Hobie Professional Angler 12 Kayak: Examined and Reviewed

Would you like the comfort of a human-powered boat with the vary of a small fishing boat? Are you in search of a kayak that may go anyplace and carry all of your fishing gear? Do you will have websites set on event victories and trophy fish? You then’ll want a full-size, fully-featured pedal fishing kayak just like the Hobie PA 12. Born from 20 years of pedal fishing kayak innovation, the Hobie Professional Angler 12 with Mirage Drive 180 Kick Up Fins is a confirmed design with an extended listing of awards and accolades, making it probably the greatest fishing kayaks on the market. In case you’re in search of a kayak to take you to the boundaries, you then’ll need to think about the Hobie Mirage Drive Professional Angler 12. 

Hobie Professional Angler 12 Kayak Specs:

• Weight: 128.5 kilos with pedals
• Size: 12 toes
• Width: 36 inches
• Capability: 500 kilos
• Hull: Rotomolded Plastic
• Drive kind: MirageDrive 180 Turbo with Kick Up Fins and ARC cranks
• Value: $3,899

What Form of Kayak Is the Hobie Professional Angler 12?

Hobie fishing kayaks have a fame for high quality development and the Professional Angler line is their greatest fishing kayak but. The Professional Angler line is likely one of the prime decisions for event and massive recreation anglers. The PA12 is designed to cowl miles of open water and sort out any species of fish. 

That mentioned, the full-size pedal fishing kayak shouldn’t be the perfect for river fishing or accessing a hard-to-reach fishing gap. The PA12 requires a pickup truck or trailer to move because of its weight. Automotive topping shouldn’t be actually an possibility with this kayak. The boat’s dimension provides it a limiteless horizon, however the size and weight do restrict comfort. The hull is steady, and the fishing options are revolutionary, solidifying the boat’s place as the perfect fishing kayak for critical anglers.

Key Options of the Hobie Professional Angler 12 Fishing Kayak

As a top-of-the-line Hobie fishing kayak, the Hobie Mirage Professional Angler 12 has all the usual hatches, rod holders, bungees, and kit tracks you’d anticipate in a sit-on-top fishing kayak. However Hobie saved their premier options for this luxurious mannequin.

Most notable, Hobie went solely exterior the field with their H-Rail accent system. A kayak has restricted area, so I adore it when designers can squeeze two features out of 1 function. Working down both sides of the cockpit, a railing doubles as a sturdy deal with and a base for mounting fishing equipment. The tubing has 12-sides to safe Hobie’s matching accent bases, permitting you to maneuver equipment ahead and again after which tighten it at any angle. Hobie provides a dozen bases so as to add every thing from a rod holder to a cup holder. I’ve added a fish finder show to 1 facet and a rod holder on the opposite. For event anglers, the horizontal rod holders are customary gear. 

Including electronics is step one in establishing a kayak. Hobie makes it simple on the PA12. First, they added through-deck plugs to permit transducer and energy cables to be routed beneath contained in the kayak. A scupper results in a recessed pocket within the hull. A side-scan transducer ought to grasp beneath the kayak for a transparent view of every facet of the boat. To keep away from harm, the Guardian Sonar Defend retracts when the transducer strikes an object. The transducer may also be retracted with a pull twine to move the kayak. That is the kind of high-end function I anticipate on a top-of-the-line fishing kayak.

One other good contact you received’t discover on different boats is the below-deck gear storage. A hatch in entrance of the seat hides two sort out trays and storage for different small objects. Not solely does the hatch unencumber area above the deck, nevertheless it protects my most treasured lures and rigs.

The icing on the cake is Hobie’s most snug Vantage ST seat. The elevated body seat is roofed in padded mesh to dry quick and keep agency. The lumbar help makes use of a Boa match system to dial in lower-back stress.

