Perception Pescador Pro 12 offers exceptional value in the fishing kayak segment. It combines an affordable price with some premium features.
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If you’re just getting into kayak fishing, Perception Pescador Pro 10 is a great boat to start with. It is most suitable for people of a smaller and average frame that can enjoy its best performance, whether it is for recreational paddling or fishing.
Durable, buoyant and lightweight, it provides lots of fun on the water without the standard fuss over transportation, carrying, and storage. The Pescador Pro 10 offers top quality, comfort and confidence for a reasonable price. Its affordable high performance is one of the reasons why this boat is so popular among paddlers and kayak anglers of all ages and sizes.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Easy to transport and store
- Stable
- High-quality construction
- Sizeable bow and stern tankwells
- Affordable
- Superb tracking
Cons:
- Shallow molded-in rod holders
- Limited dry storage
Perception Kayaks manufactured the first rotomolded plastic kayak in 1977, seven years after Bill Masters founded the company in South Carolina on a $50 investment. They pioneered the use of plastic material for building kayaks as opposed to the existing composite ones.
Perception brought affordability to the kayak industry and, with its first Pescador model (meaning “fisherman” in Spanish), set off kayak fishing as a new branch of the industry. Today, Perception Kayaks make 30 different models of kayaks in the recreational, touring, fishing, and sit-on-top markets, including models exclusively found in big-box chains.
Size and Weight
Perception Pescador Pro 10 is 10’6″ long, has a 32″ beam, and 14″ deck height. It is a lightweight boat of 57 lbs, making it manageable for loading it onto the car top racks or the truck bed. You don’t need a big garage to store this kayak safely.
Capacity
The Pescador Pro does well in the 10-foot-kayak category, having a maximum capacity of 325 lbs. Even though bigger paddlers buy the boat and are happy with their experience, this model is better suited for people of average or smaller stature who do not exceed 80 percent of the kayak’s total weight capacity when fully loaded with gear.
Construction and Materials
Perception makes their kayaks from a proprietary High-Density Polyethylene material using the company-specific, one-piece rotational molding technology. The process involves pouring beads of polyethylene into the mold, which gets heated up and slowly rotated so that the material fills up every nook and cranny. After the mold cools down you get a one-piece construction that is extremely rugged and durable.
Perception Kayaks’ material and final products are renowned for high quality and durability.
The downside of polyethylene is that it is a very non-stick material. If you manage to put a hole in the hull, you can’t just glue a patch to it. Repairing usually requires a piece of the same material and a blowtorch to melt it onto the hole.
Hull Design
The Pescador Pro 10 offers a versatile hull design that can take you to any fishing spot you wish to explore. Its widened hull sidewalls provide high stability and dry ride from slow and fast-moving rivers to open lakes and inshore saltwater. The straight tracking keel holds the desired direction even in windy conditions.
The hull features excellent primary and secondary stability. The rounded edges make the boat less susceptible to choppy waters, but a bit tippy when making sudden movements while standing on the deck.
The sacrificial keel protection plate at the stern adds protection and longevity to the hull.
Deck/Cockpit
Perception Pescador Pro 10 features a spacious deck with enough room to cast lines and manage the catch. The cockpit takes up half of the kayak’s total length. There are no bungee tie-downs, sharp edges or notches that can snag your threads and hooks, making it a safe, fishing-friendly environment even for inexperienced anglers.
The cockpit includes a low-profile pod designed to fit the battery for your fish finder, a cup holder, and six scupper holes for draining the water. There are two more scupper holes in the rear, as well as one in the bow tank well specially positioned to fit the transducer wiring. There are no day hatches or any dry storage compartments in the cockpit where you could stow your personal belongings or water-sensitive items.
Seat
In Perception’s Pescador line, the Pro 10 and 12 are the models that come with a stadium-style chair. It features a removable aluminum frame, dual-layered mesh padding and excellent comfort for all-day fishing excursions.
The seat can be adjusted into two settings – high and low, however, in both positions, the front-chair height is the same. When set in the lower grooves, the front bar is 3-¼ inches lifted from the deck. When slid into the second, higher set of notches, only the backseat is elevated, whereas the frontal height remains the same. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that the chair can be adjusted into an upright and reclined sitting.
The reclined [low] position, having a lower center of gravity, is better suited for sportier paddling, while the upright [higher] position offers more relaxed paddling and excellent visibility of the water, thus making it great for fishing.
It is recommended to put plugs into the scupper holes under the seat if you prefer a pleasant and dry journey.
Storage
Perception Pescador Pro features an open-hull storage design. Unlike most fishing kayaks that have a dry front hatch, the Pro 10 offers a decent-sized bow tank well covered with a stretchy mesh to keep your gear in place. This compartment is also useful for stowing your catch or live bait.
Under the seat, the manufacturer provides a molded-in recess that fits one Plano 3600 tackle box and two eyelets where you can tie some tools, or small accessories.
Behind the seat, there is a 5″ deck plate that is the only access point to the in-hull storage. Because of its position and angle, this hatch is barely accessible on the water.
The oversized stern tank well is secured with bungee cords and offers plenty of room to put a crate or a cooler and a backpack.
Gear Mounts
Although the Pescador Pro 10 is a great fishing kayak, it doesn’t come pre-rigged with plenty of gear mounts. However, the engineers provided multiple inserts all over the deck so you can customize the yak according to your needs and preferences without having to drill holes.
