Ocean Fishing on ProAngler 14 - Advice Please!

I am considering the big purchase after countless hours of research. I have only two remaining concerns and would appreciate if some of you with experience could chime in on the topics:

1) do you find having to remove the Mirage Drive to put it in "reverse" a pain when fishing? Or do you simply use your paddle in these situations?

2) I fish on the ocean. I've read that the PA's, while stable, are not nimble and dive under mid-size waves. I've also read that they are difficult to beach with any level of surf. Any concerns here?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Gazoo

I'll answer your Mirage drive question and let the folks that fish salt (beach launchers with waves) answer the surf question. I never pull the Mirage drive out to use it as reverse. In open water I cannot see that need especially if you are on large bodies of water. I have tried it backwards and it does work, but the need never arises.

Usually I have to back up if I'm pulled into or around a lot of trees and do not have the distance or flexibility to get out by forward motion. For those cases I just use the paddle with the t-handle.

If you decide on pulling the trigger and getting a PA, you will love it. I know from reading posts that the PA and surf launching requires practice and a certain technique. I fish inter-coastal in the JAX area and the creeks on the Gulf Coast side when I salt fish, so waves and beach launching is something I have yet to do. Good luck with your decision!

_________________
Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador

2015 Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
2018 Compass - Sea Grass

I use mine in the ocean all the time. The surf is a pain in the butt sometimes but most of the time no problem. I took my PAs out and practiced going in and out if the surf to see what the boat will do and how I would react to it. Do this before you go out to fish without your gear.

The reverse thing is no issue you will not need to do this. DO HAVE a paddle with you at all times though. I have the T handle and have half a paddle on both of the PAs I use it while going into the surf for balance and to help paddle out.

No matter what you do have all your stuff tied down before entering the surf. A wave will wash over you and your stuff will float away even if you dont flip. Tie it down lol. When a large wave crashes on you in the PA the PA will want to roll the water out. Try to stabilize to the opposite way and wait for it to drain out then your good. This is where the practice you'll do pays off.

While out I the ocean you'll have no issues during normal weather. Remember you are a very small boat, watch the weather around you and pay attention to the wind. The wind will be the worst thing you encounter I think.

So in the end Practice with it, tie down all things, watch the weather, and wear a PFD (always)

Good luck.

_________________
University of West Florida Student
US Army Ranger 2/75(former)
2015 Hobie PA 17T

I fish offshore here in Northern California all the time. In fact I was out there yesterday. I have no issues with waves. My launch is somewhat protected from our primary swell which is from the North West. The beach I launch from is usually getting waves that are less than knee high and it's a piece of cake launching and recovering. Once out on the ocean I've fished in swells as big as 9ft in 8sec. It's no fun bouncing and bobbing all over the place while trying to fish but I haven't had any problems with waves inundating the boat. Sure I get a few waves that come over the bow and onto the front hatch cover but I rarely get any of that water into the cockpit. The bow recovers quickly enough that the water usually drains off the sides of the hatch cover rather than running far enough back to reach me. Not that it matters as the scuppers drain off the water very quickly.

In a moderate swell of 4-5ft at 10sec the boat is very comfortable to fish from. I was out there in similar conditions yesterday for around 7hrs.

Is the PA the perfect ocean fishing craft? I would say no. Does it work well enough if you occasionally make trips to the big blue? Heck yeah it does!! I'm completely impressed with my Pro Angler 14. After almost three years fishing from it I couldn't see me owning any other kayak!! I've fished the Pacific, the Atlantic, rivers, lakes, inshore saltwater in the South East, the Florida Keys, etc. It's definitely a versatile hull that excels in many situations. The one are it does not shine in is getting it across soft sand!!!! You definitely need to be strong and or get the biggest Wheeleze cart you can. The new Hobie Trax 2-30 cart is a great investment if you're going to be doing beach launches!!!!!

I fish my PA14 in the ocean quite a bit and agree with the tips and advice already mentioned here. If you have the chance, another suggestion would be to first take it empty to a calm body of water (lake, harbor.....even a swimming pool works) and practice getting back in from outside with your PFD on. Try it with the kayak upright, then a couple times having to flip it and getting back in. There are some helpful videos on the web that cover this. The PA is super stable, but stuff can happen based on various things. Good to know if you can flip it and get back in if you ever have to. A length of rope tied to one of the side handles is helpful for leverage in turning the PA back over. Whether you plan on surf launching, or launching from a boat ramp, it may help.

Thank you all for taking the time to give advice. I bought the PA14 yesterday and had maiden voyage today. Was not very rough today, so was not able to assess the rough-water handling, but nevertheless was incredible. I loved it. Comfortable seat, easy peddling, very stable ride, no complaints. Did not catch anything, but can not blame that on the vessel! Happy to be in the club.

First and foremost is to know and appreciate both your boat and your own limitations and if the conditions seem to rough to postpone your fishing trip and stay on shore. All to often after all the preparation and a drive to the ocean they feel compelled to go out and ignore their gut feelings.

I use the weather channel on my VHF radio to check at the house the current buoy conditions as to swell high and period and wind velocity and direction and use this information in deciding whether to go out and where to launch from. I have multiple options as to where I can launch including 3 harbors and two coves that are good when the surf is up to avoid a surf entry.

A PA boat is going to be more difficult to punch through a wave than a Revo or regular ocean kayak and sometimes there are ways to get through it regardless and other times it is better to consider your other options. Areas that can be like a lake on some days can have 5-10 foot surf on others and needless to say I avoid using these spots when the surf is high.

Tides are also a factor and areas may be fine for beach launching at high tide but very challenging and possibly dangerous with a low tide and with an outgoing tidal flow that can "trip" the waves.

The smaller the boat the greater the skill level needed and the greater the need to know when not to go out. Three deaths in northern CA in the past month were the result of people going out in bad conditions that were too much for them and they paid the price as did their families and friends.

Great discussion


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Gazoo, I have had my 14' PA for 5+ years and have never had a need to reverse my Mirage drive, that is what the paddle is for.
If you are going to fish the ocean in cold water areas then "dress for immersion". If you fall out of the PA in cold waters hypothermia does not take long to overcome you.
Also, if you are dumped in the surf you do not want that heavy PA to smash into you!
Here is a video of how cold water will affect you, note these people are experienced strong swimmers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... 1xohI3B4Uc

If you do get thru surf and upon return it is bad. Turn boat around and face the waves and let waves push you back to beach. It's a lot easier to keep perpendicular to the waves when you are facing them. If it's to rough at launch you probably won't be able to make any headway trying to paddle off beach. The PA is a great fishing platform but it's width and weight can be a drawback at times.

PA is awesome i love it in ocean lakes rivers whatever... But beach break launches suck but are doable. The trick is to pull the drive & rudder, time your launch between sets and paddle out quickly past the break