Old Town Topwater 120 Kayak Review - Is it the Best Budget Fishing Kayak?

Fishing kayaks have become very expensive! It is normal to spend around $2,000 to buy a fishing kayak now after you pay for delivery and taxes.

While you typically are receiving a high quality kayak, do you have to spend that much money?

My response is no!

In fact, I switched to the Old Town Topwater 120 because I didn’t want to write articles about a kayak that was only obtainable for a select amount of people. I wanted to use a kayak that appealed to a wider range of folks. Now, the Old Town Topwater 120 is still not cheap, but at a price point under $1,000 you are getting quite a deal.

I have only taken my Topwater 120 out once so far, but I had it out on the water for two full days and got a good feel of what this kayak can do.

The purpose of this article is to give you a good idea of what the Topwater 120 has to offer and if it is the right kayak for you.

Overall Dimensions

I always like to start with dimenions, as these give a rough idea and an apples to apples comparison to other kayaks on the market. So, let’s do it…here are the dimensions:

Length: 12’-0” (it is actually slightly less than 12’)

Width: 33.5”

Weight: 82 lb (with seat)

Capacity: 500 lb (418 lb of usable weight capacity)

As you can see, the Topwater 120 is a medium sized kayak with a good amount of width. It has a lot of capacity at a relatively low weight too. Let’s dive into all the characteristics and features of the Topwater 120.

Tracking

How well a kayak tracks is a relatively important aspect to me, but definitely not most important. Stability and maneuverability take precedence. The reason is I am fishing more than I’m paddling, so I want a good, stable platform versus a long skinny kayak that can slice through water with ease.

Luckily, the Topwater 120 has very good tracking for a 12’ kayak! It isn’t the best I’ve ever seen, but definitely very usable if you plan on using this kayak for some longer trips. I typically paddle around 3-6 miles when I go fishing, so I don’t have as big of a need for tracking and effeciency, but I do think the Topwater 120 does a good job overall. It has all the tracking you will need for a fishing kayak.

Stability

I used to have a Jackson Kayak Liska, which was a good kayak…but the Topwater 120 is much more stable in my opinion. The stability this kayak has to offer is incredible! If you are a beginner and worried about tipping over I would have no hesitations recommending the Topwater 120 to you.

Whether you are going down some rapids, standing and fishing, or just paddling to your next fishing location, you will have ample control and stability.

I’ve always placed a lot of emphasis on stability in a fishing kayak, because I don’t want to be fighting staying upright and worrying about falling over. I want to be focusing on fishing. It is also important to have a stable kayak for some of the Texas rivers I fish so that I can go down sections of rapids without worry.

Texas may not have big rapids, but it does have quite a few rapids in a lot of the Central Texas rivers. If you capsize in rapids you are not only putting yourself in danger, but you are potentially going to lose a lot of gear. I’ve seen this happen to folks before and it does not look like a fun experience.

The Topwater 120 will allow you to paddle through rapids and flat water with confidence.

I have used the Topwater 120 when fishing from both a sitting and standing position. In my opinion, this may be one of the best medium sized fishing kayaks I’ve been in for stand up fishing. It is that good.

I think a big part of this is the Double U-Hull design Old Town used on the Topwater 120. This is essentially a design that reflects a catamaran style hull. As a result, you get quite a bit of stability.

You will definitely feel this stability when you paddle the Topwater 120…it is awesome!

Features

A lot of people are turning kayaks in to sophisticated mini boats. Fish finders, lights, propulsion systems, and much more crowd the decks of 200 plus pound fishing kayaks. While I do think it is important to have features, I am slightly more of a traditionalist. I believe kayak fishing should be kayak fishing - meaning you should maintain a relatively lightweight system that can go anywhere. However, I know some folks want a lot of gear and don’t mind adding extra weight.

I feel confident that the Topwater 120 can meet both the needs of folks like myself, but also others who want to have electronics mounted all over the place.

I will begin discussing all of the features on the Topwater 120 by starting with the basics.

Cup Holder

As I previously mentioned, I used to own a Jackson Kayak Liska. I liked this kayak, but there were a few things I wish it had. One of them was a cup holder. This might sound like a small feature, but it is really important in my opinion. Most of us are going to have a drink, often times in something like my Klean Kanteen. I used to just put it on the deck of my kayak, but it was difficult to locate at times because it would roll around. The two cup holders on the Topwater 120 allows you to have a set location that you can put your water bottle and keep it secure.

Yes, this is a simple feature and a very small aspect, but something you won’t find on many kayaks. I noticed a lot of things such as the cup holder that Old Town seemed to pay attention to. It may be a bunch of small things, but it seems to me that Old Town has a keen eye for attention to detail.

