Should Pedal drive kayaks be allowed? 2025

J Francho reply :

Should pedal drive kayaks be allowed in tournaments? Some say it isn't fair. That it's an unfair advantage. Personally, I've competed against pedals with a paddle, and beat them. I don't think it's all about getting to the spot, though planning is a big part of getting set up for success on the water. I will say that it isn't like you "save all your energy" for fishing by pedaling. And I don't feel like you're actually getting there faster. It is nice to not pick up the paddle to make an adjustment.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, here's a video of the Hobie Mirage Drive 180°. I see reverse as a big advantage, especially when playing a fish to the boat. Hobie has been in this pedal drive game longer than anyone. Theirs is the most advanced, and the only full power reverse.

MrTightLInes reply :

Wouldn't bother me much if I went against a peddle vs my paddle. Pff, as it is I'm thinking of a way to rig up a live well with my 10' Pelican Bass Raider to compete against the fellows in my fishing club that have 50 - 60k bass boats. I just think it would be fun.

(For now, I co-angle on these amazing boats of theirs)

So yeah, it doesn't bother me as long as it's yak vs yak. Now, if you put a trolling motor on ....then there's the issue of gas mechanical vs man power.

Fun4Me reply :

I think there should be a standardized set of limits for all tournament fishing, whatever that standard might be. If it's pedal drive, trolling motors, etc. on kayaks, or governed motors on boats. I always liked watching the old bassmasters videos where everyone had the same boat, electronics, etc.

People are naturally going to look for any advantage they can, and sometimes it becomes sort of unfair for anyone not wanting to chase the technology.

J Francho reply :

Trolling/electric motors should NOT be allowed, but they are on a national level. I think they should be in their own division.

I know a few disabled people that would not be able to kayak fish without Mirage Drive.

Fun4Me reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:11 PM, J Francho said:

Trolling/electric motors should NOT be allowed, but they are on a national level. I think they should be in their own division.

I know a few disabled people that would not be able to kayak fish without Mirage Drive.

I think electric could work under the right circumstances. It would require a kind of auto racing Nascar type, level playing field approach. Meaning, many manufacturers compete in the same series, but they are each restricted in different ways to make everyone level at the point of competition.

J Francho reply :

I think it's way too early to place any kind of spec on manufacturers. That stifles the kind creativity that produced these pedal drive boats.

So, who's been in one these new Mirage Drive 180° boats? And do you compete?

Fun4Me reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:24 PM, J Francho said:

I think it's way too early to place any kind of spec on manufacturers. That stifles the kind creativity that produced these pedal drive boats.

Now we're back to chasing technology. If it's going to be a wide open, anything goes, even if it's just human interaction with the Kayak, then there will always be disadvantages to those that don't want to buy the latest and greatest.

So, to answer your original question, based on no specific specs, then each propulsion method should be separated into their own classes IMO.

J Francho reply :

Why? There's no spec for a paddle, and there's definitely an advantage to using a full carbon paddle with a blade design that suits your stroke, over some some generic, low end paddle.

Take it step further....there's no spec for the kayak design. SINK, SOT, Hybrid.... Currently, rules generally say "marketed and referred to by the manu as a kayak." I'd say, human powered and electric would be a good separation.

Paddle paddlers peddle pedal powered paddle boats.

Turtle135 reply :

I am a paddler but I have no problem competing against pedal driven kayaks in bass fishing tournaments. I see the pedals being an advantage in certain fishing situations such as trying to hold position in current and strong wind.

Those fins and props are not well suited to all fishing situations however. Many of the places I prefer to fish would destroy that equipment hanging down below the kayak.

At the crazy pace that kayak bass fishing tournaments are progressing (like $ 35,000.00 to the winner in this year's national championship and $ 100,000.00 to the winner in 2018) I believe a kayak tournament junkie will likely need a few kayaks in his stable to choose from. Some waters favor pedals, others are more suited to the paddle.

Subaqua Adinterim reply :

I fish from a kayak - never been in a tournament and probably never will, so maybe I should be disqualified from commenting on this. However, maybe this makes my opinion more impartial.

