J Francho

Interesting. I do the opposite, when possible. I do not want to cast a shadow where I fish, and I want my bait to arrive first, not it's shadow.

Thanks, you owe me some monitor wipes! You gotta get a FIshGrip. Those little hammer handles are the Devil's minions.

Same company, same people. Different source for high end blanks. Do a little search for them. They make great rods, but there's always some controversy following them. BTW, I have several rods from other companies that are even older yet. Saint Croix, All Star, Shimano, G. Loomis, Fenwick, etc. Most of these are from before the inexpensive imported blank era, though.

It's totally like that with trout fishing up here. If I said I stuck a beautiful 12 lb. hen steelhead, the guys would look at me like I was from Mars. Tell them I got a 34" hen, and everyone is hooting. I do like weigh those trout. It's interesting to compare their size and power to the tackle we use. It favors the fish, in many regards, though step up, and you won't get bit. Different world. I do hear bass anglers use length, though. A couple 17s, a 19, and small keepers. That's as acceptable to me as a two threes, a four, and some small keepers. Perch jerkers are funny, they'll just pull one big slob out of well, and tell you there's 99 more like it, lol. (It's a 50 perch/angler limit, two guys).

So, like this:

Not a chance they were NFC blanks. That company didn't exist, yet. I'm not sure the source of the blanks. They broke on fish.

It's just the truth. I'm tough on gear. I liked the rods - graphite series and magnesium - but they seemed delicate. I have plenty of rods that I have owned longer, and are in the same ballpark, price-wise when they were new.

I liked my half dozen Kistlers. Unfortunately, all of them eventually broke. I guess they just aren't durable enough for me.

Didn't know there were rules for fun fishing...all I know is if you caught the biggest fish in the pond, you are the winner.

Don't need to...

OK has strong resale value, so no worries there, if it's not for you.

The Ride series is an exceptional boat, as well. It's also a bit less pricey. That it's lasted this long with only minor changes over the years is testament to it's good design.

Find a club that is a team format, and much of the stigma of being a "non-boater" disappears, and you become a true "co-angler."

No tail between the legs, it's all about learning from each other,and getting better.

You're definitely gonna want a SOT. And I would go at least twelve feet. My personal recommendation would be an Atak 120 or 140.

^^^ Sweet boat!

I have that too. If disable it, and leave the diff in auto lock, I leave cool posi trails, lol.

You might want to check out the membership fees as well....

This. If someone gets irritated, they're way too picky.

Get some quality seat time in as many boats as possible, and go big. A ten-footer is not ever on my radar, unless it's for a youngster. My boats are twelve and fourteen feet long. Also, while a good paddle is not a must have, it's nice. What makes a nice paddle better is proper technique. You can learn a lot watching videos, but a couple on the water classes from an instructor will really jump start your paddling technique. I used to teach fishing kayak classes, and my main motto: do not wear yourself out paddling. Save that for the fish! Good luck in your search!

Pretty similar to the rules for online kayak tournaments, sans the identifier placard you download and print.

I disagree. A beginner should not go with a $50 reel. Total waste of time and money. Once you're in the $150-200, you in the sweet spot. Reels in that bracket work well, need little service and will last years longer than a $50 hunk of junk. Over that amount, I agree, the beginner will not appreciate the differences, which are incrementally minor. For a rod, anything starting at $100 is pretty sensitive, in most brands.

I don't know if it's solved, but that's my impression, once you throw out all the crazy lucky and unlucky outliers, like my "lucky" fish above. That day was when I discovered a certain pattern I knew nothing about. Thousands invade the creek to eat up the little trout smolts the DEC dumps in. It's nuts.

Thanks. Haven't tried the Super Natural yet. Always hearing positive reviews about it though.