[.Steve]

Been thinking about picking up a 1-man kayak to do some farting around in the smaller lakes around here. I've got a few question about them, hopefully some of you can help me out.

For a 1-manner, is a $99 kayak from Dick's just as good as a $400? I don't see what makes the $300 difference between them.

Do I need to register the kayak? Or am I able to just take it out without any #'s on it?

 

[Topwater]

first, i don't kayak. i tried canoe and that wasn't a good match. i believe there is a website for kayaking and fishing. try google-ing that and you'd probably come up with it. my guess is the more $$$ the more stability or weight/strength ratio...

 

[.Steve]

Ran into a buddy today while I was out fishing. On his kayak, so I asked him the same questions and he let me go out for a few minutes on his single man kayak.

For future reference, everything that goes into the water must have a registration sticker. But for a kayak or small canoe, it's only $13.

I think I'm gonna head to Dick's tomorrow and check out the selections in person.

 

[FishinMatt]

From my limited knowledge on canoe/kayaks, I have learned that price is usually very reflective of the composite of the watercraft. While 2 kayaks may be the same size, one may weigh 50 more pounds and be made of far less durable material. That is going to be the cheaper Yak.

 

[.Steve]

Well, I bought a kayak. Normally 299, on sale for 249 from Dicks. It's a Swifty 9.5. I like it so far, my buddy and a few of his friends went out on the DuPage River last Saturday. Flooded river = good times.

Been to Mallard Lake a lot too. There aren't a lot of good places to shore fish there, but productivity has definitely been up.