Beneath the waterline, the PA 12 has a large tunnel hull with excessive sides to trip over waves and carry a ton of fishing gear. A big retractable rudder simply turns the boat, and a drop-down keel retains the 12-foot kayak on track. 

To take the PA 12 to the following stage, the boat might be rigged with a sail for easy down-wind propulsion. The Professional Angler may even be outfitted with a Bimini prime to maintain the angler out of the solar. And that’s simply Hobie’s equipment. The Professional Angler can also be ripe with open area and kit tracks so as to add bases and mounts from different firms. 

Take a look at Driving the Mirage Drive 180 with Kick Up Fins

The Professional Angler is available in two variations: Mirage Drive 180 and Mirage Drive 360. The 360 drive is Hobie kayak’s most superior pedal system on earth. It goes ahead, backward, and facet to facet.

However the Mirage Drive 180 within the Professional Angler 12 has benefits, too. The MD180 is lighter and smaller than the MD360. It’s additionally simpler. To modify the drive into reverse, pull a cable, and the fins spin 180-degrees. Though it’s not on the spot reverse, like a propeller drive, the flippers don’t lose effectivity when going backward.

My favourite factor concerning the MirageDrive is the moment shallow-water mode. Whereas a propeller drive needs to be lifted to enter shallow water or land the kayak, the Hobie pedal kayak fins go zero drafts by pushing one pedal ahead and flattening the fins in opposition to the underside of the boat. This permits me to spend extra time pedaling than paddling and fewer time lifting and decreasing the drive. For an added stage of security, the fins on the Hobie Mirage Professional Angler 12 will kick up in the event that they hit an underwater object. Hanging a tree limb or rock is the primary strategy to destroy a pedal drive. The Kick-Up Fins on the MD180 take up the abuse and carry on going.

How We Examined the Hobie Professional Angler 12: Backwater Excursions and Open Water Fishing

Along with all of the options and particulars, the Professional Angler’s largest asset is its pedigree. After over a decade on the water, the Hobie Professional Angler 12 with Mirage Drive has been examined within the hardest situations. Enter the phrases Hobie Professional Angler 12 in Google, and pictures of anglers fishing the open ocean and the tightest backwater pop up on the display. This kayak (and her 14-foot sister) might be chargeable for extra event wins and trophy catches than some other kayak. Hobie’s headquarters are in San Diego, California, and the Professional Angler was designed and examined within the legendary massive lakes and wild blue Pacific. When the fishing gap is much away, and the goal species requires every thing and the kitchen sink, I seize the PA 12.

This boat doesn’t blush at overlaying miles of open water or all-day fishing. The boat works properly within the backwaters, however can also be an excellent ocean kayak. With all of the options and fishing equipment, I do know I’ve the sources to sort out any fishing problem. Someday I fished the Professional Angler 12 in skinny backwaters of Mexico Seaside, Florida, and the following day I took the boat off Panama Seaside to focus on purple snapper and king mackerel. Within the shallows, the PA12 was a simple stand-up fishing kayak. The one time I sat down was to pedal from one spot to the following. To make stand-up fishing simpler, I used a paddleboard paddle. On the open water, the PA12 lined miles with ease and dealt with the afternoon wind chop. The one place the boat was sketchy was within the surf. However with some observe, I may handle the breakers. This boat will go nearly anyplace. When Hobie got down to design the perfect fishing kayak, the Professional Angler 12 was the outcome.

Hobie Professional Angler 12: Velocity, Monitoring, and Maneuverability  

All of the speak about options and design comes down to 1 factor: confidence. After I pedal the Hobie Professional Angler 12, I really feel assured to face any sea situations and go the space. 

The highly effective Mirage Drive 180 and Kick Up Fins, together with the massive rudder and drop-down skeg, enable the boat to cowl distance whereas excessive sides and a large deck hold water out of the cockpit. 

For assured stand-up fishing, the boat has a tunnel hull with stable stability, whereas the rounded chine (the place the hull meets the perimeters of the boat) permits the kayak to roll over waves. 

