Goose52

Gotcha - I don't have the color numbers memorized. Regardless of WHICH color it is...it seems to work, catch fish...

You didn't define what YOU consider to be "mid-depth" but if it's 10-12 feet or so, then my go-to always seems to be a Deep Little N.

...and the NEW version of that color still works, catches fish...

I use a combination of a three-rod unit and three individual Scotty rod holders. The three-rod unit is mounted aft and angled low to clear overheard branches just as you mentioned. I can also have two more rods pointed aft - one on each side of the three-rod unit - for these two rods the rod butt is on the deck of the canoe and the rod blank is resting on a padded area of the canoe. Of the three Scotty rod holders, two of them (left of the seat and on the dashboard) are just places to hold a rod temporarily while I'm handling fish or changing baits. The Scotty rod holder to the right of my seat does get used to hold a rod in the event that I am continually switching back and forth between two different rods/presentations. Or, sometimes I keep a "follow-up" rod there to toss a different bait if I miss a strike on the primary rod. This photo shows the three-rod rack and the Scotty mount to the left of the seat. Since this photo was taken, another Scotty mount has been installed to the right of the seat. Then, there's another Scotty mount up on the dashboard. This mount is just a place to put the rod temporarily while I'm handling fish, changing baits, swapping rods around, etc.

Excellent - especially since that means I haven't been competing with you on eBay auctions for 1500/2500 reels. Less competition is good...

So, it's been a year; how many Black Max round reels, or even better, 1500C / 2500C reels, did you buy?

The Bait / Rod / Reel Monkey has greatly enhanced persuasive powers during winter...

Looks like a good starting point. If you haven't yet, search this forum for canoe threads - we have had quite a few lately and there have been many photos posted of the various rigging/modification options. Have fun !

OP - this question comes up often. Here is my usual response that I keep on file for these threads: Really, only you can answer that question. Some types of small watercraft (canoes, kayaks, bass raiders, float tubes, pontoons, inflatables, etc.) are perfect for some people. No one type of small watercraft is perfect for all people. In selecting whether you want to get a canoe or a kayak, you need to make a list of your needs, and then determine which craft is the better fit for you. Some of the factors to consider: • Stabililty and standing capability (moving around, landing fish, another person or kids or dogs in the boat, standing to fish, etc.) • Cargo/gear storage (how much stuff do you want to take) • Inboard storage & handling (canoe) versus handling things in your lap or over the water (yak) • Seating position (usually, but not always more upright seating in a canoe vs. legs-out in yak - have back problems?) • Vessel weight (how much can you lift/transport) • Transportability - to the water and possible portaging (do you have a truck, trailer, going to car-top, need to portage, etc.) • Ease of paddling • Will you want the capability to motor it? • Manueverability • Type of water (lakes, streams, white water, etc.) • Number of people in the craft • Stay mostly dry or don't mind getting a bit wet • Length of voyage (couple hours or a couple days) • Etc. Once you answer those questions based on your own capabilities and needs, you'll come closer to chosing either a canoe, a yak, or a hybrid. All are great watercraft in their own ways, you just have to find the best fit for YOU. I faced the same decision as you are tying to make now but I was open to all types of small watercraft from float tubes up to bass boats. The best solution for ME, was a heavily accessorized canoe. I only fish my local, small (1.5 to 201 acres), no-wake lakes. Some of these lakes don't have boat ramps. I needed something car-topable without a special rack, modular, very light weight, with as much capability as possible. I wanted stability so I could stand and fish all day, lots of inboard storage, motorized, and little to no maintenance. I didn't want to have to buy a truck or other tow vehicle, I didn't want to consume a garage bay or driveway space with a boat and trailer, didn't want high expense and high maintenance, and didn't want to use gasoline power. Taking everything into account, I ended up with a canoe, trolling motor, and outriggers for stability.

Interesting - thanks for posting...

The number, and type (red - heavier / white - ligher), of brake blocks not only depends on the weight of the bait but the entire casting "system" - rod, bait, casting stroke, spool tension setting, operator experience, etc. So, while you might get many recommendations, you would still need to try the combinations and see what works best for you. Having said that, if it was me I would probably start with two red blocks for the baits you mentioned. Also, instead of changing all the brake blocks to white, you might consider having a combination of blocks. If you examine this photo of one of my Mets, you will see that I have many combinations available, using BOTH red and white blocks: (various combinations with 4, 5, or 6 blocks - probably never needed) 2 reds / 1 white 2 whites / 1 red 2 reds 1 red / 1 white 2 whites 1 red 1 white The mixture of reds and whites, along with the external adjustment, provides nearly limitless combinations if one wanted to tinker with it. In actual practice, I only use a couple of those combinations but have many options in the event I did need to find a better combination.

Ah - gotcha. You're probably good to go with the medium-fast then...

Are you talking about a spinning or casting rod? What is the total actual weight of the bait you want to toss? You could probably get away with using the medium power if you're talking about a spinning rod, but for a casting rod you might need to consider a medium-light. If you WERE talking about a casting rod, I have two of the 7' med-fast Premier casting rods and they are fairly stout for a medium and have an upper lure weight of 3/4 oz, the same as many medium-heavy rods - not a rod that I would use at the lighter end of it's range.

