kikstand454

With my few months of experience with them- the veritas line seems stiffer than their ratings in general. I have found that the 7'm/f that Forrest referenced above is awesome for anything with a treble hook. It is quickly becoming my favorite rod.

Welcome to your new addiction! Lets see- Anchor- I never use one. Not a conventional one anyway. Stakeout pole and tree anchor solves 99% of my anchoring situations. However- if you need one, either a bruce claw or a rubber dumbbell is the way to go. You simply must have an anchor trolley. Or two. I can't imagine fishing without one. Scupper holes- completely safe for you to plug your scupper holes. Your yak PROBABLY isn't going to sink even if you fill the cockpit completely full of water. The amount of air trapped in the hull will keep it buoyant at LEAST. If your HULL is taking on water- the the scupper plugs arentgoing to help you anyway. Keep an extra absorbant sponge in the cockpit hatch to get excess paddle water out. Cooler- I use the soft cooler bags you can find in you're supermarket freezer section. Two- one inside the other, both half filled with ice- if its really hot. This will keep ice all day. I sit it right under my legs at the base of my seat and it keeps me cool all day too. I like the Walmart ones because the Velcro is strong. ( this is also where I put any fish iI'm taking home). Car Keys- I put my wallet and keys in a dry bag and then in the hatch behind the seat. I put my phone in one of those waterproof packages that lets you use the phone through the front, and then put it in that hatch as well. Hope that helps.

What you want is a 2lb bruce anchor. Probably the best aanchor design for a kayak. What you will end up using is a stakeout pole and an anchor trolley. I fish backwater bays where the tide current is no joke. I had a folding 3lb anchor- it worked great. The two times I used it before I got a stakeout pole. Then it sat in my crate and rusted together and I threw it away. Another thing to have is a "tree anchor" which what the_vues was describing- where you get a clamp ( I like the plastic wood clamps you can do with one hand. ...) and tie a rope to it. Then you can just clamp it to any vegitation near you and attach it to your anchor trolley. Done. Between the two of them- I can't see a need for a real anchor- unless you're in a big fast flowing river. But that's not any fun to fish in a kayak anyway. *shrug* Jmho ymmv

I catch most of my fish on a c-rig, but top water is obviously the most fun. I have done nothing but dream about punching mats this year- so right now, I guess that's my favorite!

Number one worm for me- straight tail worms. Specifically trickworms and roboworms. After that I would say that ribbon tails and paddle tails are tied.

My pb Lm. - around 10lbs- came on a 1/16oz beetle spin. Wading through a farm pond catching bream and small bass. Surprise!

I'm going to throw an Alabama rig more and some swimbaits. I may try to put the c-rig down more and try other deep structure techniques more often.

Bow and arrow works underwater. That video is great! Exactly how to do it- with a spinning rig. See at the very end where he's doing it repeatedly........? That's the way to go. Same principle with a baitcaster except hold the rod up a bit higher and let the rod do some work. Then again. .....I've never tried it pointing straight at it like that and it may work better from shore that way. Try it!

IMO switching hands has become ingrained in us because most of us started out on the old spincaster reels like the zebco 33. Or in some cases. ..the really old Abu Garcia round reels. Back in the day. ...there were FAR fewer left handed options than there are now. You bought what you could get, and if the store near you didn't have it. ...you learned with what they had. This may have been because reels were originally designed for the reasons okojobieagle sited . I don't know. But I think that's why most people feel that that handle position is "normal". Stores only bought "right hand reels" because that's what the companies offered- and that's what the public had to buy. Early on in my baitcasting development.....no. ..earlier than that. ..when I switched from spincasters to spinning reels, I felt having the reel handle on the left side made more sense so I don't have to switch hands. So when I switched to baitcasting, my first reel was left-handed. I have since realized that for ME, moving baits ( cranks, spinners, topwaters- what have you) are more comfortable for me to cast/reel right handed. I reel smoother with my right hand, and in these situations, your cadence and speed is important. I typically switch hands while the bait is still in the air- so instant strikes don't affect me. Fishing bottom lures ( jigs, t-rigs, punching, flipping. ..etc) however- I like to reel left handed. I feel I get more instant strikes ( when the bait hits the water or on the fall) at a much closer proximity to me (normally) . I don't want to be switching hands and missing fish. Also I have a stronger hookset with my right hand/arm and such hooksets are more important in these techniques. Being able to do both efficiently helps on long long days where if one arm gets tired, I can just switch out. Either change techniques, or change reels. Ymmv.

