Stasher1

I think it could work well for pond or small lake fishing, but I wouldn't attempt it on any of the rivers around here.

If your priority is recreation over fishing, why are you looking at fishing kayaks? Look at decent recreational kayaks and add some rod holders. Fishing kayaks are usually pretty slow and unnecessarily heavy for recreational use, especially in shorter lengths like 10 footers. I have a Pescador 10.0 that just sits in my basement while my Riot Quest 10HV gets used on a regular basis. Much, much faster on flat water, tracks better, and is a blast in class I/II water. Came with a couple flush rod holders on the rear deck and I added a short track on the dash for a Scotty Gearhead along with a Yakattack/YakGear hybrid anchor trolley.

BPS is about 15-20 minutes from home, but I haven't been in quite a while. I have a ton of lures and a couple rods/reels I haven't even used, so why buy more? Last couple times, I went straight to the camping section and bypassed the fishing section(s) completely.

No disagreement. If you're not sore for days afterwards, only while underway, it's ergonomics and not physical fitness. It doesn't matter how comfortable the chair is while you're sitting around the fire. If it's not comfortable while you're paddling/fishing, it's simply not the right seat for you.

Was just discussing this earlier today with a coworker as I toured a large recycling facility. When we redid the kitchen and living room half-bath in our previous house, we placed the old fixtures, range hood, etc out by the street on trash day eve. It was all gone within a couple hours. Scrappers will pick up anything that'll make them a buck or two.

Imo, if you can't spend the better part of a day on/in a kayak without being sore for a couple days, you should take a long hard look at your current level of physical fitness. My current fishing kayak caused minor pain and numbness in one leg, and that was remedied by reworking the seat for less than $100. Now it's an all-day fishing machine...but I have a strong core and do a good bit of hiking and recreational canoe/kayak paddling.

Your weight and the max weight capacity of your kayak will also factor into your decision on scupper plugs. If you're close to the weight limit on your kayak, the scupper holes beneath your butt will act like geysers in rough water and shoot water up into the seating area. I use foam golf balls in my rear storage area and under my seat, but leave the ones down by my feet open to allow water to drain out after I climb in.

Been managing to catch plenty of bass over the past decade on some highly pressured lakes, without throwing a Senko. So yeah, it's pretty safe to say I don't need them. If they work for you, rock on.

Brace yourselves... Senko Tried them a few times 10-12 years ago with no luck and haven't touched them since. Too many other productive lures to bother with them, tbh.

This. They've been shipping rods for decades. I would imagine they've got it figured out by this point.

It's the low-hanging limbs you need to keep an eye on. They'll lift a rod right out of a holder, without making a sound. Like a d**n ninja.

Everyone's needs, tastes, and home waters are a bit different, but I can cover the vast majority of my needs with... 6'9" ML/F or ML/XF spinning for weightless finesse worms, floating worms, dropshot, and small inline spinners 7' M/F spinning for light T-rigs and small creatures 7' MH/F casting for heavier T-rigs and small jigs 6'8" MH/MF casting for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless, squarebills, and jerks I don't do any deep cranking or pitching into really heavy crap, so I don't own rods for those techniques. The only "specialty" rod I own at the moment is my 7'11" float & fly rod, and I could probably get by with my 6'9" ML/F for that, if I had to.

If your finesse rod is a 6' Ugly Stik, that's where I'd be looking to upgrade. A longer, lighter, and more sensitive rod will help you with all of your finesse techniques.

I replaced a Curado 200e7 with a Cardiff 100A several years ago, and never regretted the decision. Shimano's smaller round baitcasters are still fairly low-profile, so it's not quite the same as mounting an old Abu Ambassadeur 5000 to your rod. I added a stock Curado 200e handle/knobs, Carbontex drag, and flushed/lubed the bearings. Butter-smooth, casts just as well as the Curado it replaced, and feels great in my hand.

One of the things I really like about kayak fishing is the simplicity, so usually just two. I'll occasionally add a third, but never more than three total. I don't even bring enough lures and misc. stuff to justify a crate. I have a small soft lunchbox full of soft plastics and another bag that holds two 3600 cases. I grab the cases I need based on location and season, and leave the rest at home.

I'm reasonably sure you're joking, but just in case... Credit cards are a necessary evil for things like plane tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars. They're also useful if you find yourself broke down somewhere and need a tow. Beyond that, they're a tool of the devil. The less you need to finance in your life, the better off you'll be. As far as I'm concerned, if I can't afford to pay cash for what I want, I can't afford it.

Your weight and budget will help everyone make appropriate suggestions.

I actually just joined FB a couple months ago because that's the only way the local kayak fishing group communicates, but I just can't get into it. I was hoping to do some social networking and maybe find 2-3 people to fish with, but I just don't like it. Guess I'll just fish by myself, like I've been doing for years. As far as the news media goes, I spend several hours a day reading news from a wide variety of sources. They all have their own slant, but the truth lies where the stories overlap. ?

Cold brew and iced coffee are not the same thing. Iced coffee is brewed hot, like traditional coffee, then cooled and often served over ice. Cold brew is steeped in cold water, and isn't heated. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/whats-the-difference-between-iced-coffee-and-cold-brew-coffee/

Many years ago we had a local redneck petting zoo that billed itself as a "wildlife sanctuary". They kept a wolf in a cage that was about 20x20, and all it did was pace back and forth all day, wearing a groove in the ground along the fence. The sight of it still bothers me to this day. Some animals simply do not belong in cages, or tanks.

It's not terrible, and wouldn't be a bad option on a road trip. Makes a pretty good cup of ice coffee.

I keep a couple of the Starbucks cold brew concentrate pods in my lunchbox, just in case. Not my favorite, but it's better than making a whole pot of coffee in the break room that nobody else is going to drink.

I have the same bed extender, but I only use it in the upright position along with a removeable crossbar on the cab of the truck to hold my 16' canoe.

I really ought to buy one of those for my kayak...

Or, I could buy K-cups that I can feel okay about tossing in the trash. ?