New to the site

Sonny,  34 years old, 5'7" 170 pounds. 
Kayak Experience: 0 years
Fishing Experience: 10 years
Own a Kayak: No

I am new to the site.    I have been reading tons and tons of web information on Kayaks.   I was leaning towards a Touring Kayak, but then I find that fishing on Kayak is something I would love to do.  So now I'm torn between a Touring and a Fishing Kayak.   

I am browsing CL everyday and have seen 2 that I would consider, but one is too far. 

• Wilderness Systems Tempest 180
• Wilderness Systems Tsunami 120

I have also looked at the one that Disck's Sporting good is having a sale on.  Their Field and Stream line the Eagle Run ($399) and their Eagle Talon 12 ($499)  read some good reviews and found 1 or 2 out liars that made me think twice. 

I've been to Next Adventure, and have seen their line of Kayaks, the Hobie is out of my price range!   I am hoping to spend less than a $1000 on a Kayak outfitted (I can dream!) .  I have seen great Kayaks for $650 on the off season, and if that is the case, 2012 is fine with me. 

In the mean time, if anyone on the East Side has an interest in taking someone under their arms.   I would love to learn the ropes of where, how and when to Kayak.

I do photography as a hobby, and have done studio work mostly, but I would love to incorporate my Photography with fishing, fly fishing or Kayak fishing.  So if there is anyone would like to exchange service  (my photography work for your open seat) I would love to learn from you.   The photography work I like pertaining to Kayak are the works of Glenn Oakley and Steve Bly. 

thanks. 

Welcome to the forum.

Kayaks are generally divided between Sit-inside kayaks (SINK) i.e. traditional sea kayaks with skirts etc. and Sit on Top (SOT) plastic kayaks. SINK's generally require more training, especially in dealing with a self-rescue of a swamped kayak or a roll, not impossible but are much more challenging to fish from.

The main advantage of SOT kayaks for fishing is their stability and convenience in terms of ease of storing/accessing fishing tackle/rods etc.

Where would you like to kayak? The answer to this questions should influence the decision of what kayak you buy.

In terms of a fishing SOT kayak, theres a lot of good deals on the Ocean Kayaks, an 11-13 foot angler model would be a good starter boat IMHO.

Getting some basic self-rescue experience at a local lake seems like a good thing to do if you are new to kayaking. The advantage of the SOT kayak is that your kayak (assuming no damage to the hull) will drain it self if it is flipped over, which is a major advantage of the SOT vs. the SINK.

Sonny,  34 years old, 5'7" 170 pounds. 
Kayak Experience: 0 years
Fishing Experience: 10 years
Own a Kayak: No

I am new to the site.    I have been reading tons and tons of web information on Kayaks.   I was leaning towards a Touring Kayak, but then I find that fishing on Kayak is something I would love to do.  So now I'm torn between a Touring and a Fishing Kayak.   

I am browsing CL everyday and have seen 2 that I would consider, but one is too far. 

• Wilderness Systems Tempest 180
• Wilderness Systems Tsunami 120

I have also looked at the one that Disck's Sporting good is having a sale on.  Their Field and Stream line the Eagle Run ($399) and their Eagle Talon 12 ($499)  read some good reviews and found 1 or 2 out liars that made me think twice. 

I've been to Next Adventure, and have seen their line of Kayaks, the Hobie is out of my price range!   I am hoping to spend less than a $1000 on a Kayak outfitted (I can dream!) .  I have seen great Kayaks for $650 on the off season, and if that is the case, 2012 is fine with me. 

In the mean time, if anyone on the East Side has an interest in taking someone under their arms.   I would love to learn the ropes of where, how and when to Kayak.

I do photography as a hobby, and have done studio work mostly, but I would love to incorporate my Photography with fishing, fly fishing or Kayak fishing.  So if there is anyone would like to exchange service  (my photography work for your open seat) I would love to learn from you.   The photography work I like pertaining to Kayak are the works of Glenn Oakley and Steve Bly. 

thanks.

