For all you yak fishermen.

Have you guys seen the Jackson coosa? That thing looks pretty.sweet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-1nq7m97lo

[txnative]

Midtnkayakangler & his wife (she's endorsed by jackson kayaks) each have one. They are, in my opinion, one of the top fishing yaks available, especially for rivers. I am seriously torn between a coosa and a native mariner for mt next yak.

[Jim]

That is really sweet! I will put that on my never ending wish list of new fishing equipment

[Reel Tune]

Drew the person who made the Coosa promo video that Smellsfishy put on here he is the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team Captain, and was the main driving force in getting the boat started. He put in many hours while helping design the Coosa. He lived in Murfreesboro for a while growing up, he now resides in North Carolina. He has a passion for Kayak Fishing larger than anyone I have met. Drew wanted a kayak that was geared toward fishing, and rivers primairly so he brought the idea to Jackson Kayak located right in Sparta, TN and the owner of Jackson Kayak Eric Jackson World Champion Whitewater kayaker thrilled with the idea, and brought Professional Kayak Angler Drew Gregory onboard. People have been buying kayaks and modifying them for fishing, but the Coosa is designed for fishing.
My wife is on the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, we got a private tour of the factory, and her boat is a custom blue/green while mine is sand. We have put 16hrs on them so far, and have only had them for just a few weeks and we love them. If anyone would like to try it out just PM me, and I'm sure we can arrange something.

Oh' I forgot my wife Sarah made the front page of the Jackson Kayak Home Page
http://jacksonkayak.com/

And a week or two ago I posted some pics of the Coosas in the Equipment section on here (fishingtn.com), so check it out, and if there are any questions I would be happy to answer them.

Jeremy

[Jim]

I have never used any Kayak for fishing. Does anyone use the foot pedal versions? How do they compare to the paddle versions? Or in another way, how much trouble is paddling and fishing. Is the foot pedal thing just a gimmick?

It definitely looks like fun.

Jim

[txnative]

Jim,
Get with midtnkayakangler. He has a pair of hobie pro anglers, which feature the mirage drive system...the premier pedal-powered drive system for yaks. He can give you a wealth o' info on 'em.

Personally, i've used my bro-in-laws and live the ability to move without sacrificing the use of both hands. My only issue is that i can't reverse or change direction as quickly as i can in a traditional, paddle powered yak. But, honestly, it is a very minute complaint compared to the advantages.

Chris

[Jim]

Thanks for the info txnative, I would like to try one of those pedal powered ones. It seems like a good thing for heading up river and then drifting back to the truck. Would they go upstream in a river like the caney fork?

[yakfishin]

Man that has got to be one of the sweetest fishing kayaks I've ever seen. Anyone know about how much they run at the moment? I noticed all the dealers from the Jackson site are in East TN and none have the Coosa even listed on their websites. Has it not been released yet into the "mainstream"?

[txnative]

I've seen prices from $895-$1100, depending on the dealer for the coosa.

Going upstream in the caney should be possible. The pro angler can hit speeds of 3+ knots, which is much faster than the caney's flow when they aren't generating. I've had my yak on the caney and had no problem going upcurrent during no-release periods, so a pedal-driven yak should work great since using your legs instead of your arms (i have a traditional sit-on-top that has no drive system) enables you to rely on a much bigger/stronger muscle group. When they are releasing water, moving against current is like trying to walk on ice in a hurricane...you move slowly, burn out quick, and move backwards the moment you stop...not fun. Just like usual on the caney, time your trip around the release schedule.



