Kayaks and fishing

[Mykal]

Im looking to buy a kayak shortly. Ill mainly use it for fishing and day trips I think.

Anyone know of any good day trips in the SW part of the state with nothing more then class 1 and 2's?

Ill have my 5 y.o. in the kayak with me the majority of the time so we are just looking for a fun day out with little chance of rolling over.

[limegreentj]

why not a canoe?

if you dont plan on getting wild, canoes are nice, roomy and less likely to flip

[Mykal]

I plan on taking it through Class I, II, and III's when I dont have my lil one with me. I dont like Canoes. They are large and cumbersome.
I like to fish so I know Ill primarily use it for that.

I know where there are class II and III creeks locally but I dont know any day long floats in the area that would be suitable to take the lil one in the kayak with me. If no one chimes in then Ill start scouting local creeks.

[condortaco01]

The Conemaugh from Johnstown to Saltsburg, the Loyalhanna from Latrobe to the lake or below the dam to Saltsburg. The Kiskiminetas from saltsburg to Apollo. All of these trips are multiple day/night but you can put in or get out in a lot of places. You'll be able to catch anything from catfish to smallmouth bass to pike, musky, perch, walleye, crappie....anything you want to catch. I've got a couple kayaks if you want to come try it out sometime. There are 2 lakes and 3 rivers all within 5 minutes of my house.

[mangotango]

Middle Yough -- from Confluence to Ohiopyle. 2s maybe if the water is high. GREAT fishing for most of the length. It's a Trophy Trout Project and also has good smallmouth as well.

[JeepSteeler]

I'm thinking some options would be rather limited due to the low water levels from the recent conditions. The Yough from West Newton might be a good pick. I've done most of my kayaking up north so I don't know too much about the lower SW corner. Dutch Fork I think is too small but the lake is decent.

X2 on Middle Yough at Confluence. Great trout fishing, I've caught lots of big browns on that stretch.

[ridgerunner97]

Yough from Connellsville down to Buena Vista or Coulter is some awesome smallie fishing and an easy float.

[jeepin ruby]

I usually float from buena-Vista to my house, but I've floated every bit of the Yough. Yes the middle Yough is probably the best. I just go further down cause its more convenient. Great fishing anywhere on that river really.

Just floated down from buena-Vista on sunday. It's a nice calm float if you got the kiddo and its not too far from ya.
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I killed smallmouth all day. Most were avg size. One was pretty big. Caught a nice cat and a sauger too.
I have maps n info on how long it will take you to get from x-x. If you need anything let me know.

[Mykal]

Thanks for the info so far! Ill be getting some more detailed info on floats once I pick one up. I should be getting one around the middle of August.

Ive only been in two so far. A coleman badger that was 9'7" and the old towne fishing kayak that was 10'.
I liked the speed and size of the badger bod the opening wasnt to great for hauling the kiddo around. The size would be great for class 1s and 2s I think.
The old towne had a great size opening and tracked great but the size would be a bit cumbersome for calss 2's I think. It would also be great to haul everything for an overnight trip if need be.

Ill probably grab one of each though and use the 10' primarily for fishing and day trips and the smaller one for Hedds and if I go alone.

[JeepSteeler]

I have the non-angler version of this boat: http://www.pelicansport.com/index.ph...boat=KIA10P300

Nice size - just shy of 10'. Good compromise between stability on creeks and tracking on lakes for a kayak at the lower end of the price spectrum ($300-$400ish). Dunham's usually carries it, sometimes Dicks. I will probably get the Angler version at some point.

[mangotango]

If you go Middle Yough, you can put in at Ram Cat -- anyone in Ohiopyle can tell you how to get there. If you want to float it before you buy a kayak, the outfitters in Ohiopyle regularly run trips from Ram Cat down to town. You can rent a two-seat inflatable kayak that has room for a small cooler and is tough enough to fish from. I've done it a couple of times, once with a 7-year-old. It's a nice trip. Bring lots of sunscreen.

[mangotango]

Oh, if you want to float that section with another adult or even alone, rent a "shredder." Basically two inflatable pontoons with a flat platform between them. Easier to fish from, room for tackle boxes, etc. But I wouldn't put a young kid on one unless you want to spend the day fishing him out of the river.

[JeepSteeler]

^ the shredders are a blast! I agree though, a smaller child would get dunked constantly. I was on one with a friend (did the Loop) who had very little boating experience and I had to fish him out a few times. Once you get the hang of that craft it is really fun. I don't know about trying to fish off of one though, I'd prefer a kayak. I didn't find sitting on the side of the shredder all the comfortable, so a longer slower day might not be that great IMHO.