I currently own a 2006 Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 and I love it. I didn’t think a better yak could be made… until now. With the introduction of the 2009 Tarpon line, Wilderness Systems has completely outpaced the competition.

I haven’t had a chance to paddle one yet — I’m still waiting on Wilderness Systems to sponsor me or make a tester — but I did get to sit in one at Austin Canoe & Kayak. Through my own limited experience, Im here to tell you why this kayak is so great compared to previous Tarpons and other yaks in general. For starters, the bow. WS gave the bow a little more rise to cut through the chop and create a drier ride. Though I don’t care about getting wet, I can tell you that i’ve had some wet rides in my current Tarpon. Hey, small price to pay for a fast, low profile paddle. WS also updated the bow hatch. It holds firm and latches which is nice. Personally, I never had issues with the old ones.

The cockpit, oh, the cockpit. WS created more cockpit space in the 2009 version by removing surface space behind the seat. My tarpon has a small hatch there. I really don’t use it much, so I know I wouldn’t miss it. The plus is that you have more space in the cockpit with some nice features. If you look in the console area, you can see they added a larger center hatch and some mesh covered gear stowage. Sweet! It’s also flat versus the hump in previous versions. I’m not one to complain, but after a couple hours of sitting side-saddle in my yak… my back starts to hurt a little from the akwardness of an inclined ass.

What I also like in the cockpit is the addition of the accessory rails. With these two rails, you have a lot of flexibilty to outfit your yak. My mind immediately jumped to some movable hooks that could work like an anchor trolley. I’ve been reluctant to add one on mine. Of course you could set up rod holders and adjust them as needed. I think you can just let your imagination wander. Oh, the seat. Comfy as hell. No other yak has a finer cockpit for the kayak angler.

In the tankwell, WS made one small visible change. They made it more spherical, which adjusts the widest portion of the tankwell back a few inches. It looks like it can still hold a crate for additional gear. The advantage that I see here is that I would get to flip flop my crate and beer cooler, putting the beer closer to me. Thanks WS. You really do know your kayak anglers.