native watercraft ultimate

Does anyone use a Native Watercraft FX Ultimate for fishing and if so reviews?

Hey Fred, I fished exclusively out of a Native Ultimate for about 4 years until I bought a new kayak this winter. It seems like they have made some nice improvements on the new FX model, but it is essentially the same boat. I would say that it is an extremely stable and comfortable boat while seated. I almost never stand up in it because it feels barely stable and not very fishable from that position. I don't know how they claim that it is such a great boat for that. The Ultimate keeps you very dry and in four years of heavy action I never flipped it. It makes a fantastic crabbing vessel and I love it for sturgeon fishing. It moves okay through the water but is a little cumbersome in heavy current or wind. When I bought mine, the rudder system and paddle did not come with the boat and cost a lot of money, making it less economical than what you might think at first.
It is totally awesome for class 1 and 2 river shuttles and you can't do that in a Hobie. It is lightweight and easy to load on a roof rack with no accessories needed. Once I am on anchor and fishing, I actually prefer it to my Hobie.
Remember that you would not be able to re-enter the Ultimate, so taking it out in the ocean here in the PNW would be downright stupid and possibly deadly. I have messed around a lot in the bays. It makes a great second kayak.

Thanks for the reply.  I'm afraid I've had paralysis by analysis since I've been researching all the different kayaks for about 9 months.  Though I keep coming back to the Ultimate.  I think I've come to the conclusion that I may need two, one for lakes and flat rivers and one for the ocean.  Curious, what did you buy to take out in the ocean.  I'm thinking of getting the Ultimate tandem so I can take friends or my grandson out on lakes.   Do you think a rudder is a good idea on the Ultimate or does it track pretty well?  What kind of roof rack did you use for loading it? 

I have a 2010 Ultimate. It's a very good boat for calm water. I fished it a lot in the tidal Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay on calm days. Get the bow and stern covers for the wind. That limits your mounting options behind you, but it tends to catch the wind otherwise. Roomy is an understatement. It's basically a single-person canoe. A little hull slap when it gets choppy. I think it tracks well without a rudder, and I think it's very stable. I also don't like standing in it, but that's because I have some balance issues.

Do you think a rudder is a good idea on the Ultimate or does it track pretty well?  What kind of roof rack did you use for loading it?
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I think the rudder is essential in any current or wind and most definitely for trolling.
I just put it on the cross bars on my station wagon and cinch-strap it down.