J Francho

Just three? LOL. 1. Never 2. Always 3. Never 4. They just work in most situations 5. Willow burn easier, Colorados spin on the slow roll, tandems are somewhere in between and are good for deflection 6. Add weight to increase depth and keep the same speed, or add weight to increase speed and maintain depth. Bonus: Anytime you can deflect the bait, you increase your chances of getting a strike

One of the more versatile baits in the lineup

If it gets below freezing, you'll want to fog the engine, and a few other things: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/Winter_boat.html

If you don't want to deal "catering" to the boater, just fish in a team format tournament. Way more fun than competing against the guy in front. You work together as a team - as a co-angler. The main object for a non boater is to learn. I started in the back of the boat, and I took it as an opportunity to learn new styles. I ended up doing pretty well, too. Now as a boater, I've really benefited from those years in the back. I learned a lot about many mistakes boaters make, and from their successes. As far as the expenses go, I already bought the boat and the truck, and I'm going to fish anyway. Anything a fishing partner can contribute beyond the entry fee is a bonus to me.

Thanks man!

The float rig is probably the easiest, since you can use spinning gear. A centrepin is better. The main thing is location. Wintering steelies like deep, slow pools. The bobber is the best tool for this. Running steelies like shallower, faster water, and this is where a flyrod can be a better tool. As far as baits go, I've been using trout beads. smaller on bright, clear days and lower, clear water. Bigger and brighter on dark days, or dirtier water. Here's a couple links: http://www.raventackle.com/floats.htm http://www.raventackle.com/Shotting%20Patterns.pdf http://www.troutbeads.com/How_To.html

I use it in 6# size on spinning gear. Pretty much exclusively for drop shotting. Knots that work well are Palomar, Uni, and Uni snell.

They do, bro. Me and you! LOL.

Nice! Here's my 13 year old with one of his biggest catches, a 3ish fish:

6lbs. 8 oz. on a certified scale. I put your fish at 5 tops. Like the others said, it lacks jaw physiology of a fish that has reached 7+ lbs. It's a slob, just not close to 8, let alone a DD. Look at the jaw on this one, a 7 lb. 1 oz. fish:

Let me flip this around, to give you some perspective, while you shop for a scale. How big do you think this fish is?

Humminbird does make a kayak specific shoot-thru kit, though it's a little pricey. You can probably put together your own kit seperately, but using a lower end head unit. http://store.humminbird.com/products/485157/385ci_Combo_Kayak

MANY guys will vouch for the PiranhaMAX series. The 176i would be a good budget minded GPS/Sonar combo, though I porefer the color units. You can use the standard head unit mount, but I recommend the Yakattack Mighty Mount and 1" Screwball to use a RAM mount. You can also go with a Gear Trac, if you want to use more than one accessory. Luther makes great products and is a solution genius.

I heard his cousin was in a band.

But, why then are Ugly Stiks and Zebco's so inexpensive? Surely it isn't market related? There must be a difference in materials, construction, craftsmanship, and fit and finish.

Spend more time on the water, and less time reading. Seriously. When you are faced with your own unique situations, and have questions, post them here. Then the reading material will be specific to your exact situation.

There's several DIY threads on kayakbassfishing.com detailing sonar installs. I use a small, color combo sonar/GPS unit, and it's perfect for what I do when I', kayaking:

Is Smelly Jelly any good?

Welcome back, mad man!

That's what I heard as well.

This is an Erie fish, caught in a Canadian tournament as the kicker in a 29.71 lb. bag. 8.91 lbs. And there's good news....

I'm curious how a mechanical scale "crapped out." What happened?

They will work for Bimbo Bread when they buy Hostess.

I have a custom build using a Saint Croix 4C79HF that handles the baits you mentioned perfectly. It's also well suited to heavy jigs.

Buying stock in Little Debbie..... http://littledebbie.com/products/CloudCakes.asp