Is there a huge difference in ocean kayaks and inland fishing kayaks? On vacation at the outer banks and was wondering if either would work.
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Is there a huge difference in ocean kayaks and inland fishing kayaks? On vacation at the outer banks and was wondering if either would work.
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Kayaks built for blue water are LONG and THIN for speed, while kayaks built for fishing are built for stability, making them wider . You can even stand up in some of the models out today. You can fish out of a blue water boat but there is usually not a lot of room where you can get to your gear from the paddling position.
So the typical sot, stand up bass fishing kayak would be OK on the ocean?
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Check out the Striper Online forum. They have an active kayak group focused on getting after the stripers off the NE coast. Lots of good info there on salt water kayak fishing.
Either version works for either situation, but one being better for what it is specifically designed for. When I began kayak angling in 1987 "fishing" kayaks were not even created but there were sea kayaks and inland kayaks. At the time, I was a kayak guide in the Florida Keys and all I had available was a sea kayak. The majority of my guiding was just tours, but, being a lifelong angler, I immediately took to fishing from my sea kayak, and it worked just fine. As previously mentioned, the sea kayak is much more unstable, but way faster than an inland or fishing style. If you plan on fishing, and pleasure paddling mostly on inland water ways, I would highly recommend a kayak built specifically for that purpose. It doesn't necessarily have to be a fishing style kayak, as they are often slow, and heavy, but if you choose a non fishing version, be sure to look at the cockpit size and storage areas to handle fishing gear. Keep your gear to a minimum, and always remember, there is not a fish in the water that is worth losing your life.