My wife and I are looking for a kayak for each of us. We are in our late 40's. She is 5'3" 120lbs and I am 5'9 175lbs. We will use it for exploring and fishing around the sounds and marshes up and down the North Carolina coast as well as fresh water lakes and rivers. We are not planning to run the rapids.

We keep hearing pros and cons on Sit on Top and Sit -In Kayaks and someone mentioned a hybrid.

We really do not know how much they cost but would like to keep the cost as low as possible and not break the bank.

I know nothing about kayaks or kayaking. Could someone make some good recommendations on a good fishing kayak.

Thanks

if you haven't tried yet, take a look at www.kayakfishingstuff.com they have a ton of info on Sit in vs Sit on top kayaks and other kayaking mechanics that have to do with kayak fishing.

Good luck

I know you said you want a kayak...BUT.... You might think about a pond prowler sold by bass pro.. They have a small one that will fit in the back of your truck and one man can carry it to the water...  

Happy fishing from Me and my Dog....  

Try looking at the "Hobie Mirage Outback"  You should be able to pull it up online bass pro did sell them but not sure if they still do.  It is a sit on top but has lots of features like a pedal drive system and you can even get a sail attachment if you want to use it as a small sail craft.  Hank Parker endorses it also.  Pricing is a little high though you might want to look on e-bay for used ones.

I fish in a 14' Old Town Dirigo and highly recommend it. There are tons of pros and cons but one big pro for me of a sit in boat is that you don't end up sitting in water which makes a huge difference here in NH during spring and fall when the water is chilly.

I'm with yakfish. I prefer the sit in

but if I were to be using it in the ocean

I probably would have gone for something

like the Ocean Kayak Caper.

My Heritage Featherlite 9.5 has been

awesome for the calmer rivers, lakes,

and ponds that I fish.   I added a rear

flush mount rod holder, a set of paddle

clips, then up front added four deck loops to

strap my gear bag to the front deck.

I can fish comfortably with this setup

and have gone out for several 6 hour trips.

Paid approx. 450 for the yak & paddle.

I'm 46 y.o. female btw, so the weight of

the kayak was a big factor for me since I have

a Jeep Wrangler and have to lift the yak

over my head to put it up on the roof.

It's working out well and I'm pleased with

the kayak for my needs.

Couple pics.  Second pic is with a lower profile

deck bag.