Sit-in-Kayak vs Sit-on-Top for offshore ocean fishing

This is my first post because I am a beginner ocean off-shore fishing kayaker. I deep-sea and offshore in large center counsels but want to begin angling in kayak. I had a Hobie Quest that a renter left on shore and it went out to sea on high tide... arghh! I also want to be able to use it to snorkel access reefs, conch diving, etc.

My wife and I are going to purchase two new/used fishing kayaks to fish/snorkerl in Little Cayman on calm days (winds less than 8 knots) both inside and outside reef, deep and shallow waters, never any real surf or rough seas, and in shallow and deep deep water. We catch a lot of large fish and aggressive fish (10# barracuda, 10# grouper and sapper, Tarpon 5# to 50#, hoping for a Black fin tuna #5 to 40#). I have read a lot about the differences between Sit-in-kayaks (SIK) and sit-on-top kayaks (SOT) but never consulted other anglers. So please chime in with your recommendations and why based on your experience.

1. What are the benefits of a SOT vs SIK in ocean offshore fishing?
2. Is Mirage system have any good benefits in off-shore type fishing?
3. Why is a Hobie Angler worth the extra$ rather than a Quest?
4. How much stand-up fishing have you done and if so you probably recommend a SOT with a swiveling chair, correct?
5. Bottom fishing and casting...

Any advice is appreciated, I intend to purchase kayaks two before August.
My wife was really happy with her Quest-11' because was each to track and was light weight. I am 230# and seek comfort and stability cause I am out for 2-3t hours
Thanks!
Terry

Where to start!? First of all greetings from your neighboring island! I'm Jamaican but live in Florida now and have been fishing out of Hobies for 4 years now. In that time I've owned 4 Hobie Mirage models: Sport, Revolution11, Outback, Revolution13 (in that order). You will not find a more capable craft for kayak fishing, and I speak from experience nearshore (mangroves & grass flats) and offshore (up to 3 miles out and as deep as 400ft). On to your specific questions...

1. What are the benefits of a SOT vs SIK in ocean offshore fishing?
I cannot think of ANY advantage offered by a Sit-In kayak where fishing is concerned. SIK are great for covering ground; they're sleek and fast and are more for touring. They are usually long and narrow and can be a bit tippy for the beginner. They are designed to be used with a rubber/neoprene skirt to keep water out of the kayak from waves and roll-overs. This can be uncomfortably hot during summer in our location.
On the other hand, Sit-on-top kayaks offer a much more comfortable design for the tropics: you can jump off, re-enter, or splash water into the cockpit, all without worry of taking on water inside the hull. Hobie's molded in rod holders and recessed tankwell mean you have space for rods, gear, and a catchbag. When properly mounted and sealed, you can have fish finder and gps installed on hobies too!

2. Mirage system have any good benefits in off-shore type fishing?
YES! Three major advantages. First, your legs will not tire out as quickly as your upper body, so you can typically cover more water with a mirage drive than paddling. Second, you are pedaling so your hands are free to handle rods/tackle or you can use the mirage drive to chase down bigger fish like tarpon when you hook up and start fighting. Third, if you catch a fish you wish to revive and release (like a sailfish) you can easily do so with your hands while you pedal the kayak.

3. Why is a Hobie Angler worth the extra$ rather than a Quest?
I think you need some clarification here. Did you mean the Pro Angler series of Hobies? Because yes, they are expensive! But they are expensive because of size and complexity. For a few hundred less I really recommend the Outback for you. At 205lbs, I was very comfortable in the Outback, and you probably will be too. It offers 4 molded-in rod holders, 400lbs capacity, excellent stability, and is very offshore-sea-worthy. The paddle kayaks are always going to be cheaper since they do not have rudders or mirage drives, and if that's your preference there is nothing wrong with that!