I bought that rod in August and used it quite a bit in the late summer and fall. Seems to work, catches fish. It fishes exceptionally well at the heavier end of its weight range and handles this bait (which I think you will recognize) with no problems... It seems like he caught a LOT OF BIG BASS on the 7'11" mod-fast Rage rod (which I have as well but obviously don't use it as well as he does...).

I think you had mentioned Barlow's Tackle in a previous thread about blade baits and I had forgotten to check them out. Thanks for the mention again - I just ordered enough "fixins" to make up 20 baits - ten 3/8 oz and ten 5/8 oz. I went with Mustad double hooks - let's see how they do...

Since the Curado 200I is made in Malaysia, the assumption by many folks is that the CU70 will also be made in Malaysia as well. As Raul said, who cares where it's made as long as it is being sold by Shimano and produced under their quality management system processes. Plus, the machines and tooling in Malaysia, being perhaps newer than those in the plant(s) in Japan, might actually produce LESS variation and better dimensional control. Something to think about...

Advertising a sonar as a "low hours" unit is probably a good thing for marketing and perhaps to foster buyer confidence. Even if the unit is higher hours, the seller might still advertise that as a means of good faith / disclosure so the potential buyer knows what they are getting in terms of definable prior usage. Using terms like "used only X seasons" is meaningless, just as it is for other equipment like reels. One persons "season" might be 300 days on the water - another persons "season" might be 30 days on the water. I like having the hours feature. I record the hours on my sonar at the beginning and end of each season to calculate how much time I was in the boat that year. I usually always have the sonar turned on but sometimes turn it off in skinny water, etc. so the hours recorded for a season are actually a little low from the actual time-on-water. Still, it's an interesting factiod that I record. For instance, the total time on my current HB 798 is 1428 hours with 531 hours of that recorded during the 2015 season. Interesting to me...

Good to know about the multiple rod deal. I'm personally just about "Raged-Out" now but other folks could get a good deal...

.....and you saw the bargain prices where? Some folks might be interested in that info... For those that missed the news on the first go-around last year, the Rage rods have been on closeout in the St. Croix bargain room for months. $89 with free shipping - a good deal indeed. I got two Rage rods for that price last August. They still have a fair selection of casting rods left but the spinning rod selection is down to two models. FWIW

Keep the centrifugal brake drum clean and lightly lubed and enjoy...

Thanks, ... and I'm a "Wayne" too...

Yeah - but I can't dance a jig in my boat the way you can in yours - don't have those sea-legs like you have...

I have six PQs, some of them have stickers on the reel foot that say made in Korea - some say made in China. I expect that the reason for this is that the OEM for the PQ, Doyo in Korea, has another plant in China, or outsources assembly to a Chinese plant. I don't know the answer, and I don't care. I see NO difference in any of the 6 PQs regardless of the indicated manufacturing location. From the photo I saw in the BPS flyer, the PQ in that combo looks to be the regular production PQ. If you have confirmed that the model number on the side of the reel matches the catalog/web site number for the regular PQ, then I think you can rest easy and just enjoy the combo and be satisfied that you got a GREAT deal. Regarding the regular production PQ, it IS possible to wear one out but it might take you a long time to do it: BPS Pro Qualifier BC Reel - 5 Year Challenge ....AND....Welcome to BR !

Thanks again guys ! As I forecasted in my first post, the lake gods are NOT granting me any more nice fish and "catching" has been real slow...

For sure - kayaks are nifty watercraft and work for many anglers. For me, not so much. I looked at all watercraft from float tubes to bass boats, using specific selection criteria: I needed something car-topable without a special rack, modular, very light weight, with as much capability as possible. I wanted stability so I could stand and fish all day, lots of inboard storage, motorized, and little to no maintenance. I didn't want to have to buy a truck or other tow vehicle, I didn't want to consume a garage bay or driveway space with a boat and trailer, didn't want high expense and high maintenance, and didn't want to use gasoline power. Taking everything into account, I ended up with a canoe, trolling motor, and outriggers for stability. Now, some would say that a motorized kayak would meet the above criteria. BUT, in comparison to my final selection, kayaks are generally too heavy, don't have enough storage (especially "inboard" storage - meaning below the level of the gunwales where stuff can't fall out), and require specialized racks for transport. My bare hull weighs 34 pounds. My beam is 38 inches - lots of inboard room. Transportability? No special rack needed, no lifting aid needed - I just pick it up and put it on the roof of the vehicle. Now, I'm only 63 and someday when I get "old" I might have to get a special rack and a lifting aid - that will be a few years down the road hopefully. Room - especially standing room? I've got some: Ease of rigging electronics? It's horrible - sometimes it takes me as long as 30 seconds to get my sonar out of the car and rigged on the boat: Transportability? Throw it on the roof and strap it down - AND, enough clearance to drive into the garage and be ready to leave the next day: Storage? Along one sidewall of the garage and still have room for a vehicle in that bay: So, those are some of the reasons why I did not buy a jon boat or small bass boat. AND, another benefit of having a lot of inboard room is that you don't have to handle fish like this in your LAP... Some types of small watercraft (canoes, kayaks, bass raiders, float tubes, pontoons, inflatables, etc.) are perfect for some people. No one type of small watercraft is perfect for all people. Different "floats" for different folks... It's all good...