Those Wilderness System Kayaks, especially the 18 foot Tempest are nice touring kayaks but are not designed for fishing and have no built in rod holders. If you have never kayaked before and are looking to get into photography and fishing from the kayak, a 18 foot sea kayak is not the boat you should be looking at IMO.

A smaller SOT fishing Ocean Kayak would be much more stable, cheaper and better equipped to fish from

http://www.paddleswap.com/index.html

Here is a website that you can find used kayaks.

I have a pungo 140 that is setup for fishing and just got a Tarpon 140 sot. I have not had time to take the tarpon out yet.

The pungo is a great kayak for a sink.

Try different kayaks before you buy.

Willbd

In terms of a fishing SOT kayak, theres a lot of good deals on the Ocean Kayaks, an 11-13 foot angler model would be a good starter boat IMHO.

An Ocean Kayak P/T-13 are GREAT fishing platforms and can be found for 400-600 on the used market. I recently geared my girlfriend including a boat, dry suit, paddle and PFD for about 1k. It took a bit of time searching and getting lucking and moving quickly on great deals but it can be done.
Have fun and be safe!

Welcome from another newbie, I too was in your exact situation. I was looking for a kayak to get out on the local lake to do trout fishing. I live near Scappoose Bay which is a wonderful touring area for kayaks. I would love to have a Hobie, but could not commit that kind of money for a new hobby. I purchased a Perception Sport Conduit 13 from Dick's Sports. It's a sit-in kayak and I'm very pleased with it. I had 2 reasons for my decision for this kayak. You have the ability to add a rudder system and it has a forward and aft sealed storage bulkheads. The sealed bulkheads are a great safety feature. It is like having built-in floatation bags.
 I was able to get mine for $449 otd. They will work with you on price for the big ticket items.

 The fun part is rigging them for your needs. Mine now has rod holders, GPS and and a fish finder. Next is a camera mount.
 See you on the water, Eric.

Sonny,  34 years old, 5'7" 170 pounds. 
Kayak Experience: 0 years
Fishing Experience: 10 years
Own a Kayak: No

I got all excited when I saw another "Newbie" as I think there should be a place for introductions. So I clicked on the link and reading your Bio, thought I some how ended up on eHarmony...wtf? 

Welcome to the forum.

Kayaks are generally divided between Sit-inside kayaks (SINK) i.e. traditional sea kayaks with skirts etc. and Sit on Top (SOT) plastic kayaks. SINK's generally require more training, especially in dealing with a self-rescue of a swamped kayak or a roll, not impossible but are much more challenging to fish from.

The main advantage of SOT kayaks for fishing is their stability and convenience in terms of ease of storing/accessing fishing tackle/rods etc.

Where would you like to kayak? The answer to this questions should influence the decision of what kayak you buy.

In terms of a fishing SOT kayak, theres a lot of good deals on the Ocean Kayaks, an 11-13 foot angler model would be a good starter boat IMHO.

Getting some basic self-rescue experience at a local lake seems like a good thing to do if you are new to kayaking. The advantage of the SOT kayak is that your kayak (assuming no damage to the hull) will drain it self if it is flipped over, which is a major advantage of the SOT vs. the SINK.

thanks for all the responses.  I will take my time to learn.  I am leaning towards a SOT for fishing.  If I find that I have time for fishing, I will look into a touring Kayak for photography needs.   

Thanks for all the offers, but August is a very busy month for me.   I really appreciate the enlightenment of this hobby. 
 

An Ocean Kayak P/T-13 are GREAT fishing platforms and can be found for 400-600 on the used market. I recently geared my girlfriend including a boat, dry suit, paddle and PFD for about 1k. It took a bit of time searching and getting lucking and moving quickly on great deals but it can be done.