However, it is a massive boat, with a 500-pound capability, that sits excessive off the water to catch the wind and present. Nevertheless, the MD180 drive works with the drop-down skeg and rudder to cage the bear on lengthy open water paddles.

For shallow water fishing, the Mirage Drive provides the benefit of on the spot zero-draft. Nevertheless, when it will get actually tight, like a weed-choked farm pond or a muddy tidal flat, the ProAngler solely comes with a canoe paddle to maneuver the massive boat in skinny water.

The benefit of a pedal-powered full-size fishing kayak is the prolonged vary and limitless fishability it provides. The drawback is transporting and storing the boat. As one of many largest and heaviest 12-foot kayaks, the PA 12 requires a trailer or pickup truck to haul. I like to recommend a heavy-duty cart to maneuver the boat to the water.

My favourite function of Hobie fishing kayaks is the standard of development. The Professional Angler makes use of the perfect plastic, and the elements are constructed to final a lifetime. The MD180 drive does undergo breakdowns, like several pedal system, however repairs are often simple. The Kick-Up fins keep away from the worst harm, and the MD 180 has undergone hours of testing and design to beef it up.

Confidence is why so many anglers select the Hobie Professional Angler 12 for his or her kayak fishing adventures. The large boat with all of the options is a dependable rig to realize even probably the most tough kayak fishing objectives.

What this Fishing Kayak Does Finest: Huge Water and Huge Journey

The Hobie Mirage Professional Angler 12 is a full-size, full-featured fishing kayak. It’s the excellent match for open water, lengthy runs, and full-on fishing. The Mirage Drive 180, coupled with a big rudder and drop-down keel, permits the boat to haul ass. A 500-pound capability means it will possibly carry all your gear, too. The seat has a 350-pound capability with loads of room to get snug. This succesful boat combines stability with open-water efficiency and a pedal drive to go the space. In case you’re fascinated by this massive boat, then you have to be fascinated by a giant fishing journey.

What this Fishing Kayak Does Worst: Arduous to Transport and Retailer

Many individuals get into kayak fishing for comfort. A fishing kayak is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and simpler to personal than a motorboat. Whereas the Professional Angler 12 checks all of those packing containers in comparison with a gas-powered boat, it isn’t probably the most handy kayak. Putting in a pedal system at all times provides a layer of complexity to kayak fishing. The shifting components, upkeep, and inevitable breakdowns are all a part of proudly owning a pedal drive. With out the drive, the PA12 is a 100-pound chunk of plastic. The boat is likely one of the heaviest and largest kayaks in the marketplace. The Professional Angler 12 saves two toes and 15 kilos off the massive sister Professional Angler 14, however this doesn’t make the 12-foot kayak a grab-and-go boat. And the elephant within the room is the Professional Angler’s value, which is on the prime finish of the market, even for a pedal kayak. In case you’re into a light-weight, easy-to-store fishing kayak, this isn’t your boat. However, if you’d like a bass boat or flats fishing boat with out the motor and upkeep, then the Professional Angler is for you.

Does the Hobie Professional Angler 12 Ship on Its Mission? 

The Hobie Professional Angler’s greatest commercial is its ubiquity—I see them all over the place. Whether or not I’m fishing the ocean or my native trout gap, somebody pedals previous me in a Hobie Professional Angler. There’s a cause so many individuals are in Professional Anglers—the boats are probably the greatest full-service, full-featured pedal kayaks on the water. High quality construct, a robust drive, stable stability, and dependable efficiency make the big-boy boat the perfect platform for all sorts of kayak fishing. It has a large tunnel hull for stability within the shallows and a excessive freeboard and broad bow to tackle waves. If you’re critical about kayak fishing, Hobie’s top-of-the-line Professional Angler 12 with Mirage Drive 180 and Kick Up Fins will take you to the following stage. 

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