Hello, wanting to get into kayak fishing. Portland, OR

Hi, my name is Eric.  I live in Portland, OR.  I'm wanting to get into kayak fishing.  I've never kayaked before.  I'm going to be taking a lesson this weekend.  The kayak I'm looking at is a NuCanoe Frontier 10.  The reason I'm choosing this is because I live in a small condo and don't have anywhere to store it and it's in my price range.  Looks like I'm going to be getting some new wall art.  LOL.  Do you guys have any suggestions on must haves to rig my kayak up at first?  I'm planning on buying a fish finder (no idea what type).  I'm going to get an anchor trolly system.  Not sure if I'm going to buy the NuCanoe one or YakAttack.  I also plan on buying a slide mount drawer system.  It holds tackle trays and has a couple beer holders.  I might buy the black pack from YakAttack instead.  I haven't decided. 

Thanks for letting me join this site.  I look forward to learning from everyone.  The type of fishing I mainly do is trout fish now from the bank in lakes.  I'd like to be able to maybe fish for salmon/steelhead in the Willamette. 

Thanks,
Eric

If you've never kayaked before, it's a little premature to have already decided on a brand and model.

I started a year ago, have yet to be in a situation where I really needed an anchor. Have been in plenty of situations where if I had an anchor and used it, would have been a mistake. My point is, don't rush ANY decisions at this point.

I got started last November and am already in my 2nd kayak, a Hobie Outback with Mirage drive  So far I have fished only calm waters at Swan Island for sturgeon (OMG you gotta try this!) and a few WA small lakes for trout. If you're going after trout, it's pretty cool to troll for them. With a paddle kayak you will for sure need a rod holder or two so I would encourage you to research option there. I have yet to fish in the Columbia or Willamette and feel I need to practice more with my anchor system before using one in the current. You should do your research on anchoring before throwing one in. So as one noob to another I agree with Pinstriper, an anchor trolley for trout fishing may be premature.

Enjoy your new ride!

I got started last November and am already in my 2nd kayak, a Hobie Outback with Mirage drive  So far I have fished only calm waters at Swan Island for sturgeon (OMG you gotta try this!) and a few WA small lakes for trout. If you're going after trout, it's pretty cool to troll for them. With a paddle kayak you will for sure need a rod holder or two so I would encourage you to research option there. I have yet to fish in the Columbia or Willamette and feel I need to practice more with my anchor system before using one in the current. You should do your research on anchoring before throwing one in. So as one noob to another I agree with Pinstriper, an anchor trolley for trout fishing may be premature.

Enjoy your new ride!

There's nothing like a sturgeon sleigh ride to make you love kayak fishing. Seriously I think anyone would be crazy if they didn't love this sport after doing it.

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There are a bunch of condo-friendly kayaks available, so don't rush into it - and for sure don't start choosing things you'll add to a kayak until you have and have used the kayak.

I have a pile of "Wow, that's neat!" stuff in the garage that will never go on a kayak because they sound cool but are really just stupid.

Welcome to NWKA.

Thanks for all the replies.

Never to Old. I bet it would be a blast having a sturgeon pull you around.  FYI Swan Island is the Willamette. I've read where anchoring a kayak can be dangerous.

Tinker, do you have any suggestions on condo friendly kayaks? I can only accommodate a 10' yak.  I've just been researching all the different ways you rig up your boat.

Thanks again for all the replies.

Eric


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There are a bunch of condo-friendly kayaks available, so don't rush into it - and for sure don't start choosing things you'll add to a kayak until you have and have used the kayak.

I have a pile of "Wow, that's neat!" stuff in the garage that will never go on a kayak because they sound cool but are really just stupid.

Welcome to NWKA.

Pay attention to the above, the man knows of what he speaks.
I started out like you, wanting a "condo friendly" yak, now I have a kayak that suits the type of yaking that I do.  Try out a bunch, rent some, take your time, the money you end of saving by buying  what you actually want, vs what you think you want will pay for all of your rigging.
Welcome to the forum, pay attention to the advice you get, lot's of expertise on here.
Hope to see you on the water
John

For condo friendly, you shouldn't ignore the inflatables: http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=16893.0 & http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=17260.msg186035#msg186035.  I have two now, the i11s and a larger tandem from Advanced Elements (convertable DS).  Both work well for fishing, are very stable due to their width.  You can't drill holes to mount stuff but you quickly learn about gluing things together.

As mentioned you should demo a variety of boats before spending money. 

The NuCanoe is certainly neat, and when I was in "thinking about buying my first kayak" it was on my list. But I consider it to be more of a self-bailing jon-boat than a kayak. At 39" wide it will paddle like a sofa. The only person I know who has one uses a trolling motor to move it instead of paddling. But it sure does have a lot of space and would be very stable. It would be a great small water/pond boat without a motor. I don't think I would take it on a larger lake or the Willy without a motor. You could also use it as a drift boat, putting in higher on a river and taking out lower after a one-way trip, but that requires you to be part of a group where you fan ferry between the locations.

Depending on your size, you may be wise to look at things like a Tarpon 100 or similar, if 10' is in fact a Magic Number. At 10' x 30.5" it will surely paddle better than a NuCanoe, though you won't be sitting up high or standing in it. My wife has one and because of the short length, it doesn't "track" great and she fights the wind. At 325# capacity you could be, say, 250# plus gear and be fine.

The inflatables are absolutely worth considering given your living circumstances.

You should absolutely demo paddle a very wide spectrum of boats before buying.

I live in a 40 ft 5th whell full time and have a local storage unit that after this season will house my trailer and bye then possibly 4 yaks. What's a storage unit run in your area, also keep in mind that the boat can be stored at an angle one end up and if you know someone with carpenter skills ( not needing great skills) you could build a wood rack to hold a longer boat in a ten ft area if it's angled. We could try to see how many guys we can get with longer boats in your area and take turns cramming them in your condo, the neighbors looks would be priceless.

Is your condo on the ground floor with a straight shot through the door?  Or do you have to climb spiraling stairs or have a hallway or two to get to your condo? 

Without a straight shot through the door, it could be awkward to difficult without a friend to even get a 10' kayak inside. 

A storage unit would definitely be a viable option.

Kayak Shed is having a demo day in Hood River on 6/4. Go try some kayaks.

As someone mentioned above, look at storage units, my wife and I keep our yaks in Scappoose/St Helens area. Much cheaper than paying storage unit fees in Portland. Bit of a drive, but we do most of our kayaking out in that area anyway.

I have a Hobie i12 and took it up to Alaska last year. I pulled a very large halibut up from over a hundred feet with it. It was unexpected and we had nothing to kill it with so we could safely get it in the boat.  We tried to drag it to shore, but it eventually broke off when it got its breath back. A memory I will never forget. My point: The inflatables are very capable, they are easy to transport and store, and you can gleu mounts on with vinyl cement.

Pinstriper, Does your friend like his NuCanoe?  I do plan on getting a trolling motor for it.  Does he feel that it is a safe boat?

Thanks to all that replied it was very helpful.  I have looked at some of the inflatable kayaks that were suggested.  They would probably be great for my situation.  I just like all the gadgets you can buy for the rigid kayaks.  LOL. 

i look forward to learning more from you guys.

Thanks,
Eric