Randolph Dupree (Outdoor Dawg poster) has Kayak Question for the Board

[BeastMan]

The first thing you need to decide is what your budget for your boat is. The cream of the crop is a hobie pro angler at $3,500 but you can get quality kayaks all the way down to a few hundred bucks if you buy used and stay on the lookout for deals. I posted a deal at Academy in Jackson last week for a Heritage Redfish 12 for $299. Absolute steal for an entry level yak.

I'm on my 3rd boat and and currently have 2 with my most recent old one as a guest yak. I went from a Pelican Castaway 116 (used for $150) to a Ascend FS128T (new for $799) to a KC 12 (new for $ 1,500). I look back at the Pelican and it totally sucks to what
i have now but it got me in the door. I figured out what I liked and what I valued while on the water. It also got me in to doing a few mods on a cheap boat with little anxiety. Now I can drill in a $1,500 boat without having a panic attack. Moving up to the Ascend was a huge jump and I loved fishing out of that layout. I really had my game dialed in on that boat but it had some defenses as well that I wanted to upgrade to. Right now I love my current boat. Does everything I need to to and I'm happy. There are kayak snobs out there that will tell you you're wasting your money if you don't get a hobie and I couldn't disagree more.

As far as locations for yak fishing, it's almost unlimited. I constantly study google earth for areas to fish. I have a million areas I'm relatively familiar with and have not fished yet.

Any specific questions you have, fire away. I'm willing to help and I know others that yak fish like Speck or Uncle Ruckus have great info they can add too.

[SpeckleDawg]

Beast covered the selection/buying pretty much. I started with a cheap 10' Pelican SOT. I started going A LOT and ended up picking up a 14' Heritage Redfish (old style with a better seat than now) for a great price and enjoyed it even more. I'm now fishing out of a Jackson Cuda 12 and wouldn't change anything about it. The raised seats on most kayaks now are a game changer. I can fish all day and not be hurting so bad.

As far as locations to fish, I fish everywhere from the reefs out front to way up in the rivers & marsh. That said, BSL is my #1 spot, because there's some good access to spots that hold plenty of fish year round. I live in the Pass, so I can get to the launch in 5min and be unloaded and fishing in no time. That's the reason I fish the kayak more than boat. On a Saturday morning, I can be back at the house and have everything cleaned up before the family is really ready for the day. If you ever want to learn some spots down this way, I'd be glad to point you in the right direction for that time (best as I can) or get out there with you. I'm always in for an excuse to fish more.

"around Lake Catherine"
Some good kayak fishing around there too. I used to launch at Ft. Pike often, but haven't been over there in probably 2-3 years.