintain access.

Even with more speed I would not go for a sit inside touring boat for fishing over a SOT. I never thought I would say it but having finished a year with a SOT and owning Touring regular yaks for a very long time I would never go back.

The higher position is just much easier to cast from Particulary with a fly rod

I think the SOT's are much safer too. You hear about Eskimo rolling a normal yak. Some years ago we took a fully loaded touring boat with some gear strapped to the deck and tried the Eskimo roll in a pool. It's possable but not easy to do. At night in rough water with normal fishing gear spread arround I don't think it has a high percentage of sucess. We figured if capsized we would bail the boat out from outside and scramble back in. SOT's are no problem at all to recover from a capsize and have complete watertight intregrity.

If I were you I would paddle some of the new SOT's either at a Demo day or borrow from a Yak club member

Boats

 

[chesapeakeblend]

boats - what i am trying to figure out is the t140 vs the t160i now. i have a friend who has the ocen kayak prowler 15 and i am trying to get out on that boat too. the t140 and t160i are almost exactly the same except for 2' in length. i was looking at the older t160 but it looks like the cockpit has changed a bit. i may just go with the t140, it really does not look like i will sacrifice tht much in touring/fishing ability.

does anyone know if you can stand up onthe older 160's like advertised on the new boats? i tried it on a t140 a few weeks back and it is definitly an option on calm water for fly casting.

 

[boats]

Go for the 16 foot boat, In a Canoe or Yak longer is always better.

I stand up to fly cast all the time in my open regular canoe, I will even stand up to pole the canoe and it's not as wide as a typical SOT Yak. But your feet are on the very bottom and under the water line in canoe.

My Ocean Yak Scupper pro is not set up well foot space wise for standing and have never tried it. Your feet would be higher than the water line and I guess it would be pretty tippy.

Boats

 

[TH]

Heritage has a new 17' sot. I will be trying it out this weekend. It looks fast, but has almost no convenient storage.

 

[JDSeiders]

Is this the one?

http://www.heritagekayaks.com/fishermanpro17.html

I probably have the least experience of anyone on here, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of room for gear...

 

[akocan]

Last month I was at a wedding at OBX, I had relatives drop me off in my t140 more than 5 miles from where we were staying and I trolled/paddled back to the house. I was very comfortable the whole time (did not catch anything) and I think it took me about 1.5 - 2 hours for approx 5 miles. The winds were blowing pretty good and there was a 1-2 foot chop sending the occasional wave over my bow.

Jay

 

[chesapeakeblend]

just ordered the tarpon 140 from springriver yesterday afternoon. thanks for the info fellas! i really liike that 160 but looks like it could be a bit much to haul around and work on the rivers too.

mike