J Francho

That boat has a wheel in the keel, and is built like a tank. I rep'd for Feel Free and would definitely recommend them if they were in the budget.

Exactly what it's for. Does not work on weedless hooks, only open hooks.

Not being able to stand is a deal breaker for me. Be careful dragging that across the gravel. These budget boats usually do not have a reinforced keel or sacrificial drag strip at the stern.

There's gotta be a 1001 uses for toothpicks when fishing.

There's plenty of guys using SI on the front.

Get some seat time in several brands, if you can. Same advice I always give, regardless of price range. Pay close attention to max capacity ratings.

We're done here.

I don't think I've thought about this.

While we're talking Keitechs...this will prolong the life of your baits.

An accurate scale ruined a good, long run of "five pounders."

I generally evaluate the term per the body of water. I was on Lake Ontario this weekend, and I would say it was somewhat clear. I lost the bottom at around 18'. In spring and late fall, you can sometimes see bottom in 30+. Switch that to a lake like Oneida, and I might call clear 5-8'.

http://www.chatillon-scales.com/products/handheld-scales/in-series-fish-and-game-linear-handheld-scales These are great, accurate scales.

I don't consider any matching size to weight, rather I consider retrieve speed, and profile. You can reel in a larger bait much slower on a lighter head, and vice-versa. As long as the hook isn't taking up more than about 1/3 of the bait, it's fine.

Me too, and I once saved my partner from smashing his head into the port side console. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I don't remember what paracord I used to fix mine, but it was similar to what was there before. Not too hard a fix for something that could really hurt you.

Rich, a basic graph w/ GPS would be of great value to the process. Let me know if you need any advice, or even just want to see how I rigged mine up. I'm probably not that far from you (Empire/Winton area).

You shouldn't have any problem loading that reel with 12# mono or 50# braid.

It sucks, lol. It's a dinkfest. There are pigs to be caught in spring on jerkbaits, though. I have no idea where they go after that. They are good in a sense that they are challenge. You learn to fish. You might also take a look at some of the smaller bays off Lake Ontario. I had what a consider a "slow day" on Port Bay this past Sunday. 25 bass, and one muddy salmon in 10 hours. East Bay and Fairhaven are good options too. I generally pick Port, because I grew up with a cottage there, and it's where I learned to fish.

I was gonna say the same, as well as Raymarine. I was looking at some screen shots from a friend's Axiom Pro, and the 3D bottom stuff is amazing.

At that level, if you are comparing like for like in features, both are pretty good. The differences are in operation and menus. Take a look at the demo units in a store, and see which you like.

That's great! Congrats!

This.

I only fish Honeoye in early spring, pre-spawn. Otherwise, I avoid it. I've been fishing Hemlock and Canadice regularly, from both a boat and kayak. Look for creek bed depressions, further out from where the creek mouth, which is usually dried up, and weeds in anywhere from 12-16'. If you criss-cross the south end of Hemlock, right before where weeds become visible, you'll figure it out. Mark any fish you catch as waypoints. It's gonna take some time, but do your homework, and you'll learn whats up. Depending on the day, you either have to punch through the vegetation, of rest on top. 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 oz. weights. Watch out for dang pickerel. On either lake, there's a decent topwater bite at dawn and dusk. Also, if you get bored, drop a Hopkin's Shorty spoon straight down in the deepest section. You might catch a laker using the jigging spoon.

You're getting the same blank as an Avid (SCII, pretty crisp and sensitive), a more modern style grip, and slight downgraded guides. I really like the medium power/fast in that blank since covers a ton of both contact baits, and is a nice long distance spinner bait, small swimbait (boot tail on a jug head), and other single hook baits. I've used the medium rod, and it's not noticeably different, other than the handles.

What model was it? Mojo? I have over 25 SC rods, in Avid, Eyecon, and LTB series. Love them.

My fist paddle was a Carlisle Magic Mystic. Worked pretty well, and wasn't too pricey. There was a lot of flex in the shaft though.