When we first purchased our entry level kayaks two years ago, we didn't really know what style would suit us best. We did know that we would like to fish as well as paddle tour. So we ended up purchasing a Sit-On-Top model and a Sit-Inside model. What we have discovered is that the Sit-On-Top model is more tippy, especially in wind and small waves. We think the prime reason for this is that the paddler is actually sitting above the water in the Sit-On-Top boats and the paddler is actually sitting beneath the water surface in the Sit-Inside models. The Sit-On-Top models also have scupper holes that let water in and out of the passenger area. This makes it a bit colder when the temperatures are lower. You tend to stay drier in a Sit-Inside model. When it is very hot out, the Sit-On-Top models can help to cool the paddler off.
Gari has been using the red Old Town Vapor Angler 10' model and we noticed how effortlessly that kayak paddled; we think due to the nice V-hull design. Old Town has been making kayaks and canoes for a long time and we think they must know what they are doing from all that experience. The Sit-On-Top model we had, we noticed the bottom was more flat and was more difficult to paddle at any speed. It was kind of like a barge. One other effect that we noticed was that when reaching over the side to the water to retrieve a fish it felt like it would be very easy to tip right out of the platform seating of the Sit-On-Top kayak.
With this 2-years of experience we decided to replace the Sit-On-Top model with another Sit-Inside kayak. We also thought it would be smart to stick with the Old Town brand because of the good experience that we have had with our Old Town 169 Canoe we used on the Shore for 20+ years and the similar good experience that we have had with the Vapor Angler 10' Kayak. We purchased the same model from Old Town for our 2nd kayak. We couldn't get the red color any longer, it seems that Old Town stopped producing the red color last year on that model. The color choices were brown camo or urban camo, the later which turned out to be a light gray that closely matches the color of our truck Romeo. So we went with the urban camo color.
We load our kayaks in the back of the truck when we are using them locally. We have engineered a rope loop and bungee tie down system that allows for fast loading and unloading. When we are traveling between destinations, we load the kayaks on the roof racks of the truck. The picture below also shows our general cooking outdoor area in front of the trailer here at Buck's. The large Spruce trees provide nice shade without being too invasive to the camper or truck.
A littler close view of the new kayak, which we shall call Vonnie (the Vapor) to go with our existing red kayak Ollie (the Old Town). Ollie short for Oliver, and Vonnie short for Veronica. Welcome to the family Vonnie, love Romeo, Penelope and Ollie.
Ready to go paddling.
Unloaded at Big Elk Creek finger of Palisades Reservoir.
Steve is in the water in Vonnie and ready to go fishing!
Gari out in Ollie on the Big Elk Creek finger of Palisades Reservoir.
Vonnie appears to be a natural fishing craft as Steve prepares to land a Cutthroat Trout. You can just see the fishes nose out of the water; follow the line down to the water.
Steve is seen nearing the head waters of the reservoir finger where Big Elk Creek enters the reservoir. This time Steve has a paddle with blades on two ends! Looks like Steve is inspecting his spoon for debris.
If you're still reading, this is the story that started when I was about 12 years old... I have always dreamed about hunting and fishing. When I was in grade school my folks bought me a subscription to Field and Stream magazine. In about 5th or 6th grade, I remember satisfying an English Class requirement to write a paper by writing about stalking and catching an elusive Brown Trout lunker fish that I had read about in the magazine. I have never caught a Brown Trout let alone a lunker (big 'un). The picture below is also a story of the lunker that got away. I hooked a magnificent Brown Trout specimen off the rock wall in about 25 feet of water on a nice juicy night-crawler. The fight lasted for about 5 minutes, and in that eternity the large Brown Trout jumped fully out of the water no less than 3 times. I finally had him next to the kayak (picture below). I had the line with my hand and was positioning the Brown to grab and lift him into the kayak. I had an excellent view of the fish at that time. It was every bit of 20 inches or more. The underside was a yellowish tint unlike the local Rainbow or Cutthroat. The top sides were darker with magnificent colored spots. It was gorgeous! I could only think about fulfilling a dream since childhood as I prepared to boat the Brown... and it was then that the 4 lb test leader snapped.... Look how happy I was just seconds before! lol
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