No
 

No Not necessary. Lots of guys on here are paddlers and put in tons of miles and catch alot of fish.

IMO its personal preference. The example of paddling you got from paddling your buddies pedal drive kayak is not representative of what its like to paddle a kayak that was designed to be paddled. A kayak that was made for use in the ocean like the tridents or the krakens, tarpons, etc. are VERY fast and have a ton of glide which means you can stop paddling and "coast" for a ways between strokes. In addition to that, they have alot of rocker so that they can handle big swells and waves.

FWIW I just sold my outback and ordered a long narrow fiberglass paddle kayak because i found that my outback was slower and less convenient than I had hoped it would be when I originally moved from a paddle to pedals.

There is a bunch of other factors that go into which is the better fit for your style of fishing and what you want to do.

I had a Hobie Revo 13 2018 model and replaced it with the Ocean Kayak Prowler. Here are the reasons why I switched to the Prowler:

• Lighter and easier to load on my kayak rack for a sedan. If I had a truck this would not be an issue.
• Beach launch is easier because you don't have to worry about the pedal drive and rudder.
• Beach landing is easier because you don't have to worry about the pedal drive and rudder.
• Fewer holes in the kayak, i.e. rudder lines, rudder... I had a water leak because the rudder line grommet popped off at launch.
• Fewer things to load and wash.
• You can glide over kelp. It's annoying when your pedal drive grabs the kelp.
• I like the upper body work out.

Different strokes for different folks
 

Both have pros and cons.

After over 20 years kayak fishing I have had a variety of kayaks both "pedal" and paddle.

It all comes down to the user, what they are doing, where they are fishing and what they want out of it.

Its kind of like longboard vs shortboard, surfing or bodyboarding. Both are catching waves, just different approaches to it.

I would say that the hobie or other pedal drives tend to be somewhat easier, due to the use of legs vs upper body. You don't have to worry much about form with a pedal drive, whereas if your serious about big water and ocean use or longer paddling, good form is more important and can greatly affect your performance and stamina.

For me, I actually just sold my pedal kayak and Im looking to get back into paddling.

The main reason, simplification and different muscle use. There is something pure about the paddle and kayak. A less is more approach.

That said, I really enjoyed all my hobies and have nothing but good things to say about them and the brand in general.

Try both and determine whats best for you.

But you do not need a kayak thats as much as a car to catch fish. An old scupper pro, X-13 or tarpon 160 will do just fine

:paddleersmilie:

I've put 350 miles on my paddle kayak in the past 14 months and haven't felt like I was missing out or handicapping myself. It's definitely a workout though.

Paddle > Pedal > Solo

Plus friends Boat for Tuna :D