I originally purchased the kayak because it seemed that the kayak was designed with the fisherman in mind. It was advertised as being extremely stable, stocked with tools geared toward fishing such as multiple rod holders and gear tracks, and outfitted with a "universal" transducer mount for your fish finder. What few reviews I could find appeared to back up the manufacturer's advertisements.
Having owned the kayak now more than 6 months, I can verify that nearly all of the above statements are true. The kayak, though not the fastest on the water, is extremely stable. This is achieved with the "double u ' hull design. I am 64 years old and had no issues standing up in the kayak to fish. The kayak tracks well and is a pleasure to paddle, The kayak also comes prepped for a rudder installation if you which to add it later. As far as features designed for the fisherman, the kayak comes standard with three rod holders. Two of the holders are located behind the seat and the third is just in front of the seat on the right hand side. All of the rod holders are very easily accessible. I find myself constantly making use of the rod holder in front of the seat and using it for rod storage while changing lures or taking off fish. There is a covered hatch in the bow of the kayak that appears to be water-tight. I use this area to store my battery and a dry-box. The rear of the kayak features a large open tank well that has ridges on the floor to assist in holding your crate in place. There are two gear tracks that will accommodate your fishing accessories. I use one of the tracks for my fish finder. As far as mounting the fish finder is concerned, this was the only downside I have noted about the kayak.
Before purchasing the kayak, I had a Garmin Echomap depth finder and planned on using it unit on this kayak. I found out that the universal transducer mount is not so universal and really did not accommodate the Garmin depth finders without modification. Old Town has a great video showing how to mount a depth finder on the Topwater Series of kayaks. In this video, they mounted a Hummingbird Helix to the kayak. I bit the bullet and purchased a Hummingbird Helix for my kayak and had no issues with the installation.
In conclusion, I would say if you are looking for a fishing kayak for inland lakes and slower streams and rivers, then this kayak is definitely one to consider. It is packed with features designed with the fisherman in mind at a price that is very competitive with other models in this category.
