Field & Stream "Eagle Talon 12" Hot

The boat paddles and fishes fine.. I wish the hatch in the front was better designed.. this is me being picky.. I'd like to slide my trolling motor battery in the front and it doesn't quite fit.. the back compartment is a tad too narrow, to quick.. i wanted to use a milk crate and it just doesn't work.. Those are my complaints.. aside from that, the boat is great.. especially for my first kayak.. I've paddled many of miles and caught many of fish in this boat.. i stand up and fish with no problems.. and considering i am not very gentle with this boat, it holds up very well!! i'm talking drag it on concrete and hardly scuffs! i would recommend this boat.. and Dick's usually puts them $150-$200 off in the month of May.

fist fishing Kayak great product for the price just wish the seat was more comfortable!

Loved my Talon, was my first kayak, bought 4 yrs ago, have caught everything from bream to king mackerel. Its a tuff little rig. I also have a Jackson Cuda 14 and I will put the 400 dollar yak up to the 1500 yak anyday. Kinda regretting it but just sold it to a coworker for 25 bucks less than I paid for it, not a bad investment.

I Have been through 3 (field and stream) kayaks already. Yes 3! The material used to make these kayaks are very cheap and not of any good quality. The bottom front and rear of these kayaks are ALL HOLLOW and only 1/8 inches thick. This means any rock or surface you bump hard enough will put a hole in your craft. All of the other kayaks I have used avidly in the past were all solid forms in front bottom and back bottom of the boat. This allows for loading and unloading and a few possible bumps in your normal travels. These cratfs are made very poorly and Im sure everyone who has one will soon find out once they bump the boat and notice the Kayak leaking. One good bump is all it takes and your kayak is breached. Field and Stream products are made and manufactured out of Canada. While speaking to Dicks Employees they have all told me Field and Stream is a very cheap and inexpensive Kayak brand that they use to compete with BassPro shops. It seems Dicks would rather cut corners and offer to the public inferior merchadise rather than quality.

I have been researching fishing kayaks for a while now. I didn't even look at the Eagle Talon. It wasn't on my radar. I decided to drive to Jacksonville to look at two other brands at another outfitter. Well, I got lost and wound up at Dicks. Sometimes things are meant to be. I told my understanding wife that we'd might as well look at what Dicks has to offer then find the other place. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. Skeptical at first but the more I looked at the Talon the more I liked it. The finish and fit and hardware were very good. I'm a hardware man, I've built over 100 houses and I'm into wood working plus I buy things like fishing reels and tools that seem to be put together well and have good hardware. I hooked up with Chris who turned out to be the store manager. He was friendly and knowledgeable and he didn't try to put the hard sell on me. I looked hard at the Talon then decided to compare to the other two brands I had in mind at the other location.

As I walked away from the kayak area I thought about the great deal I could have and buy what I thought was a good fishing kayak for 1/2 the price of each of the other two brands. So I turned around and thirty minutes later walked out of the store an owner of the Talon. I was to pick up the kayak the next day as the auto we were driving wouldn't accommodate hauling the kayak home. The next day I stopped by the other store and looked at the other kayaks I had in mind in the first place. They were nice but not nice enough to squelch the deal with Dicks and the Talon. Actually the hardware and fit wasn't as good as what I found on the Talon.

Yesterday I took out my new kayak for its maiden voyage. A run out into Moultrie Creek for some fishing. It was a beautiful day and a good time to go fishing. I hit the out going tide and fished the oyster beds hard. The kayak performed like a dream. It tracked well, and even though the water was calm I had to deal with some boat wake. It took the waves just fine. I plugged the scuppers near the seat because I read it might be a source of "wet butt". I didn't get wet. When I returned to shore I looked into the bilge and it was dry - nothing but air!

Now for the negatives. The thing is heavy. I am 200 lbs 6'-0" tall and I liked how it kept me afloat and dry. However lugging it into my truck bed is a challenge. I got it done and upon reflection I think a certain amount of heavy is good. It means the thing is solid and less likely to deform. It's just more work. It does not hold a milk crate in the tank well. Big whoop - that's where being creative comes in handy. I managed to McGiver ample storage in the well and it all stayed dry. Let's see... Oh yeah, the seat. I read a lot of negatives regarding the seat in this kayak. I for one am ok as long as my lower back is supported . If it becomes an issue then I'll buy another seat with the money I saved in the first place (and sill have money left over). I wonder if the dings about the seat are from guys who expect the kayak seat to sit like their Lazy Boy. Just guessing. I am 66 years old and rode a ladder to the ground injuring my back when I was 31. I have always had an issue with my lower back. Two hours in this yak and no back problem.

I have had experience in other kayaks and canoes. This kayak either matched or exceeded the performance of all the other kayaks I've paddled. I recommend it. It doesn't have the brand recognition and snootiness of some of the others but it is a solid kayak and a good value.