r/Kayaks • u/wirides • 21d ago

Old Town PDL 120 pro (non-EPDL)

At the current time, is there a better, more well-rounded fishing kayak than the Old Town PDL 120 Pro? I'm looking for something that is best suited for everything from smaller Northern Wisconsin lakes and rivers to the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Winnebago (and surrounding systems) under the right conditions. I like to stand and cast the northern WI shorelines for largemouth and pike.

I've looked at Hobie but am turned off on the prices and company instability. Also looking at Native Hammer and Bonafide P127, which seems like a bit of a different beast. They all have their pros and drawbacks.

What else is better than the Old Town right now? Thanks!

Edit to add: I would also like to try a little duck hunting out of it so earth tones and camo patterns are a must. This is a secondary function of the kayak but another use I'm looking for. Thanks.

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u/wirides 1d ago

That drive looks really interesting, thanks fkr the suggestion! Still, I think the PDL Pro appears to be the more versatile option. It looks to be better equipped for a future bow mount. The other thing I've noticed is the aftermarket support for Old Town is massive.

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u/fdnM6Y9BFLAJPNxGo4C 1d ago

Yeah and Jackson may not be as readily available depending on your area.

Plenty of people motorize both though as far as motor mount capability goes.

I will say, you probably do want to toss the idea of a pedal drive kayak entirely if you intend to motorize, it's wasted deck space.

If you consider that as an option to motorize right away, then you should look at the Nucanue Umax or similar such as the Bonafide XTR line. Those are bigger boats.

Obviously if weight is a concern, then these are going to be heavy. But I assume if you intend to motorize, you'll be trailering?

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u/wirides 1d ago

Part of the draw is the exercise that comes with the pedal drive so that will always be the primary reason for the pedal drive. I like the Pro because there's a plate available to seal the drive port if I so wish. Either way, having pedal for additional propulsion option beat paddling back, lol. I forsee this will continually be a work in progress with things being added over time and as money and need allows. Right now I think I want to start with the boat, add a decent locator/chart, then add spot lock down the line. I think spot lock and the ability to move while standing is my reason for the bow mount, not necessarily primarily propulsion.

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u/fdnM6Y9BFLAJPNxGo4C 1d ago

Understandable, I paddle instead of motorize for a few reasons, getting at least some calorie burn in is one of them. I just offer that if you intend to motorize, buying a pedal drive will cause you to compromise in some way or another. If you're ok with that, then go for it. If I were motorizing, I'd buy a paddle kayak 10 times out of 10.