First Have a look at the Previous City Sportsman PDL 120 Professional

I prefer to kayak fish as a result of I don’t have to fret about engine bother, a upkeep schedule, or pulling a trailer. After I wish to fish, I throw my yak into the mattress of my truck and go. The kayak at all times floats and my Previous City PDL drive at all times begins. I may entry water boats can’t attain, and in the event you consider gasoline, insurance coverage, and upkeep prices, a kayak is method cheaper than even the most effective Fb boat deal. 

I feel most individuals acquired into kayak fishing for comparable causes. However, over the previous couple of years kayaks started resembling small skiffs. What they gained in functionality they misplaced in affordability, portability, and ease of use. 

This January, I spent a number of days on the water with the Sportsman PDL Professional, which I feel is the most effective compromise between a micro skiff and a real kayak. What makes this new Previous City so particular is that if you wish to rig it with a trolling motor, a number of fish finders, and a shallow water anchor, you’ll be able to simply try this. If you wish to maintain it a modern and useful fishing kayak, it’s prepared for that activity out of the field. 

See It

• Size: 12 toes
• Width: 36 inches
• Weight Capability: 420 kilos
• Boat Weight: 131 kilos 
• 4 36-inch lengthy tracks
• Value: $3,499
• Additionally obtainable with ePDL+ drive (Value: $5,999 and Weight: 153 kilos)

New Options

I’ve fished out of an Previous City Bigwater PDL for 4 years, and whereas I find it irresistible, there have at all times been a number of issues I wanted have been completely different: The cockpit isn’t very spacious, the strict tankwell is skinny and you’ll’t match a full-size kayak crate in it, and there isn’t a great way to retailer rods horizontally. These quibbles are utterly fastened with the brand new PDL Professional. The engineers thinned out the gunnels, which elevated the cockpit and tankwell house. That additionally created room for 4 horizontal rod tubes. Previous City’s engineers might have stopped with these enhancements and I’d have been glad, however they have been simply getting began. 

Wiring, Motor Mounts, and Battery Storage 

For those who hate drilling holes in your kayak, you’ll be glad to study that there are a ton of pre-installed, thru-hull wiring factors. You’ll discover them all through the kayak across the bow hatch, cockpit, and rear tankwell. 

There’s a common trolling motor mount on the bow and two shallow water anchor mounts subsequent to the rudder. So if you wish to run a Spot-Lock trolling motor on the bow or a small motor on the strict, set up shall be a breeze. 

The entrance hatch was redesigned to higher match massive batteries and Previous City added a battery tie-down level to the rear hatch. 

Tracks

There are 4 36-inch lengthy aluminum tracks on the PDL Professional and one small piece on the bow that doubles as a seize deal with. That ought to be loads of monitor so as to add any variety of equipment within the precise positions you need them. 

Learn Subsequent: Finest Kayak Fishing Equipment

Seat

On my outdated PDL seat the rear portion sits fairly low. The brand new Professional raised the rear contact level so that you’re sitting in a extra pure place that’s simpler to face up from. Previous City additionally improved the seat adjustment system, and now you can transfer the seat ahead and again with out a fuss, even when on the water. 

Fishing on the Previous City Sportsman PDL 120 Professional

Despite the fact that I used to be fishing one of many premiere bass locations, Bienville Plantation, a chilly entrance timed its arrival completely with mine. It’s not usually that you just’re fishing in Florida and having to interrupt ice off your kayak within the morning. So I used to be at a little bit of a loss on what was going to get bit. I packed the PDL Professional with the kitchen sink, which included eight rods and a BlackPak filled with deal with. That quantity of substances didn’t cramp the kayak, and I had loads of house within the cockpit. 

The PDL Professional’s hull is identical because the kayak I’ve been utilizing for the final 4 years. So it was very acquainted when it comes to stability and pace. I’ve taken my Bigwater PDL in all kinds of circumstances and thru some significantly tough water. It’s been very steady and behaves properly in present and non-ideal circumstances. When it’s calm, even my big self (6-feet, 6-inches and 220 kilos) can get up. The rudder system could be very responsive and it’s also possible to ratchet up the stress to maintain your self on a heading. The one knock on the Bigwater hull is that it’s not the quickest boat within the fleet, and a slimmer profile would give it a bit of extra gasoline. 

The PDL drive is virtually indestructible, and I’ve put mine by way of hell over time. Not often have I washed it down after a saltwater journey, to not point out the oyster bars it has crashed into. Whereas the PDL drive is dependable and might immediately go in reverse, it can additionally get slowed down by grass. Regardless of the chilly climate, Bienville had a good quantity of hydrilla, which predictably clogged up the pedal drive after I bumped into it. Paddling for deeper water and dealing my drive ahead and again often clears the prop. However, generally, I needed to pull up the drive and take away the weeds with my hand. 

What It Does Finest

I respect that Previous City saved the PDL 120 Professional a real kayak relatively than morphing it right into a roto molded micro skiff. The PDL Professional can nonetheless match within the mattress of my truck and is simple for me to launch and cargo myself. 

This can be a nice kayak for somebody who desires to rig a fish finder, trolling motor, or each and do it with none trouble. The thru-hull wiring system, mounts, monitor system, and battery storage areas are well laid out and properly executed. Add these options to a dependable and steady fishing platform and you’ve got one of many greatest kayaks for fishing in the marketplace.

The place It Can Enhance

I’d like to see the PDL 120 Professional grow to be lighter. At 131 kilos it’s a hefty kayak if it’s essential to drag it throughout sand or get it on prime of a automobile. I don’t do seaside launches usually, however I do them usually sufficient that I dread even the quick ones. Any assist I can get to make these cardio exercise simpler could be appreciated.

I can stay with the value of the usual PDL Professional, however the ePDL+ Professional is an additional $2,500. Despite the fact that the ePDL+ is unimaginable expertise, its value makes it arduous to justify. The added expense is identical value as a extremely good trolling motor. Though, the profit the ePDL+ has over a trolling motor is that it doesn’t weigh that rather more than an ordinary pedal drive. 

Remaining Ideas

I not often run a fish finder today since my curiosity is principally shallow water fishing. What I do care about is having a kayak that’s quiet, is simple to place, holds sufficient rods, can get me house if the climate turns, and has a pedal drive that doesn’t break on the first whiff of sand. I get all these issues within the Previous City Sportsman PDL Professional. The brand new enhancements are so good that I’m contemplating buying and selling in my present Bigwater PDL for the brand new Professional model.

If you need a kayak which you can rig with electronics, however doesn’t require a trailer, the brand new Sportsman PDL Professional is a good choice to contemplate. It even has me keen on including a trolling motor and fish finder, simply because they’re really easy to put in.