Kayak & Gear Suggestions for Bottom Fishing

I just sold my Alumaweld boat and plan to get serious about kayak fishing.  I have dabbled a couple times a year catching some rockfish, lings & crab on my Malibu Mini-x on the Ocean Shores side of Gray's Harbor with some success in the bay.

I know I need a longer kayak but the Hobie prices are a bit shocking. Is it a huge advantage to have pedal drive in Westport, Seiku and LaPush or does paddling work just fine? I like the idea of being able to peddle over structure hands free but worry about the fins getting caught or hung up on rocks (especially in Ocean Shores). A Trident 13 seems to be much cheaper than a Hobie and seems like a lot of guys use them???

Also, I know I shouldn't but at least at Ocean Shores and Westport I'll often be fishing solo. Is the mirage drive super dependable?

Finally this is my tackle... Does this look about right? As of now I'm using 25lb mono and tying straight to my main line.

I know this is a lot of info. Thanks for any suggestions or tips. I love being on the water and my youngest son (8th grader) seems pretty  interested. 😀 Thanks ahead of time!

Real men paddle.  (I couldn't resist).  I had a Hobie, sold it and bought an OK Trident and am much happier paddling - but I have to say Hobie has made a lot of changes to the Mirage drive since I did that.  They added a reverse to the Mirage drive, then the Mirage 360 drive on some models, and the "kick-up" fins that would help you in the more shallow water.

workhard is a power user.  You should ask him about the durability of a Mirage drive - or maybe he'll answer here.

The reason I changed from a Hobie was because it didn't fit how I fish.  I don't troll very often, I don't sit still and jig for fish.  I move around, poke into places, cast frequently (more so now that I fly-fish), and fish the edges and the holes of kelp beds.  A Mirage drive in a kelp bed was not my friend, and after three years with my Hobie - during which I had zero problems with it - I switched for personal reasons.

I wish more people would think about how they fish - or how they plan to fish - before jumping on this pedal kayak or that pedal kayak (there are many to chose from) because there is no single kayak that does it all and does it well.  My Tridents don't do everything well but they do more that fits my needs than the Hobie did.

I'd hazard a suggestion that you start from that perspective: will a pedal-driven kayak fit how you want to fish better than a paddle-powered kayak?  Then find the boat that best fits your needs.

I did the reverse of Tinker.

I have 35 years of whitewater kayaking experience, so I know how to paddle a kayak.  I started kayak fishing from a 13' Trident sit-on-top paddle kayak, and did that for several years, including downrigger trolling. Then I borrowed a friend's Outback, and was instantly persuaded of the advantages of pedal kayaks for fishing. I bought a Revolution within a couple of days, and do all my fishing from it.  My Trident languishes in my garage.  I only use it for fishing or paddling on moving water where there is a risk of damaging a Mirage Drive, and for spearfishing.

Since most of us only have two arms, an advantage of a pedal kayak is that it leaves both of those arms free to fish, put on suntan lotion, eat lunch, or whatever while you pedal around in the kayak, or work the pedals and rudder to hold yourself stationary over the bottom.  Since most of us have legs which are stronger than our arms, another advantage of a pedal kayak is that you can chug around all day at good speed and get less tired.  The hull speed of a 13 foot long pedal kayak is about the same as the hull speed of a 13 foot long paddle kayak, so a paddle kayak can keep up with a pedal kayak at top speed, but it's easier to maintain that speed in a pedal  kayak.

I do a lot of jigging and trolling, but I find a pedal kayak easier to use for all  kinds of kayak fishing.  My Trident is sitting in my garage, so I can use it whenever I want to, but I haven't used it for lake or ocean fishing since I bought my Revolution.

You can get an idea of what kind of kayak is most appropriate for use when fishing in your area by noting the kinds of kayak used by kayak anglers in the area.  In many areas, the great majority of kayak anglers use pedal kayaks.  For example, see the first photo below.  However, there are certainly some anglers who prefer, or at least use, paddle kayaks, such as in the second photo below.

There is an interesting discussion about different kinds of pedal kayaks at http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=92361.msg1043011#msg1043011.  One of the anglers who contributed to that thread is AnnieAreYouOK.  She used to paddle a Trident, and I think that she was sponsored in some way by Ocean Kayak, but she is now pedaling an Old Town propeller drive kayak, and is vigorously advocating for those kayaks.  She may be sponsored by Old Town.

You might get more responses to your inquiry if you edit its title to something more specific, like "Suggestions for kayaks and gear?"

As of now I'm using 25lb mono and tying straight to my main line.

