Gear Review: Oldtown Topwater 106 – An Incredible Value! (Sportsman 106)

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been pond hopping and bank bashing since you first discovered a bass with bite a plastic worm. Forever in search of the perfect small water vessel, I’ve fished out of damn near everything over the years, from white water kayaks, to canoes, Jon boats, inflatables, paddle boats and even an innertube, I’ve finally found what I feel is the perfect unit – the OldTown Topwater 106. This 10.5ft fishing kayak ticks every single box, and scratches all the itches I’ve ever had when looking for a backwater attack vehicle.

I go into far greater detail about the Topwater (or Sportsman 106, they are near identical boats) in my YouTube video, but just to give you the Coles Notes version of what I like:

• Stability: Everything I’ve ever used for pond fishing has always made me feel as though I might be doing more swimming than fishing. Canoes and regular kayaks, while excellent to paddle, do not inspire confidence on the water for an angler. Not the case with the Topwater 106, I can easily cast, set the hook, fight and release a fish, all from the standing position in this kayak, which makes doing things like flipping and pitching heavy cover, or working a frog across mats so much more effective than trying to work those techniques from a seated position.
• Comfort: Speaking of seated position, if you are sitting in this boat, it is tremendously comfortable. Other kayaks and canoes have hard plastic seats, that put you in a uncomfortable position. The stadium style seat in this boat is “all day” comfortable, and I really mean that, it is like being in a pool lounge chair sipping a margarita! The dual seating position is a nice touch, but I cant see myself ever using the lower one, perhaps if I’m ever out in super rough conditions, but that has yet to happen. The overall ergonomics are fantastic with fully adjustable foot blocks to accommodate even my short 5’6″ frame.
• Fishability: This boat has truly been designed with the angler in mind, with 3 dedicated rod holders, 2 cup holders (very important!), a sealed front storage compartment and ample room in the aft for more tackle than I’ve ever needed to bring. I love the boats stability for being able to stand up, turn around, and with great ease & comfort grab a new piece of tackle (after I’ve broke off on a big log), tie on and move on! There is lots of storage room under the seat for things like pliers, scales, bags of baits or whatever else you cant to have quick access to.

So far I am thoroughly enjoying this boat, and with the help of some scupper plugs to keep my feet dry, plan on fishing out of this boat well into the late fall.