The Best Fishing Kayaks of 2022

The popularity of kayaks is skyrocketing as of late, especially in an area where most people don’t consider kayaks as a major factor—fishing. The fact is, kayaks are fantastic for fishing. They’re stealthy, can go places even lightweight, aluminum flat bottoms can’t, and it’s easy to keep your gear and tackle close to hand. When you’re hitting the shallows during the spawning season for crappie, they’ll never see you coming. Plus, kayaks are incredibly customizable, with a massive and growing industry dedicated to converting your kayak into the ultimate fishing machine. Fishing kayaks are quickly becoming a dime-a-dozen commodity, so we’ve done the hard work for you, separating the wheat from the chaff and identifying the best fishing kayaks available today.

Jackson Bite Angler (Best Kayak Overall) Bonifide SS127 (Runner Up For Best Overall) Sun Dolphin Excursion 10 SS (Best Budget Fishing Kayak) Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 13 Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120

Jackson Bite Angler ( Best Kayak Overall)

This low-profile kayak is what Jackson Kayak calls an open-concept fishing kayak. It’s a sit-on-top kayak manufactured with polyethylene and is 11.5′ in length with a 36″ width. It can hold up to 400lbs. With its slim profile and design, the Jackson Bite Angler will be able to get you where the fish are, no matter how far out of the way they are. It’s also packed with storage areas, so your fishing customization options are nearly limitless.  It includes flush-mounted rod holders with recessed side pockets for securing your tackle boxes.      Pros

• The affordable price tag of $799
• Incredibly stable
• The deck is an open concept
• Loaded with storage options
• Plenty of rod options
• Low-profile, lightweight, access for out-of-the-way spots

    Cons

• Lacks the tracking of slimmer kayaks
• Seat mounting could be better

Bonafide SS127

It was a very close toss-up between the Bonafide SS127 and the Jackson Bite Angler. This kayak’s design was laser focused on the ability to stand and sit. It’s important to keep a low profile while fishing, but sometimes, anglers need to stand, and they made this kayak for those moments.  At 12’7″ in length with a 33.5″ wide center, the Bonafide offers good stability, both primary and secondary. Bonafide has its own YakAttack GearTrac gear designed for the ultimate option and customization choices for storing and grabbing your gear.  It also holds up to 475lbs, so feel free to stock that cooler.      Pros

• High-level of stability
• Excellent tracking for a fishing kayak
• Plenty of gear storage options
• Very comfortable seating
• Sit and stand design

    Cons

• It doesn’t come with the rudder designed for it

Sun Dolphin Excursion 10 SS

The Sun Dolphin may come in the 10′ length of a purely recreational kayak, but it’s also the best budget kayak for anglers you’re likely to find. It’s hard to find a sub-$500 kayak, much less a fishing kayak. For what it’s worth, Sun Dolphin also sells a more expensive, 12′ option. The standout feature of the Excursion SS is the volume of storage options. It also comes with a Personal Accessory Carrier for the gear you need to keep closely accessible. The articulating rod holder is well-built and convenient and comes with a hands-free electronics console. It lacks the stability of the above kayaks and is limited to 280lbs in capacity. However, it s very agile on the water, and it’s also an exceptionally comfortable kayak with a body contouring setup.     Pros

• Personal accessory carrier
• Very agile on the water
• Adjustable foot bracers
• Excellent, articulating rod holder
• Very comfortable seating

    Cons

• Not much weight capacity
• Sub-par stability

Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 13

This pedal kayak is a phenomenal fishing machine on the water. It doesn’t take the top spot because some anglers don’t like the pedal feature, and the pedals take up some space. The storage options are great as well. With a tilt-back captain’s chair and easy-to-access storage, the pedals become more of an afterthought. If you love range finders, Native Watercraft has your back as there is a mount for one on top of the pedal drive system. The rail system has plenty of space for any accessories you can think of, and it’s a very reasonably priced kayak.     Pros

• Excellent pedal drive system
• The rail system has a ton of accessory potential
• Plenty of storage
• Very stable
• Comfortable captain’s chair

    Cons

• Service and maintenance require a special kit, sold separately
• Rudder design isn’t the best

Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120

Last but not least, we have the best fishing kayak that Old Town has to offer. This kayak’s design is for competitive tournament anglers and includes numerous measuring boards built into the craft. It has plenty of rod holder options and includes a Minn Kota trolling motor. The two gear tracks are perfect for holding all of your gear or even an action camera. This kayak also includes a Power Pole Micro Anchor. With the included 100 amp-hour battery, you can afford to install some serious technology, including high-end fish finders.     Pros

• Quad-rail system for excellent gear and accessory options
• Minn Kota 45lb-thrust motor
• Plenty of storage
• Included Marine battery
• Handheld i-Pilot remote
• Excellent stability

    Cons

• Very Expensive

All Things Considered

There you have it, the five best fishing kayaks on the market today. We stuck to a range of budget fishing, high-end, and motorized kayaks to try and cover everything you need to find the perfect kayak for your fishing plans. It’s hard to go wrong with any of these purchases, whether you want a laid-back fishing experience or dives headlong into fishing tournaments with the best kayak available.