I'm into kayaking. I live in a remote part of an already remote state and there are plenty of lakes, rivers, and the ocean. My rig is a 2008 Old Town Predator. It's an 11' sit inside hunting/fishing kayak. Very stable with plenty of room for gear to do an overnighter or weekend trip. It has a good mix of maneuverability with forgiving stability that's user friendly, even for a novice.
I like to go out exploring and I'll drop a fishing line in from time to time. A favorite pastime is going to the shallows of whatever lake I'm on and spend the afternoon catching Pickerel. Being a member of the Pike family, they are aggressive and really put up a fight. They're really bony though, and not good eating, so it's catch and release. Once you get a few stirred up, they'll go for just a bare hook with no bait. I once caught the same fish three times in a row in the span of around 10 minutes.
As far as wildlife, there's bears, moose, whitetail, and a healthy number of Bald Eagles. Also have a 22' pontoon boat and we'll lash our kayaks to the sides, go out to an offshore island, drop anchor and explore with our kayaks. We'll also do pontoon boat only trips and go out far enough for some whale watching. Blue Whales are the most common. I got to see one breach the surface less than 100 yards off our port side. It's the largest animal on Earth. Awesome and humbling.
The local seal population has exploded over the past decade, and if you're in the right spot at the right time of year, you can catch a shark feeding. We have both Tiger sharks, and Great Whites.