As long as your vessel is 100% human powered, you should be allowed to pedal or paddle away however you choose. If someone wanted to pedal they could, it's their choice; they can use this type of kayak or any another brand with the pedal feature, they are available for purchase by everyone.

I always believed the main advantage to these pedal kayaks were the ease of traveling longer distances with less effort. Never thought of the reverse feature to help back a pulling fish away from a dock or submerged brush, that is a helpful advantage.

I'm thinking there may be some disadvantages to the pedal drive, such as possibly getting bound up by weeds or traveling in just a few inches of water, however, having never used pedal drive I'm only speculating.

Best of luck to you in your tournament efforts.

Choporoz reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 9:54 PM, J Francho said:

Should pedal drive kayaks be allowed in tournaments? .......... It is nice to not pick up the paddle to make an adjustment.

I fish from a kayak. But I don't compete, so I haven't really had a dog in this fight yet. (I also don't have pedals, so don't discount my bias )

But, I do feel pretty strongly that pedals offer an unfair advantage and probably should have separate category. And, I feel much stronger even about trolling motors.

The reason you stated is huge...more than just 'nice'. Continuing to present/control your lure while 'adjusting' is not a small difference. Being able to fish a stretch of shoreline while moving 50 yards to next likely laydown is also huge. I don't have data, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a pedal fisherman gets 50% (maybe more) actual (quality?) fishing time than the paddle guy.

Fun4Me reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:37 PM, J Francho said:

Why? There's no spec for a paddle, and there's definitely an advantage to using a full carbon paddle with a blade design that suits your stroke, over some some generic, low end paddle.

Take it step further....there's no spec for the kayak design. SINK, SOT, Hybrid.... Currently, rules generally say "marketed and referred to by the manu as a kayak." I'd say, human powered and electric would be a good separation.

Paddle paddlers peddle pedal powered paddle boats.

Because legs are more powerful than arms , an obvious advantage in power and being able to use two hands to fish and propel at the same time. I don't think pedal power and paddle power are the same, when you have propellers, etc. spinning/flapping with gearing. All it's going to take is for someone to come up with a way to design a blade/propeller, and figure out a way to shift the gearing like a bicycle, and pedal power will crush any paddle power IMO.

J Francho reply :

@RichPenNY You should try one of the NYKBF online tournaments. They're fun, and inexpensive, all online, good guys, laid back. Best five fish for the month by length.

.ghoti. reply :

Can't answer your question, but that Mirage drive is cool as cool gets. Me want one.

Angry John reply :

At this point the only need to devide is into people power and all others. If you are the drive unit then I don't care how you do it. Using a battery and or any type of stored energy is not even close to the same. You have the option of what type of power you provide paddle vise peddle and the cost is a factor but those wanting to compete will spend what it takes. Don't see any johnboats at the bass master classic...

Subaqua Adinterim reply :

John

I will definitely check out the NYKBF thing. Was involved several years ago with the WNY kayak fishing group run by Paul.

Thanks

Rich

Hawkeye21 reply :

I think there is a major advantage to having a pedal drive kayak because of the control it offers and how it gives you the ability to be hands free. Being hands free allows you to cast more. Casting more gives you more opportunities to catch fish.

That being said, I think it's still fair. There is nothing stopping me from buying a pedal drive kayak right now, I just prefer not to invest that much in one right now. Having a pedal drive does not mean you are going to fish better either. In the end it all comes down to who is the better fisherman.

As long as the kayak is driven by human power I say it's fine.

On 3/8/2017 at 10:08 PM, Fun4Me said:

I think there should be a standardized set of limits for all tournament fishing, whatever that standard might be. If it's pedal drive, trolling motors, etc. on kayaks, or governed motors on boats. I always liked watching the old bassmasters videos where everyone had the same boat, electronics, etc.

People are naturally going to look for any advantage they can, and sometimes it becomes sort of unfair for anyone not wanting to chase the technology.

Don't they all use the same boats in MLF tourneys?

J Francho reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 11:14 PM, .ghoti. said:

Can't answer your question, but that Mirage drive is cool as cool gets. Me want one.

Gary, I've lusted for a PA w/ Mirage Drive for years.

