Bro love that kayak. And yes, it's worth that and more. My brother has that boar. He sits on the bank and plays with it like a remote controlled boat. He had it 150 yards from shore, and turned it around, and set the Harding to pock him up. Lol. I was going to get that exact boat. However, I did get my 12ft X 34" wide kayak. And it's a Hybrid. So instead of the PDL Drive, I purchased the 46lb thrust center pod fitted trolling motor. So I spent $2,000 on my boat, with the kayak, motor, paddle, anchor trolleys, deck mat, scuppers, and the Padddle and framed seat, came with the boat. Thar left me another $1,000 Dollars in accessories, I bought, and I'm still setting up. But you're gonna love that boat. I believe it to be the perfect kayak. For cruising, fishing, tournamants etc. Good luck with her. I 🎣🤟🙏
I saw the van at the burke yesterday. Wanted to come say hi but i don't have the habit of disturbing people. So i walked away. Good luck with the channel. You deserve more subs.
@@SBFishing Thanks, i suck at fishing so bad that i gave away my rod away to a kid. I like to fish but i don't have the knowledge. But thanks. I'll definitely come say hi next time.
I always fish outa a kayak. Lately IV been on the look out for a good deal on a fixer upper jon boat. I need more room and would like to be able to cover Many miles on the river chasing musky easier.
I've got the 120 Autopilot. The spotlock is amazing for kayaking... complete game changer. I'm old and balance is gone, so while I can stand, I don't. Wears me out loading it out of the water but all else rocks. Thanks for the great vid. Yep, for me worth the money. Hope you get to keep yours. They are really fun, also I took the passenger seat out of my Dodge Caravan and slide it right in just 2 feet sticking out. I even leave it on the Kayak cart, in my van. Easy in Easy out... Love it... my first boat ever.
Scotty mounts makes a transducer mount that locks into the rail system that’s what I use works great look into it Scotty is the brand name they make all kinds of mounts and gadgets for yaks welcome to the yak world
VID IDEA for the new yak- come to Wise county VA and RIP some LIPS with me!!! Opportunities to catch largemouth, smallmouth, spots, and muskies all on one lake!!! and the yak is the best way to fish it most lakes surrounding me.
Unfortunately Matt, Im not able to share that kind of Info about This lake on here, just yet. Lol. Its kind of a magical place! It’s like the place where Tony Hawk was created! But I’m more than happy to fill you in on anything you want to know man!Via Email! MY EMAIL- wahiatt02@icloud.com Email me anytime you want! I’m down for anything! Well almost anything... stay safe and keep doing what you’re doing!
You need some boonedox groovy landing gear there a way better set of wheels, and a black pak crate with rod holders and your in the game, I heard you say your gonna put a solix12 on there so that will integrate with the motor and you'll have GPS routes so you can set it and forget it!!
As a kayak angler, I loved it forit for the stealth aspect of it. Secondly I loved the rapidness of deployment. I could in the water and fishing in 1 min or less. Over the years my age prevented me from enjoying it like I once did. The last 2 months I've bought a 12ft jon boat. I was hesitant, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The only way I would go back is the comfort part. Just how comfortable after a 2-3hr trip would I be? What was YOUR experience comfort wise?
I stood up the majority of the time which is normal when I’m on a boat. I sat down maybe a total of 10 minutes over the 4-5 hours I was out. I was very comfortable! It definitely took me longer to deploy though.
On the Topwater 120 there’s a scupper hole in the front specifically for mounting your transducer. That looks like exactly where the trolling motor is though. But it’s worth a look.
Sure you could buy a jon boat for $4k but that jon isnt coming with an ultrex trolling motor. Spotlock is awesome. Once you have it you cant ever go back.
Wow. What a sweet kayak. They are fun to begin with. Let alone one's like that does everything for you but cast your rod. lol I have an older model. But it doesn't even have foot pedals. I just like it on a nice day to stroll around in my pond. I'm sure you'll get plenty of good uses out of it.🎣🎣
If u get a chance please answer. I have a jon boat wanna do a build like yours. Also I want that same kayak u have. I fish from the boat all the time and love it. Want the kayak cuz I fish solo a lot and would love to get to smaller spots. So from a person that Jon boat fish a lot which do u like most? Or if u had a chance to buy that kayak or do another boat build which would u do?
