Old Town · Kayak & Paddle
A thirteen-foot pedal kayak with the hull volume and freeboard to handle a Great Lakes chop, which most fishing kayaks genuinely do not have.
Check price on Amazon$3,499— Sportsman BigWater PDL 132Price shown was accurate on 2026-09-01. Amazon sets the live price.
What's good
What isn't
We list the drawbacks because a recommendation with no downside is a sales pitch. If a cheaper item does the job on your water, the write-up says so.
Also worth a look
A fiberglass-shaft angler paddle with a hook retrieval notch and a measuring scale on the blade, light enough that a full day does not wreck your shoulders.
A pulley loop along the kayak's gunwale that lets you move your anchor point bow to stern, so you choose which way the boat sits in wind and current.
The paddle kayak most people should start with — stable, twelve feet, and cheap enough that a first season on protected water does not require a loan.
A cone of fabric that drags underwater and cuts your drift speed roughly in half, which is what turns an unfishable windy day on Erie into a productive one.