Back then, the stabler W500 series was merely at an early research and development stage at Wavewalk.
Having a somehow impaired sense of balance, coupled with a talent for design and craftsmanship, Wayne created a pair of DIY outriggers to fit his his W300 kayak.

Wayne recently wrote us: -”I haven’t made any more modifications to my Wavewalk. It’s set up perfect for me.”

Bass in Fish Net

Bass in Fish Net

Three years ago, Wayne sent us this video showing him rowing his W300 kayak with deadly precision, from a fish’ standpoint (or should we say ‘swim point’?…).

Reade more about kayak bass fishing >>

First and foremost, kayak fishing in tandem involves a Safety issue, because two passengers moving about in the cockpit or on the deck of a fishing kayak in an uncoordinated manner can easily destabilize it. in such case, it’s enough to have one passenger overreacting to cause the kayak to capsize. Obviously, having fishing rods, lures and sometimes even fish flying around in all directions in space that’s so severely restricted isn’t a good recipe for safety. In fact, it is dangerous.

The second problem to consider is Convenience – Every angler wants and needs to have an unlimited range of motion around them, to allow them to perform basic things such as casting, reeling in, landing the fish, unhooking, and so on. Anglers must have a comfortable workspace for tying knots, attaching lures and bait, and doing other technical work involving handling of fishing gear, including sharp objects such as fishing hooks, and knives, which is hazardous in itself, without adding the fact that the angler is sitting in a small vessel, with a fishing partner a few feet away…
Besides, when you’re fishing in tandem, the last thing you want to deal with is your fishing lines getting entangled with those of your partner, and you certainly don’t want to be part of an accident involving someone getting poked in the eye by a misguided fishing hook, etc.. -The possibilities for a disaster are so numerous that it’s practically impossible to list them all in this article, but we assume the reader gets the point…

Kayak fishing in tandem is more complicated, and more difficult than tandem kayak paddling, and we don’t fully recommend it, unless the crew is composed of one experienced adult kayak angler and one junior kayak angler, such as a child, who needs guidance and often even technical help with handling their fishing gear. In such case the obvious choice for a kayak is the W500 that features a 6 ft long cockpit, and a longitudinal seat that makes it possible for the two anglers to sit separated by a long span, but also to approach each other effortlessly and safely when they need to do something together, such as in case the experienced angler has to instruct the novice, or help them hands-on perform a fishing related task.
A small sized angler such as a child may get confused, or overexcited, but they’re unlikely to cause a severe balance problem that the second, bigger, and more experienced will find impossible to deal with.
A large size angler getting into some kind of trouble that would cause them to lose balance and tilt the kayak sideways is a totally different problem that the second crew member might not be able to correct, especially if they’re caught off guard.
This movie was shot by Jesse Martinez in his W500, during a fishing trip in which he took his two small kids on board:

More information about kayak fishing with children >>

Kayak fishing standing in tandem is even more problematic, and should be practiced only after both anglers have practiced tandem kayak fishing before, as well as stand up kayak fishing. Needless to say that the kayak used for this type of fishing should fit for such such activities. Note that vendors’ claims about their kayaks’ stability are often exaggerated, and should be viewed with both caution, common sense, and healthy skepticism. Before getting hooked on the idea of kayak fishing in tandem, remember that it’s you and your fishing buddy that are going to be sitting in kayak out there in the real world, and not some guys who got paid to demonstrate a fishing kayak in front of a camera.

Kayak fishing offshore in tandem is even more difficult, and hazardous, and we do not recommend it, unless both anglers are lightweight and very experienced with fishing together out of small boats, such as dinghies and canoes. Fishing in tandem out of a kayak equipped with a powerful motor, such as an outboard gas engine adds yet another level of risk, and in such cases you may consider outfitting your kayak with a pair of large size outriggers, such as this South Korean couple is using on an offshore fishing trip >>



Hands down the finest fishing kayak I’ve ever used.
That is coming from someone who has used others, plus has them on the rack at the house and makes a serious choice for on the water time. My W500 is like a pickup truck on the water, the kind that has a high performance engine under the hood. It’s tough, sturdy, and made for the angler. Standing to fish is not a balancing act nor is it a stunt to show the stability of the design. It’s a boat where standing is as natural as sitting. Casting distances are far better sitting or standing since the angler can put their whole body into a cast not just flail an arm. With my little fishing rods from Emmrod I’m locked and loaded to catch fish not fool with equipment.
Of course there is a problem, the W500 really has spoiled me. Tough to even consider fishing out of anything else. My friend Yoav Rosen created quite a watercraft in the Wavewalk.
This short movie is my setup as of 12-31-11.

