A kayak anglers dream, the Perception Sport Caster 12.5″ Angler Kayak comes ready to fish in any environment. With features like a stabilizer hull and bungee deck rigging, this is an extremely good kayak that offers superb value for money.

If you love to travel at speed, this Sport Sound kayak should definitely make it to your shortlist.

What to Consider when Buying a Fishing Kayak

No matter which kayak you choose you will be investing some cash. Choosing the right kayak means that you have done your homework and considered all the main factors that need to be considered before making the purchase. Take a look at the list of considerations below to get started making your choice:

Perception Sport 12.5 Sound Kayak Review

The Perception Sport Sound is one of the best fishing kayaks on the market in its price bracket and we hope that this review will give you an insight into its capabilities and restrictions. Read on to see if this kayak is the right choice for you and your next angling expedition.

The Perception Sport is the largest kayak in the ‘Sound’ series and offers anglers great stability as well as being very fast. It is not often that you get the ability to hit a good speed whilst still having good maneuverability, but the team has struck up a good balance with this kayak.

The kayak is by no means perfect, but it is an absolute steal and we think you are going to like this one. If you caught your interest so far, read on to see exactly what we think about the Sports Sound 12.5.

Specifications

Pros

Cons

Size and Weight

The Perception Sport Sound kayak has an overall capacity of 375 pounds and is great for anglers on the large side and who take a lot of equipment on their fishing trips.

If you are used to going on long expeditions and taking a lot of equipment then the capacity should not be an issue. We often hear from taller anglers how small some kayaks can be, but there should be no problem for those who have long legs with this kayak.

Coming in at 57 pounds it is relatively light compared to some other fishing kayaks and those who are not very strong should not have too many problems moving this kayak about, although you are likely to need help getting it on to the roof of your car or traveling long distances.

Design

If you have read any of our other kayak reviews you will know that we really like long, slim kayaks that can reach high speeds. The Perception Sport Sound is a kayak who can do just that due to its tri-hull design.

The size of this kayak is very impressive to look at as the streamlined image of this kayak standing in the river is very impressive indeed. If you are familiar with standard kayaks the beam may seem a little wide, but it is slimmer than a lot of fishing kayaks. We know that style is not everything, but sometimes you just spot a kayak that looks good and it can give you a buzz.

The Sport Sound 12.5 paddles through the water easily due to a sharp bowline and a molded skeg that aids tracking. Often when kayaks travel quickly and have a good ability to track, the stability is compromised, but not with the Sport Sound 12.5.

Kayaks are not all about aesthetics, the design features need to work for anglers. The clever seat adjustments and foot braces are just some of the small things that make a difference to some people.

These features may seem trivial but when you think of the varying sizes of anglers, you can think about how a few inches of extra room can be beneficial. The seating of this kayak falls into this category as the low seating position creates an ultra-stable paddling platform.

Some people are not too fussed on the comfort levels of kayaks as they tend to travel short journeys or stand up most of the time, but for those who like to be comfortable or travel a far distance, comfortable seats are a little taste of heaven.

The design is the most contentious area when it comes to choosing as kayak as it is where personal preferences come in, as all anglers want different things. If modern trends and fancy design features are your things, then this may not be the model for you, but if you like your kayaks simple, with plenty of space then you cannot go wrong with this kayak. A traditional slim kayak brings a smile to our face, no frills, no fuss just lots of great fishing adventure.

Features

Whilst we do like sit-on-top kayaks, we do like some of the design features of a sit-inside kayak and this model of the kayak has a little bit of the bits that we like about sit-inside kayaks. You are protected reasonably well from poor weather in this sit-on-top kayaks, which is a bonus.

The sit-on-top design has a large cockpit with enough room to stand up without the thought that you will trip over in the midst of catching fish. When consoles are added to kayaks in places that they will protrude it is such an annoyance for anglers, so free space is music to a kayakers ears.

This kayak has a good rod retainer system that features rod tip protectors so that you can store your equipment throughout the day and organize them all to suit your needs. We like the molded cockpit features that allow plenty of room for equipment and fishing finders.

Although there is reasonably good storage, there is no sufficient dry storage, which means that your electronics and camera may become exposed. There is no problem in finding a space for cooler boxes and bait buckets, so take as much as you like in this 375 capacity kayak.

If we are honest the dry storage is a little bit of an issue with us, but there will be ways around it if you are creative and in the grand scheme of things, it would not put us off buying this model.

The Sport Sound stability is due to the pontoon-type hull design, which is becoming popular in the new generation of stand-up kayaks. The 12.5 is definitely not flimsy and is made from durable plastics that will last relatively well given its low price tag.

A lot of the features of this kayak are great, some very unique even, so we think that it’s price tag is an absolute bargain and would be a wise investment for an experienced angler who is looking for innovative features.

Summary

We have liked Perception kayaks for a long time, mainly due to the aesthetics and the speed that they generally reach. The Sport Sound 12.5 lives up to expectations and is arguably one of the best that they have made. Of course, it is not all about the look, the kayak needs to give anglers everything that they need. Well, this kayak definitely does the job in hand and then some.

This kayak is more in line with traditional kayaks rather than being trendy, but we think that is kind of the appeal, it does what it says on the tin and doesn’t let you down.

We honestly cannot praise this kayak enough and whilst there would be some improvements that we would make, for such a low price I do not feel that we can complain too much. If you do decide to buy this kayak, you will have considered the negatives we have pointed out and made an informed personal choice.

We do not think that you will be disappointed with your purchase and we are sure you will have many happy years of fishing in this kayak. We personally cannot wait to get out on this kayak again, we liked it that much.