@@SBFishing lol I figured that. I’m gone jus do my jon boat build and I can always get me a kayak later. Maybe I can revisit that when the weather warms back up.
Bout time you took that thing out bro lol. Go ahead and put the transducer mount on there it will change ur life bud. Its so much easier to get on TourneyX and not have to livewell fish man and also they are super quiet pulling into ur spots so always spook less than in the john boat
$3799 for this bad boy with spot lock. A Hobie Pro Angler 14 with the mirage drive 360 (no trolling motor) is still another grand! very cool yak I hope you put out some more videos.
@@SBFishing yeah man, they are the Cadillac's of the yak world. You can literally turn a 360 in one. You should check them out if youre curious. they're amazing but a tough price tag to swallow. built in horizontal rod holders for up tp 6 rods, retractable transducer mount, they've integrated damn near everything a yak anger would want.
gotta take it out for musky on the shenny. With the electric motor, running up and down deep pools would be nice. Only caught one out of a kayak, but I can say it is an unbelievable rush
If you should buy a graph just for the kayak, make sure it’s networkable. The automation between graph and motor would be amazing for you on the kayak. Push button go to a saved spot assuming the trolling motor is also an ipilot link
You can probably get a really nice fiberglass boat For that price And you made a good point on storage Yak versus boat and the autopilot is probably half of the price Of the Yak
i bought a transducer and cables that match my boat unit so i could just transfer it from the boat to the kayak with out having to buy two units... just a thought..
I fished for a kayak for a long time. Even had one of the first 2020 native Titans that I fished for a bit. I’ve switched to a jon boat and couldn’t imagine going back to the kayak. The kayak was great, but covering miles on big lakes or rivers is the best. Plus the added space for rods and tackles it’s huge.
That whole loading process is why I never use my kayaks. You think, "Oh, this will be much easier than trailering and dropping a boat down the ramp", but it's not. You have to lug them around, get special wheels and deal with straps, or drag it around and scratch it up. Then you have to spend 10 minutes loading everything in and then 10 min taking everything back out when done. That combined with the lack of space, needing a paddle, and stability issues, I don't see why someone would choose a kayak over a jon boat (for fishing) considering kayaks cost a good bit more. I ran an 8' jon boat and it took 1/4 the time to load and unload from truck. Could leave all my gear in it during transport too. Had more space, was more stable, and overall seemed to track better. Had the smart idea to buy two Jackson kayaks so the wife and I could check out small lakes and inshore stuff. Now I'm looking to get back into a jon boat.
I forgot to touch on this and I agree. It’s definitely a pain in the ass, but I timed myself at the end of the day and from the second I got to the ramp to leaving was 15 mins. Takes me about the same w the Jon boat, but much less work.
@@SBFishing Seeing you lug the kayak into the van, then out, and then setting up the wheels brought back nightmares. I find kayaking for sightseeing fun, but just doesn't work for my fishing.
Agree with this...however I will say it makes you revamp a lot of things when it comes to picking tackle/gear, since I've started fishing kayak tourneys I sort of forced myself to downsize/streamline. At first you'd think it'd limit you but I found that it removes a lot of clutter and fuss with decision making. What I found is, when practicing or "just fishing" having the smaller selection actually helps you learn with what you're using rather than having a ton of baits you think might work but maybe not blah blah, increasing the odds of making the wrong decision. (it's kinda like going out with only an MTB box) In turn you have a smaller arsenal but a better, more confident idea of what you want tied on for tourney day (or whenever). Making you a better angler and also making launching quicker and easier, I car-top a Predator 13 on a Nissan Sentra btw haha...just my experience.
The problem is these suped up kayaks kinda defeat the purpose of kayaks. They're too heavy to carry, the rudder limits your access to skinnier water, and they're no longer a cheaper alternative to actual boats
Well, there are a lot of loading/unloading/gearing up tricks you can learn if you actually try. Also this whole motorized thing he’s got isn’t really even a kayak anymore, in my opinion. If I felt like I *needed* a trolling motor, I agree that I’d just stick to a Jon boat.
