[dmharrison81]

i am looking at getting a kayak for fishing freshwater in north florida and south alabama and the bays in destin and panama city area. i am considering some of the wilderness systems and native watercraft models but open to others. not wanting to go very much over $1000.00. i'm 6'1" and about 190 lbs. also not sure about rod length for fishing off of kayak. looking at 7'2" and 7'6" shimano crucial spinning models. any advice is appreciated. thanks in advance.

 

[rfh21]

I fish a 7' carbonlite from bass pro and love it. A 7' rod allows you to reach around the front tip of kayak when fighting a fish where a shorter rod might take some effort.

 

[FLSalomon]

I was using 7' rods and 4000 series reels, but have tried to downsize to 2500 or 3000 series reels and 6' or 6 1/2' rods to save weight and make it easier to maneuver in the boat. As long as you can reach the rod tip around the front of the yak, then the rod is long enough. I fish inshore most of the time. Offshore you need heavier gear...

 

[ctgalloway21]

I use 6-6 and 7 foot rods off of my Jackson Coosa.

 

[Flatspro]

I use all 7'-7'6" rods like stated before you need to be able to reach around the front of the yak.

 

[Bo Keifus]

I also use 7ft rods. No experience with the Crucial though. That's a baitcaster right? And with your budget around $1000, I would recommend my Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 13. I have it listed for sale on here for $850. Use that extra $150 and get a decent fish finder and youve got a fishing beast. It's Extremely stable and also very quick and maneuverable. Heres the link to it: http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f77/ocean-kayak-prowler-trident-13-$850-132874/

 

[Yaksquatch]

For your height and weight, I'd definitely recommend something 13ft or longer. Any shorter and you're gonna feel chocked up.

For rods, the crucial inshore rods are great! I've got a med and a med/heavy both 7'2" and use em for inshore and freshwater. I'd say around 7ft (give or take a few inches) is a pretty versatile length for doing a lot of things with the same rod. If you're limited in the number of rods you can own, then stick with that range.

However, I also have an old calcutta spinning rod (unfortunately discontinued) that's only 6'6", some might say that's too short but I've got long arms and can still lead a fish around the bow of my yak. The shorter length (particularly the short butt section) also allows me to work a plug more easily and give it some crazy action.

At the other extreme, I have an 8ft medium action teremar that I can cast gold spoons and big topwaters out a friggin mile with! The downside is that the grip is a little on the long side for giving a lure a lot of action, but for things like spoons and spinner baits, that's not a big hindrance.

Good luck,
Alex