SW Floridian looking to get a SUP for fishing need advice

[jgraeff]

Hey guys!

i have been into fishing my whole life and up until recently have been kayak fishing a lot. I am wanting to get a paddle board as my buddy has one and it looks amazing for calm days.

I have been looking like crazy online and really i can't find any concrete evidence on which boards are good or bad.

Im looking at-

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=57280856

My first choice as its cheaper but i don't want something I'm going to have to replace down the road either.

Im also considering a Bote, Yolo, or Hooked Sup

any suggestions?

thanks!

[ninja tuna]

Welcome,

Lots of basic boards can do anything especially if you are just soaking boat.  If you are stalking fish, it is a whole nother story.


So, what kind of fishing do you do and what kind of fishing are you going to use this board for.  There are many levels which price will be accordingly.  I have fished a lot of the areas that you will are so basically it depends.

Troll through the fishing section and read some of the reports and boards people are using.

[jgraeff]

I like to fish the flats, bay, and canals mostly.

With the board i plans on taking it to work with me, once I'm done ill be able to launch it near by and fish longboat key pass and the islands off there.

Ill definitely need something stable but also something i can maneuver pretty well.

The fish i target most will be reds, snook, trout, and snapper.

[ninja tuna]

This is all my opinion after fishing on a paddleboard for the past several years around quite a few places in Florida.

I have a Cayo that I fish off of.  I think there are some photos of it in the fishing section. i have a first generation board and they now have a second generation board and now I think a third.  Designed for flats fishing.  I have seen the Dragonfly board and these also look real good for flats fishing.  Both of these boards have very a pronounced V in the nose that are dead quiet in small chop where sound is a factor.  Flatter longboard nose type board will chatter in any kind of chop that will spook fish way before you are in casting range.  Other boards that could work that I like are the Jimmy Lewis Searcher and Bote Ahab.  All of them are pricey. With the exception of the Jimmy Lewis Searcher, all are designed for fishing and a great at it.  Yolo's new fishing board looks like it might be good, not there plastic models though. The Hooked Up board is good big and stable board, but it is not a good board for fishy spooky fish on the flats.

I do a lot of site fishing and stealth is a key factor where small sounds spook fish easily.  But it also has to be stable so you are not moving a lot or making jerky movements.  It was easy to paddle within 20 feet of tailing red fish. I would stay away from boards with longboard surfboard type noses (like the Hooked Up board) if you are stalking fish where noise could be an issue.   Paddling into the wind, around 10-15, with small tight wind ripples that would chatter off the nose.  This will help if you get caught in any kind of chop while you are out paddling in the bay.  If you are looking at fish and other wildlife under water, this type of nose is also much quieter and will not spook the fish as fast. Even if you are paddling into a small ripple, that flat longboard style nose will chatter and spook stuff 150 feet out in front of you.  I was paddling into sustained 20mph winds with 30 gusts.  It sucked and I was on my knees to reduce the resistance, but I was still surprised that the board made no noise.  All the noise was the wind and my paddle with the water.

Width on these boards is around 32-34 inches and that seems like a good width for the stability. The boards still have adequate speed. I have paddled mine for miles at a time. Keep the tail wide and don't pull it in. It does not need it. Keep it wide for stability . And having a wide board to cover distance is no big deal.  My fishing board is 14' x 32" wide  and I have paddled that thing 8 miles easily while fishing all day.  That is my heavy board (45lbs) while also with carrying probably and extra 20-30 lbs of gear too. THe advantage to having a wider board will come in to play for carrying stuff and also after hours of standing on the board giving you extra stability.  Yes you can and will get better as you paddle more, but this is not a speed competition or a surf performance thing you are looking for so going narrower won't benefit you more than your enjoyment.

I am not a fan of the plastic board that you posted a link for but I do not know how much of a die hard fisherman you are. I am, so I will spend bigger money for a dedicated fishing board.  I also don't know your budget. One of my neighbors just bought a Kaku kayak Kahuna plastic board and he seems to like it a lot. It is also probably 60lbs and  $800.00 with a paddle . I think it is probably much better than the Dicks board.

Also, what kind of board does your friend have. Have you tried fishing off of his.  And used ones do pop up here and there so deals can be had by searching craigslist and being patient.

[krash]

Ninja said a lot and is correct..

