Any opinions on these? Me and my two older boys have been fishing out of regular paddle kayaks for a few years. This last week we went to Caddo and just couldn't hold position because of the wind. My youngest son about lost when a guy in a pirogue with a trolling motor snag two bass right in front of him casting at cypress trunks LOL. Anybody yes any kind of pedal powered kayak on here?
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I had a Hobie. They’re big and heavy, but you can cover a lot of water in them. If I was getting another pedal yak, I’d get one with a prop (Native?), the prop type can be easily reversed to maintain your position. Hobie’s newer versions can be reversed, but not as easily. -
those with the "paddle's" have always baffled me vs a prop but I've never used either one and not knowing I would think a prop could go a little more shallow and good point on the reverse. As far as wind on kayak would a drift sock help ? I know it sure helped me in small boat in Chandeluers when drift fishing to slow me downOriginally posted by boy wonder View PostComment
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I've been fishing out of pedal kayaks for about 4 yrs now and they are night and day from the paddle kayaks I fished before that. I will also say that all pedal kakays are not created equal. I started with a hoodoo tempest which was a huge improvement over the paddle kayak but later moved up to an Old Town Predator (earlier version of the Sportsman Big Water 132) and absolutely love the fish-ability of it. The downside (and every kayak has a downside) is that it's really heavy. It handles big water really well and holds as well as any kayak can in the wind. I personally prefer a prop drive over a fin drive simply for the instant reverse in combating effects of the wind and manuverability overall. I bought the wife an Old Town Salty last year because of it's affordable price point, light weight, stability, and it turns on a dime. It has great response and it's agility and manuverablility in tight spaces or even wind is better than any kayak I've been in yet. It sacrifices however in the area of internal storage (only one small hatch under the seat) and its not quite as solid a platform as the Predator but still very stable overall. Even with the lack of storage, I liked it so much that I bought myself one last month. I now have 4 pedal drive kayaks and gave away both of the paddle kakays I used to have. Here's the wife last week with her new PB fishing out of my Predator.Comment
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X2 on the Old Town. The instant reverse feature is what sold me👍🏼Comment
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Academy just released their new Magellan branded pedal kayak which is probably the cheapest on the market ($1199) but it is a propeller style. It hasn't been out long enough for many reviews on durability or performance. Its about 88 pounds which is about the right compromise between stability and portability. I don't want a kayak I cant load by myself. Kayak fishing should be a simple loadup process. I have a kayak rigged with a trolling motor which fishes great but its a pain to load batteries, motors, etc. plus you have to register it..Comment
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i forget the model looks like or might be a Helix drive on a wilderness, but my son borrowed one of the kayaks with a removable pedal drive that had a prop under it , he hit something in murky water and about tore that entire drive up . instead of shearing a pin on the prop we had to rebuild the pedal assembly up top. took a while to get parts but they warrantied it.Comment
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As Rolylane stated, there is no comparison!!!! Oldtown has one of the best pedal/prop kayaks and Hobie is by far the best pedal/ fin kayak on the market. Just depends on what you want to spend and what you prefer. I have had both and liked the hobie more. Seemed to cover more ground and could do it quicker. Mine wasn't the 180 fins so i had no reverse unless i flipped hem completely. the pedal kayaks do offer instant reverse but hobies with the 180 fins can flip in a second with a simple cord pull. Stability wise the hobie is the best IMO.Comment
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I have fished out of a prop drive(Native) and fin drive (Hobie) and I prefer the prop drive but both are great. The newer hobies have reverse and without that I would never get one. The fin drive can actually get a little shallower as well.Comment
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I've owned 3 and still have 2. These 2 Natives I have now are the best for me and the wife. I mainly fly fish out of them but do run trot lines and throw lines as well. They are very stable and only weigh 58#.Comment
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How shallow can you get with prop drives?
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About 18”. It’s real easy to pull the drive up and paddle if needed.
Originally posted by RedTx View PostComment
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I purchased the Old Town Bigwater 132 PDL just over two years ago. Before that, I had a paddle kayak for about 7 years. I did a lot of research and settled on the Old Town for their warranty and capacity. I'm rather large at 6'3" 295 so I needed something that could work with me. Not only does it allow me to cover more ground, I can use it during white bass runs and troll up and down the river with a pole out each side. That was hard to do with a paddle kayak. It is heavy, but I can load it into the truck easily and if I have to go a long ways from truck to water, I just put it on a kayak cart and I'm good to go.Comment
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If you come down towards Seadrift you can try out either of the ones I’ve got.
Jackson Bite FD or Old Town Topwater
The Jackson can be for sale 😁
I prefer the wife’s Old Town. It’s a little bit shorter, just as stable, just as fast, but I think it might be a little bit heavier.
One thing I like about the Jackson is the peddle drive can be lifted to a “half” speed. Depth can be around 8-10” best I remember. The Old Town needs over 12”.
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