Questions for kayak anglers.

quote:

---

Most around here including myself have Hobie Outbacks. I know a few that have Natives and Old Towns. Depends on which pedal style you prefer. Yes on the Frontier. Just make sure you use a red flag.

---

Thanks for the response. What do you mean by "pedal style" and when it comes to propulsion, you prefer fins I assume, but are there advantages to propeller?

Prop drive and mirage drive have pros and cons. Mirage drive handles grass better. Peddle drive, you can beat the piss out of it and it still runs. Both are fast. Just depends on the person and style of kayak.

quote:

---

If fishing the marsh/inshore I would get the Mirage drive, you can flutter it in shallow water whereas you'll have to pull up a prop drive and paddle when the water is low. If i only fished 1.5ft+ water I would get one of the prop drives, but I mostly do inshore and unfortunately Hobie is the only choice with a modern Mirage style drive. As someone else said I would stay away from the 360 drive tho. I prefer the 180 Mirage drive with the kick up fins since i hit shite with the fins all the time. check out bayoucoast.com if you are looking for a group to fish with.

---

What's the difference?

360 and 180 Mirage drive. Wait, the answer just came to me. Never mind.

I bought a Bonafide pedal drive last year. I like it. It is a prop, not fins. I have a Nissan Titan and it fits in the back of my truck. I bought the 12ft. It is heavier but nothing you could not handle.

Ok, so I picked up a 2025 native slayer 12.5. Any suggestions on outfitting, other than a crate box? Any tips on staying upright, maintenance, in's and out's and what have you's?

Any thoughts specifically on anchoring systems?

I'm all ears.

Stay outta my way when I’m running wide arse open in my glitter boat!!

lol, just messing with ya, I been wanting a kayak for the lil river around my camp in MS to float down and cast a line. Problem is I need 4 of them cause wife and kids will want one also.

Let us know how ya like that one.

quote:

---

Ok, so I picked up a 2025 native slayer 12.5

---

I was considering that one pretty hard but ended up getting the Titan. It was a tough decision cause the Slayer is a really sweet rig. Congrats! I’m sure you’ll love it!

quote:

---

Any suggestions on outfitting, other than a crate box?

---

I’m a minimalist. I prefer to have as little as possible with me on the kayak. But you can get crazy with it and do all kinds of stuff if you wanted to. I will be putting a battery, fish finder, and maybe some lighting on mine. But that’s about it. Look at YakAttack for paddle holders, fish finder mounts, and similar stuff. Yak-power has power and lighting systems if you want to do any of that.

quote:

---

Any tips on staying upright,

---

Keep your weight centered in the middle of the boat. Don’t make sudden movements to the side.

quote:

---

maintenance, in's and out's and what have you's?

---

Clean it well after every trip. Store it out of direct sunlight. Wipe it down with some 303 Marine and Aerospace UV protectant. Covering it would probably make a big difference even if out of the sun.

As for the propel drive they have a maintenance schedule in the manual.

quote:

---

Any thoughts specifically on anchoring systems?

---

I stopped carrying and using an anchor not long after I got my first kayak. More trouble than it’s worth. Even on a paddling kayak. You could go the micro power pole route if you don’t mind spending the money.

quote:

---

I picked up a 2025 native slayer 12.5

---

I have an older 12.5’ Slayer Propel. It’s so stable - I don’t think I’ve ever felt tipsy in it and I spend most of my fishing time standing up. I like to point at the bank and let the wind or current push me along. If I get too far or too close to the bank, I lean forward and crank the pedals with my hand a cycle or two to adjust.

You’ll be fine with a bed extender but you’ll probably want a trolly to get it to the water. I have a C-Tug and it has been great but you might also look at the Sidekick system for Natives.

I have an anchor trolley on one side of the kayak and it makes fishing so much better, especially on windy days. The store where I bought the kayak installed it for free when I bought the kayak.

I have a small fish finder with the transducer on an arm that hangs over the side.

One of the knocks against the Slayer Propel was it was very slow turning but you could buy an after-market kit to upgrade your rudder. One other thing is the propel unit needs to be greased after every use. Not a huge deal but you’ll need a tool called a spanner wrench to do so. Keep in mind this applies to my 2016 (I think) kayak so this might have changed.

You made a good choice!