Another awesome video! The spot lock is key; tossing buoy markers and constant paddling is draining but you get the perk of a workout. You should have tested the motor/battery by trolling between the damn and island, maybe next time. Looking forward to future kayak videos, maybe even more of Burke too. Really looking forward to the October tournament videos; may even have to swing by for the weigh in.
Hey Matt, great to see you out on the yak! It’s a bit of a different world for sure. If you’re considering buying a graph for the kayak, I’ve got a ray marine dragonfly 7 I’m not using. Transducer also. LMK if you’ve got any interest. Other than that, keep up the good work! Love the content. Tight lines my friend!
Man if I had the money, this is the kayak I want! I have an old Ascend D10T I bought off of marketplace that works but it’s a real pain to fish out of. Forget about trying to stand in it.
Thanks for your thoughts on the kayak, Matt. I fish from a kayak almost exclusively and I really enjoy it. I've never really considered a motorized yak, as I enjoy paddling for the exercise. However, as I get older I may change my mind on that. The wind is a pain at times, and that spot lock looks pretty awesome. I just use with an anchor system, with a small winch.
You do such a great job with the details on your comments; your sponsors should be really happy. Such a tough decision between Jon boat, kayak and canoe (I just bought a Golden Hawk canoe decked out for musky fishing). This kayak with the built in trolling motor is great. Can’t wait to hear about the batteries; the weight issue is a big deal to me as a older fisherman. Thanks for your efforts!
Got a yak simply because the tournament scene is a lot more competitive around me. There’s not really any jon boat tournaments and there’s a big disadvantage competing against bass boats on the bigger lakes.
Great vid Matt, I fish out of a kayak on the regular and I know how myself and anyone else that spends a lot of time in a kayak fights the wind, that boat would make anyone’s time on the water super efficient, yes it’s a bunch of money, but wow, what a cool boat !
Glad you liked the kayak, love my setup I'm all in at 2800 with a Jackson coosa, bassyaks trolling motor setup, scotty stabilizers and a humminbird helix 7. It's a sweet setup but cant really beat the comfort the jon boat! Wish I had the spot lock, bring it up to shepardstown and test it in the river
Matt you need to watch Greg Blanchard he fishes out of a Titain 13.5 and I've watched him catch some monster fish . He also has video on that may help you set up a kayak
Lot's of Greg Blanchard recs in the comment section! Love to see it. He's got a great channel, and I tried to fish with him on the 50 state tour but things didn't line up. Super nice guy, hope to fish with him someday.
EVERYONE if you see this have a awesome day/night!!! Like&Subscribe you won’t be pissed!! Matt, Keep the grind going man! You love to see it!! Idk why you don’t have A MILI Subs by now... Some of the best fishing content on the tube! Stay safe!
It’s been a on going debate in regards to the price range for kayaks. As quality goes up so the price. You’re right about the price it’s right around the price range for a nice used fully loaded jon boat. You do make an excellent point about preference too, honestly if I had the space to store and a proper vehicle to hall a jon boat that’s the route I would take.
But it makes it harder to control the farther back you put them the higher you can push or pull it and don’t have to bend down and the turning point is shorter the more towards the middle you go
Ironically I was looking at the Dakota batteries when they came up in this video, everything you said is awesome except that they're $500.00+ which is prohibitively expensive :(.
It’s pricey but you get a min Kota with spot lock!!! A hobbie is pretty close to the same price some are more and you have to pedal with your feet and you don’t have spot lock!! Just a little perspective 🤷♂️
Nice kayak, Matt. Take it and do some muskie fishing with Blue Ridge muskie. Let a big one pull you around the river. I'd fall out of a kayak. Klutz is my middle name. They sure look like fun though.
Hey man, great vid. I’m waiting for my autopilot to be delivered and have been battery shopping. I was curious which Dakota lithium battery you used? Seemed like the 12V 100 AH battery wouldn’t fit in the battery box that comes with the kayak. Thanks!
It fits fine! The lighter battery definitely helps too. Just a heads up if you decide to go with a Dakota lithium, you can save 10% by using code SBFISH.
Don't text and drive...even a YAK! LOL!!! BTW...there is a YT creator that I follow who fishes out of a Yak and his setup is pretty sweet. Greg Blanchard is his name on YT. Hope this is helpful info! One last thing...make sure your bilge pump is set up on your Yak.....never leave the bank without it.