Chris

[Reel Tune]

Chris

The Hobie Pro Anglers are great kayaks, or some people call them boats due to their size. The Hobies run around $2400, and require a trailer for safe transport. One can be hauled in the back of a truck, but I wouldn’t want to try to put one on the roof of my car by myself. The Hobie excels on lakes and larger bodies of water. When you start dealing with current the fins of the Mirage Drive create a lot of drag and make it harder to maneuver, and the rudder is very sensitive in higher flows making it even harder to control. Rivers like the Cumberland would be fine, but Caney Fork, Duck, Elk, and Harpeth I wouldn’t feel safe. If the Mirage Drive gets damaged by a rock, or underwater obstruction then you will have to resort to paddle power, and in current in the Pro Angler without a Mirage Drive your best bet would be to park it and walk. Now for fishing lakes the Pro Angler is my go to Kayak. We took our Tarpons to the Caney Fork, and paddled against the release and it was doable.

Jackson Coosa are great all around kayaks, but really excel in the rivers and creeks where power boaters cannot access easily. The suggested price is $999 for the Elite, and $799 for the Standard, the closest dealer is Cookeville, TN and the wait time is 3 months. This kayak has just hit the market a couple months ago, and the sales are great. The kayak was designed for rivers and creeks, I can paddle upstream with ease, and it drafts in 2” of water with me an gear where the Pro Angler takes about 5-6” to draft, and 1’ to operate the Mirage Drive efficiently. The Coosa is set up for the fisherman with a drag chain recess, rod stagers on the front hatch, lockable hatches, rear flush mount rod holder that are angled to going under low hanging trees, one of the most comfortable seats in the kayak industry, high and low seating, a large standing platform for sight fishing, and many more angler friendly features. I would like to find someone who would like to become a dealer in the area, but in order to be a dealer you have to have several Coosas in stock, and must have at least one as a demo. My wife is on the Fishing Team so if anyone is interested just PM me, and I can get you in touch with her. I am willing to take anyone out who would like to check it out, or in that matter any of my kayaks. If you would like a day on the water seeing what kayak fishing is about just let me know.
Here is a list of the kayaks I currently own
Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160 – Great for big lakes, and ocean. This is one of the fastest kayaks out there for fishing.
Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 – Rivers big and small, ponds, lakes, actually it’s an all purpose kayak excelling in no particular water just a great everything kayak.
Hobie Pro Angler – Ponds, lakes, bigger slow to moderate flowing rivers, and ocean
Jackson Coosa – Rivers up to class 3, ponds, smaller lakes, just about everything but excelling in rivers and creeks. My wife is taking hers to Florida later this month fishing for big fish in the ocean.


Jeremy

[Jim]

Thanks for all the great info. It sound like the Coosa is a great kayak for what I would use kayaks for - getting into small rivers, creeks, and ponds. I already have a Basstracker for fishing Old hickory so the Hobie probably adds little to my arsenal. I also would not want to use a trailer for a kayak. That seems to defeat the purpose of being able to access out of the way places.

Thanks again for the info,
Jim

[goreds.king]

I recently purchased a Perception Pescador 12 (red). The kayak is a re-badged style of the 08-09 Wilderness Tarpon 120. I haven’t had a chance to get it out yet, but I’ve read nothing but great reviews.

Oh, and Academy just started selling them for only $499.

[Reel Tune]

Originally Posted by goreds.king

I recently purchased a Perception Pescador 12 (red). The kayak is a re-badged style of the 08-09 Wilderness Tarpon 120. I haven’t had a chance to get it out yet, but I’ve read nothing but great reviews.

Oh, and Academy just started selling them for only $499.

Congrats on the new kayak, I saw you over on KBF, my screen name is the same over there also. We will have to get together sometime.

Jeremy

Well, my brother and I found two in stock, so we jumped ok them. Can't begin to share my excitement. Midtnyak, thanks for the offer, very kind of you. I'm signed up on riverbassin as riverrich. I hope to bump into you sometime

[Reel Tune]

Originally Posted by smellsfishy

Well, my brother and I found two in stock, so we jumped ok them. Can't begin to share my excitement. Midtnyak, thanks for the offer, very kind of you. I'm signed up on riverbassin as riverrich. I hope to bump into you sometime

Did you get the Perception's or the Coosa's?

Jeremy