old town rush fishing conversion

[gotyacovered]

i am a complete newb. santa got my son (who also loves to fish) a kayak to play with when we are at lake hamilton and he loves it, he actually is fishing off of it himself. naturally i would like to be able to go with him and have found a old town rush kayak that will allow me to get in at a very cheap start up cost. my question is how easily, if at all can i convert this to a fishing rig... i assume a couple rod holders witll do... what else would you guys to to make it better - if anything?

i would consider just waiting until i found a kayak that is made for fishing if reccomeneded. 90% of use will be on lake hamilton or other slow moving bodies of water.

TIA

[Jim Krueger]

TIA,

Welcome to the board, and to the fun of kayak fishing. I didn't see the Rush listed on the Old Town site but did find it elsewhere. At the price you mentioned
from Bass Pro, it looks like it would do fine for what you want it for. As far as fishing goes, I would only add some more front deck bungie cords to secure extra rod&reels. I generally am only casting or fly-fishing from my boats, but for trolling, you could get an adjustable rod holder and screw it to the rear deck. When I'm fishing, I usually keep a small ice chest on the floor between my legs to put fish in, or get cold drinks out of. Also like to keep a small waterproof bait bag just in front of the seat on one side, and a small 'possibilities' bag on the other side. There is room in most kayaks for quite a bit of storage behind the seat but you need access to some things easily, without having to get out and access the back.
If you are open to other suggestions, I would recommend a little longer boat
maybe in the ten-foot range. My two kayaks to fish from are the Dagger 10' Approach, and the Perception 12' Acadia. And, since I also want to take advantage of the great floating and fishing on the moving waters of the Caddo, Ouachita, and other rivers near Hot Springs, I really like the Approach the best since it has a much better hull shape to make the turns and manuvers needed on moving water while being easy to navigate the open water of the lake.
A further suggestion is to go to Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters there in Hot Springs
and check out all the boats they carry and meet the staff, very friendly and knowledgeable.

Best Regards
Jim

[AR-Nimrod]

Definitely checkout the offerings from Native Watercraft. They have some very good kayak fishing platforms. We have 2; an 11 and a 12 foot Manta Ray SOT kayaks and while they are better for the warmer months they make great fishing kayaks.

[gotyacovered]

thanks guys, i ended up passing on it.

i spend some time at ouachita outdoor outfitters, great shop really good people.

i will check out the native stuff... thanks again for the replies.

[gotyacovered]

I passed in it, then the price dropped... $150 and I got the paddle... I'm 6' 210-15lbs and think it is border line to small... Not sure exactly how to tell... Over all I am happy, prolly gonna be tough to fish out of... But we will see!

I know I am going to get a rod holder... Any suggestions? (type/brand)

Any other advice will be appreciated....

[Jim Krueger]

I don't know anything about what's out there in the form of rod holders but might start by going by Trader Bills for a look see.

Jim

[Deuce]

There are rod holders (and all sorts of fishing type gadgets) made specifically for yaks. OOO should have everything you need. If they don't they can get it.

[c8mb]

The max capacity I saw was 275 lbs for the Rush. It'll feel tippy at first if you haven't paddled much. Get the feel for it before you start casting from it. I've seen my son flip by turning a water bottle up...lol.

It looks like these guys may have some kayak fishing supplies. Good luck.

http://www.scottypaddlesports.com/kayak ... forweb.jpg

[Deuce]

Just ran across this and thought of you, gotyacovered. Hope it helps.
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?627" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;