CountryboyinDC

Another vote for the Tatula SV. Probably Chronarch MGL after that.

Hi Mantis - you should be able to get some good shad fishing in about now around Fletchers Cove. I haven't gotten out myself yet, but it's on the schedule for later this month. Everywhere in this region can get crowded, but there's lots of fisherfolk around too. Especially the kayak crowd.

I've seen a bunch of guys (and one gal) fishing the Sea Ghosts, both the 11 and 13 footers. I've looked them over closely, and they're pretty solid at that price. The paddles that come with them are pretty much a back-up and the earlier consoles were not the greatest, but otherwise, they are hard to beat. Their fit and finish might not be Jackson level (I haven't seen a Bite yet, but I run a Coosa HD for river fishing) and they're not made in the U.S., but they're a solid boat for the money. The Lure likewise isn't made in the U.S., but I doubt you'll find one for $800, either. You see a lot of them, too. They have a wheel at the aft end of the keel that allows you to get it to the water without a cart if you aren't going too far. The other things the owners like is the seat, which has a bunch of adjustments, height-wise, and is supposed to be really comfortable. They're also pretty easy to stand in. A couple of people that have I fish with had issues with the seats that took Feelfree a while to fix (I think the demand for the kayaks was really high at that time). Jackson boats are nice, but probably the priciest for what you get after Hobie. I am sure I will see and try the Bite once the rivers I fish warm a bit. The seat for the all the models I've fished are great (Coosa, Coosa HD, Cuda 14, Mayfly). J Francho has obviously fished his Coosa a lot, and the stability thing is something I can attest to (never saw one dent, though). I actually like the high bow. When you shoot a small falls, the bow pops up in the lower pool rather than 'digging in'. I like the HD version a lot better. On a budget, the Sea Ghost (and maybe the Bite) options are great for under $1,000, and over the winter I saw some great deals for boats like the Ride 135 Max, Tarpon 130X, Predator MX, and some others that are normally a lot higher coming in at the $1k or lower mark. It's a great time to fish from a kayak.

I always wash mine after I go somewhere with snakeheads because I don't want to be the person to introduce them to a body of water that doesn't have them. I just use car wash soap. I had some slime like that on mine once, and used the same stuff I use to clean my reels - Simple Green Crystal. It got it pretty clean, though there's still a line on it. I'm with most of the users here in that I don't worry about cleaning my kayak every time I go out.