[cmckearney]

After years of wishing and researching and months of scouring the web for deals, I finally purchased my first kayak!

I got the 12' Field and Stream Eagle Talon from Dick's Sporting Goods which was on sale for $400 from $550. After giftcards and a coupon it cost me under $300. Personally, I thought it beat anything that had been turning up on craigslist (some people are out of their minds when it comes to asking price) and was just about the most yak I could get for my buck. It seems a little on the heavy side and I'll probably upgrade the seat at some point, but the quality of the boat itself and the features included with it seemed pretty sound.

Big thanks to Gremlinsrus for letting me know about the sale ahead of time!

I still need to get some accessories (a paddle might be helpful..) and experiment with transporting it (Saturn Ions aren't too big..), but hopefully I'll be on the water soon! I'll probably get comfortable with it on smaller ponds and lakes first, but hopefully I can do some floats this summer.

For those interested, Dick's is having a huge sale on most of their boats, including another field and stream, sit inside equivalent to this one. Features on the Eagle Talon included two flush mounts and a scotty type mount, anchor and anchor trolly, and plenty of storage space. Similar to the Pescador I believe, but probably not as nice a seat or hull (I believe it's substantially heavier.) Sorry for the poor quality photo.

Tight lines!

 

[dbeam]

Sharp,

I put a Tempress molded plastic boat seat in my old Drifter that I think seats as well as anything you can buy. The contour of the seat bottom roughly matched the shape of the yak seat pan, I did have to mount a 1 inch thick piece of narrow wood at the front of the seat to make it sit right for me.

Enjoy rigging ans fishing from her.

Darrell

 

[cmckearney]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely explore my options if the seat turns out to be an issue, as many reviews have mentioned it is.

 

[Gremlinsrus]

Glad it worked out for you! make sure you bring it to the Bay river M&G and we will go slay some drum and Specks!

 

[WSanford]

I did the same thing and walked out of Dick's with the Talon, Hummingbird FF yak kit and a paddle for the price of just a kayak. I really like it. It's fast enough I can paddle upstream in the Neuse no problem but stable enough I don't have any problems and carries more than enough gear.

I took that water bottle strap off and added two paracord pig tails for lashing down something like a small tackle bag.

I didn't really have a problem with the seat but did get a Ocean Kayak one with a higher back off Amazon for 35 bucks. It does allow you to lean back into it but that really the only difference.

For a crate, I found a Pepsi bottle crate for the bigger bottles and zip stripped some foam on the bottom so it wouldn't slide and it doesn't go anywhere bungied down, it wont move at all. To it I mounted a couple cheap Bass pro rod holders for trolling lakes, a 2.5" piece of PVC that holds the anchor perfectly and as you can see it solved my anchor rope problem. I just pull off what ever I will need before heading out on the water and tuck it behind the seat. I also mounted a 7 dollar dry box from Walmart that usually is empty or holds my lunch. I also have a bicycle flag mount in the center back I can stick a flag pole in for on the lakes.

I also have a dry bag in the hatch in front of the seat and put most of my extra gear in it. It's easy access if I need rope of rain gear or a different tackle box. I also converted my forward rod holder to a camera boom for different angles and it also goes down in the water over the side, so I don't have to detach the camera, just reposition the boom. I mounted my FF in the forward cup holder. I don't use that one and the FF is below my knee's well out of the way and it gives it a bit of a low profile and doesn't get in my way.

I am very happy with the rig and the money spent.

 

[SOBX_Mike]

There are definitely some great deals at Dick's right now - I was in there yesterday afternoon taking a gander at another yak to add for my wife.

I can't imagine you being anything but happy with that F&S Talon - but I do understand your concerns about weight. I will have to say, since I own a 14' Malibu Stealth angler kayak that I would gladly trade weights in a heartbeat, case in point that they could definitely be heavier.

I'm not sure if you're looking for tips out on the water but when you start out, go as light as you think you'd be pleased with - I made the rookie mistake of accessorizing-out my first few times out, and it just isn't necessary. Extremely simple idea, but I think it's easy to get carried away with.

You'll have so much fun the first time you wrangle a fat drum from the seated position, especially if its big enough to pull your craft, that can be a real thrill. That being said I think the best thing I ever did with my kayak was add an anchor stick. I just made one from a broom/mop handle, paracord, and a carabiner - it is really useful when tying up in shallow water to fish from your kayak or even while getting out. I have a 3.5 or 5lbs. (can't remember which) folding grapple anchor and when applicable, I prefer the anchor stick 10:1.

Tight lines!

 

[Drum Runner]

I did the same thing and walked out of Dick's with the Talon, Hummingbird FF yak kit and a paddle for the price of just a kayak. I really like it. It's fast enough I can paddle upstream in the Neuse no problem but stable enough I don't have any problems and carries more than enough gear.

A quick lesson in fluid motion, hydro dynamics, or why stuff works.
If you want paddling performance , one of the most easy things to look for is the stern that comes to a point. Any flat stern will create drag. The wider the stern the more drag. Ideally, the stern would come to a sharp point.

The stern you have is helping your paddle whether it's up or down stream, in a pond, on a lake, or in the salt.

 

[WSanford]

A quick lesson in fluid motion, hydro dynamics, or why stuff works.
If you want paddling performance , one of the most easy things to look for is the stern that comes to a point. Any flat stern will create drag. The wider the stern the more drag. Ideally, the stern would come to a sharp point.

The stern you have is helping your paddle whether it's up or down stream, in a pond, on a lake, or in the salt.

Stern, length, width, all that aside the point was it's a very functional model for the money. A lot of people will tell you once you go over 28" wide you will start to slow down paddling up rivers. I really don't put much effort into paddling upstream pulling a stringer of fish and the water has been flowing pretty good all year.