I personally have been useing a kayak for inshore fishing recently. It has some advantages over tubing, but also some major disadvantages. Kayaks are good if you want to cover large distances (greater than 10 miles or so) trolling, or go miles offshore. they are also good for alternative uses - i use mine to access remote dive sites, and my fiance likes to go for paddles simply to surf or chase dolphins - when the gray whales come by you can go whale watching too. The disadvantages are cost (I got a great deal on a used one but it was still almost $300), large size and weight can make kayaks a pain, and the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that I have to set my rod down to paddle, this can be a problem if wind is blowing you into the surf while you are fighting a fish, whereas in a tube you can be swimming yourself around to maintain position while fighting the fish. I think both are great and someday if i ever I have the cash I'll probably have both. It's great to be able to get out on the water wherever and whenever I want and the fish count is way higher than fishing from a boat. If you get the chance definitly try both.