I searched for quite a while and did a lot of online research as well as talking to a lot of people. People are good resource but most always will tend to say what they have is best or no way, nothing in-between. MPO is there is no perfect or best, I come form about 60 years of all around S. Florida fishing and the past 20 in/on either kayak or canoe, looking to move to an SUP. For the past 7 or 8 years I spend 90% of my fishing time sight fishing BoneFish and standing is a great advantage second only to Stealth.

I have test paddled several SUP's but only for a few minutes at a time. I had use of a borrowed DragonFly 13.6 for about 3 months and loved that board/boat. DragonFly now offers also a 12' model. Like Ninja mentioned. the DragonFly, cayo, and Bote Ahab&Rackham were designed specifically with fishing in mind. The DragonFly is built like a boat, 2 peice mold gel-coat fiberglass process with an internal rib (first gen) and stringer (current gen) sub-structure glued and screwed together. The current Cayo is more similar to an EPS/resin surfboard they are using a CNC milled foam blank which is then glass/infused resins. The Bote I'm not sure of the process but I'd suspect similar to Cayo.

These 3 were on the top of my list as my main requirement is Standdup Stealth sight fishing shallow crystal clear inshore flats here in Biscayne Bay. Another SUP near the top of my list is the LiveWaterSports L2Fish, you may want to look at, like the Cayo there are local to your area in Clearwater, DragonFly is in Stuart. These are in MHO the Mercedes versions and come at a hefty price.

BUT I have a health issue where weight has come into play, and all 3 of these boards are above my targeted weight limit of 40 pounds. I desire the ability to man handle the board fomr the yard to the roof to the water and back, the reason I had to sell my kayak and canoes and go with a 38 pound Kevlar canoe. The canoe is great, 14' solo, semi comfortable seat, and very easy to stretch my legs compared to the kayak, and although I can stand an pole its kind of sketchy.. so off I went in search of an SUP.

You have to make a personal choice in price and weight. Ask yourself do you really need or want the Mercedes or will something else serve your purpose.
Like Ninja I would suggest against any rotomold poly boards, paddle one (rental) and then paddle an hard shell epoxy or gelcoat-fiberglass board.

I recently purchased a used/beater 12'6" touring style board with a v-nosed bow very similar to the Bote boards and for me it will do the job for a lot less tha $2k+.

There are many many boards out there that are not quite as good as the top 3 but will get the job done. I recomedn hard shell, and if possible for fishing not a flatter planing (surfboard) style SUP.

What board does your friend have ? Paddle it and see if it will get the job done and serve your purpose. I am not financially independant so $$ always come inot my decisions, but I am also very handy around fiberglass. CraigsList and word of mouth is your friend.

Also when looking its not quite as easy to add accessories as it is with roto-molded kayaks or fiberglass canoes, and with a lighter EPS foam Epoxy construction they are quite a bit more delicate than say DragonFly's  gelcoat over fiberglass.

The market is very flooded with manufacturer branded boards of all size and shapes.

Bic makes some heavier duty constructed thermo-form material boards.

For you purpose you may find that you would be very OK with something like the Native Ultimate kayak, they paddle very well and are easy to stand and pole while sight casting.

[jgraeff]

Thanks for all the info guys it really helps!

I do have a budget i want to stay under 1200 for the board and 1800 for everything with the gear etc.

I will definitely need it to be stealthy so i appreciate the advice above. I was concerned with the poly boards and thats why i came here to learn about some things.

My buddy has a board that is just a recreational style, flat nose and isn't the best overall or most stable. He had to add the stability air floats in order to fish on it. But his whole family uses it so its multi purpose.

Mine will be strictly for fishing, and as I'm In tampa bay area i do a lot of fishing throughout the year.

I would like to save as much as possible on the board, however i want to get something of quality so I'm not looking to upgrade in the near future.

After looking at the the Kaku seems decent but I'm a little nervous about the construction and the weight capacity. Im 185#, once you add a cooler, gear, bait etc I'm sure i would close or over the limit easily.


I'm thinking a 12-14' would be ideal. I do have some concern with getting a board thats too heavy i would hoping around 40-50# so i can launch it and load it on my car myself.

Gear i will need will be  a cooler, with rod holders, and more rod holders. Bungee system would be nice. room for smaller cooler or bucket for bait/castnet.
I will check out some other boards as well. Thanks again guys!

If you have any more info or tips id love to hear more.

[krash]

At $1200 budget.. I say go look at the Bote HD.. they are a bit more delicate than the more expensive Ahab or Rackham.