In the past few years kayak fishing has increasingly grown to a very popular method for fishing. I fell into the trap last year and finagled my way into picking up a Big Game Prowler. I didn’t buy new, but used off good ole’ Craigslist. Picked up a pretty modded kayak, came with a few nice add-ons.
I don’t even remember what got me on my kayak kick, but I had to have one. Whenever I had free time or even when I was suppose to be working I was researching on these water-crafts.
Personally I was more fond of the Big Game Prowler due to its stability in most water conditions. It runs just under 3′ wide and 12′ 9″ in length. It’s a pretty solid kayak. On many occasions I would take it out, float with the current and be standing up casting with no problems. It is truly hassle free.
Storage was no problem. It has an over-sized tank well which runs throughout the hull. In addition you have bungees on top of the hatch and a nice sized storage area in the stern of the kayak. Directly in front of the seat there is one last storage compartment. You can obviously use this section for whatever you want, I chose to use it for important things like a cell phone or wallet. It buckles in a watertight space.
Modding is the big thing with fishing kayaks these days, everyone is brainstorming out new ideas and really bringing some cool things to the table. From sails, to a foot paddle system. I got right to work when I received mine. I installed a fish finder. It sounds a lot easier then it really was, but in the long run it still wasn’t to difficult. I put the mount directly in front of the storage compartment in the front on a flat surface. Directly in the middle of two rod holders I had installed on it. I drilled three holes below it, two to connect it two the kayak and one to run the cords down to the under area. These would run to the transducer and batter pack I made. I then used marine goop and sealed down the transducer in a piece of PVC on the bottom of the hull. The battery pack sat in a shelf in the under area of the hull. I used rechargeable AA’s in a battery pack from Radio Shack and connected the cords from both devices. Pretty simple once you have it done. Besides that people install anchor trolleys, lights, rod holders, storage boxes, stability buoys, sails, GPS, carts to push the kayak around and many more, that’s just a few!
Overall the Ocean Kayak Big Game Prowler definitely is how it sounds. Big Game, period. It’s made for big water and many water conditions. It’s for sure a safe way to go fishing, especially if you plan on going in the ocean. Comes with many storage areas, and is actually very comfortable. Plenty of room for me to relax and fish. It IS quite awkward when trying to put it in or on a vehicle, due to it’s shape and weight(69lbs). You learn how to make things easier for yourself. For any kind of fishing I would recommend this yak, especially for a fly fisherman. Mostly because most other kayaks aren’t nearly as stable, it would make fly fishing much more difficult!
Have fun!
