NRS "Pike" Hot

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Many kayak anglers won't even consider an inflatable kayak for fishing. Those folks are missing out on river fishing in those holes behind the Class III and higher rapids. They're also hauling around their hard-to-store-without-a-garage hard plastic kayaks in trucks that get gas mileage in the low teens. They're missing out on a kayak that can fit in a backpack and fit in the trunk of even some of the smallest cars - or even on the bus. It's called the NRS “Pike”.

This isn't the first time the Pike has been featured here on YakAngler. In fact, we brought the first video of the Pike, and all the information about it, live from ICAST last summer.

Northwest River Supply is a name synonymous with white water gear. They have been building rapids-pounding inflatable rafts, pontoon boats, and kayaks for decades. With the NRS “Pike”, they bring the latest inflatable kayak (IK) technology to the fishing world.

The Pike is 12' 8" long, and weighs in around 50 lbs. Some might say that is heavy for an IK, but there is a good reason. It's also made of the thickest, heaviest PVC used in a kayak. The 2000 denier, 1.2mm PVC is unheard of in the world of IKs, let alone most whitewater pontoon boats and rafts, but that heavy duty build is also what allows the Pike to be fished in some of the harshest fishing grounds around the country. The weight includes the Scotty mounts, “Easy Access Tackle Bag”, and seat.

The floor of the Pike is made with drop-stich technology. This places thousands of threads between layers of PVC, allowing NRS to form inflatable plastic to their needs. It is this technology that is used on inflatable standup paddleboards, stiffens sections of the Hobie inflatables, and is the prime technology behind NRS's “GigBob” personal pontoon. The drop-stitch floor can be inflated as high as 10 psi to create a ridged, flat, standing platform for excellent sight casting - though only three to four psi is sufficient. It also allows the use of a floor-mounted Scotty mount, pre-installed towards the front of the kayak. Combined with a Scotty triple mount (not included), it makes an excellent home for a forward mounted rod holder and a fish finder.

Behind the seat, on each of the 11" tubes, are another pair of Scotty mounts and a nylon webbing daisy chain. This daisy chain allows for unlimited uses, be it a place to tether gear, rig up a transducer mount, or a stern-mounted drift anchor or drag chain. Much to most kayak anglers’ delight, 3/4" PVC is a perfect fit for the daisy chain webbing. If something stronger than PVC is needed, then 7/8" stainless piping will do the trick just fine. With the addition of the nylon daisy chain, custom rigging is easy. The Pike features 32 stainless steel D-rings to use as tie downs or gear attachment points for things like the Harmony “Johnny Bar”. Scotty also makes glue-on patches allowing users to install additional Scotty mounts wherever they want them.

As an inflatable kayak, the Pike is naturally stable. The 11" tubes are the reason behind this. Paddling the kayak is fairly effortless thanks to a very shallow draft, and a removable skeg keeps the kayak tracking true. The Pike comes with a pair of different skegs - a large one for open water fishing, and a shorter skeg for shallow or moving water. The skegs lock into place, so they are not going slip off.

The shallow draft of the Pike also helps make it incredibly maneuverable. Even with the skeg, it slips easily into eddies and peels back out into the main stream. In still water, the kayak can even make 180 degree turns with a single paddle sweep, and the skeg helps the boat travel in a straight line when needed. NRS really found an excellent middle ground when it came to tracking and maneuverability.

As good as it sounds, not everything is perfect. The Pike does not come with foot braces, a feature YakAngler mentioned at ICAST when we first saw the kayak. NRS does have glue-on adjustable foot braces available at their website. The addition of the foot braces will make paddling even easier, and give the paddler more control when running rapids. Users could also use a thwart bag as seen in most other IKs. The seat also leaves something to be desired. It offers a lot of adjust ability fore-and-aft, and the high-backed seat also comes equipped with a good size zippered storage back, but it lacks padding. This leaves the paddler with a "sitting on the floor" feel. The addition of a bit more padding, or even upgrading to a thick-bottomed seat like the GTS “Expedition”, will help lift the angler off the bottom of the kayak for more comfortable fishing. Anglers that spend a good amount of time standing up to fish may not see any problems with the seat.

Thinking more about the Pike as a great fishing platform? Then get out and demo one!

Update: After writing this review I got a call from NRS saying that they're working on installing foot braces. This should solve the most significant downside of the NRS Pike.