Jeff

Visit Jeff’s one of a kind kayak fishing blog >>

1. Credibility

You should never trust fishing kayak reviews posted by an anonymous person, under alias, a user ID, etc. That review may have been created and published by an individual who’s involved in a business relationship with certain fishing kayaks manufacturers, distributors, or retailers. Such relationship can include being a member of a kayak fishing ‘Team’, and getting paid by the manufacturer to promote their product directly and indirectly – both in an overt and covert manner. In fact, such review may have been posted directly by an employee of a kayak company, if the website on which it was posted allows posting without full and true identity disclosure. Unfortunately, some websites featuring kayak reviews in great numbers encourage such anonymous postings, which in its turn spurs kayak manufacturers to compete among themselves in posting countless favorable reviews of their own products, and sometimes even post unfavorable reviews of their competitors’ products.
Generally, you should be aware that many participants in online kayak fishing discussion forums are affiliated with kayak manufacturers and vendors, but they seldom disclose their affiliation, and most of them use multiple online identities. Kayak fishing websites often encourage users to post under multiple identities, because it increases the activity on their website, and generates more ‘action’ and interest for visitors, and potentially more revenues from advertising.
In other words, only a kayak review stating the author’s full name and state is worth your attention. A review posted by a kayak dealer who fully disclose their identity may be worth your consideration, since that dealer buys the kayaks before offering them for sale, which goes to show that they put their money where their mouth is. That dealer may be biased, but theoretically they could resell other brands of fishing kayaks, so at least they are sincere in their recommendation, and possibly know what they’re talking about.

Good fishing kayak reviews need to be written by regular customers, and based on their personal experience with the product. A good, reliable fishing kayak review should be the product of an unbiased mind, as much as possible. Therefore, you should look for the author’s full name and state of residence, and preferably for pictures as well, if possible.
Unfortunately, certain websites who publish kayak reviews won’t allow posting pictures, yet they allow posting reviews under an alias, or a User ID that hide the true identity of the person who posted the review. Both things undermine these websites’ credibility to a point where nothing published on them may be trusted.

The credibility criterion also goes directly to fishing kayak reviews written by fishing and paddling magazine staff writers. You, the reader, should realize that such magazines depend on advertisers’ dollars to survive, and therefore would never publish a negative kayak review, nor would they even highlight serious design or manufacturing flaws. This is especially true for fishing kayaks made by companies that are known to spend big bucks on advertising. A typical flaw in such reviews is the assessment of the reviewed kayak as being both fast and stable, which in sit-in and SOT kayaks are in fact two contradictory terms, due to the laws of physics.
As for the writers themselves, they are sometimes affiliated commercially with certain kayak vendors, whether directly or indirectly.

As for reviews of fishing kayaks posted on a manufacturer’s or vendor’s website, the reader should obviously apply critical reading, and even try to see whether the individual who wrote the review isn’t a member of that business’ official kayak fishing team… Reading between the lines is always a good rule to follow.

2. Relevance

You should always ask yourself whether the review, or the perspective of the individual who wrote it is of any relevance to you personally. Some fishing kayaks may get enthusiastic reviews by people who have fishing styles that are totally different from yours, and benefit from a physical condition and skills that are considerably different from yours.
For example, a kayak fisherman of small stature and light weight has a noticeable advantage in using kayaks for fishing, compared to bigger and heavier kayak fishermen. When fishing from kayaks is considered, age and physical condition also play a critical role in the overall user experience.
Some flats kayak fishermen in the South use their fishing kayak just to get from one spot to another, and fish standing in the water once they get there. If you don’t like wading, or if you fish in deeper water, or if you’re planning to take your kayak on long fishing trips, a review from such a kayak angler might not be relevant to you.
Senior kayak anglers should be particularly aware of such issues, as well as anglers who big and heavy, or suffer from a back condition that could increase their suffering from back pain.

Kayak anglers who fish in colder regions, where both water and air temperatures are less pleasant and favorable, and can even be hazardous, should take these factors into consideration, and try reading reviews contributed by anglers like themselves, who fish in such colder climates.

It is equally important to make the difference between a review written by a novice and one written by a seasoned kayak angler, sine such different writers’ perspectives are likely to be totally different, and may not even be applicable to you. For example, if you’re a beginning kayaker, or kayak angler, you shouldn’t necessarily be impressed by a review posted by another angler who’s been fishing from kayaks for years, as they have long ago passed the stage called ‘learning curve’ that you should be prepared to go through.

3. Breadth and Depth

By Breadth we mean some comparison with other types of fishing kayaks, other watercraft, etc., and by Depth we mean a long personal experience in kayak fishing in general, and with the reviewed kayak in particular. Preferably, the fishing kayak reviewer should have both prior experience in kayak fishing, and experience with other fishing kayaks and other small watercraft, if possible. However, there is also an interest in reviews by ‘first timers’, since such customers are less likely to be affected by their prior knowledge and personal experience, and could report their raw impression. If this is the case, the reviewer, or editor, should put the review in perspective. For example, a seasoned canoeist who’s never been in a kayak before could write an interesting review of his or her new fishing kayak, but they should also explain where they’re coming from.
Similarly, a seasoned kayak fishermen who’s never been in a W kayak prior to buying it, should also remember to put his experience and report in the right perspective.
In principle, an experienced kayak fisherman can write an interesting review, based on comparative study of different brands and models. Such quality would be enhanced if the writer has been fishing out of other small watercraft as well, such as canoes, dinghies, jon boats etc. A broader perspective that’s not restricted to human powered watercraft is potentially more interesting in view of recent advancements in motorizing fishing kayaks.

Of particular interest are all changes and improvements the reviewer may have introduced in their kayak, whether it’s the way they rigged it for fishing, or outfitted for other applications, or for use in particular environments. The reader can often learn a lot from such details, especially if the review includes pictures. In some cases, a good review can and should include a short movie showing the kayak, preferably in action.