Best Fishing Kayak On Sale in 2022

Our seasoned editors have picked and rated these products for each specific category and area of expertise to recommend you the best models and products we can. We receive commission from some of these affiliate links.

Best Overall: 1. BKC UH-220
"11 Foot model with paddle and seat at an unbeatable price"

Best Budget: 2. Lifetime Tamarack Angler 100
"Smaller model but great value for what you get"

Best Price/Performance: 3. Perception Pescador 12 Pro
"12 foot model with a great amount of storage space for gear"

Best Bang For Buck: 4.Old Town Sportsman BigWater PDL 132
"One of the more popular Slayer models, great price to performance"

Best Pedal Drive: 6. Reel Yaks Fishing pedal kayak for anglers

Best 11 Foot Budget:  8.Wilderness Systems Tarpon 105
"Everything necessary to have a great fishing experience at a great price"

Best 12 Foot Budget: 9. Old Town Sportsman BigWater
"Unbeatable price at a 12 foot size"

Also Great: 10. Perception Outlaw 11.5 
"Great price and storage options at 11 feet"

Runner Up Pedal Drive: 11.Perception Pescador Pilot 12

To learn how to choose the best fishing kayaks that are suitable for you, you will have to study the market carefully and find the yak that applies to your distinct tastes and needs. Firstly let's go through some of the materials and models so you can get familiar with what exactly you will be buying.

After a lot of research we have put together a list encompassing reviews found all across the web and averaged them across all the reliable fishing products. This list is not a 100% accurate ranking of the brands. Please take this list with a grain of salt and use it more as a rough guide. One brand can have a kayak which is great and better then another even though it has a lower average rating then another brand so please keep this in mind.

Many different materials go into the design of the best fishing kayaks, but there are four very common ones, these include the single layer linear polyethylene, three layer polyethylene, fiberglass, and Kevlar-carbon, here we will evaluate their pros and cons:

In our opinion, the Single Layer Polyethylene kayaks are much more robust, much heavier and perhaps a bit more durable due to their rough finish. Polyethylene is the main material for the construction of the majority of kayaks on the market.

Your next question requires you to consider exactly where and what you will be using your kayak for.

- What are your goals for your yak?
- Will you be using it on an open ocean/sea or will you be using it on a placid lake, or will you be using it on rivers and rapids?
- Will the water be warm water, will it be cold water?
- Will you be launching through the surf?
- Are you going to be okay with storage space or will you need enough to camp out?

Think about your endgame, what exactly are you going to need and be honest with yourself - foresee the future. You don't want to buy a kayak you will be upgrading from a couple of months later. Once you start thinking about your needs and writing them down slowly, you'll start seeing that particular kayaks pertain more to you and your goals than others.

Conversely, The wider kayaks, though they are slower are much more stable which is what you should be looking for as a beginner.  

A lot of kayakers will find out that kayaks that seemed stable and fun to use become more mundane and slow for them after time but this is not due to the kayak itself it's because of a kayaker's improved abilities over time. Some people recommend finding a kayak then getting the next best model of what you thought you would need since as the kayaker gets better at stability, balance, and fishing, they'll want more from their kayak, and the old version may no longer cut it.

Most fishing kayaks are geared to the sit on top kayak since they allow you to hold much more accessories and are much easier for bringing in fish and moving around. However there is a drawback, and that is how wet it can get within the boat can often fill up with water. However, with a sit-in boat, your maneuverability is more limited since you can't completely reel fish in and bring them within your kayak also the sit in models are a bit less stable in comparison.

An alternative is a more closed sit on top kayak which essentially has some enclosure but is not fully enclosed, so you have the ability to store things within it without the issue of too much water getting in. However, we recommend a sit on top kayak for the purpose of fishing.

I had a Big Game kayak that felt as if you were going to tip over every time you moved. However, you would need to drop out of it to actually tip it over.

The reason behind this is the hull's design. It was a small v-shape at the bottom. Also, it got up and spread-out extensively and smoothly just above the water line.

Due to the buoyancy of it, the slim design at the bottom made it feel unstable. Now if you filled it right up to its weight capacity it'd remain lower while in the water and feel much less shaky.

However, if you rather be more economical, a roof rack would hold a kayak well. You would need to find your exact measurements and install it on top of your car.
There are also many options for making homemade kayak trailers with a simple base these can be as cheap as $400.

A kayak bike trailer, this allows you to load your kayak onto a mini bike trailer and drive it around short distances.

Getting your kayak to the launch point from a close location can present many gear options as well. The most popular option is a kayak cart which allows you to transport your kayak on a vehicle like a dolly to your location.

The only difference between a kayak built for fishing and a kayak built for fishing are the rigging capabilities it has. Some fishing kayaks will come with nets at the front for holding items and fish, they will carry areas for your rod holders, for your tackle boxes and much more. Of course, if your a do it yourself person and want to save some money you can rig it yourself with a few power tools, and you can be on your way. For beginners, we recommend getting a kayak made for fishing, after all, custom work could cause holes and issues you would want to avoid.

Some people tend to be obsessed with having as many rod holders as they can get on a kayak and go crazy turning a kayak into something that resembles a hoarder's attic. Avoid the urge to turn your fishing kayak into a monster! Two or three fishing rod holders are usually plenty, and if you want more, well there's nothing I can tell you, your addicted!

Many of the fishing kayak models will come with these already mounted but if not make sure you have the tools handy to be up to the task. The location of the mounts is going to be the most important consideration here. You may have a general idea of where your fishing rod holder will go. Don't start making holes in a great kayak before you're sure what you want. You can make marks on your kayak with a pen and try to sit in the kayak and pretend you're casting and putting down the rod; this will help you determine what exactly feels comfortable for you.

You can go crazy trying to organize and sort your gear into the perfect sections, colors, and areas, you can get obsessive compulsive with this. With your kayak, there is a limit to how much you can take with you, and that's why its best to optimize to the essentials, selecting your perfect lures and favorite accessories to take out. Battle with your inner beast telling you to pack the bait holders with everything you own, use your favorite lures and the ones you have confidence in, and you can concentrate more on the fishing rather than the accessories.

The Seat is something that is overlooked by a lot of people, but after personally going through hundreds of kayak reviews I see a large pattern, the seat. The seat can make or break a kayak and is usually the most complained about accessory on a kayak. Make sure you're comfortable in your seat and if your stock seat feels more like a second-hand yoga-mat I highly recommend you go out and choose a more expensive and usable one, your butt will thank you after an hour or so.

Whichever yak you choose we are sure youll have a great time out there on the water. Kayak fishing is a incredible sport and is growing every year with more and more exiting innovations, keep checking our lists for exciting new developments and well continue to help you find the best fishing kayak out there!

The boat itself, nevertheless, weighs just 32 pounds and you can pack it in a storage hatch case for comfort. Because you don’t need to be worried about your fishing equipment being all around the place when you’re in the water, the cargo room increases the flexibility. Great spacing for a water bottle. This design has a self-bailing drain device that might end up being useful on the sea or when in white-water streams. Pace and monitoring are covered from the set of shaped skegs, that'll ensure that the canoe slides easily over the water. If your looking to stay on the cheap side and like the portability of inflatables you can see our full list of inflatable kayaks here.