By Paul Lebowitz

Ocean Kayak’s newly launched Trident is right on target. The latest in the highly acclaimed Prowler line-up combines a dry and stable ride and a long stride with several fishing-friendly innovations.

The boat sports a lot of intriguing features, but first, how about that dry ride? The seat is high and - yes - dry. This baby carries a full fishing load, bait tank and all, without shipping water.

The center hatch screams for attention. Called the Rod Pod (it's labeled in case you forget), it's long and wide enough to store beefy saltwater sticks and makes for easy access to the interior - all from the comfort of the cockpit. Winner!

Next up is the Sonar Shield, a covered recess for your fish finder - or anything else you want to keep handy yet protect from the worst of the elements. When open, it shields your fishfinder from glare. 

The Trident features a clever transducer compatible scupper to get the most out of your sonar.

What else? There’s a nice big oval hatch up front with a new one-handed latch. The tank well is the same old segmented Prowler design anglers have come to love, a comfortable home for fishing crates, bait tanks, tackle boxes, and dive gear.

What about ease of rigging? It's way up there. The Trident offers multiple mounting points. There's a dashboard up front, the Rod Pod lid, and more flat deck space behind the seat. This is a fishing-friendly design.

OK is famous for wringing great paddling performance from their fishing designs, and the Trident is no exception according to Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing. Along with a team of other expert kayak anglers, Sammons contributed to the Trident’s design.

“The Trident has very solid paddling performance. It’s a quiet boat through the water with a high and dry ride. You don’t have a lot of water coming up over the top of the bow or over the sides. It handles great in the surf,” Sammons said.

To improve handling, OK moved the cockpit forward, better balancing the boat. As a result, Sammons said the “kayak trims out and continues to glide well instead of pushing water” even under a heavy fishing load.

The Prowler Trident boasts a huge carrying capacity, 500 to 550-lbs. That’s big-boat range.

TRIDENT ‘TAIL – How’s the interior storage in the new Prowler Trident? Dave Kalwick had no trouble fitting this La Jolla yellowtail in the boat’s Rod Pod, a long hatch accessible right from the seat.

“We wanted to address issues bigger guys had with the Prowler 15,” Sammons explained. A classic design, the smaller P15 is a soggy ride with a 200-lb angler, a bait tank and fish aboard.

Not the new Trident. With a dry ride, high cargo capacity and unique fishing-friendly features, OK has a winner on its hands.

The Prowler Trident is 29-in wide and 15-ft 8-in long. OK lists the weight as 60-lbs; no wispy light-weight, it feels heavier. A Comfort-Plus seatback comes standard. Options include a rudder system, an Angler Edition outfitted with flush-mount rod holders, and an incredible Angler Package. That all-inclusive bundle adds a Humminbird 383C color fishfinder with GPS, a pair of Scotty Powerloc rod holders, a Simply Magic Carlisle paddle, an anchor system with trolley, a seatback rod pack and a rudder system.

TOUR THE TRIDENT – Ocean Kayak’s newest offering is a capable fishing craft, dry and stable and boasting many useful and innovative features: the Rod Pod, a long center hatch for rod and equipment storage accessible right from the seat; the Sonar Shield, protection from waves and glare; a cockpit-forward design optimized for carrying a full load of fishing gear; and more.