New guy from Oregon

Hello everyone, I am in the market for a Kayak and in my searches I ran accross this site. I have been intrigued by the idea of kayak fishing for some time now and decided this Christmas it was going to be my present to me. So the search begins. I know this forum will be a great resource for my soon to be new hobbie so I joined up.

I used to bass fish A LOT! I had a nice multi species boat and hit the Columbia and Willy often. I know the rivers and where the fish are, used to catch 4 to 5 pound smallmouth bass with my biggest going over 6 1/2 pounds! Im looking forward to getting back out after bass as well as all the other species the northwest has to offer.

welcome jay03, kayak fishing is fantastic, ask questions here at NWKA and you will get lots of good input...cheers, roger

Welcome to the site. There are lots of us here in Oregon.  Keep your eyes peeled for our next PDX crew gathering.  We should be having one soon. Right Anthony?

What kayak are you leaning towards?

Wobbler

So just like many of you I'm sure my head is spinning with the options. I have been doing lots of research and have many ideas of what I want but with no experience yet they are just ideas. This may be sacrilege but tomorrow I am going to test paddle a Nucanoe frontier 12... I know I know...not really a kayak but here's my theory. I know I am going to get into this and become an enthusiast and eventually venture into the ocean (not with the Nucanoe of course) So I will end up with a second kayak in the future. For now I want a stable boat thats river capable and could possibly take 2 along without being a tandem.  Plus I want to stand and bass fish, the Nucanoe can do all this and I can get it for a very good price right now. So if it goes well tomorrow I am going to learn the ropes on small bodies of water and slower rivers with the Nucanoe. And in time start paddling some bigger narrower kayaks suitable for longer distance traver and eventually offshore. I am eyeballing the jackson kayaks like the cuda 12 or 14, OK trident 13, and Old towne predators.  For now I want to bass fish in the sloughs and the stability for standing and maneuverability of the Nucanoe frontier will get the job done. Plus it can be rigged to row for the rivers. Which seems like a plus but we'll see.

Frontier is a great boat, I think you are taking a good approach.

I think a key criteria for a SOT kayak is that it be self draining (have scuppers), this is what differentiates 'kayaks' from canoes and small boats.  Frontier is a great design- light weight, sliding seat mount, easy to add motor, and scuppers!

cheers, roger

I've canoed and kayaked for many years.  The disadvantage of canoes is that the margin of error is pretty narrow.  If a canoe gets hit by a big wave or wake, takes on water, and swamps, or you flip a canoe, it's a big hassle to empty it out and paddle to shore.

In a sit-inside kayak, if you know how to roll it, you are totally invincible.  You can power through huge crashing waves, and if you flip over, you just roll back up.  If you don't know how to roll a sit-inside kayak, and you take a swim, it's a big hassle to empty it out and paddle to shore.  Probably even more of a hassle than with a canoe.

In a sit-on-top kayak, you are also pretty invincible, although unless you install thigh straps, you won't have as much control in big water as you do in a sit-inside kayak.  But if you flip over a sit-on-top kayak, you just roll it upright, climb in, and paddle away.  And a sit-on-top kayak is way better suited to fishing than a sit-inside kayak.

The bottom line is that kayakers routinely use sit-inside and sit-on-top kayaks to fish far out in the ocean, sometimes after launching through surf.  You won't see any canoes doing that.

You may not currently intend to fish in the open ocean, or to launch through surf.  But you could be out in a lake, and have a windstorm suddenly brew up big waves.  Or you could be passed closely by an inconsiderate motor-boater who is throwing off a big wake.  Or you could lean out too far when trying to net a fish and could flip over.  And if these kinds of things happen, you'll be way better off in a sit-on-top kayak than in a Nucanoe.  I suggest that you look at a sit-on-top fishing kayak for your first kayak.

I have looked into sit on top kayaks.. And like I said within a year I'm sure I will own one. The Nucanoe is not for big water in my case. The places I plan on fishing with the Frontier are smaller slow moving rivers and coves or small lakes/ponds. I doubt I will encounter those safety hazards where I intend to fish with it. When I want to venture into the Columbia and eventually the ocean I will do it in a SOT kayak. The Nucanoe does have scuppers and is built more like a SOT kayak than a canoe. I flipped it today(on purpose) and got back inside and paddled to shore. No problem at all.. Its wide and stable and was easy to get inside and barely took on any water at all once corrected. It paddled the same as before I flipped. It will work for what I intend to use it for. Standing while bass fishing is a big plus for me and long narrow kayaks might not be easy to stand and cast from. This will work well for now and when the weather gets a little better I will start test paddling some SOT kayaks. 

jay03, there are other hazards, even in quiet coves and small lakes, that you want to think about before you set your mind on a specific craft.

Take wind.  We get BIG winds.  They'll whip up frisky waves even on the smallest lakes, and they're gong to push you around very forcefully.  The higher the center of gravity on a wind-whipped pond and the more hull exposed to the wind, the more goosebumps you're going to have.

Nothing wrong with a Nucanoe.  Just saying that it's always best to consider the unexpected scenario than to freak out when you run into it.

Welcome Jay03!

I think you'll enjoy a Nucanoe for all the reasons you stated.  There are lots of good makes and models available.  Once you have a few trips under your belt, you'll get a good idea of what you want in your next boat. 

I absolutely loved my 1st kayak but after a year, I moved on to something different that fit my needs better.

Enjoy!
-Mark-

I get that. I have spent a lot of days on the Columbia between Stevenson and Hood river. I know wind! Haha... Believe me. I am not set on any one kayak or boat yet. But I do have the Nucanoe now and it will serve it's purpose well for the time being and where I will be using it. I do plane on taking a few kayaks for a test spin in the next few months. Ultimately I will have two boats in the future. I am more interested in fishing than kayaking but I do want to combine the two and chase big game fish in a kayak someday. I will get there, I have much too learn. I do want to get back after the bass though and this spring I have a few places mapped out that were either unreachable with my boat or a real pita to fish with a bigger boat.

Basically I felt that if I got a kayak that was good for bass fishing slow water and being able to stand up in that I might be giving up on performance in big water traveling long distances. So I thought why not have 2 boats? One for each kind of fishing condition. Why not? I'm single and make good money...  Plus the guy I bought the Frontier from gave me a great deal. It was discounted quite a bit and I got the paddle, seat, and accessories for cheap. He is closing shop and reducing inventory.  Worst case scenario I can probably unload it and not lose much if any money.

Well, good!  Looking forward to hearing how you get on with the bass.

Glad to see another person on here from Salem, let me know when you need some one to go fishing with. 

To try before you buy, Alder Creek has their annual paddle fest on April 24-25 at Vancouver Lake, Next Adventure will have a kayak demo day sometime in spring also in Portland, both great times and more kayaks than you could ever want.  That is if you can wait until then! 
The Kayak Shed in Hood River has a kayak bass tourney that you don't want to miss either. 

Nice, thanks for the info. I will try to hit all of those events if I can.