Braided line has a lot of advantages over mono, particularly when jigging, because it has very little stretch.  I put a snap clip at the end of my braided line, and tie a loop at the upper end of each of my leaders, so I can switch from one rig to another easily.  I use a leader which has a lower breaking strength than my braided line (for example, 30 pound braid and 20 pound leader) so I can break off the leader without losing a lot of my main line if I get snagged.

You're going to get a bunch of different preferences for whatever kayak brand the person owns. If you're on budget a solid paddle kayak will handle all those areas just fine. I spent 9 years in a Tarpon 160 is the SF Bay and Puget Sound/Westport before I felt the need go to the pedals. I'd say upgrade the paddle kayak and after awhile if you feel like you need something a pedal one offers go for it. For me it was being able to adjust the position of the boat while working the rod, which is super important for the type of fishing I do and where I do it.

Also upgrade your leader to something like 50lbs for abrasion resistence. All the lures you have will work rockfish, I'd throw in a few 5" swimbaits though. They tend to select for larger rockfish and lingcod.

Tinker, pmmpete & work hard, all solid advice. I like the braided line suggestion. Most of my fishing is near shore (2miles or less) against rocks. I love how close to the rocks I can get with a paddle but it would've awesome to be able to peddle with a reverse option to keep from drifting into the rocks.

I have an Ocean Kayak Trident 4.3. I love the ride and stability, and I don't mind paddling. However, on those days when the current, tide, or wind are moving you faster than you want it would sure be nice to have peddels and a rudder.
There days when it is either paddle, paddle, jig, jig just to stay on top of the fish or just to keep the bow into the wind.
Also, trolling can be a real bummer when you have 6 or 8 ounces of lead hanging off of one side. Makes for a very unever day of paddling.
I think I paid $450 for my kayak during a spring clearance at Next Adventure.

Thanks for the feedback.

I spent just shy of 2 years with an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13, it was $800 at the time shipped from Austin Kayak, bought all the necessary safety equipment (radio, life jacket, wetsuit, air horn, and fishfinder with GPS- a cheapo Garmin Stryker) Since I had all the fishing gear already for my kayak setup I was in it all together right around $1350. The kayak was perfect for me as I was all about punching through the waves, paddling fast with a narrow, long kayak. But man did it really suck on those windy days on the ocean! Trolling was a challenge and a one sided workout but I got the job done. It was a great learning platform!

After I learned I loved it, I started tucking away some overtime and bonus pay a little at a time for a year or so and upgraded to a 2020 Outback this year. Only fished the bay and tidewater several times so far with it, but I know it is going to work much much better for me in the ocean. Handling bigger surf will be a little tricker (I kinda liked trying to catch a big wave in with the Ocean Kayak sometimes, I only flipped a handful of times! I do wish I would have spent the money right up front for an Outback instead of going with a "cheaper" option at the time. But hindsight is always 20/20 

There's no wrong way to do it. You seem to have a handle on the basics and what's right for you won't be right for me and vice-versa. Keep up updated on what you end up doing and how it goes! We love reading reports! Tight lines

I have an older model revo 13, it works great for me. Someone compared the revo and outback on a different thead and said revo is for people who don't carry much gear and outback is for people that carry a lot of gear.  I am 5' 5" and everything has to be mounted just right or it is in the way.  I have 2 friends that use outbacks and a brother who uses the compass. Take them out for a test drive before you buy. If you decide on Hobie, the compass is cheaper than the outback. I would try to get one used.

Native Mariner and Slayer propels, got a prop and peddle like a bike so backing up is easy just peddle backwards.

Like Mojo said, try a Native and see what you think. The older Mariner is closer to a pedal canoe, the Slayer is a really good boat, and their new Titan models have improved on a few areas hat needed it.  Slayers come in 10 & 13 ft, Titans I think are 10.5, 12.5, & 13.5...

If you have a Slayer out in choppy waters, it does have a tendency to take a lot of water over the bow, and a fair amount gets channeled down into the cockpit.  Supposedly, the Titan has a redesigned bow with more riser, more flare, and a sharper edge that pretty much solves that issue.

For bottom fishing lead weight, I like using a torpedo over a pyramid, I think they react better when jigging.  If I m using Shrimp flies I like to tip them with squid or some other bait that I may have picked up.

I started with a Cobra Fish&Dive paddle SOT. Very stable & handles well in the surf. I've still got it. I've also have a 2015 Hobie Outback. It's rather heavy & fairly stable but a little more dicey to handle in a surf exit. I'm interested in the Santa Cruz Raptor G2. It's reasonably priced & manufactured in Bellingham. https://santacruzkayaks.com/raptor-g2/
Anyone tried the Raptor?

Lots of folks in California own or have tried the Raptors.  Check NCKA.

Lots of folks in California own or have tried the Raptors.  Check NCKA.

Okay, thanks.