Newbie

Hello all,
 I am new to the site and new to the sport. I will be moving to Coos Bay at the end of August and have more or less gotten the go ahead from the better half to buy a fishing yak once we are moved in.
 I was wondering if some of the Coos area folks could point me in the right direction as far as a good yak dealer in that area. I have been to Sun Set Sports but the prices seemed a little high and they didn't have what I THINK I want (OK Prowler 13 or 15). Also I will be doing most of my yak fishing out of the SunSet Bay area and am wondering what add-ons I will actually NEED (fish finder, rudder etc). I am on a budget and would like to stay around $1500 or less if possible.
 Coosbayyaker, I really enjoyed reading all of your posts and your vids have given me a boost of enthusiasm toward the sport (four keepers in what, eight minutes! Unreal). I hope you will let me tag along with you when I get my yak. 

Welcome Merlin, Cool deal, another Coos Bay Kayak fisher!!. Your more then welcome to come fishing with the ever growing Coos bay crew  . If you want a new Kayak, check out Outdoor Play, i have never bought anything from them but Zac(southcoastpaddler) bought his and even with shipping he was very happy with there price and service. Keep an eye out for used stuff on our classified page Kayak finder if you want to go that way.

As far as stuff you "really" need, just a pole,some jigs and a burlap sack, and of course a PFD. But i find my FF really helps me find the hot spots. We've been 10-20 feet apart and one person is slaying and the other isn't catching anything, seems crazy but happens all the time.

Look forward to fishing with ya..

You'll be here in time for some good Salmon fishing too.

As far as stuff you "really" need, just a pole,some jigs and a burlap sack, and of course a PFD. But i find my FF really helps me find the hot spots.

You'll also want a small dry bag for your keys, camera, license etc.  and a knife that can be easily pulled from your PFD in the event of an emergency.

Welcome aboard!

I bought my OK Caper from West Coast Watersports in Florence. The price was about the same as the online dealers. They have a pretty good stock of fishing kayaks on hand. I know it's 50 miles north of Coos Bay, but if you are in the area, you might want to stop and take a look.

And a little dry thang for your cell fone, just in case---with a tether to your PFD!

Oh yea, a dry bag.....You would have thought I would think of that, as i push the on button of my cellphone wishing it would work....

hello Merlin!!!

Check out the outdoor play web site! It has good deals on yaks and gear. I have bought two O.K. prowlers 13 from them in the last couple of months and have been very happy with them. They are located in Hood River. It takes one day for it to show up at your front door! It takes lots of time on the water to figure out what setup you need as far as where you want to mount fish finders, pole holders, etc.  You have come to the right place for yak fishing questions!!! Welcome aboard.

 Hey thanks for all of the input. I will be checking in to all of the above mentioned options for a good deal on a yak. I currently live in Reedsport so the place in Florence will only be a 25 minute drive.
 As far as the dry bags go I already have two of those from years of canoing...though they are both a bit much to be used for just a cell phone and keys. I suppose I will look into a smaller one.
 Are most of you guys using bait casters or are you using spinner reels to fish for the lings and rock cod?

Welcome  Merlin !!   I'm in North bend,  Several yaks around here, maybe get together at empire lake if you want to try different boats.   I use casters, would be good to have a spinning rod with steally to fire at blacks when they pop up..

 Are most of you guys using bait casters or are you using spinner reels to fish for the lings and rock cod?

I think most are using bait casters but I use a heavy spinning reel.  I am looking to change over though cause the spinning reel requires a lot of maintenance after saltwater use.

Other benefits of the bait casters or larger conventional reels is that they hold more line and you get a better drag system for the price.  That's not to say that spinning reels can't have great drags, but you'll have to pay a premium for it.

A good inexpensive option would be a shakespeare tiger stick with something like a Penn jigmaster reel.  This is your basic boat rod on a rockfish charter boat and will work well on a kayak for hauling up lings and rockfish.    The standard salmon rod around here with an Abu 6500 would also be a good choice. 

Welcome Merlin.  Sort of missed your post in all the madness lately.

Looks like Coos Bay is breeding kayak anglers these days.  Well, OR in general I suppose.

-Allen

 So do you folks wear wet suits when your on the big blue in case you end up in the drink. Or do you just wear rain gear and trust your skills to keep you top side?

The general rule is to dress for immersion.  For me that means an old surfing wetsuit and booties with a paddle jacket on top.  There are other options such as a dry suit ($$$), farmer john with a dry top, waders and a dry top, etc.. 

Brian

yeh, dry top and waders work good.. also was looking at outdoorplay's site this morning, and found out they have dry bibs at a reasonable price.. combine that with a reasonably priced dry top , some neoprene socks and some paddlin booties and you have a really reasonable dry system that doenst break the bank all at once..

depends on the weather and time of year, add fleece or wool layers, and you're in business...