By Paul Lebowitz

A hot new fishing kayak has hit the west coast, the slick Search 15. It’s the first purpose-built fish catcher launched by industry veteran Perception. The company’s been in the kayak game since the 1970s, producing high quality boats for every paddlesports niche.

This is a beautiful boat, showing off sleek and sexy lines. At 15 ft long and a stable but svelte 29 in wide, this thing has some get up and go. Thanks to its long stride, the Search is comfortable in the big water, built to challenge swell and chop.

The Search 15 boasts a fishing-savvy deck. There’s a huge tankwell on the stern, complete with a recess for an included tackle flat. There’s a pair of molded-in rod holders back there, and room to add more of your own on the deck between the cockpit and tankwell.

The cockpit is cush, with a rigid and well-padded flip-up seatback and more padding on the seat pan. It’s clean and uncluttered, with a pair of handy hook-resistant storage pockets perfect for keeping fishing tools at hand.

Up towards the bow, there’s a narrow console that’ll fit a fishfinder and an after-market rod holder. If that’s not enough, there’s additional space in front of the medium-sized oval bow hatch. You won’t want to stuff rods down there (the hatch is a bit small for the job), but Perception’s provided a unique on-deck rod tie-down set-up for those big surf days.

THE NEW PERCEPTION SEARCH 15, A SLEEK PERFORMER – The fishing-savvy Search 15 is a beautiful boat. Featuring numerous clever refinements, this is one nice ride that doesn’t stint on fishing utility.