In my
fishing history I have tried all kinds of floating devices from boats, float
tubes to pontoon boats etc. I mainly fish on the ocean and near the beaches so
a boat seemed too much and too expensive. I decided to sell my boat about 12
years ago and change to something easier and more compact as I live in an apartment
not too close to the shore.
6 years ago I
got into fly fishing for pikes and at the same time I got my first float tube
which I actually still have and use after many years. It is perfect for short
distances and close to the shoreline but for longer trips it has proven to be
too slow.
Couple of
years later I got the master plan to buy a pontoon boat that was on a good
sale. This thing made moving easier but because of the metal frame that easily
get rusty in seawater and the difficult assembly, I decided to sell it after a
while. This left me with a float tube but nothing that could be used for longer
trips and faster moving.
This is when
I really started to check out fishing kayaks that I had tried the first time in
the Bahamas. They made for easy and fast moving for longer distances and could
take a little bit of weather also.
The fishing
kayaks were just starting to arrive to Finland and I was researching hard to
find one that would suit me. The major problem seemed to be the size and weight
of the plastic kayaks. There was no way I could fit a 2,5 meter long kayak in
my car or our storage room. This was when I found the first inflatable kayaks
in a fishing fair at Helsinki. These seemed to sort out the space and size
issue but would they actually work as a tool for some real fishing. I did my
research and finally ended up buying a SeaEagle inflatable fishing kayak. It
had some great reviews from a lot of people so I thought I couldn't go badly
wrong with it.
The kayak
has been in use for 2 years now and I've been very happy with it. It packs the
same size as my Fishcat float tube which is quite small for a full size kayak
that can carry over 130kg. I've been using it for pike and seatrout fishing
mostly and also for just paddling around new pieces of water.
It is a very
well made craft that is easy to paddle even for longer periods.
My idea has
also been that I might even be able to take this kayak to a foreign
destination. Its weight is only 14kg when it's dry and backed so it shouldn't
be a problem to take it with me on a plane as an extra bag. I just need to find
somewhere to fly first so I can test my idea.
As this is
not an actual review of the kayak but just my thoughts on it I must say that
there is a place for float tubes and for kayaks. I still love to use both in
different types of areas and waters. It's fall right now as I'm writing this
and the water is getting really cold and fast. The kayaks best feature over
float tubes has to be the part where you don't need to stick your feet under
water for several hours. As I'm getting older the part of getting cold does not
appeal to me that much anymore :)
If anyone
would like to know more about the kayak or other inflatables I've used, please
contact us through our Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/ColdWatersSociety
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