Seating

The seating on the Topwater 120 is very simple, but effective and adjustable.

There is a high and a low seating position, and it is very easy to transition from one position to the other. I really like the way Old Town designed this seating system…it is much simpler than other kayaks that have high and low seating positions. Primarily in regard to how the seat secures to the kayak. I’ve seen systems that utilize pins, cinch straps that are not easy to adjust, and many other types. The Old Town system is very simple and easy to use. The seat itself is quite comfortable, but it isn’t the most comfortable seat you’ll sit in. I am very pleased with the seating though and I think it serves the Topwater 120 well.

Rear Tankwell

The rear tankwell is very large and has bungee cords to help you secure your gear. I’ve found the bungee cords very useful and I think they are a great thing to have. There isn’t much else to talk about here except that the rear tankwell is very usable and allows you to store a lot of gear behind you, such as camera gear, a cooler, fishing tackle, camping chairs, and practically whatever you can find that will fit back there…which is a lot.

Cockpit Area

Moving towards the front of the kayak you will find a wide standing area that will allow you to have a wide stance while fishing. The EVA foam on the deck appears to be quite durable and it is very comfortable to stand on barefoot. Old Town added a ruler to one of the two deck pads too, so you can easily measure your catch. Pretty cool. This is yet another small, simple thing that Old Town did, but it is an added feature that serves a legitimate purpose.

Foot Pegs

There are easily adjustable foot pegs to tailor this kayak to your individual height and preference. They are some of the best adjustable foot pegs I have seen! I know this sounds silly, but so many foot pegs are not very smooth when you try to adjust them and are difficult to adjust. These footpegs have a large handle to grab and slide quite smoothly to your desired location. Not only this, but the footpegs themselves are pretty big, which I think is a good thing.

Front Storage Hatch

Another notable feature is the front storage hatch. This hatch is an awesome feature and I have used it to store snorkeling gear, a first aid kit, and a small soft cooler….all at once. Yes, this front hatch is big enough to store a lot of gear. It is quite waterproof too, but you still need to put items of concern in waterproof bags or cases because condensation can form on the inside of any sit on top kayak’s hull. I really like that Old Town incorporated a bungee over the front hatch for additional security. The hatch itself is quite snug, so it is pretty unlikely that it would ever come off. However, I imagine it might come off in some rapids if you happened to flip over. The bungees more or less give you extra security so the hatch does not come open.

Rod Holders

There are three flush mount rod holders on the Topwater 120. Two of them are directly to the side, and slightly behind the seat. I think these are positioned great, as some flush mount rod holders are a little too far back and hard to reach, especially for folks with limited flexibility. The flush mount rod holders on the Topwater 120 are positioned perfectly and allow for easy access while not prohibiting your paddling motion. In addition, you get a third flush mount rod holder that is positioned on the right side of the kayak and on the gunnel. This rod holder is another great feature that many companies would have overlooked. The purpose of this rod holder is essentially for tying lures and unhooking fish.

I think we have all had times where we were struggling to manage our rod and a bass when trying to get the hook out, or when you were trying to tie on a new lure but you couldn’t get your rod in a good position. This third rod holder on the Topwater 120 solves all of these problems!

Accessory Rail System

For those of you who want to accessorize the Topwater 120, it is important to know that there are two accessory mount rails - one on each gunnel. These are great if you want to mount a fish finder, additional rod holder, cup holder, phone holder, or whatever mount you want. There is also a transducer mount underneath the Topwater 120, so you are fish finder ready!

Handles

There are four handles on the Topwater 120. One on each side, one in the front, and one in the back. All of these handles are positioned good, except for the rear handle. It is offset and at an angle. I think it should either be positioned in the middle, or there should be two handles in the back. This is a relatively small improvement I think Old Town could make, but I do feel they should make a change on the rear handle. The weight of the kayak wants to twist when you grab this single handle that is off centered. Once again, a relatively small issue.

All things considered, there are a lot of great features on the Topwater 120. I think this kayak has a good balance of providing a fishing kayak at an affordable cost that has a lot of good features right from the get go, but room to add more features such as a transducer and fish finder, or accessories to the rail system.

I really like that this kayak can easily be used for purely recreational purposes too. Whether you are a hard core fisherman, a photographer, or just like getting out on the water, the Topwater 120 can suit your needs.

Conclusion

To sum things up, the Old Town Topwater 120 is an excellent fishing kayak and recreational kayak. The best part about this kayak is it’s price point, which is right at $1,000. This is very competitively priced in today’s market of fishing kayaks.

Another great aspect about the Topwater 120 is that it can be purchased from more accessible retailers, such as Academy.

I am very pleased with this kayak and I am really looking forward to taking the Topwater 120 on many trips. I think it is going to handle anything and everything I can throw at it!