Today I purchased a lightly used 2015 Hobie mirage drive Pro Angler 14 fishing kayak, fish finder, electric trolling motor and trailer. Its a little dated as regards to the newer pedal drive technology of this years model but I didn’t have to pay the new model premium price. Can’t wait to hit the water, it seems like a well built and engineered boat.
What kayak do you use, where do you go and what do you catch?

Not yet. But i am considering a yak for some high mountain lakes we have here in Utah. Seems like it would be a fun way to fish places you cant get to from the shore.

I had a Perception SOT. It was great for getting into remote smaller lakes that are not accessible to others.
And that why I got rid it. I fished by myself. I was concerned that I would get into trouble with no one around. A spill into very cold water, even with a PFD, in a remote area is no joke.
If thats not a concern for you, its a great way to fish and really does a great job of getting you into spots that are never fished.

I bought a Native Manta Ray12 Propel kayak last Memorial day. Been looking at them for years and I can't believe I waited that long to get it. It's an amazing boat. The propel system pedals like a bike and has a propeller that drops down under the boat. It has an aggressive tear drop fore and aft so it slices through the water nicely in either direction.

It is very easy to control and turns well. At slow speeds a little lean (like on a bike) and you'll turn very sharp. The rudder control will be a little stiff at first but will relax after a short time. To reverse you just back pedal, it's also a handy way to stop or at least slow way down. With the right rudder setting you can do station keeping in wind or current pretty easy, it takes a few adjustments to get it right.

If you want to enter shallow water you pull the prop system up and use the paddle. The rudder has an additional advantage with the paddle. Say you're skirting something in the water or the shore and can't paddle equally on both sides. You can set the rudder to balance paddling on one side only. Again, it takes a little bit to get it right.

I've trolled with mine, and slowly cruised an area casting. How fast and how long is based on you.

Weeds can be a bit of an issue. Often you can clear them if you back pedal. Reeds will sometimes get wrapped around the prop but its and easy fix. Pull it up, pull them off, drop it back down and you're in business.


https://outdoorexpert.com/fish...pel-angler-12-review

I've got a very inexpensive "Lifetime" 10 foot sit on top (Wal-Mart - $270).

For its size, it is heavy. It does not track well, and is a chore to paddle. But it fits on the Thule rack on the Cherokee and lets me hit the local lakes and fish for anything that will chase a lure.

I had an unexpected adventure with it last year: I was readjusting my seating and put my left hand down on the gunwale to life myself up. And my hand slipped and in a fraction of a second the boat rolled as my weight took me overboard and there I was under water with the boat scooting away in the other direction. I bobbed back up and was glad I had a PFD on. All my gear (including cell phone) was in waterproof containers and tied off to me or the boat, except my rod (which was gone).

I paddled to shore, pushing the boat ahead of me -- I was a little wobbly when I got there, and might not have made it without a good quality PFD suitable for my size and weight.

The #1 rule with any kayak is - be prepared to be in the water suddenly at any time, and have a plan to be okay even if you are alone.

I can’t wait to get one.
I’ll be getting a nice single Hobie for myself and a double for the wife and one of the boys and then a canoe that I’ll tow for the smaller boys.

We have a nice little branch off the Kentucky River called the Dix River that is quite nice and a decent paddle from the nearest put in. Ends up at the dam for some great fishing. It’s unfortunate the Dam workers are a bunch of assholes and keep cat food up there and if they see boats coming they dump cat food in the river.

The fishing along the Dix is great but the most enjoyable part is when the River Otters around. They are cute lil buggers and will swim along side your boat flipping around and playing in their backs.

In all my reading nobody really touches Hobie’s Mirage drive.

I've got a 2019 Hobie Outback that I absolutely adore. I've caught many an inshore fish with it. I love the pedal drive- it's useful to help fight the bigger fish, especially when near docks or mangroves.

Just snagged a leftover 19 Hobie Outback myself. Haven’t been fishing yet but as soon as the weather clears it’s on

We've got a 2 person Hobie with the Mirage drive. It was not cheap, but as a non-swimmer, I feel safe in it with a life vest.
Mike

I had a Wilderness Systems Radar 11.5. I really liked it, easy to pedal, tracked well and it was stable enough to fly fish from. It went away in the divorce, but I'm looking at the Perception Crank 10.0 as a replacement. I want something that will fit in my truck a bit more comfortable, a 5.5' bed its the best for hauling long stuff.

I do not recommend being in/on a kayak without a PFD of some sort. I use one of the auto/manual inflate type.

If I am fishing in shallow or familiar waters I often deactivate the auto inflate feature to avoid having it get set off unintentionally. Then again I've been in the water since I was 4, had ice, cold water, and fast water rescue training.

It is also wise to have everything secured to the boat that you don't want to lose

I also bought a cheaper version sit on top. It was a cheap way to get started and see if I’d like it. I definitely like a decent Jon boat better for bass fishing. Still, it’s nice to change up sometimes.

I have a Malibu Stealth-14. I "do-dad'ed" it out, anchor trolly, fish finder, electric bilge pump. (I've never owned an actual boat that had a bilge pump or a fish finder.. or electric anything for that matter.)

I've done some fresh water fishing with it, mostly small mouth bass.
Fresh water I've fluke fished (though bottom fishing bores me). Most fun is bluefish and striped bass. I didn't get out last year and the way things are shaping up, this spring won't happen either.

I have an Ascend 10T sit on top paddle kayak that I drag around all over NW Montana. Makes for a pretty stable fly fishing kayak and is light enough to drag through the woods to alpine lakes. I mostly chase trout, but we do have some good bass, pike/muskie and grayling lakes too.
This last week, I think I fished nearly everyday.

Hobies are without a doubt great peddle kayaks.

I'll just leave this right here. All of his videos are extremely well done and give you an idea of what can be done from a kayak. His channel is awesome.