Fishingmickey reply :

Hi JFranco,

I hope I can add some insight to this topic. Little bit of intro, I'm a kayak tournament angler in what is arguably the leading edge of kayak tournament bass fishing. KATS (kayak anglers tournament series). It is sponsored by Austin Canoe and Kayak out of Austin, Texas. Check out the website fishkats. com. This series has been going on for about ten years more or less. This is my fourth season competing. last year we averaged about a hundred boats per event. First event this year was 166 boats. The next one this Saturday has the potential to be even higher.

To shed some light on the debate about pedal vs paddle. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Start with the pedal. Advantages are, hands free able to fish and pedal at the same time, serious advantage in the wind by being able to hold position on say a windy point or over structure. Some speed advantage not always though. One of our members using a old racing kayak and he blows everyone away off of the start. Hobie now has the reverse on the mirage drive, Native watercraft has had reverse for years. It is a true bicycle like pedal drive propeller driven. Pedal forwards or backwards for forward or reverse nothing to pull or switch. Really good if your trying to horse a big'un out of cover and your hands are full of rod and reel. I could go on but that hits the high spots.

Disadvantages to pedal, You have a deeper draft. You can hit a unseen stump or stick up at speed and bust your drive or bend/break the rods on your fins, tear your fins, shear your pin or snap your prop. Weeds will clog up the propeller type drive pretty easy requiring you to pull the drive and clear. The Mirage drive goes through weeds better but still hinders. You can push or pole your way over obstacles (downed trees and limbs, weed mats) in a paddle boat much more so then in a pedal driven. Weight is another disadvantage. A Hobie PA 12 is 130lbs. The PA 14 is 145lbs/ This I believe is without the drive and seat much less adding gear battery, fish finder, etc etc. Native Watercraft Slayer Propel is 120 lbs. They pretty much require trailers to haul. Yes they can be car topped but not easily.

I will try to add more to the discussion when I can find the time. But short answer is we have both paddle and pedal winning tournaments and placing in the money. It is really more about prep, pre-fishing, laying down a good game plan and how good your knowledge of bass and how good of a angler you really are. Pedal can be a huge advantage but it isn't a be all, win it all. So says our tournament results. Trolling motors for the ones that are not able to pedal or paddle so that they too can enjoy our favorite sport.

Sincerely,

Fishingmickey

Choporoz reply :

Thanks, @Fishingmickey. Good info.

Do you know if your tourny organization keeps data on boat type/toury success?

It would be interesting to seem some detailed data to compare. Certainly, the prep, pre-fishing, skill set, experience, etc...all come into play. But, after a couple/few seasons, I'd think the data would start to 'normalize'.

I do take minor issue with your point about weight with regards to trailer, etc. I tend to think that mode of transport required is inmaterial to the questions of 'fairness' at hand.

Tracker22 reply :

Yeah, I fish using a trolling motor. It's definitely a unfair advantage. I catch WAY more fish than my paddle buddies. I can spot lock, I never get tired, I can control troll, I can pull biggens out of cover, etc... Probably a good thing I'm not interested in tournaments because I'd kick all their arses.

J Francho reply :

On 3/9/2017 at 12:59 AM, Fishingmickey said:

It is really more about prep, pre-fishing, laying down a good game plan and how good your knowledge of bass and how good of a angler you really are.

That's pretty much the foundation for any successful tournament campaign, irrespective of what kayak, tin boat, bass boat, or tuna trawler you use.

Great post @Fishingmickey! I am aware of that series. Hard not to be. Appreciate your response!

PECo reply :

I used to fish from a Hobie Pro Angler, but now only paddle.

Pedaling is definitely an advantage over paddling in most kayak fishing tournaments. However, a kayak fishing tournament is won by fishing better, not kayaking better, so while it's an advantage, I wouldn't call it unfair.

IgotWood reply :

I do not believe it is an advantage over paddle kayaks. Yeah, hands-free is a nice feature, but they are not as agile as paddle kayaks. You can't turn on a dime with a pedal drive. With my old paddle yak, I could make one stroke and turn my kayak 90 degrees without moving the boat. This is something I really miss, because I fish lots of isolated cover, and boat position is very important to me. You can't do this with a pedal drive. Sure I could unstrap the paddle on my Hobie and make my adjustment, but I try not to.

