crankbait2009

I've been bouncing this idea around for the past 2 years or so. I go back and forth on whether I want to pursue a fish finder on my kayak. Then the more and more I think about getting in to kayak bass fishing tournaments, more and more the need for electronics enter my mind. Has anyone here ever competed in a kayak tournament WITHOUT a fish finder? How did you do? Would you be foolish to enter a tournament without one?

Never have I gone to any of these events. How does the MLF compare to the Bassmaster Classic? I can't imagine it gets any bigger than the Classic.

I'm still kicking my options around. I have seen some people place the air pads inside their sleeping back so they don't drift off if it in the middle of the night. Never thought of that. For as often as I go camping, I'm hesitant about putting a lot of money in to a cot. BUT, on the flip side, one bad/uncomfortable night, could kill the whole experience, as well as a possibility of another camp trip. But it's not like I can't fix the sleeping arrangement till I find what works. So I could start cheaper (pad) and go from there if needed.

I totally understand. I might take him and see how it goes. I won't go anywhere without him. When I take him for walks he listens well, and we never have any problems. Even when he sees another dog across the street he could care less. He glances and moves on. I still have time to think it through. (couple months) I appreciate the responses

sigh......I know

When it comes to the Bassmaster Classic, how do they determine what lakes/locations they go to? I haven't followed the classic for a number of years, but I hear Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas being the big ones. Are these the only states they go to for this event? I'd certainly like to attend the event one year, this year would have been perfect due to location, but it didn't work out as I'd hoped. Knoxville is only 4 hours away. So looking forward to others in the future in my neck of the midwest.

baitcaster - cast with right, reel with right spinning - cast with left, reel with right (I am right handed btw)

I kicked that option around for awhile too (hammock). But I went with a tent. I will try that and see how it goes.

yes, but dogs bark. I certainly don't want to take that away from them. This certainly isn't a total disappointment if it doesn't work. Just something I'd like to try. Doggo runs my life and tells me what we do and when ? When he wants to go for a walk, he yells at me. When he needs to go out to do his business he yells at me and/or hits me. When he wants something, he will stare/glare at me with his piercing eyes. He knows who's king (and you think I kid. I put my dogs feelings before mine)

I'm following along. I am sorta doing the same thing. I have used mono for everything. This year I am going straight fluoro, see if I like it or notice any change. I can always go back to mono if all else fails.

For me, Baitcaster: Johnny Morris Platinum Signature Series Spinning: Pfleuger President

For me, I started out with a jon boat that I converted to a decked/carpeted/lighting bass boat. Over the couple years that I owned it, I was always fishing alone. It was quite overkill for me. To go along with that, the maintenance, and the process of getting it in and out of the water was becoming less enjoyable. I don't mind fishing alone, but the boat was two large for just me and the type of fishing I was doing. So I sold it for a fishing kayak. I haven't regretted that decision yet. Kayaks are smaller, no batteries to charge (unless you have electronics), next to ZERO maintenance. Everything I need in one tight package. Plus, I can get that kayak in to places a boat cannot go. It's great for a solo angler. I have an Amish kayak (no electronics), so there are no trolling motor, or depth finder batteries to charge. My set up is very simple. A long way from the jon boat. After all that, I didn't really answer "why a kayak" ?

I agree with you about the barking dog on a campsite. I certainly don't wanna be "one of those guys". I could try him locally, that wouldn't be that big of an issue. I would have to have mine tied up as well. He has tooooo many squirrel moments when we go on a walk. Squirrels and rabbits are a "hold on tight moment".

I'm kicking around the thought of doing some tent camping this spring/summer. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, On top of this thought, I'm thinking about taking my dog. He is a 60 pound Blue Heeler mix, with more mix than anything ?. My biggest concern I am having is the barking. I know when it comes to night time, and possibly even day time, any noises from kids, or "critters" will set him off. Especially at night when it's very quiet. Any noise will have him growl, or bark. I'd certainly hate to have him go, and can't get him to stop barking. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. I'm just thinking worse case here. Once he's in the tent with me at night, and he hears the critters on the outside, my worry would be that he'd ruin the tent trying to get out to go after said critter. I may have answered my own question about whether he should go or not. He's a dog, they're gonna bark, but I certainly don't want to disturb the peace. He's not mean at all, but does bark (all bark, no bite) Has anyone taken their dog with them for the first time and experienced similar situations?

I'm certainly leaning towards a cot, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'll never be camping in cold weather. Rain, maybe. But this will primarily be used in spring/summer/fall months. I am not sure how often I'd use it, but I'd certainly like the first outing to set a positive tone for me. If all goes well the first time out, then maybe I'd be more apt to do it again. I will be flying solo, never done that before. So we'll see. Thanks for the input thus far.

Certainly a cheaper method.

Can always count on you to respond Now, when I say drag, we're talking 3-4 ft. A lot of the damage was when I first purchased the kayak. It was me trying to figure out what to/not to do when loading. A lot of the damage was due to the concrete boat ramp. I'd wheel it down to the water, and the last few feet, I'd set it down and push from the rear. So a 100 lbs + (with gear) on the nose did some damage. Which is my biggest reason for going lighter in weight. Now I should be able to do a lot of maneuvering without doing the drag method. BUT, I'd like to protect it just in case. It would be nice to have a grassy/dirt bank to launch from, but all my fishing waters have concrete at the launch spots.

