# best fly fishing kayak?



## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

I'm wanting to purchase another kayak late this fall or early next spring to primarily use to stand up and fly fish out of? And figured this would be as good as place as any to get ideas and tips from. I already have a small sit on top kayak and I do enjoy it but I need to be able to stand up and site fish which deterred me away from using it a lot this year. My main target species are carp n bass and will be focusing on the shallows of local inland lakes and reservoirs or the lower ends of rivers. Also my only means of transport are a roof rack system on a ford edge. I've been researching Jackson Kilroy, freedom hawk 12, and native 12 but have not demoed any yet and open to any other ideas.

Any help or ideas will be greatly appreciated thanks


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

I have a freedom hawk and it is stable, bit of a pain to paddle in the wind and kind of a bear to haul around (I find it annoying to detach the floats etc.). Definitely nice to fish out of. My dad has a nucanoe frontier and I reallly like it. If I had to do it again I would have gotten the frontier for myself ( it is pretty heavy though!!!) Also you can throw two people in the 12 pretty cofortable and have one standing!


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Sorry, man, but the Freedom Hawk is just wrong. I have seen it in action, and it ain't' bad, but do you really want to be seen in it? I love my Kilroy, and I am not the guy to review a kayak for standing, but in my opinion it isn't a great platform because the chair is centered and when you stand, your weight is too far forward. If you are lighter and more agile than I am (not too hard) it might still be a solid choice. I have a Native 12, and it is stable as can be while standing, but the older style is not comfortable with your feet planted in the tunnel hulls. They still make that, but the newer one has a flatter deck and looks intriguing. As a fly fisherman, I think you would want an uncomplicated deck for stripping line. The Big Rig is so big that you can stand with confidence, but it is so big. Old Town Predator and Predator MX have clean decks and are good platforms. Then there is the Slayer. That one really looks like it was made for fly fishermen. Diablo makes some beautiful platforms to stand and fish, absolutely beautiful. Then there is the NuCanoe...that is one solid waterpig right there...don't count her out.

Your roof rack on the edge will carry any boat. Getting it up there might be another concern. If money isn't a huge concern, there are some loading systems that can make the job a lot easier.


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## Paul David (Nov 11, 2015)

I have an Old Town Predator 13. They make the Predator MX which is 12' long, a little wider, and has a wide open deck. They advertise the wide open deck as being designed for fly fishing so there's nothing to hang up your line on. I've never been in the MX, but I absolutely love my Predator 13. You can stand all day in the Predator kayaks, and the seat is great.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Don't forget about the new Kilroy DT which is now out. It is an ultimate fly fisherman's platform.


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## lrobison24 (Nov 26, 2013)

My buddy had a native slayer 12 and it was a very good boat for ponds and rivers. It was not great on Lake Erie it was hard to paddle. But if your fly fishing I'm guessing it'll be more river fishing. The slayer had a ton of room for all your gear but was very open so your line won't get caught up. It is also very stable.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

If I was a fly fisherman I'd go paddleboard and cooler for a seat/ gear storage. Too many places on the kayaks to catch the line no matter which one you choose Id say.


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## Niceman (Aug 1, 2005)

ML1187 said:


> If I was a fly fisherman I'd go paddleboard and cooler for a seat/ gear storage. Too many places on the kayaks to catch the line no matter which one you choose Id say.


I have a Nucanoe kayak. It is very stable and has a casting bar that you can lean on while you stand and fish. The casting bar also has a place that holds your paddle.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

Thanks for all the input guys I think im gonna just have to demo all these models in the spring to figure out what works best for me. I do here a very good things about the native slayer, old town mx, and some of the jacksons which ill have toi demo all of them but I think im slowly veering away from the freedom hawk and other bigger yaks due to transportation and speed.
And as far as getting line tangled I used to just throw a towel down on my older kayak and this fixed the problems with the line getting tangled up.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

Jackson Cuda. Made to hold fly rods, stable enough to stand on.


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Kilroy by a long mile! Its the best thing for fly rodders to come along.
I had the Freedom Hawk and it was useless POS! Very unstable and the wind will keep you so aggravated with fiery breath every time! Dont let that FH junk fool you!


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## Longhorn (Oct 26, 2014)

Several of the guys in my club use Hobies with the Mirage drive so they have both hands free to cast. Personally, I have a O.K. Prowler Big Game and can fly fish fine all day from it. I use it in freshwater, salt flats and even the ICW. You teach yourself how to fish seated. I sight fish for reds all the time with no issues.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I've been using a native 12 for some time and like it pretty well for fly fishing. It's plenty stable for standing. It's also quite a bit lighter than most of the sot yaks, which helps on the guerrilla trips where you have to drag a bit to get in or out.

In any case, there are lots of options, it's just a matter of figuring out what is important to you.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

I just seen the last couple replies thanks again for more input. im getting a rack system this Christmas and cant wait to to start demoing kayaks in the spring.


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Native Ultimate 12 is nice boat but not for lake Erie. I could never stand up in at all as it was very uncomfortable on the feets. The lightweight feel is its best point especially off the beaten trail.

Ahh Hobies...they may be nice to play around in but at all ideal for fly fishing period! As far as pedal drive systems, they just get in the way of fly lines so it is not really all that compatible. If you can fly cast while laying on your back and pedal the drives but the reality is pretty much an impossibility! It is useless in shallow water fishing and flat out heavy and way over priced plastic!

The Jackson Kilroy has been the best thing around for fly fishing as I can store my fly rods down out of the way especially hunting shallow mud flats for carps where there are a lot of overhanging brush.


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## mountainbikingrn (Mar 24, 2010)

My vote would be the Feelfree 11.5. The only thing to hang up on would be the footrests (this could be minimized by sliding fully forward) or the center console latch. The deck is fully padded and the seat feels like a lazy boy. The seat could be moved to the back and you would have a great wide open deck. Standing is easy at 36" wide, the wheel in the keel is great getting across smooth ground, at 11.5' it is nimble enough for medium flows, but it would be one hell of an awkward miltary press to the roof!


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Jackson coosa HD!!!! Great standing stability, has tons of storage options, and Jackson's are made for life!!! Check them out at Columbus kayak.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

well I choose a Jackson Kilroy. Every time I researched my needs it always came back to the Kilroy. Its has so much room to move around in while standing, its very lite so I can handle it by myself, lots of storage underneath to carry extra rods and gear and it will be totally out of the way, maybe the only downfall is its a sit in hybrid type vs a sit on top but im not really worried about it for the type of fishing im gonna be doing.

I cant wait for the spring and thanks for everyones comments and opinions good stuff as always on the OGF.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Which length did you get, and did you spring for the LT model?


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

ML1187 said:


> If I was a fly fisherman I'd go paddleboard and cooler for a seat/ gear storage. Too many places on the kayaks to catch the line no matter which one you choose Id say.


Great idea! If money was no object I'd go with the Holla Hoss inflatable PB. Bubba did a review on it last year. Otherwise I'd look at a 'Cuda for fly fishing. It made specifically to hold those longer rods.


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

I've got the Diablo Amigo on the short list. Looks perfect for the waters i fish. Not a good option for long distance needs though.


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## mcoppel (May 21, 2011)

nucanoe pursuit, this is by far the best for fly fishing. I'd also go with almost any Jackson, I have fly fished from my coosa with no issues.


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