@@SBFishing 😂😂😂 bro you shoulda seen my Rona cut. Got it cut just for this weekend. Looked like a straight WV Tweaker serious mullet with curls Going on hahaha.
Long hair?? You guys?? I laugh! I'm an old hippie. My hair is down to my shoulder blades and my goatee almost touches my chest. Though I have to admit the goatee is fully gray and the hair is getting there too.
@@DJCustomBaits Mine gets really unruly during that mid stage when it's growing out. As it gets longer its own weight helps to control it and straighten it out somewhat. I have baby fine hair and it's starting to thin out some now. Still, not bad for 61 years old. I figure sooner or later age will catch up and I'll lose enough of it that I'll have to cut it short. Enjoy your youth while you can. It passes all to quickly.
You’re dealing with a beast, I believe I mentioned this to you before. Number one if you plan to use a cart by a good one. I noticed the cart was too far to the rear it needs to come forward up into the seating area to balance itself off better and make the load lighter for you. More to come.You would enjoy that kayak more if you put it on a trailer. It would make your life a lot easier.
Good review!! Personally I'd do a nucanoe frontier 12 with the bow mount spot lock trolling motor...have more space, a 360 seat, better stability, and come out cheaper.
Kayak fishing is so pleasant! Nice video again there mate, the intro part fun to watch, would be great to see more like these! With a little funny/cartoony music it could be perfect
@@SBFishing No worries eh I dont know your stats for the channel or anything really so... Im sure it is going good but eh why not shoot a couple ideas along the way haha 😂 Props mate stay true!
Love your content from a local VA guy! Please hook up the Solex 12!!!!! Im considering it but need to know if it is too big for this exact kayak. Mega 360 comes next! Hope someone will hook you up with that so you can post reviews. Btw- i landed a nearly 40" muskie in that lake while in a small white water kayak (while bass fishing). It nearly capsized me 3 times!!! lol.
Looks nice! My cousin fishes kayak tournaments, has a Hobie, I've been looking. But considering a Jon boat instead. I'm extremely tall 6'10"" and about 330. Just not sure of stability with kayak for a tall fat man. That looks nice though.
You ever watched “that bass fishing dude” ? 7 foot tall dude. Fishes out of a kayak all the time. Now, that might not be for you. But it’s definitely something that can be enjoyable for some folks. Nice vid Matt!
I know that you have to learn to use this kayak yourself but kayak catfishing has one just like yours go check out his videos with it and he explains a lot!
SBFISHINGTV now his does almost just catfishing but I know he has a video about the kayak and use it while catfishing so it can give you an idea. I am looking into getting me a stat kayak to use to it so I can be as good as the pros lol. Love your channel. See you on the next video
That, Matt, was awesome and a great review/initial evaluation!!! Personal opinion -- anytime you can go bigger, esp on a kayak --- do it ... IF it's for you! --- Now for me, it's not!!! But I can definitely see the benefit -- as so many things you pointed out. Most area's locally, are accessible by jon-boat; meaning larger rivers, water ways, and lakes ....... but, when you migrate out and get more "country" (example --- central WV)... some rivers and water ways are smaller and at low flows, a jon-boat still only allows to fish an eddy due to low-flow shoals. One person can have a tough time with a boat vs a kayak. Also, many of these "waters" are limited "put in" and may not have a ramp. Great input my friend --- keep with it!!!! Be Safe
Awesome video man! I just teamed up with oldtown and DL too aha AMAZING companies for sure! On my way to Alabama to fish the KBF championship at guntersville , you gotta jump into the kayak tournaments!
Matt, If you are going to use this often. Invest in a trailer or a pick up truck. I would not want to go thru this every time. Especially if you are going to get into tourneys.
All preference. Some people want the yak, some people want the jonny. In my current situation, I’d choose Jon boat. This kayak is insanely cool though.
Awesome video. I've been looking forward to seeing you get that thing out on the water. One bit of advice.. while standing, get in the habit of using your lure and rod tip to perform minor boat positioning adjustments. Especially effective if using a lure with lots of drag, like a spinnerbait. You can turn your yak and move it around pretty effectively without having to grab the paddle, or in your case, bump the trolling motor.
