Darren.

Congrats :-) Enjoy these days, they go soooooo fast. My eldest is graduating high school and (hopefully) entering the Army at some point thereafter. I have 3 more boys to go after him, but the years go way too fast....

Well done, Sam! Have had a very similar situation to yours, exception being it was a Gammy hook and wacky worm!

Hi Jason, and welcome aboard! I have the casting equivalent of that rod - but at 6' Medium. I love it. Great rods, wish they still made them. Can be used for a wide variety of tactics from soft plastics to jigs, to moving baits. I caught my PB of 7.5lbs on that rod in thick slop. It is solid. As for the reel, I'm not sure who makes that for F&S, but it should serve well for these functions.

A beauty!

Welcome aboard, Butch!

A paddle holder of some sort would probably be of help. But most have to fight a paddle if there's wind while you're fishing. Part of the game. For me, I don't use my paddle much as I've motorized my yak. Also maybe some rod-holders or if you have space for a milk crate you can make some holders out of 1.5" PVC pieces and affix them with zip ties to the crate. It will take time for you to get used to fishing out of the yak. Consider posting a picture for us, too, so we can give you some ideas based on that.

Welcome aboard, Cory!

Welcome aboard, first off. Some of the NOVA folks will chime in. You ought to head over to the Introductions forum and say hey there, too! There's a ton of kayak fishermen on the forums here so plenty of help and advice to be found. Good luck!

Welcome aboard, Brendon!

Great fish. I'd be happy with the scale weight

Hey Ashtyn, welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Awesome catches!

Floroclear. Never had problems with it, though use Yo-Zuri Hybrid more these days.

Welcome aboard!

I've bought cheap combos before, in the $75-95 range. They didn't work well for me at all. So let me suggest to you - from my experience - to spend your money on a Daiwa Lexa or Exceler EXE and an inexpensive rod. You could actually find these reels for under $100 on eBay. The Exceller EXE can be had for almost $70 from reputable sellers. Then buy a rod for $30-50 like the Berkeley Lightning Rod Shock and you're good to go. Just some thoughts. I bought my Lexa on eBay. The better the reel - again, in my experience - the better the casting experience.

Yeah, been there. My Dad's favorite ultralight... when I was a kid. Knocked it off the boat into the depths of lake Conesus in NY...

P-Line Floroclear is very good (in my experience) and it's carried at Bass Pro, other locales. CX or CXX would serve well, too. In the mean time, you can hit up eBay for some 600 yard spools of Yo-Zuri Hybrid for less than ten bucks.

Dang. Bummer. One of my boys and I were in a left turn lane at a red light. In the other lanes were a car, then a motorcycle. We hear screeching and a lady plowed into the back of the motorcycle. The rider was ok as he heard it and jumped off, but still. Glad everyone was ok, suppose insurance will cover the boat.

Hi Chris, welcome aboard!

Experience is the plumb line, IMO. I agree with this last paragraph, John. To use a post-modern term, everything is relative to you and your experiences. And "always subject to change." What works for me may not work in the same manner for you...and so on...

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Josh!

Costas for me. 580G lenses. Tried on a lot of high-end glasses before deciding on Costas. Haven't regretted it at all.

Welcome aboard, Marquis! You'll learn so much here at BR, I know I have. I read and read and read articles before I ever joined the forum.