# Need advice on Perception Sports Caster



## smlobx (Jul 3, 2009)

My wife and I are about to take the plunge so to speak and pick up a couple of yaks for exercise and fishing.
We live at Smith Mt. Lake in Va and have a place in Hatteras
Given that they seem to be closing more and more of the beaches in Hatteras it seems like a great idea to pick up a couple of yaks to fish on the sound side near where JAM goes...

I saw the Native Manta Ray 14 and thought it looked like a great boat (I'm 5'-9", 200#, 54 YO) as the seat looked very comfortable
Then I saw this on sale and was wondering if anyone has experience with it either for me or for my wife

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p...Id=3902129&cp=2367438.2367826.2672651.2674153

We can get it considerably cheaper than list price but don't want to get something that we'll regret in short order.

Unfortunately, we don't have any demo days nearby in the future.

Comments? Also looking for advise on paddles. I'm more inclined to spend a few bucks on a good paddle and keep it for a while rather than getting something cheap (i.e. heavy) and regretting it.

Thanks for your help.


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## husker1 (Nov 17, 2009)

I bought one about a year ago and don't have any complaints yet. I use it on the rivers inlets and kerr dam with a few small gadgets and a little rigging I have found this to be a very good entry level yak I know there are better ones but for the price it is a good yak very stable it does sit low in the water so expect to be wet. But all in all I love it if you have any questions fill free to ask.


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## smlobx (Jul 3, 2009)

Thanks Husker. I read the reviews about it being wet but that doesn't bother me (yet).
What kind of gadgets did you put on yours?


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

It's a wet ride, but a really, really good starter yak. It has decent speed and stability. If you have a chance take a look at the Perception Pescador as well. It's the prior generation Tarpon.


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## saltrunner (Dec 28, 2010)

If you can spend $120 on a paddle, get an Aquabound Manta Ray Hybrid paddle with the simple button ferrule. They weigh around 30 ounces. These are the carbon shaft with the white blades not the orange bladded glass shaft ones. My wife has the Bending Branches Slice hybrid carbon with a small diameter shaft that is light as well. You will be doing a lot of paddling at Smith mtn lake so go as light as you afford. 

If you do buy a kayak at Dicks, inspect the hulls. I looked at those when searching for a yak for my wife. Some had shipping damage and one had a wavy bottom.


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## c0ch3s3 (Jul 10, 2009)

i recently purchased a new kayak. i was at dicks and i saw the kayak in question. i had also read the reviews about it sitting low in the water and it being a wet ride. this lead me to keep looking around so i left dicks to take a look at what bass pro had to offer. i ended up getting the Ascend FS12T from bass pro. price on it is 479.00 and this was the deciding factor. i have only been using it for about a week now but its been a great first boat so far and there wasnt another boat in the same price range that came close to it. only thing i dont like about it is the seat that it comes with. its uncomfortable after about an hour or so. might just be my butt isnt used to sitting in a yak for any length of time, though. that perception definitely has more storage compartments.


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## Cerberus (Nov 1, 2007)

I bought the Perception Caster at Dicks in January, intending to use it mostly in the Indian River and off the beach. I got it on a whim because the price was right (on sale for $499 and I asked for, and got, a further 10% discount), it got good reviews and looked ready to fish just as it came from the store. After I bought it I saw the Ascend FS12T at Bass Pro, and with my discount there I could have got it for about $400. After considering both yaks I kept the Perception.

So far I have mostly used it in the lake behind my house, with one trip on open water at Flamingo. The boat performs perfectly in the lake, as you would expect. I weigh about 210 and with the scupper holes open the boat will get water in it, but when plugged it stays dry. The yak is pretty stable and fast, no trouble keeping it in a straight line even in wind. Two things about this boat and handling: Its has a low profile so it doesn't catch wind and it has zero rocker, so it is slow to turn when paddling at speed.

The Flamingo trip was on a crappy day, cold and windy. We left the marina a little after 7 am and got back at 3:30 pm. 8 1/2 hours in that seat and paddling about 8 miles taught me alot about the boat.

1) It gets wet. It's a sit-on-top, get used to it. The bit about the wet seat is true. There is no drain hole under the seat so water will pool there. That's not really a problem with one exception: When the seat well is full of water the lower rim of the round hatch is under water, and whatever is in there will get wet. I will add a flat washer to make this more water proof. Other than that, I really didn't notice that I was sitting in that seat for 8 hours. I ended the day with the scupper plugs removed and just accepted some water in the boat.

2) The adjustable foot pegs, in my opinion, are superior to the molded in foot rests found on yaks like the Ascend FS12T. They provided a solid foot rest when paddling and fishing.

3) Rod holders and the back well area were easy enough to reach while fishing. The provided Scotty adjustable mount was nicer than the unit on the Ascend. It was pretty wavy and I took some water over the bow and sides. The "tupperware" front hatch stayed tight and dry. At the end of the day there was maybe 1/4 cup of water inside the hull.

4) The hull is not as sculpted as yaks like the Ascend or Ocean Kayak's but the low, mostly smooth profile meant no snagging the anchor lines, easy to move the rods around the front and sides, etc. I didn't get out and wade at Flamingo because of the mud bottom but this is a very easy boat to get in and out of on the water.

5) Lots of cleats and anchor points are provided. The rubber handles and bungee paddle keepers are well made and work as intended. The overall build quality looked first rate.

On the Flamingo trip my buddy was on his maiden open water voyage with his new Hobie Pro Angler. I was consistently faster paddling than him pedaling, but he had hands free to fish on the move, could stand up to fish and pee, and spent $2500 more than I did. 

I'll be able to tell you more once I get the yak up to the condo in Jensen and use it on the ocean. There are a couple guys in my buildings that fish on Ocean Kayaks and I notice that they get pretty wet too. The flared bow and more hull rocker on the OK's may make surf launching & landing easier, but not noticeably drier.

I think that for a starter yak this is a good buy. You will quickly learn if kayak fishing is for you, and if it's not they have a good rep and you can sell it quickly. In fact, the manager at Dick's told me if I didn't like it I could return it within 90 (!) days, as long as it was in good condition. As for me it will probably do everything I want a fishing kayak to do. I need to get into the skinny water on the river and flats and I wanted a smaller easy to handle boat for fishing off the beach. This looks like it will be fine.


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## smlobx (Jul 3, 2009)

Thanks Cerberus- That's pretty much what we've discovered so far using it at the lake we live at. I think we might just take a sponge with us on longer trips to bail any water getting in the cockpit. The seat was more comfortable than I thought it might be (I have a bad back...) for the hour or so I have been in it.
Gettin some new carbon paddles today and can't wait to try them out.
I think once I figure out howw to rig an anchor trolly it should be alot of fun fishing in the sound side of Hatteras


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