4. How much stand-up fishing have you done and if so you probably recommend a SOT with a swiveling chair, correct?
I do not stand up to fish, it makes no difference offshore to me and the kayak I have chosen to use (revolution 13) is hard to stand up in anyway. However many of my friends do stand up if/when they are fishing inshore or on the flats. For that you need a kayak you are comfortable standing in and this is where a sturdy wide kayak like the Pro Angler really shines. With that said, you can still stand in an Outback, though some practice may be necessary. None of the Hobies come with a swiveling chair, and actually none of the fishing kayaks on the market do either, it would only be a detriment to stability as you are paddling/pedaling.

5. Bottom fishing and casting...
I do a lot of vertical jigging in 300'+ and I feel very comfortable doing so. Resist the urge to sit "side-saddle" until you are more comfortable with your own balancing skills, and even then I don't do this for fear of sharks, or big amberjack pulling me overboard. Casting is also fine in the kayak, but as a powerboat person, you may need to get used to doing everything from a seated position.

Good luck in your search!
If your wife likes the Quest11, try the Revolution11. Same dimensions, but with the mirage drive.
You sound like you could be comfortable in an Outback or Pro Angler (comes in 12ft and 14ft).

PS: regardless of the kayak you end up choosing, remember to add a tether to your rods and paddle because accidents happen and roll-overs are just a rite of passage for the kayak angler. As you get more familiar with the sport and gauge the weather conditions better, you may not need the tethers as often.

Jcanracer,

Thank you kindly for your response and detail. I am going to seriously look for a Revolution 11 with Mirage for my wife and look for a Outback Mirage 12 for myself. I really appreciate your detail and experience. From one islander to the other-thanks.

We are also former powerboaters (we had a 24ft sea ray), but found it increasingly difficult to fill up the 80 gallon fuel tank and the $400/mo dry storage fees, plus the maintainence money pit living in salt water. We sold the SeaRay and bought an Oasis and a couple Revo 13's all with the sail kits and never looked back. We are mostly out in south florida and the keys mostly offshore, our main interest is scuba diving, snorkling, which includes spear fishing (where you can select from the menu (lol)), and my wife has a serious Lobster addiction. We discovered over time that the Keys are huge and surrounding most if the Islands is nothing but bare sand (nothingness). We discovered all the interesting stuff for us anyway was always further out than we were comfortable with and not even mentioning the sometimes fierce currents around Key West, and the difference between my wifes and my abilities, where we would sometimes go out, and she would get too tired, and I would have to tow her back. After a while we pretty much only used the Tandem Oasis so we could take turns pedaling. Then in 2010 we bought a Tandem Island and never looked back, we love the boat, and feel much more secure out in open water, and with the sail rig our range is greatly extended. The boat has become our family boat (totally replacing the sea ray), with the tramps on when we have visiters from up north, we can take out as many as 4 adults, and have an absolute blast everytime we go out.
We don't always go out in big water, we also like kayaking up rivers and mangroves in back waters, we found if not needed we simply leave the AMA's and big sails at home or on the trailer then go out in the fastest and easiest to pedal kayak we have ever owned (Hobie doesn't even advertise the TI as just a kayak alone, but in my opinion it's their best kayak (just as a kayak).
We ended up selling our Oasis and Revo's and only use the TI anymore, pretty much every weekend year round, we love it.
There are a lot of expert anglers (like Yakass) who regularly post videos pulling in giant marlin and swordfish from their Adventure boats. Most discribe the Adventure boats to be the ultimate offshore weapon, especially if your going deep offshore for the big game (so I've been told). The adventure line of boats are comparably priced to the PA line, but in my opinion more stable and capable offshore.
Of course all my opinions are my own, and am only discribing what has worked well for us and our own lifestyle.
Hope this helps you decide.
Bob
PS:
Our greatest fear kayaking off of tiny islands, is being blown out to sea by either wind changes or fierce currents, where even pedaling with all we have, the boat is blown out to sea (this has happened to us multiple times) which can become very dangerous, especially in south Florida in the summer where we get sometimes daily severe thunderstorms that pop up suddenly most every afternoon. It can get quite dangerous out there. (Just FYI). Of course if you want to stay light and small my fav is still the Revo 13, though I've never driven an Outback I think it's possibly the most popular fishing kayak Hobie makes, I've heard nothing but good things about both.

