My Journey to Find the Right Fishing Platform: The Old Town Predator

Most of my life I have either fished from the bank or out of the boat. In 2012 while living in Arlington, Texas after finishing college, I had very little access to quality fishing spots due to crowds of people swarming to the good banks with decent water access or having a fence line with one of those "Private Property" signs blocking the "honey hole"! So I ventured out to search for what has now become a great love of mine and my go to way to hit the water...kayak fishing. Kayak fishing is a whole new challenge in itself and when you successfully land that 1st big fish, the feeling is unexplainable and gives such a rush and feeling of accomplishment.

My first purchase was actually an Old Town Saranac 146 Canoe. Being in Arlington, TX, I really enjoyed this canoe to hit the lakes with my Golden Retriever, Andi. I had plenty of space to throw all my fishing gear as well as an ice chest for those long days on the water. Several nice bass were caught from the Old Town Saranac Canoe.

My Golden Retriever, Andi

Joe Pool Lake (Arlington, TX) 

Lake Arlington (Arlington, TX)

In 2013, I moved back home to the Houston, TX area which put me less than an hour away from the coast. The canoe made the move back with me but with the changing conditions from freshwater to saltwater, it was time to upgrade to my first kayak. After searching around for a few months, I found a good starter platform in the Native Manta Ray 12 Angler. This kayak is a good starter platform and gave me the ability to access shallow back lakes and marsh areas, which are prime for redfish during certain months of the year.

I fished the Manta Ray 12 for a solid year becoming familiar with navigating the bays and growing my knowledge of kayak angling. I enjoyed the Manta Ray 12 as it is a good starter platform for the beginning kayak angler. Its comfortable seat made it easy to sit in for those several hours on the bay and the tracking and speed were fairly good as well. I felt the best advantage of the 12' kayak is the ability to navigate through narrow drains and tight marsh areas where some other larger kayaks would have slight difficulty getting through. However, the style of fishing that I enjoy involves having the stability to stand while poling grass lines, flats or back in the marsh...the Manta Ray was not stable enough to allow me to do this.

So near the end of 2013, I knew what I would look for in my next kayak and began to make a checklist.  I wanted something that was:

1. Stable enough to allow me to stand up while poling, casting or landing fish.
2. Adjustable seating system with higher vantage point.
3. Pedal craft or some form of a drive system to allow me to maintain position while drifting and the ability to cover more ground.
4. Bare platform with the ability to customize the kayak to fit my needs.

Having these items in mind, I set out in search for my next kayak.  I researched and checked reviews on numerous platforms and made several trips to Austin Canoe and Kayak as well as Fishing Tackle Unlimited. My search was narrowed down between two highly rated angling kayaks, the Hobie Pro-Angler and the Old Town Predator. After looking in to it further, there was no question that the Old Town Predator was the right choice for me and the style that I like to fish.  With its open design, Old Town has left the option for the angler to modify the platform to fit their individual personality which is a huge benefit given that every kayak angler prefers different setups and placements for equipment and mounts. I really enjoy the six interchangeable mounting plates that give me the flexibility to have various mounts and the option to change out plates with only four screws if I want to add or modify any placement of one of my mounts.  Also, the rear tank well fits a Coleman 70Q Cooler perfect to use as an ice chest or to convert into a live well to keep your trophy catch alive for those tournament days on the water. Please check out my future post on how I rigged up my Old Town Predator 13 including the live well system with my modified Coleman Cooler.

In the search for the new kayak, I have fulfilled all but one of the items I was searching for on my checklist. The Hobie Pro-Angler met all the items but of course had some negatives which swayed me to decide on the Old Town Predator 13, which was the RIGHT choice. The Mirage Drive System on the Hobie Pro-Angler is a nice setup which allows anglers to have a foot propelled drive system and leaves for hands free fishing...but for the shallow style of fishing that I search out for, this would not work for me majority of the time i'm on the water. The Drive System works well in deeper water as the fins extend approximately 18" beneath the boat. However, you can short stroke in shallower water but this would mean I would be short stroking most of my trips or having to remove the entire mirage drive system completely and paddle the 138 pound kayak, which isn't always the easiest of tasks.

At the end of the day, cost was a large deciding factor. At nearly 1/3 of the cost, the Old Town Predator 13 allowed me to use that difference to rig out the platform with the electronics and mounts of my choice right after I picked her up from Austin Canoe & Kayak. I have been extremely satisfied with the Predator 13 platform with its ease of poling along the flats or in the marsh. I have landed several nice fish as well as winning my first tournament from it. I look forward to every trip I get to take on the Predator and look forward to several more tournament earnings with this platform.

If you are in the market for a kayak, I would recommend checking out the Predator Series from Old Town Canoe & Kayak.  They have two other models in the Predator Series including the Predator MX, which is the shorter version of my Predator 13, and the Predator XL, which is the newest member to the Predator Family. It has a similar design to the Predator 13 but comes with the option to outfit with a Minn Kota trolling motor and foot controlled rudder for complete hands free fishing. Check them out today and let me know when you pick one up, until next time...

Keep your Tail Dirty, and Fish On!

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