Ready to meet some kayak fishing people in OR/WA

Hi everyone,
I registered on this site almost a year ago when I first relocated back to OR(Hillsboro), but don't remember if I ever introduced myself properly.  I started fishing out of rental kayaks during business trips to TX about 7 yrs ago, and began catching bigger bass than I ever had before.  At that time a job transfer took me to NM, and I got my first kayak, which was big enough for the whole family - me, wife, son and dog.  The kayak is a Cobra Triple, which is still my primary fishing platform.
   My current work schedule is quite irregular, and I ended up only fishing a few times during the 2012 season.  Now I'm here again on NWKA to learn more about kayak fishing OR/WA, and because I'm looking to meet some kayak fishing partners.  I'm also shopping for a solo SOT fishing kayak for the 2013 season, and I'm hoping to find some guidance here to help figure out which kayak would be best for me.
   I'm a multi-species fisherman, and I like building my own fishing rods.  This spring I'd like to learn how to catch salmon from a kayak. I'm also eager to try out saltwater kayak fishing.

welcome about YakBasser.

What is your size and weight? This will help in weeding out the wrong size kayak.
If you are looking for an all-around kayak the Hobie Outback works for most. 

Check out Next Adventure or the Kayak Shed they know kayaks and you can demo them.

Spot is putting on a Springer clinic sometime in March. 

See you on the water,
willbd

Welcome to NWKA. This is a great place to learn to fish  tons of techniques and new species. There will be a Spring Chinook kayak fishing seminar sometime in March. That's a great starting point for you and it will give you a chance to meet some of the guys on the site.
Paul


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Welcome to the club. Tell us a little more, ask a little moe and we can guide you to the answers. Many of us have multiple yaks and are happy to share.


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I appreciate the replies.   I definitely would like to attend that Spring Chinook kayak fishing seminar if my schedule will allow. As for finding the right size of kayak, I'm 5'11" and about 175lbs.  I've done enough research on SOT fishing kayaks to know that there probably isn't one kayak that's ideal for every type of fishing I want to do, yet I'm trying to get as close to that mark as I can for this year's purchase.  I'm eager to just buy now, but realize I should probably be patient enough to allow time to demo a few to make a smart purchase. 

I think I'm looking for a 12' to 14' yak, and I want one that's stable enough that I could stand up in it with practice to fly cast or pitch for bass.  I'd like to be able to safely launch through the surf to go after some saltwater fish, and have a boat that's safe in rough water when strong winds come up.  I hope I'm not asking for too much already.  Being able to store a few one piece rods inside like I do on my Cobra would be great too.

Kevin

Kind of sounds like you're leaning toward a Pro Angler haha.

How much do you want to spend? Paddle or pedal?


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I would look at an Outback or Revolution13. Pro anglers are not the best in rough water and high winds. Pa's are great though for standing up and casting in rivers, bays and light winds.

Welcome to the site! Three good options might be the wilderness systems ride 135, hobie outback, or hobie pro angler. Three different price points but all would let you stand and cast and fish the waters you mentioned.

You should also demo the Jackson Coosa and Cuda 12, both well suited to a variety of waters and nicely set up for fishing. Less pricey than the Hobies but then everything is.

Hard to beat an Outback or Revo 13 for speed and ease of fishing with the Mirage Drives.

Thanks everyone for the welcome and kayak suggestions/questions.  I had logged in here last week for one of the couple times since I registered, but thought there was something wrong with the site because I couldn't see any of the forum topics.

Yesterday, I stopped in at Hardcore Tackle in Hillsboro for the 1st time, on my way back from helping out with building spider blocks for a fish habitat project at Hagg Lake put on by ODFW and OR Bass and Panfish.  Mike at Hardcore is putting out the good word about NWKA.  When I mentioned to him that I was kayak shopping, he pointed me back to NWKA as the "place to go" for kayak fishing info.  He spoke of plans to hold future kayak fishing seminars there, and plans to expand their selection with more aim towards the kayak angler.

When I logged in to NWKA again, I realized that I needed to introduce myself.  I'm considering several of the kayaks mentioned to me already.  I'm sure many, if not most, of my questions will be answered by exploring past threads on the site.  I haven't hooked up with any NW kayak fishing folk yet, so now I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you out on the water.

Pedal vs. Paddle? - now that seems to be the biggest question.  It seems that being able to pedal offers some real fishing advantages, and the question for me is whether it's really worth the large jump in price point.  I can already tell that Hobie's Mirage drive is very popular with NWKA members.  Are any of the Native Watercraft pedal models worth considering? The Wilderness Ride (115 and 135) are on my list, as are the Jackson Cuda 12 and 14.  I have yet to demo any of these models, so I need to start figuring out the how and where to do that. 

I just took delivery of a new Native Watercraft Mariner 12.5 recently. I haven't had the chance to hit the water yet. I might be the only guy with one of these in the area. My main use will be lake fishing, but this year I will give crabbing a shot also.
If you are interested in the Mariner let me know. You can take it for a spin to see how you like it.

When I first decided I wanted a kayak I didn't know Hobies even existed. I started searching kayak fishing videos on Youtube and videos from guys that frequent NWKA started popping up. Of course I had no idea about that until I joined. I weighed the pros and cons of paddle vs pedal. Pedaling made the most sense to me. I had used paddle kayaks in the past and while it was fun I found it annoying when fishing a near by lake. After watching the videos of guys catching bottom fish in Pacific City from pedal driven kayaks I was hooked. I tried out a friends Outback and  my mind was made up. They are worth the extra dough for sure. You could probably find a used hobie for sale right here if you wanted to wait a bit. Go Hobie or go home. I've had my Outback for three weeks and i'm in love with it. Anyway, that is my thoughts on pedal vs paddle.

Hey YakBasser, Welcome!

You wouldn't happen to live near Century High School would you?  I could swear I've seen that Cobra on the top of an SUV in my neighborhood.

-Spot-

Hi, YakBasser.  I've got a WS Ride 115 that you can also take for a spin sometime.  I'm on the Westside, too.  And will soon be even closer to lowering the property value of Spot's neighborhood.  Muah hah hah hah....