1. They draft way too much water. Most of our backcountry kayak fishing takes place in water less than a foot deep and quite often we need to navigate and fish in water that is less than 6 inches. In the winter, dragging boats distan ces to get to fish is very common. Most of the time, we don't even use paddles, but instead use poles to get us to the fish. The pedal boats all require atleast 18 inches to operate - sure you can raise the flippers, but this brings us to reason 2 2. Pedal boats have hand operated rudders. Most kayak fishing here in Florida requires the utmost in stealth. The way to achieve this is to "sail" your kayak to the fish by drifting from an upwind position and steering the boat with the foot operated rudder. With this rudder system your hands are free to cast and fight and land the fish you catch while you have total control over your kayak. With a hand operated rudder system, in water so shallow that you have to pole, you will not be able to steer since you need one of your hands to operate the rudder! 3. the third reason is the sound they make, which is not unlike a dolphin or shark. In open water maybe this is not so critical, but on the flats at higher tide phases, redfish and snook do everything they can to steer clear of these predators.

One thing I would suggest is taking the kayak part of kayak fishing very seriously. Good paddle technique and a well designed hull will make you much faster and stealthier than the pedal boats. Find an ACA certified instructor if you can. I am going through this certification now so that I can better help my anglers. These are two really great sports that have come together and if you learn to enjoy the kayaking part of it the whole thing will have much more meaning.