Better Setup

[buttaluns]

So next year I have told myself I am going to get back in the game and continue my search for big bass, but it had me thinking, a lot of the waters I fish are smaller. With that in mind, if you did not fish out of a bass boat, which would you prefer a kayak or a small jon boat. I have been debating on which to get for next season and I am sure both have positives and negatives that I would like to hear from people who are not just fishing, but going after trophy size fish. Maybe talk about what features your rig has be it a yak or jon boat.

[basskickinrednick]

Imo jon boat so I can stand up. I know there's yaks you can stand in but you can bring more tools on a jon boat.

[MA Frog Man]

I fish out of a Jon boat so I can stand up. Put a cooler in the middle for a livewell, trolling motor up from batteries in the back.

[northeast_trev]

I've been looking at new yaks for next year and have found that Hobie, Feelfree, Jackson, old town, are all going to cost more than a G. Without pedals even.

 

Whereas you can have a tricked out John boat (like Adam's) for a whole hell of a lot less, and you can carry more stuff

[bigpoppabass]

Mobility is always an issue. Jonboats are prone to leak but I would never sell mine....I use an extension handle and sit in front on a "spider base" chair clamped to edge of aluminum seat. It is a very stable setup by base and set will set u back another $150 or so. I also have mine on a tilting trailer which is very cool...Bud made a splash guard for front that holds fishing buddy clamp or conceivably the tm. With a 40 lb tm and size 27 AGM, I can go quite a distance fairly fast.

[biggfeast]

I have a kayak that I can stand in, and it's an awesome little rig to fish out of.

The pros for the kayak are you're not relying on any motor or batteries, etc that could fail. That would kee you from fishing and would create maintenance cost. Also, I can haul my yak in the back of my truck and transport it by myself, and it stores away easy with minimal space in my garage or side of house. I was also able to buy my FeelFree for about $590, so it wasn't a big blow to the wallet.

 

That being said, if I had space for a jon boat, trailer, and the funds to trick it out, a jon boat would definitely be a lot easier and comfortable to fish out of. Although I can stand up in my yak, I can't stand sideways in it, so I have to point the yak in whatever direction I wanna fish. This is done fairly easy with an anchor trolley and a quick paddle,but overall a jon boat would be easier. Also no livewell on a yak.

[SWIMBO]

hobie pa12 or 14 thank me later

[buttaluns]

Can you explain more though cam? I have honestly been looking at a feel free lure, but want to know the pros and cons of kayaks compared to Jon boats. I have had a jonboat and a bass boat before but wanted to see if maybe a kayak is something I should try if it will better help me accomplish my goals of getting big bass. i'm sure a lot of it comes down to preference but I didn't know if there was something I was overlooking with a kayak or jonboat that could sway me either direction.

[hookedup]

I have a kayak and a little boat rigged for electric only lakes and I almost never use the kayak. Being able to stand up and see fish following your bait is huge, not to mention casting these big baits. I will say that the kayak I have is not a kayak you can easily stand up in. If the lakes you fish have boat launches id say get a boat.

[JR Basser]

Jon boat all day long bro. Even if you can stand up to cast in a yak, it's hard as hell to move while standing and casting,, forget about mobility with any shred of breeze either. The guys I see that have yaks you can stand in, almost never do because of the hassle. I'd even get a foot control bow mount on the jon, don't mess around,, then you'll be just as set up as I am on my Ranger once you're fishing. I miss my small aluminum setup and hitting ponds/small lakes

[MrBadExample]

I'm just going to say you need both, pick which you want first, then get the other later.

