Lower Back cant handle Mirgage Drive

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by jbl_91762

So I want to get into Kayak fishing and have been reading for weeks for paddle vs peddle. I have a disc bulge between L4L5 with arthritis in the area. My client is an avid fisherman and swears to go with Hobie Outback as he owned several kayaks and now an Outback (also has back problems). Others here love their Mirage drive so I went to OEX Sunset Beach today to test one out. Man that system is sweet and thinking Im gonna get one, BUT 20 mins into testing my back started to get sore. 10 mins more and my back hurts so I turn back. Last 30 mins were grueling and I was hating life due to back pain.

. Also sitting for longer then 3 hours will hurt and requires me to get up and stretch. That said, am I SOL? I was thinking of a Yak with a wide beam that will allow me to stand and stretch. Which also would be good as I'd like to fly fish the local lakes in SoCal also. I will be fishing the harbors around LA and OC but will do open water as I gain experience. Thanks for the help and suggestions to yaks that may work for me. For the money Im looking at either used on CL or the new 2016 Vibe SeaGhost as that has very good reviews for a yak under $1000.

you might want to try the Native Slayer, it uses a different pedaling motion and might cause your back to react differently. It's more like pedaling a bike than the back and forth of the Hobie.

[Dave Legacy]

You could try a Jackson kayak. They have the fancy seats, but you paddle. Maybe that would be a better fit? Maybe you're better suited for a stand-up paddleboard? Or maybe a Hobie with an H-bar for stand up fishing? I think you might have some options still.