Fin Stalker

From what I gather you need something you can cover some water with that has a decent seat and will allow you to stand. Similar to my needs BTW. I'm in a Trident 13 now and man what a kayak it does all that and more. My only complaint is the factory seat and I have addressed that issue. The Coosa is a dedicated river boat and probably wouldn't be a good fit for your main style of fishing knowing that you're having to cover some open water. The Ride 115 is a good all around kayak but is on the heavy side and although it paddles ok for an 11' kayak it wouldn't be my first choice as a "utility" kayak. Of the kayaks you have listed it sounds to me that the Cuda 12 would be the best fit for you. It can cover water pretty well, put a rudder on it and you can set up a good drift while on moving water. In the spirit of full disclosure I'm on staff with Ocean Kayak and wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't promote their product. Give the Trident 13 a look it might be a little too long for your garage (it's 13' 6") but if it will fit it's worth considering. With all things being equal the only thing the Cuda has on it is the seat. It is just as stable as fast or faster (that is subjective) and has as nice of a cockpit layout. One that has not been mentioned but a kayak I have like since its release is the Commander 120. I have a couple friends that fish out of them and they all like them, one guy is a dedicated river rat and sold his Ride 115 to get a Commander. They track well are light weight and are really stable.

Sold her about 18mo ago. I could stand in it but not well enough to fish from. I've been through a couple since then and have a new boat on the way, but honestly I really liked that kayak it just didn't quite fit my needs. Today I'm on a Trident 13 and couldn't be happier. I think it's one of the most underrated kayaks on the market. If you get a chance to paddle one you should do it.

Thanks kikstand,that thing drug me around for I don't know how long. haha. As far as the Pescador goes my only real issue with it was the seat. To say the factory seat is uncomfortable is an understatement. For overall performance the entire Tarpon line of boats are spot on. Wilderness Systems did a great job with those kayak both the old and new design.

^ This^ The Pescador is a pre 2009 Tarpon, in 09 WS updated the Tarpon. I believe it not only got a new seat but the hatches were changed, it got the slide track system and they made it a bit wider to accommodate the changes. Both a great kayaks, I spent about three years in a Pescador 12. I really liked it it was a great kayak. I even caught my personal best rod and reel fish in that kayak.

Something that hasn't been mentioned about the set-ups they are recommending is the hook set with the heavier rigs. Frogs tend to have heavy wire hooks and you need to be able to drive the hooks home. I'd be willing to bet that using your current set-up even if you are getting hits you're missing fish because you can't get a good hook set.

7' MH F. 40# braid can handle just about anything you throw at it. I like a 7:1 reel for this application.

$550 for a Ride 115 is a good price. The paddle is the best upgrade you can make to your experience on the water so having to buy a paddle isn't a bad deal at all. You need to get a paddle that is the right length based on your height and the width of the kayak. Seat height will also come into play. A quality paddle is a good investment, you should be able to find one for $100- $200.

$600 for a Ride 115 isn't a bad deal if it isn't beat up too bad. Some scratches are to be expected so as long as it doesn't look like they have been dragging it behind a pickup you should be ok. The 115 is kind of heavy but a solid boat from a good manufacturer. Of the other kayaks you listed I would look at the Tetra 12 or The Tarpon 120. Unless you are mainly a river fisherman there is no need for a kayak shorter than 12'. A 12' kayak is a good compromise between speed and stability. The Tetra is kinda like the little brother to the Trident 13 just not quite as stable but competent enough to compete with the Tarpon 120 and definite a better quality kayak than the Ascend. The Ascend kayaks have had a history of mold halves not being lined up properly leaving an open hole in the scuppers causing the hulls to fill with water. BPS may have addressed that issue and if there is no signs of water in the hull on the boat you are looking at you should be good to go. The Ascends are decent kayaks for the money but for $500-$600 of my money I would be seriously looking at that Ride 115 or seeing if I could find a used Trident 13.

Travis read through the two latest night fishing threads.

