J Francho

I have a ton of jerkbaits. I love buying the darn things. What do I throw when I'm out in early or late cold water? A JDM Flash Minnow in MS Am. Shad. The thing just works.

Drop shot, jigging spoon, deep crank bait, blade bait, lipless crankbait, spinnerbait, chatterbait, Texas Rig, Carolina rig, swim bait, wacky jig, neko rig can all be fished at those depths. The best is what gets them chewing that day.

It takes one Palomar knot on the hook when I rig it. Sounds like you over complicating things. Learn from the master here: http://www.richz.com/fishing/articles/dropshot.html

This is definitely a northern thing. Using a small swivel with light line and a light tube jig, around 18" up from the bait really allows the tube to helicopter randomly on it's descent. It's a totally different presentation than dragging a tube on the bottom.

Slabbing is jigging spoons for walleye.

Fluorocarbon is much more resistant to environmental degradation than mono or even copolymer lines. A few of the years during my testing the rods were in the boat all year. In some cases, they remained on the front deck for days at a time.

12v 7ah sealed battery from Radio Shack. I use a Schumacher smart charger.

I have a 5 and a 7. I don't think the 7 is too big, but I generally take the 5 out, since it's plenty for what I need. If you do anything that is more than two screens, like SI/GPS or DI/SI, at once, you'll want the 7. Mine is installed to the side on my Hobie Compass.

I remember when this initially broke. Good to hear they apprehended this lunatic!

I had a 21XDC w/ 2.5 Merc racing engine, Sporty LU and a Trophy II 27 prop. Fastest I got was 84 mph. You definitely had to drive the boat, unlike my Xpress that basically drove itself. The front deck on that Bullet was HUGE. There's plenty of these boats on the market, the hulls last forever. If you want to truly go fast, a 20' comp hull is super light, and less than 1000 lbs. Mine was 1280, I think. I've been in a few Gamblers, and while they're fast, they aren't Bullet/Allison/Stroker fast. Super exotic interiors, and slick styling, though.

I've had 6# Invisx on a reel for 5 years, and 6# Tatsu on a reel for 4. I only changed them out because the line was getting a little low on the spool.

I throw those baits with an Avid AVC62MXF. Add in topwaters as well for that rod. It has an ultra fast recovery after the twitch that I prefer, and a slightly shorter rear grip than the 6'6" model. I find it perfect from all vessels. It's also nice for short cast sniper spinnerbaiting.

Do you have an auto bilge pump?

I've learned this is why I don't like the boat. I rarely fish the waters it was intended for. It's a terrible flat water boat.

I have a demo Avid, built around 2000. It doesn't have all the normal labels, handwritten specs, and can assure you it's legit because St. Croix verified it when they repaired the reel seat. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it's legit. That place has a good reputation, and would not likely sully that by selling fakes.

You can flutter the the fins with half strokes into about 6" of water. This works over pads and all but the gnarliest of slop. There's always the paddle as well. Here is the Compass, with the Mirage Drive deployed, and beached. https://photos.smugmug.com/Family/Fishing-Journal/i-nw7vt3s/0/80963f73/X2/IMG_1037-X2.jpg

I though this too, until I got into some better boats. My OG Ocean Kayak PBG was like paddling a sheet of plywood. My Wilderness Systems Commander 140 is a fast boat, and I could stand on the gunwales and fish in still water. My current Hobie Compass, while pedal driven, can be paddled and is no dog when running paddles. I have a Jackson Coosa, and while standable, not as stable, has lesser tracking ability, and is pretty slow. It's really meant for bouncing down shallow rivers, in tight quarters, and excels in that area.

Try it in the cold, pouring rain. With thunder and lightening crashing around you. Even getting my Hobie Compass into the bed of my truck is an ordeal.

Car topping a PA12 seems optimistic. Not a fan of outriggers on a kayak, though. Pretty sure an Outback would suit you best.

Yuck!

Keep fighting brother!

Back in the 90s, I picked up a sweet worm rod by Fenwick. It was designated for walleye rip baits.

Half a decade is 5 years. I'm not even 50 yet, lol. I have a few rods from sponsors, but it's been awhile since I've been sent one to review. When I bought my rods, I bought Avid, Legend, GLX, Champ Extreme, so no real reason to replace anything.

Is it you don't care for the larger hook, or are you actually losing baits in cover? I use the same trailers, and don't have an issue. Sounds like you aren't losing baits, but that you don't like the looks of it. I haven't had too many issues losing them in wood. The blade bumps the wood and deflects the bait. On a retrieve, the hook is oriented upwards. As said earlier, the bigger hooks aid in better hook up ratios.

I used to do this, but haven't in years. In fact, I'm not sure I've bought a new rod in at least half a decade. I have so many reels, I can mix and match to get the "starters" for my trips.