I agree with everything which jcanracer said.

I have thirty years of whitewater kayaking experience, and a lot of kayak fishing experience as well. When I started kayak fishing and spearfishing, I got a sit-on-top paddle kayak and used it for several years. Then I tried out an Outback and was immediately and completely sold on the advantages of Mirage Drive kayaks. Now I do all my lake and ocean fishing on a Revolution. I only use my paddle kayaks for river fishing (including fishing on multi-day unsupported whitewater kayak trips) and spearfishing.

First, the advantages of sit-on-top kayaks over sit-inside kayaks: It's way easier to mount and store fishing gear on a sit-on-top kayak. I have a fish finder, rod holders, a downrigger, a cooler, a tackle box, and various fishing accessories mounted on my Revolution. It would be difficult or impossible to mount many of these accessories on a sit-inside kayak. For some kinds of fishing such as fly fishing you don't need to mount a lot of accessories on your kayak, but the ability to mount gear on a sit-on-top is very valuable. You can turn sideways on a sit-on-top kayak to play fish and reach gear located behind your seat, which is impossible in a sit-inside kayak. You can easily climb out of a sit-on-top kayak to wade fish or get to shore; it's a bit more of a hassle to climb out of a sit-inside kayak. If you flip a sit-on-top kayak, it only takes a couple of seconds to flip it back upright and climb back on top of it, and you will get little or no water inside it in the process. In a sit-inside kayak, if you have a solid roll, you are relatively indestructible. If you flip over, you just roll back up and continue paddling. But if you swim out of a sit-inside kayak, it'll fill up with water, and if you're away from shore, getting back into the kayak and getting the water out by yourself is difficult. Most sit-inside kayakers can't get back into a swamped kayak out on the water by themselves, even in completely calm water. They need help from two or more experienced kayakers to drain the water out and get back into the kayak. It's easy to anchor a sit-on-top kayak out in the water and use it as a platform for snorkeling or scuba diving. That is almost impossible from a sit-inside kayak.

Second, the advantage of pedal kayaks over paddle kayaks: You can use both hands to fish, eat lunch, put on suntan lotion, or whatever while pedaling along. You can go a lot faster in a pedal kayak than a paddle kayak. Because you use the big muscles in your legs to pedal a kayak, you can go a lot further and faster in a pedal kayak without getting tired. However, I don't use my Revolution on rivers unless they are reliably more than 3 or 4 feet deep, because of the risk of ramming the drive into the bottom or other obstacles. Paddle kayaks are much better for use on fast-moving and/or shallow rivers. Another disadvantage of Mirage Drive kayaks is that the drive only pushes you forward. To back up, you need to get out the paddle. But for lake and ocean fishing, I always use my Revolution rather than my paddle sit-on-top.

With respect to standing up: I never stand up in my Revolution. I have seen kayakers stand up on Outbacks, even in the ocean, but it's kind of a stunt, and you take the risk of ending up in the water. If you want to do kinds of fishing where you stand up, you'd be better off with a Pro Angler. The disadvantage of Pro Anglers is that they are big and heavy, and very few people carry them on top of their vehicles. Most Pro Angler owners carry them on a trailer or in the back of a pickup.

With respect to buying your wife an 11' Revolution: A 13' Revolution is a faster kayak than either an 11' Revolution or an Outback. Buying your wife an 11' Revolution would be an excellent idea if you want to minimize the chances that she will be constantly pedaling faster than you are in an Outback. Consider instead buying a 13' Revolution and an Outback. Depending on how experienced of a kayaker your wife is, she may prefer to use the wider and more stable Outback. And that pair of kayaks will let you choose which kayak you want to use for fishing from day to day. For example, if you might want to stand up, you could use the Outback, and if you want to cover some distance off-shore, you could use the Revolution.