Pedal Vs. Paddle Kayaks

What’s up, everybody? Kristine Fischer with Go Outside. We’re going to talk like to you today, specifically the differences between a paddle kayak and a paddle kayak. So when you’re first getting into kayak fishing, you’re looking at all the kayaks and you see some that have this contraption here, which is a paddle drive and then you’ve got your paddle style kayaks. So we’re going to talk about what kayak you should go with and why. So let’s talk about paddle kayaks first. Paddle flags have been around the longest. They’re pretty bullet proof. There’s not a lot that can go wrong with them.

And generally speaking, they’re much more economically friendly than a paddle drive. If you’re fishing areas that are choked out with very heavy vegetation and super shallow water, like down in Florida or some of the marshes, you might be better suited with a paddle kayak, just simply for the ease of being able to navigate and paddle through all that vegetation. So when it comes to paddle drive kayaks, the obvious advantage here is that you basically have hands free fishing because your feet are propelling the kayak. This is going to allow you to make way more cast and become more efficient as an angler.

Generally speaking, you’re also using less energy using your legs with your stronger muscles in your body to move this kayak, paddle drag kayaks or typically a little bit more expensive, and they can sometimes require a little more maintenance than the standard paddle kayak.

The best thing you can do, you guys, is visit a dealer that has both take them out on the water and determine which kayak is going to better suit your fishing needs. Both paddle kayaks and paddle kayaks come in a variety of different sizes and weights.

So try to find a dealer that has a demo pond and has both options available to get them out in the water. See what’s going to best suit your needs and get out there and do some kayak fishing.