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[RalphH]

I’m using an Aquamarine inflatable I bought used off FB Marketplace for 400 bucks. Couldn’t be happier with how it portable it is. I can get into the lakes that don’t have a boat launch.

Lots of good feedback om Aquamarine over the years.

[Wiseguy]

Lots of good feedback om Aquamarine over the years.

Good to know!

[Roderick]

I have a 10' pelican sit-on-top kayak from crappy tire.  Weighs 30 pounds.  I can bring it out in the salt when there's not too much chop, and have never even come close to falling off.  The nice thing about a kayak it that they are fast, so if the wind comes up or if there's current you can paddle against it.  I can launch it from the shore anywhere (launching from a dock seems pretty sketchy and I haven't tried it). I do, however, get wet, both at launch and landing, and if there is any chop.  I wouldn't mind upgrading to one of those pedal drive kayaks, but they are fairly pricy. 


BTW there's a really cool video of a guy landing a marlin from his kayak on youtube somewhere.  Pretty intense. 

[SuperBobby]

I’m using an Aquamarine inflatable I bought used off FB Marketplace for 400 bucks. Couldn’t be happier with how portable it is. I can get into the lakes that don’t have a boat launch.

I looked at the website, and it seems even the smallest one is 90lbs. At that weight, I can do a no boat launch, but I can't carry it more than 100 feet....and certainly not down a hill....which would be very limiting for me.

I can launch it from the shore anywhere (launching from a dock seems pretty sketchy and I haven't tried it). I do, however, get wet, both at launch and landing, and if there is any chop. 

That is an issue unfortunately. Thanks for bringing that up. I want to stay dry as I lake fish well beyond and well before summer weather.


I hear that some guys are using the adapters for their leaf blowers to pump up their inflatables....apparently takes a minute or 2 at the most. Anyone doing that?

[pwn50m3 f15h3r]

I have a 10' pelican sit-on-top kayak from crappy tire.  Weighs 30 pounds.  I can bring it out in the salt when there's not too much chop, and have never even come close to falling off.  The nice thing about a kayak it that they are fast, so if the wind comes up or if there's current you can paddle against it.  I can launch it from the shore anywhere (launching from a dock seems pretty sketchy and I haven't tried it). I do, however, get wet, both at launch and landing, and if there is any chop.  I wouldn't mind upgrading to one of those pedal drive kayaks, but they are fairly pricy. 


BTW there's a really cool video of a guy landing a marlin from his kayak on youtube somewhere.  Pretty intense.

I own a pedal kayak (Old Town Sportsman 106PDL) and have fished it a lot for the past year and a bit, mostly saltwater. I’ve caught many rockfish, lingcod, salmon, and even 2 halibut from it. It’s stable enough to stand on in calm conditions (and if your balance is good) and fast enough to handle most tidal currents. That said, I don’t think it’s the best choice for fishing interior lakes for trout.

First of all, even if you get a larger model (12’), there isn’t all that much room to run 2 fly rods and a fish finder. Fly line tends to get caught in the pedal drive and other things. Also, running a double anchor setup is also because it’s hard to move around in the boat. I have run a drift anchor with reasonable success but it still can be a lot of work. I also find it difficult to troll for trout effectively. The slowest trolling speed I can easily maintain is about 2 km/h. Moving slower means putting more energy into keeping my legs up rather than just pedalling smoothly. Might just be a me thing though.

While I do think pedal kayaks (and fishing kayaks in general) are a great investment, I don’t think they’re the best option for OP’s use case.