There certainly are pros and cons to each, and I think they weigh out evenly. No advantage to either style kayak, in my opinion.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Ever since I first saw a Hobie at the Sports Show, I've wanted one. Lots of small lakes that I fish seemed like they'd be perfectly suited and having both hands free would make them much more efficient. I've never gotten to use one, but hopefully some day I'll have one.

I think for tournaments, the amount of advantage they're going to be is going to depend on the angler, just like any piece of equipment. Doesn't matter how fast you get there, or that both hands are free to fish if the angler doesn't have the skills to put fish in the boat. I'm very new to the kayak fishing scene, with only 1 full season under my belt, but I'd still be confident in my abilities even though I have to paddle.

clayton86 reply :

I don't see pedals as that big of an advantage. For the advantage of being hands free to fish while on the move you have more disadvantages of the weeds and structures that's gonna slow you down or break your drive. We have a few pedal guys in the NYKBF series mentioned and they don't always win most the time they don't with the exception of Greg Blanchard but that guy can flat out fish. I however will be moving to pedals this season going from the ATAK to the radar 135.

Im still on the fence about motors though NYKBF doesn't allow them but I allow them in WNYKBF since it's only 4 events and there's a few guys with them. I see it as a unfair advantage and at the same time don't mind I feel you still gotta know what your doing wen it comes to preparing and executing on tournament day.

maybe as the sport grows and more people have motor drives they can split and have own category in events. However with torquedo sponsoring KBF I don't see motors ever being banned from it.

Hawkeye21 reply :

On 3/11/2017 at 8:53 PM, clayton86 said:

I don't see pedals as that big of an advantage. For the advantage of being hands free to fish while on the move you have more disadvantages of the weeds and structures that's gonna slow you down or break your drive. We have a few pedal guys in the NYKBF series mentioned and they don't always win most the time they don't with the exception of Greg Blanchard but that guy can flat out fish. I however will be moving to pedals this season going from the ATAK to the radar 135.

Im still on the fence about motors though NYKBF doesn't allow them but I allow them in WNYKBF since it's only 4 events and there's a few guys with them. I see it as a unfair advantage and at the same time don't mind I feel you still gotta know what your doing wen it comes to preparing and executing on tournament day.

maybe as the sport grows and more people have motor drives they can split and have own category in events. However with torquedo sponsoring KBF I don't see motors ever being banned from it.

I've been watching some of Greg's YouTube videos lately. He's really good and seems like a pretty cool guy. I really enjoy his videos.

clayton86 reply :

On 3/12/2017 at 12:22 AM, Hawkeye21 said:

I've been watching some of Greg's YouTube videos lately. He's really good and seems like a pretty cool guy. I really enjoy his videos.

Yeah he is him and I have gone back and forth in a few tournaments trading the lead only to have him edge me out on the last day by half an inch. I think he was the only one to catch a limit both days of our state championship also on Oneida lake.

starbuck reply :

I don't think it matters ... I've seen many 70,000 dollar plus bass boats that go almost 70 mph get ***** handed to them over and over again by 50-115 hp engine slow old boats in tourneys.

so I see no difference in the kayak question albeit I don't do kayaks

JoePhish reply :

Pedal will help you hold position better, especially in the wind and in water too deep to anchor. Also leaves your hands free to do other things while covering water. So, from a time management standpoint it's an advantage. Then there's the ability to troll.

I'm waiting for Jackson's offerings to hit the market before I decide which one I want.

To answer the tourney question; human power only.

Hawkeye21 reply :

On 3/12/2017 at 7:21 AM, clayton86 said:

Yeah he is him and I have gone back and forth in a few tournaments trading the lead only to have him edge me out on the last day by half an inch. I think he was the only one to catch a limit both days of our state championship also on Oneida lake.

I see he moved down to Texas now.

strvmmer reply :

Pedal drives certainly offer an advantage in speed and distance, but I don't think they should be banned from kayak fishing tournaments. Your legs are significantly stronger which allows you to maintain higher speeds for longer distances. With that being said if I had a place to store a hobie pro angler and trailer...

Now trolling motors, torqueedos etc should all be banned.

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