New to the sport whatre your kayak suggestion?

Hi!  I'm Alex, I've lived in Washington for 4 years now and Yak fishing is always something I've wanted to get into.  Will be purchasing my first yak here in a couple days.  I have been researching for awhile now (on and off for 4 years) and I am really liking the Crecent LightTackle.  But being the newbie here I figured I gain some knowledge from some seasoned veterans.  I want something that tracks decent, but am really looking for something that will do ok in larger lakes and maybe some off shore.  I want something that paddles well, there will be no motor or peddle drive on my first one.  I could go on and on with the ideal Yak but I'm looking to spend less the $1000 for the Yak and PFD, I could bend that budget a little bit but to be honest I told the Wife it was going to be $500

HAHA I know how that goes with the wife.

So many good ones out there.......  Consider looking for a used on on Craigslist or your local version.  So many people buy great stuff and never really get into it only to sell at a discount a few months/years later.  You can always resell it when you are ready to upgrade (mind you I now have 5 kayaks and two canoes accumulated over the years).  Keep a stash of cash on hand when you are looking because they can go pretty quick.