e-Pedal Kayak -First Reaction: Best Kayak Fishing Experience Ever

e-Pedal Kayak Speed

The speed and range appear to be entirely consistent with the stats Old Town promised. Top speed is sold as between four and five miles-per-hour. Even though I am definitely a bigger than average human and expected some loss of top end speed, I was comfortably cruising at four-and-a-half miles per hour. Wow!

e-Pedal Kayak Battery Life

At that top speed, my battery should last up to three hours. That’s a bit trickier to judge than you might first think and here’s why. I spent my day fishing. That means the majority of my time was actually not on high-speed and instead at zero miles per hour while I was casting. For me, I was able to zip to every spot I wanted to all day and never worry that the battery was fading. I guess to do a real test of their claim I’d have to just do laps around the lake for three hours straight. But I’m in this rig to fish. If I know I can get around all day under normal fishing circumstances, then I’m satisfied.

And, I had a few other thoughts about my first experience in the Old Town Big Water ePDL+ 132.

Easy Kayak Positioning and Control

Even without the electric assist, it pedals very easily and moves faster than I would have expected. It really scoots! And it’s kind of fun! And, of course, the manual pedal drive is what I used all day to position the boat while fishing. After a small amount of practice, it became pretty intuitive to note which way the wind was blowing and give the rudder a little tweak one way or the other, then two quick pedals forward or backward, to keep myself lined up for the perfect cast every time—and hands free.

Pedal Drive In Vegetation

Although it may be obvious, it is worth mentioning that the pedal drive unit doesn’t work in super shallow water. Also, it will cut through thin vegetation, but it will get bogged down if the weeds get thick. But on the bright side, the pedal unit pops up out of the water easily, and the traditional kayak paddle will slide this relatively big kayak pretty effortlessly over dense pads and mats.

Kayak Comfort and Stability

And the Old Town Big Water feels roomy, comfortable and more stable than expected. It seems like the hull design is right in the middle of agile and stable. Many times, I leaned over the edge of this kayak to lip bass and never once got even close to feeling like it might tip. I’m not saying it would be impossible, but if you’re even reasonably conscious of it, tipping is not something you need to worry about.

Overall, I’m excited that this kayak is an incredibly capable fishing platform. With the extended range the ePDL unit offers, along with all the other features of this well-designed boat, everything but actually catching the bass is handled beautifully. Leave that part to me.