Since we've already drifted away from Rocky Pt, I have some questions about kayak fishing. I've never been in a kayak and thought this might be a good time to try it out in fresh water. If I take to it, I might try it in the ocean on calm days.
Any kayak I buy, now or later, would be an inflatable for ease of transport.
My first kayak would an entry level inflatable not geared to the ocean. I envision going out early in the day when the winds tend to be calmer, drifting peacefully along at Big Lake or some place similar, trolling a lure down deep on a spinning rod and holding a fly rod trailering a small fly behind a streamer. I assume I can drag an anchor to slow down my drift when winds get to 5-7 mph range. If a stronger wind suddenly comes up, I'll try to paddle back to my point of entry, but I should be able to let the the wind blow me to shore if gets that bad. Not an option in open ocean, but should work on a lake.
First, does all this seem realistic to experienced kayak fishermen?
Second, is a trolling motor of any value? I thought it might be useful for traveling to where I want to start drifting without having to paddle there each time I drift out of an area. Also, it could help in going against wind. But is the extra weight of the battery and motor, along with having to build a frame to hold the motor, really worth it?
Any advice would be appreciated.
You're pry not going to like my answers but I have always given my honest opinions regardless.
Let me say this first. I have never used an inflatable kayak. Now I will say this. Never buy an inflatable kayak. I guess to each their own but you're already complicating the process given you have never kayaked. They are far less stable. I think if you were the last person on earth and an inflatable kayak was the only tool at your disposal then yes, I'd use an inflatable. This would be similar to learning how to drive when your 16. With a sherman tank. Maybe start with a 4 banger automatic first??? Now, I do understand that sometimes the situation dictates what a person is capable of doing. If you're only capable of being able to use an inflatable and you have no other options then buy one and try it out. I know from years of reading that they are not very stable at all so plan on getting wet. There's a reason they never really caught on and are not used often at all. I think if you want to fish and absolutely have to have something inflatable, a float tube (pontoon style) or an inflatable paddle board may be better choices.
In terms of "drifting peacefully". Yes, given the kayak is stable and you can sit there for periods of time undisturbed. That would mostly pertain to the stability of the boat however, the operator does add variability because some body movement and certain motions can make tipping more likely. Kayaks are influenced mostly by center of gravity. They say, as your head goes, so does the kayak. So if you look down and try to look back behind you, your head is not on "top" of your shoulders now and the kayak will want to "roll" to whichever side your looking. There's other techniques that you can use to mitigate the risk of rolling however, you would not be able to use these techniques in an inflatable. One of the easiest ways to insure that you don't roll the kayak is by straddling the kayak with your legs. This can only be done on a SIT ON TOP. This is also why the sit in kayaks are less popular. Legs are inside the kayak, hull shape of the kayak tends to be a little different which equals less stability and more prone to "rolling". The inflatable kayaks would be considered SIT IN as well. Again, this may be the most fundamental difference when it comes to stability.
In theory, if your boat is stable enough you can drift your little heart out. Not sure a drift would be enough to troll but that depends on wind. You pry don't want to be out there in an inflatable when it gets windy. In theory, yes, you could do nothing and drift until you hit a shoreline somewhere. My concern would be how much these inflatables weigh. I bet they are NOT light. I'd be curious. Dry weight of my Cobra 12ft sit on top is 45lbs. I bet an inflatable may be a little lighter but light enough to carry around the lake after you drifted to the opposite shoreline???? With your paddle and gear???? Sounds iffy. Maybe you're HE MAN though. Not sure. I would start with some baby steps though.
Paddling and tracking of the kayak are what make some kayaks better than others. Inflatables would certainly be at the absolute bottom. Inflatables "walk" side to side with each stroke. So do sit ins. Mainly because of length. Length of boat and hull shape are the two biggest contributing factors to a kayak's tracking ability. Also, you'd need to consider material. Rubber has "give". Even at max psi the boat is going to have some "flex" to it with you in it. Every paddle stroke the boat is going to absorb some of that energy which makes the boat go side to side more than forward. If the inflatable is rubber, 8ft and sit in then it's going to have horrible paddling characteristics.
Trolling motor. Jackson kayaks has a bass set up, sit on top kayak with super nice seat, all the fixings running a trolling motor off of the stern for powering spot to spot. $2k and you'll need a trailer and be HE MAN. There are a ton of write ups on the internet GOOGLE about how to add a trolling motor to a sit on top. I'm not saying that it can't be done but pry going to be rather hard to set something like that up on an inflatable unless it has a rib bottom or hard transom. You would need a hard stern transom to be able to do this. I think it would be a major pain in the ass. One thing I've learned kayaking 10 years now is that LESS IS MORE! I used to go out there with all kinds of shit, bait taink, 4 rods, gear, cooler, music... I mean the list went on. Huge pain in the ass. Now I go with 2 rods and some of my gear down in the dry storage of the boat. Little soft cooler and that's it. To each their own. Go on the AZ KAYAK AND MOTORLESS ANGLERS page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AZKayakFishing .... You see these guys have so much crap they need trailers and have investments of 3k or more.... for a kayak!!! Once you drink the KOOLAID, some people can't control themselves. Personally less is more. Have enough stuff to have a good time but don't go down the rabbit hole.
In review. If an inflatable is the absolute only option for you, give it a try. Maybe you'll find that it works for what you need it to work for. If that's the case, that's a win. I just don't think it's going to do what you want it to do unfortunately. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's an inflatable expert out there that can add $.02.
Here's the better question. Are you wealthy enough to buy this inflatable and have it not work out and not care? That's pry really the only question that matters. If you're wealthy enough, you should buy the inflatable and everything you need and just do the experiment yourself. Life jacket and you're good. Maybe try it in a pool first. Just send it and report back.
Kayaking in a sit on top is the most stable kayak period. If your first time was in a sit on top I don't think you'd have any reservation once you felt how stable they are.