Cavitron. Everyone else makes an OK one. I like the tiny SK ones sometimes. .....

^ war eagle are my personal favorite. But in overall toughness, I'd have to give the edge to Hildebrandt. Jmho

Hildebrandt. Toughest ones I know other than the titanium t1 terminators.

Nice fish! Congrats!

All the major manufactures have a rig for $300 that will work fine. Its kinda personal preference. .. For pitching and flipping, IMO the rod is the most important part, so I would spend more on it than the reel. A good $100-130 reel and then a great $150-200 rod.

I see we are talking about something different than what I was picturing. I need to research this! I love the zerust stuff and their boxes and small modules are awesome. But this is big enough to do 3sqft- that's a game changer for me! I need this for my saltwater stuff !! Thanks. EDIT: anyone have a link for this? When I search Walmart, all I get is a $22 brick that is complete overkill for my needs.

I throw it more than anything else. It just works the most in my "home" lake. Not alot of drawbacks. .... I guess if you don't like tying knots then that's a drawback. But other than that, its pretty much win-win. You can throw it up shallow or out into the deepest deep.You can put any soft plastic you want on it- and even hardbaits if you feel so inclined. It telegraphs the bottom composition to you better than any other technique (IMO) . The bite is fairly easy to detect, and a long sweeping hookset leaves little room to miss fish. Good stuff.

Wow man way to go! Congrats!

^^^^^^ wow! Wtg mainebass! The numbers haven't been there for me. .. but I have caught two bass over 8lbs, my PB smallie on vacation, and some really nice sized redfish this year. I'm in Florida so. .... I still have till Jan 1 to make this "year" a numbers success! I'm going to try to go south this Xmas and catch a peacock bass...... that would make my year!

Buy used. Go to your local kayak rental company and ask to rent a few. Find one you like and make them an offer. Most rental places sell their fleet when new models come in, manufacturers want the latest and greatest available to rent. My buddy got a 15ft OK biggame for $400. I got my WS tarpon for the same.

I would put one in each box. .... Wish our Walmart had cool stuff Iike that.

^ yeah but they have next to NO 600yd spools available. Getting genuinely concerned after poking around a bit. .....

Seems like it would've been a great time for a horny toad! Way to figure them out man! Sounds like a blast!

Yup. Still summer here in N.Florida.

Man! That's a heckuva haul- even here in Fla! ( where its still 94 during the day and upper 70s at night and the water is still in the high 80s) Way to go!

I do not own, nor have I ever been in a PA. But I have been around alot of them. The reason they are the top of the line sit on top is because they are boats. Lol. Its not even a kayak really, and is referred to as a "personal watercraft" if I recall. They are awesome. But. .... they are super expensive and super heavy. So add a trailer to the cost of your PA. Because I have seen very few people who stick with putting it in the back of a truck. And you're not putting it on TOP of anything. Its just too big and heavy and awkward. After realizing this, I came to the conclusion that with the initial cost, a trailer, registration for said trailer, and the sheer size and lack of out of water mobility of the PA- I'd just as soon get a boat. So I got a used tarpon140 I can sling up on top of my Cherokee and launch it in a roadside ditch if I want to- because that's why I wanted a kayak in the first place- a hassle free way to fish. Ymmv. By your post, my advice would either be the native ultimate for a solo kayak, or a good old town canoe for your tandem adventures. Jmho.