With me having a new kayak, that has not yet been broken in, I need to protect the hull before it's too late. On my last kayak, I used it for about a year before I placed any protector on the front/rear hull. I purchased the keel eazy protector, that in my opinion, was a waste of money, not to mention expensive. It took me no time at all to plow through it which left my front hull exposed to dragging damage. So I will not be going that route again. Granted, my kayak weighed a 100 pounds empty, but still. With my new kayak topping out at 57 pounds empty, I'm hoping the damage will be much less. In order to help this, I have been considering going the pvc pipe method. There is a video on YT (see below) that shows the pvc pipe getting cut in half, heated up to lay flat, and then laid over the hull of the kayak to take shape. Once cut to length/size, taken shape, and adhered to the hull, it looks pretty strong and should last a long time. I am not very crafty with a lot of things. So prefabbing something like this concerns me. Mainly due to the possibility of warping the hull of the kayak. They mention in the video to keep the hull surface cold with an ice/water towel to prevent this. But still. I'm not sure how much heat it can withstand before you are SOL. I certainly don't want it to look like A$$ either. If I do this, I'd most likely get the electrical conduit (grey) so I wouldn't have an obnoxious white piece on my black/grey/red kayak. I could paint the white pvc, but paint would be scratched off in no time. So grey it is. Has anyone done this PVC pipe method? I'm interested to hear what has, and has not worked for you on your kayak, or even canoe hulls. I'd love to be able to paint a hull protector on that wouldn't come off, but I'm not quite sure you can avoid it with anything that is painted on. Here is the video that I am referring to

I am tossing around the thought of going camping this year. I haven't gone in many years, but might give it a shot again. Right now I am trying to determine if a cot vs a sleeping pad is best for tent camping. With the cot, the only advantage I see is having you raised off the ground, which also allows you to store things underneath if need be. Being off the ground eliminates the chance of dampness/water getting in/on your sleeping bag. But if you're tent is waterproof, you shouldn't have a problem, unless their is a hole or tear. With the pad, you have the barrier between your sleeping bag and the ground. But you are on the ground Many like the cot option, especially thew older folk. I'm alright either way. I see that the cot vs a good pad, pretty much run the same price, roughly. So the price certainly isn't a deal breaker. Remove the thought of using one over the other while backpacking, or carrying around to get where you need to go. I'm specifically asking about the sleeping advantage between the two. Has anyone used both of these options, and like one over the other? Care to share opinions?

I don't have a huge stock of plastics, but the ones I do have are left in their original packaging, then all stored in a gallon zip lock bag. I do have enough plastics to fill that gallon bag though. Then the gallon back goes in to the crate of my kayak...........Easy in, easy out and doesn't take up a lot of space.

ya, I'd say that did. thanks

I have the 2nd and 3rd round of this tournament sitting in my DVR, that I have started watching. I am currently in round 2, and have a couple questions, that maybe knows the real answer to, maybe you do. As I watch it, and the camera bounces from one boat to another, I notice the referees that do the weighing of each fish either are not allowed to socialize, don't care to, or just straight up are pissy. Kinda humorous at times. The angler pulls a fish in, they're talking, and making conversation. Not sure if it's only for the camera, or if they are talking to the refs. I'm not sure. But they don't respond at all. One did respond and I think it's cause the dude doesn't like whose boat he's in. Example: Ike's boat. Mike caught a fish, a decent sized one, as he's pulling it in, he's getting excited. He let out a couple higher volume yelps, but nothing stupid crazy. The fish slips out of his hand and he gets hit with a 2:00 landing penalty. The ref says "that's what you get for yelling". Mike is chuckling and enjoying himself, the ref, not so much. That kinda made me laugh. It's like where the hell is dudes sense of humor? You don't have to agree with Mike's way of acting, but he certainly wasn't going overboard as he's known to do. So it got me thinking. Is the ref not allowed to interact? I realize they're completely neutral in all this, but it's just conversation. I just entered in to the 3rd round episode, and well, Ike just went Ike screaming, and hootin' and holler'n . (That's besides the point)

well, thanks for the quick response. It looks like Perception says to mount on it's side (as you do), and not on it's bottom side. I can do that then. thanks again

so at an angle is the best bet? How does that not cause stress to the sides/hull? I take it the bottom of the kayak should not come in contact with the ground?

When I had my previous kayak, and my current living situation, I had to build a "shed/locker" for my kayak (plywood/2x4 construction). This shed was long enough, and just wide/high enough to store my kayak. I left one end of the kayak on the wheels (c-tug), and the opposite end lying on the floor of the shed. The shed is completely enclosed from sun/weather. Not air tight, but certainly out of the elements. As far as I know, there was no hull damage or any other defects due to the way I was storing it. Now, with my new kayak, I have been reading more and more how the kayak should be stored in a certain manner to avoid deformities. Since I do not have the height to stand the kayak up on end, and it will be very hard to store the kayak at any angle/slant on some type of J-hook. I saw a few methods to where people would build a stand that runs the length of the kayak, and on top of that stand would be pvc pipes that would ride on the kayak scuppers. Since I don't have a lot of height, I think the scupper storing on pvc pipes is my best option. Should the pvc pipe be small/large enough to fit inside the scuppers, or should the pvc be oversized so the pvc touches the hull surface, centered over the scuppers? With my kayak weighing 50-60 pounds, it's relatively light. The last kayak was 100 pounds, but from what I can see, I never had any issues. Can anyone help me?