I've had my Wahoo on the water twice so far, so here is my initial
review. I was looking for a kayak for fly fishing lakes, ponds, and
rivers. I wanted one that would be stable enough to allow me to
stand and cast. I also wanted an uncluttered deck (the fewer
things for slack fly line to tangle on, the better). I looked at
several other fishing kayaks, and I had it narrowed down to the
Wahoo and the FeelFree Lure 11.5. I liked the seat on the Lure,
but I liked the flat, uncluttered open deck of the Wahoo. I bought
the Wahoo, and I'm glad I did.
I love the open deck on the Wahoo. It's great for fly fishing. I
have room in front of the foot rests for a tackle bag, and then the
rest of the space between foot rests and the seat is completely flat
and free of obstructions and potential line tangling obstacles. You
are not limited as to where to put your feet, whether sitting or
standing. Love it. The seat isn't adjustable in height, but it is a
good medium height for both paddling and fishing. The back rest
is a little taller than most, and that definitely adds to the comfort
level for me. (I'm 6' tall, 200#)
The Wahoo is both fast in the water and stable. My very first time
on the water with it I set out into a 15-20mph wind, and I was
1/4 mile across the lake before my buddies got all their gear
situated and launched their boat. It tracks extremely well without
a rudder. Splash coming over the sides was minimal, even into
the wind and waves. Paddles effortlessly and fast.
Stability is good. Easily stable enough to stand and paddle or fish.
It does rock a couple of inches off of center with any lean, but
then it gets more stable after that. I actually ended up finding a
steal of a deal on a used FeelFree Lure 11.5 a couple weeks after I
bought the Wahoo, so I now have both. The Lure is even more
stable than the Wahoo, but the Lure doesn't track nearly as well,
and it's slower than the Wahoo. The Lure's seat is great, but the
Wahoo's seat is very nice as well - just not padded or adjustable.
The only gripe I have about the Wahoo is the screws holding the
handles in place won't stay tight, so the handles get twisted. I
have ordered some well nuts that I plan to install to attach the
handles to, and that should allow me to tighten them up enough
to stay tight and stop twisting. Not a big deal, but it would be nice
if they'd come like that from the factory. Handles carry the load,
and just attaching them with 2 screws into the plastic doesn't cut
it. But it's an easy mod for me to make, so not a huge deal.
After spending time with both the Wahoo and the Lure, I like
them both. Pros and cons to each. I'll be putting a rudder on the
Lure to help it track better, but it will still be a little slower than
the Wahoo. The Lure is VERY stable, but the console between my
feet is something I'd rather not have while flyfishing. Just
personal preference on that. They're both excellent fishing
kayaks, and I'll enjoy them both. I will probably use the Wahoo
on lakes more than the Lure. I haven't had either of them in
moving water yet, so I can't say which I'll prefer for that.