Perception Striker 11.5 Anglers Kayak Review

My First Fishing Kayak: No Buyer's Remorse Here

Okay, so you’ve been shore fishing for a while now, and you’re not doing too bad. We’ve all caught plenty of good fish from the bank, but you can’t help but think that you might be missing out on something. With all that water in front of you, whether it be a farm pond or a full-on lake, it becomes clear that if, somehow, you could be out there fishing towards the shore, you might end up catching some serious bass. One day you come to the realization that you’re going to have to pull the trigger and get your first kayak…but what the hell are you gonna do from there?

I found myself in this spot a little while back, and I knew I needed to take my fishing to the next level. Riding around in little johnboats with friends is always a great time, and a good way to get yourself in front of more fish, but I needed something that I could take by myself when I’m trying to get out there in a hurry. I browsed around for a few months, trying to find something that would fit my needs. Eventually, I landed on the Perception Striker 11.5 Angler’s kayak, and my heart was set.

I didn’t have a massive amount of money to drop, but the standard retail price of somewhere within the $500-600USD range seemed doable. I shopped and shopped, and eventually I found myself the deal of the century; a guy in Long Island who’d purchased the kayak new only a few months prior to when we got in contact was in a rush to sell everything he had in preparation for a surprise move to Kentucky. He was offering to sell the Striker for $350USD…with an anchor, paddle, seat and even the ratchet straps I’d use to bring it home. Talk about a steal.

What I Like:

The Perception Striker 11.5 is an amazing kayak for the price point. Even at roughly $550USD retail, which I thankfully didn’t have to pay, I’d still consider this yak as a solid entry for the upper-range of the low-to-mid tier of fishing kayaks. It’s not exactly loaded with features, but it does have several that I am a big fan of.

First off, it’s not too heavy. At 65lbs, I can manhandle it up on top of my sedan with a perfectly acceptable amount of lower back pain. Speaking of weight, this thing has a carrying capacity of 500lbs., which is enough to hold up my fat ass, the 30lbs of gear I always lug around with me, and whatever else I feel like bringing with grace and ease. There is plenty of storage in the back, and the front screw-of port gives you access to the entirety of the hull, which can give you a ton of space for storing goodies. There are four flush-mount rod holders positioned at the rear of the seat, which are convenient, but too shallow for most purposes (we’ll get to that later). You get molded-in side grips, a stand-up strap, and three locations for attaching mounts or whatever else your heart desires. The molded foot rests are decent, but I would prefer adjustable ones, which is all a matter of personal preference. Even in the low seat position, you still have ample room for supplies on the deck, as well as another port into the hull right between your legs for more dry-storage opportunities.

The thing also looks pretty darn slick, if I do say so myself. Aesthetically, it does everything it needs to do, and performance-wise, she'll get you wherever you need to go, and look alright doing it. It’s a pretty solid deal.

What I Don’t Like:

There aren’t too many things that I don’t like about the Perception Striker 11.5, but there certainly are a few. As mentioned before, the proposal of having four standard-issue, flush-mounted rod holders is amazing in concept, but not necessarily in execution with this particular kayak. I have found the holes to be too wide to keep rods held in a consistent position, (nothing worse than tangled rods when a bass just smashed a shad at the surface and you’re trying to put down your jig and bring out the buzzbait) and too shallow to give me confidence that the rods will stay in the damn things. I haven’t had any issues with them to this point, but I can’t say that the thought of disaster doesn’t cross my mind.

The Striker also has a small problem with tracking. You can pick up speed fairly easily and carry that speed without too much extra effort, but I do find myself occasionally having to paddle to one side several times in a row to keep me straight, even without wind or currents. You won’t notice it all that frequently, but it is a small issue that irks me when it pops up.

Another important note here is that I cannot safely stand in this kayak. I weigh 230lbs, and it is simply too shaky and unstable for me to feel comfortable standing up, even on dead-calm pond waters.

I’m also not the biggest fan of the seating positions. I haven’t even used the high one to this point, but the comfort or ergonomics of each position isn’t even the issue; it’s the fact that the Striker has molded-in, or in this case molded-up seat “bumps”. As a sit on top, these bumps provide you with an elevated position, and that’s great. But, when securing the kayak to my roof rack, I have to contend with the added height, as well as the downward slope of the “bump” that makes me a little worried about slipping a strap when transporting. It’s not the world’s biggest problem, but I do have to say that I don’t exactly love the design on that front.

Overall, the Perception Striker 115 Angler’s kayak is a very solid option for a budget friendly(ish) fishing kayak. As of May of 2018, when this piece was written, the price is now up to $629USD new, which I honestly don’t think this kayak is worth. I know that I got this rig for a steal in my situation, but I think at that price point, you’d be better off just going cheap and featureless and saving for something like the Perception Pescador Pro 12, the Striker’s big brother. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this thing despite its quirks, but I got it for almost HALF of the current retail price, and at half price, I think my yak was a steal. If you can find one of these floating on the internet at somewhere around $400USD, I’d seriously consider going and checking it out. If you want to get out on the water in something more than just your grandma’s ten-foot sit-inside, do a little hunting and see if one of these pops up on the cheap. It surely has my approval.