 

I fish alone the majority of the time so any place that has a ramp whether it's dirt or paved I can launch my 1448 Tracker Jon boat. It's more comfortable than the kayak, holds more gear and I can stand or sit. Any place that does not have a ramp, then I couldn't single handedly get any smaller Jon boat in alone anyhow, so I use a Jackson Coosa. I did love the Hobie PA myself but it was too much for me back when I bought my Coosa for less than 1/2 the price at about $1,100. It's light enough, and with a cart, I can wheel it down a trail. No I can't carry a ton, but I can carry a 4 Plano deep 3700's and that's plenty of baits for small waters. I can't dance in it, but I can stand and cast if I want. Honestly, I still prefer to sit because I don't feel like diving after all my stuff if I do happen to flip it. Finally, an overlooked option is a canoe. I have an old Mad River Explorer 16'6" that I can stand in and can carry a ton if needed. It can also accept a trolling motor with an easily removable bracket.

[SWIMBO]

ok sorry  I didn't have much time earlier so here's my perspective and why I chose to sell my boat until I move

 

  1.Cost effectiveness

 

now everyone is going to say the same thing "hobies are to expensive" look at it like this, I drive a ford f150 I pull my hobbies out drop the tailgate load in in the bed ratchet strap it down and I'm ready to roll,no trailer registration yearly, no watercraft pass, no gas,no oil

also I can travel at the drop of the hat and I'm not paying the gas or extra wear and tear pulling anything or doing any trailer maintenance

 

 

 

 

2.Mobility

 

I personally can put the wheels on and pull that thing anywhere I can get to a lot of hard to get places and some places you aren't "technically" supposed to fish lol

 

3.Stealth

I truly believe you get more bite in a kayak that's my personal opinion but I've seen fish do thing close to me I've never witnessed before

 

 

4.You never have to take anyone lol

 

 

the only disadvantage I can think of between a hobie and a Jon boat is just the room you have on a Jon boat once you get use to a hobie you will feel at home standing on the nose fighting a fish trust me you can stand easily on a hobie pa 12

 

 

 

 

 

I think you have to really consider where you plan to fish and if there's no need to have a tiller then I don't see the need for a Jon boat. I fish a lot of electric only lakes so to me it just not worth it, can also easily carry 6 swimbait sticks ,water ,food ,3 go pros and all the tackle I can fish on a hobie pa 12. I'm buying a bass boat after I move but I'm also buying a second hobie to take my daughter and friends out with me I will always have a kayak no matter what now seriously the best $ I've spent on a fishing related purchase

 

and feel free to hit me up bro with any questions

Edited December 9, 2016 by SWIMBO

[innova]

I think SWIMBO covered the cool points to kayak fishing, but I'll throw an ATAK 120 into the ring.  It accepts a drop-in motor and supports a rudder/motor/multiple power poles simultaneously.  I stand up and throw big baits w/o a problem.  The major draw to kayak fishing for me was ease of access, easier storage, and less hassle all around.  I trailer mine just b/c it's easier than top-loading and I can keep it rigged for the most part.

 

[C_R_TX]

ok sorry  I didn't have much time earlier so here's my perspective...

 

Swimbo is spot on. Yaks allow low drama fishing. I believe the biggest benefit is stealth...

 

IMO, a pedal system is crucial if you plan to cover a large/ windy body of water.

 

I personally fish out of a Diablo Amigo, Hobie Revolution 11, or a Hobie Outback. 

 

Diablo is great for when you know exactly what water you are going to fish... "Milk run" type situations. The Rev11 is a very fast boat and allows me to cover a large amount of water, exploring new lakes, ponds, etc. The Outback is my overall favorite as it has a good balance of what the previously mentioned boats offer. I can stand in all three boats, but the Rev gets sketchy on the hook sets.

[buttaluns]

Thanks Cam, a lot of what you mentioned is why I am on the path of possibly getting a kayak. Most of the places I fish are electric only, and like you had mentioned the "stealthiness" of the kayak, that is what I like about them. A concern I have is the stability, but from what I have read about hobies and feel frees, the two i am looking at, there is no issues. I actually have seen kits for the feelfree that you can hook a trolling motor up and it actually looks part of the kayak not some red neck home job, I will try and post a picture. Thanks for the replies though so far guys, I try and bring up topics in a local ohio forum and youll get 200 views and no replies, its quite annoying.