The boat includes two plastic YakAttack gear tracks on each cockpit gunnel where you can attach rod holders, GoPro, or any custom accessory you may need on the water.
The central pod in the cockpit is fishfinder-ready and fits a transducer battery. It comes with an insert on the lid where you can fix the display.
The unique thing about Perception Pescador Pro 10’s console is that it includes two cable outlets at the back that guide the battery wiring directly into the transducer scupper hole in the bow tank well. Through the hole, the installation ends with a transducer recess at the bottom that includes all necessary inserts to secure the device. The transducer scupper protects the transducer from underwater obstacles.
Rod Holders
Out of the box, the Pescador Pro 10 comes with two molded-in rod holders located behind the seat. Being only 5.4″ deep and uncommonly wide, they cannot accommodate most of the better performing fishing rods, not even the long-handle nets.
Being aware of the customers’ issues with the molded-in rod holders, Perception offers the specially designed Rod-X Pro tapered rod holders produced in all of the rotomolded colors of the Sound, Striker, Pescador, and Pescador Pro and are compatible to these models as well. The rod holder integrates a bungee cord for extra security.
The more experienced fishermen, or the ones who have bigger rods, typically purchase more versatile rod holders, such as the Omega Rod Holder, Scotty Baitcaster Spinning Rod Holder or similar, and mount them onto the gear tracks.
If you opt for more heavy-duty holders, it is a good idea to consider changing the plastic gear tracks with metal ones.
The cockpit also includes two molded-in rod parks located behind the bow mesh.
Footrests
Perception Pescador Pro 10 comes with standard adjustable footrests that easily slide on the rails and help you find the ideal paddling position.
Paddle Holders
The Pescador Pro 10 offers only one paddle tie-down on the left side of the boat and the bow tankwell mesh also doubles as a temporary paddle park.
Handles
Perception Pescador Pro 10 comes with front and rear flush-mounted carry handles and two molded-in side grips of a lower profile compared to the cockpit deck. This design results in having snag-proof handles.
Stability
For a 10-foot kayak, a 32″ beam guarantees excellent sitting stability for any paddler that complies with the manufacturer’s weight capacity limits and recommendations. The Pescador’s hull bottom offers high primary stability, which makes the boat less wobbly when getting in and out of it.
That said, if your fishing style involves more standing than sitting, your stance in the cockpit isn’t going to be wide enough, hence, the balancing will take some practice. The taller you are, the more difficult you can reach this point.
For the most part, the Pro 10 handles all reasonable weather and water conditions pretty well.
Maneuverability and Tracking
The boat offers great maneuverability or tracking. This kayak almost turns on a dime and is particularly responsive to paddle strokes when you’re sitting in the low position. Having an anchor can be beneficial during casting because you will be able to control the drift.
Provided you have a lightweight, quality paddle, this agile little boat can pull you through all those tights, streams, rivers, or lakes, building your confidence with every passing mile.
Speed
Being a bit short for a 32″ beam means that this kayak does require some work to maintain speed. Perception Pescador Pro 10’s design offers stability and outstanding tracking while paddling or fishing. It can maintain decent speed due to being lightweight. It can safely take you to your fishing turf, but not necessarily in the shortest time.
If you need to cover long distances, prepare yourself for some active paddling or take a look at Perception Pescador Pro 12 instead.
Care and Maintenance
Rotomolded kayaks are incredibly durable and require minimum maintenance. However, here are some useful kayak maintenance tips:
You need to do some maintenance when you take your kayak out of storage before the season. Check the hull for damage, inspect all hardware and rigging, replace anything that wears out, check and refill the emergency gear. It is also a great time to get the new equipment you were dreaming of last year.
During the season, it is a good idea to quickly spray down your kayak after each trip (especially in salt water). Store the kayak away from direct sunlight or use kayak covers. Avoid dragging the kayak on its hull if possible. A kayak cart is a great and inexpensive accessory that can prolong the life of your boat.
When it’s time to put the kayak away for storage, turn it upside down and wash it with mild soap and a sponge. Make sure you get any sand, dirt, or dead bugs out. Dry the boat thoroughly. Check the rigging and see what needs replacement. Apply some corrosion protection (like WD-40) to metal joints, screws, and bolts.
Storage
The appropriate way to store your kayak is indoors, standing up on its end and secured by a strap so that it does not fall. If that’s not possible, store your kayak hull up on some flat surface. Worst case, just put it somewhere there’s no direct sunlight and use a cockpit cover to protect the kayak from dust or critters.
Perception Pescador Pro 10 Warranty
For the original retail purchaser (“Consumer”), Perception kayaks purchased on or after January 1, 2018, are warranted against material or manufacturing defects in the hull and deck for five years from the date of the original purchase of the kayak.
Parts, accessories, and outfitting are warranted for a period of one year against material or manufacturing defects. This limited warranty is only valid with the purchase of a Perception kayak from an authorized Perception dealer. This warranty is non-transferable.
The warranty registration form should be completed online within 30 days of the original purchase to be activated. You should keep your sales receipt should it be required in the future for proof of purchase.
Perception may require you to provide photos of the damage or to return the product at your own cost.
Warranty terms may be different in different countries. Please contact your local dealer to learn more. For the full warranty terms and conditions, click here:
https://www.perceptionkayaks.com/us/warranty-registration-0
