hey mudslinger,

       Ihave a 12' heritage redfish sot, love it.

very stable fish fresh and salt with feet hanging over the side, never feel like I'm going to tip.

good tracking, a bit heavy at 65 lbs. but not impossable to move

good luck on your decision.

Jim

 

ps. try before you buy, if possable.

i agree with nhjim1 , we have a redfish , a mantaray , a malibu , and a grand slam . all four of them are very stable . the native mantaray is the fastest due to the fact it is a tad bit narrower , but it does not take much to make them move . they all trac very well . your best bet is to try out many types before picking just one . good luck in your venture .

fishing is life , everything else is just details . and i prefer my tails with specks or spots .15 miles NE of austin

after reread your post , it clicked .  take a look at the native web site . the native mantaray 14 that my son has is perfect for camping . they have a large dry storage hatch in front and a tank well in back that is cut out to hold a full size ice chest . i am not saying this is the one for you , it's just the one that i use , but it can give you an idea on storage uses ..

fishing is life , everything else is just details . and i prefer my tails with specks or spots .15 miles NE of austin

what would be the best kayak for salt water fishing

on the coast , we like sit on tops . easy to hang your legs over the side , fishing sideways . they are  also easy for wade fishing the flats . as for witch kayak , that's personal preference . i fish the grass flats out around the bays , so my heritage redfish 14' works best for me . my oldest son likes his native mantaray 14'. my eight year old loves his mini X, though he does not travel as far as we do . the wind coming off the coast later in the day  can make the paddle back a little crazy , so any boat with a rudder will make the trip back with less trouble . we have a trip to rockport planned for oct8th- oct11th . it's called the redfish round up . anywhere from thirty to forty yaks camping and fishing for four days . you can check it out on AustinKayakFishing.com  , click on forum , then click on Events , redfish round up is at the top . you can find a ton of info on everything under their forums .

fishing is life , everything else is just details . and i prefer my tails with specks or spots .15 miles NE of austin

I have a Wilderness systems Tarpon 120. It is very stable. I usually fish the flats and creeks, but have gone out in the blue several times. It's even stable fighting a 5' sand shark. The rule of thumb is the longer the faster. I also have a Ocean Kayak Scupper Classic 14'. It cuts the water a lot easier and makes long paddles more enjoyable. But it is a little less stable, but it is 2" thinner than the Tarpon.