I second the vote for a 13' OK Trident Angler as a first boat.  Lots of deck space for storage, sturdy, fast enough, and way stable.  This was my first boat and I had never paddled any kayak before paddling it. 

Saw a Wilderness Tarpon 140 on CL Friday.  Called the seller. 
"still available" said the seller.
Okay great it's such a good deal, I hadn't plan on getting one this year, but your price I can't resist.  I'll see you at 11:30.

"great" replied the seller. 

I take my daughter to the baby sitter's, went to the bank, and borrowed my father's truck, only to have the seller call me @ 10:50 and say " Sonny this is #$%^&, the boat has been sold, I've been in you shoes before, good bye!"

Tell me that wouldn't ruined your day!     

I'll keep my head up for a next great deal. 
 

If its the one I saw , concerning the Tarpon 140 , it was an older one. They re-did them a few years back.

As far as that Tsunami 120, thats not too bad of a first sit in, being 25" wide. Either way ,I'd borrow or rent both types first and get a basic class.  As far as Photography goesif the water is near flat, either will do well.I still miss having a sit in , but really, for storage, accessability, versatility, I'd say the best choices would be a s.o.t. 12/13' long. Consider weight too, I just bought a demo T-15 prowler and also have a cobra Maurader, 2 different yaks and both can be a pain laoding after 4-5 hr and another car next to my truck.

Considering you might have a pelican case already and need to store 2-3 lenses, the sot is almost the only real choice, bring that case with you to see how you like to store it. I ended up with a few smaller dry bags inside the sot hatches for gear in the end.

Sonny, If you hold out till September, I'd be happy to meet up with you and let you paddle/pedal any or all of my 3 kayaks.

I have an OK T-13 Angler, OK Malibu Two XL (tandem), and Hobie Revo (Mirage drive).

I'll bet I could get DTS to bring a Cobra Fish n Dive, too.

Hagg Lake is a safe place as any place, but Willamette River, Columbia River, Tualitin River will work too.

If its the one I saw , concerning the Tarpon 140 , it was an older one. They re-did them a few years back.

As far as that Tsunami 120, thats not too bad of a first sit in, being 25" wide. Either way ,I'd borrow or rent both types first and get a basic class.  As far as Photography goes if the water is near flat, either will do well.I still miss having a sit in , but really, for storage, accessability, versatility, I'd say the best choices would be a s.o.t. 12/13' long. Consider weight too, I just bought a demo T-15 prowler and also have a cobra Maurader, 2 different yaks and both can be a pain laoding after 4-5 hr and another car next to my truck.

Considering you might have a pelican case already and need to store 2-3 lenses, the sot is almost the only real choice, bring that case with you to see how you like to store it. I ended up with a few smaller dry bags inside the sot hatches for gear in the end.

I've been told to get dry bags.   I have decided to get 2 different Kayaks 1 for fishing and one for Photography.   I will be doing the fishing off the Kayak first, and then consider doing the Photography portion down the road.  Thanks for your response. 

Sonny, If you hold out till September, I'd be happy to meet up with you and let you paddle/pedal any or all of my 3 kayaks.
I have an OK T-13 Angler, OK Malibu Two XL (tandem), and Hobie Revo (Mirage drive).
I'll bet I could get DTS to bring a Cobra Fish n Dive, too.
Hagg Lake is a safe place as any place, but Willamette River, Columbia River, Tualitin River will work too.

Love the opportunity, I'll let you know, September is High School Senior season, I May be booked on all me weekends (Thursday, Friday and Saturdays)  If I don't get the chance to I have decided to get 2 different Kayaks for each specific needs, fishing and photography.  Thanks for all the feed backs.  I will definitely get back to you in September and I do agree Hagg Lake should the the place for me to start out with.

Next Adventure carries Emotion Kayaks which makes a couple of fishing kayaks that are pretty slick and carry a very reasonable price tag.  The Grand Slam Angler is a pretty sweet boat.