Just throw them out and crank them in. No brainer fishing. Fish them more like a buzzbait, you just don't have to worry about getting hung up in the weeds so much because they are fairly weedless. I prefer the ZOOM Horny Toad hooks for all solid bodied toads. I like a toad at night because I fish them in places you can't fish a buzzbait or something with treble hooks. Also look at SK Rage Toads and Stanley Ribbits. I have foung that the noise each bait makes can make a difference on the number of hits you get.

When I fished out of a tube these guys were a great resource for me. http://bass-n-tubes.com/index.html I don't know if external links are allowed here so if it disappears I will know not to post another one.

Same as Catt and Tom have already stated I throw the same stuff at night as I do during the day I lean towards darker colors at night but that is truly a personal confidence thing. My last two trips out I was fishing white lures because the water is clear right now and there is plenty of ambient light from the moon. So make your adjustments accordingly. If you have trout in your waters I highly recommend throwing big swimbaits day and night. Thus ends summon.....

The bite is the bite is the bite. I have had good night when you couldn't see a thing and bad nights all the same. I prefer to fish with a clear sky and some moonlight only because I can see better. Some guys swear by moon phases I don't know how much of a difference it makes. Personally I think it has more to do with overall water quality than the air conditions. Meaning if the water is stable and isn't blown out from recent storms you'll have a greater chance of success than if you base going out on what this happening above you. Ultimately it comes down to location and time on the water. You can't catch fish if you don't go fishing and you can't catch big fish if the places you fish don't hold big fish.

7.91. Don't know about fish lost/missed but the season is young and I've landed 6 or 7 fish pretty good fish so far no DD's yet. I haven't seen one of those for about three years now.

HAHA. Yeah actually I do. If the air and water conditions seem right and the bite has been consistent for a period of time, I fully expect to get bites. So when I hit this place and I fish for five solid hrs and only get 5-7 bites I think it's slow. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't want this to come out wrong and sound cocky or arrogant it's just that I have spent a ton of hrs on this place and I know it pretty well and I still get skunked there but when the bite is on it's on and this place can produce some big fish. The other part of it is psychological, you have to expect to catch fish to catch fish.....

I've been seeing quite a few skinny girls lately. The spawn is definitely over down this way.

I like to get on the water just before sunset to feel my way around and see what the bite is going to be like. I was happy to find that they are starting to blast toads which makes me happy. Anyways I got to the area I wanted to fish and hooked up with one about a pound and had another come unbuttoned both on a toad. I made my way over to talk to a friend who happened to be there and lost another on a swim jig. We were watching them bust the surface about 200 yards from us so we eased that direction and got no love. He had to take off but just as he was leaving I stuck this fish on a Chatterbait. I beat around for another couple hrs and picked up two or three more dinks then on my way towards the launch I stuck this girl on a toad. Tight Lines H

Old Town Predator MX. They are tanks, super stable and fairly fast for what their intended purpose is, which is a river boat. The P13 is more intended to be a general purpose fishing platform. Both are really nice kayaks.

My first kayak was a total p.o.s. sit in, but it got me on the water and that's all that mattered.

Chuck (AKA Mr. Peabody ) is 100% correct. It is all about hull design, My Trident 13 is only 29.5" wide and I stand in it all of the time.

The fishing was fun, I caught about 25 but none were over 2#. A good time none the less. We were the first ones to fish this particular pit this year. The owner is grooming the place as best he can so he is trying to keep pressure off of it. although he is pulling a bunch of small pan fish out to lower the compition for food. It seems to be working.....

Thanks fellas. iMovies makes a caveman like me look smart.

I needed to make a trip to Kansas for family reasons but while I was there I had the chance to do some fishing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eoVpgOC8Zc

Yes to the rat and wake baits. If you are going to use braid nothing lighter than 50#, 65-80 is preferable for baits nearing 4oz and above. I'm in S Alabama and swimbaits in trout patterns work here and there isn't a rainbow trout anywhere close to here. Honestly color is secondary, profile and action should come first.

I like three basic color/ combos for jigs I flip n pitch. Green Pumpkin Black n Blue Texas Craw basically blk,brn and char Swim Jigs/ Bladed Jigs Bream Patterns Char/White White Black at night. I truly believe that fishing blk at night is more about me than the fish though. It's a confidence thing.