Darren.

Don't worry about it, you'll get used to it in short order. A reel-down, sweeping set will become second-hand in no time.

Soft plastics here. Mostly Zoom Finesse, Senkos, BPS Stik-O's.

I can attest to that. While it is lower than what you're shooting for ($$-wise), I am supremely impressed with the reel. Throws light lures with ease. Have it in 7.1:1 and love it. My initial review is here.

It is all too common a problem. I've experienced this where a guy and, presumably his father or g'pa in the back. This was on a nearly 300 acre reservoir. Buddy and I were fishing the docks and this dude, who arrived after us, decides he wants to as well. So he motors inbetween us, within 15 yards of me, and about 8 of my buddy. I caught a lovely 3lber right in front of them, then moved to the other side. They decided to follow me. The young doofus thinks he owns the spot even though I was there for nearly 10 minutes already, and casts within feet of my yak. I could almost feel the splash of his bait. I kept giving them the stare of death hoping it would work, but the dummy returned stare. Finally I looked at them and said "ever heard of fishing etiquette?!" The kid mumbled something, I said I was there first, blah blah, and I paddled off. Idiots are out there. Since then my buddy has experienced very similar rudeness from other guys. BUT!! There are PLENTY of decent fishermen out there, but it is frustrating to encounter the few jerks. Some guys on another forum suggested I carry a nice 2oz weight and cast it over at them... LOL. But then, like Sam said, you never know what kind of people you're dealing with. And my wife is a nurse who deals with psych patients sometimes. She told me of research that suggests we'd be very surprised how many people in "normal" life have psychoses, i.e., significant mental imbalances, not just the "I'm on antidepressants" kind. A lot of the people who come in to the hospital ER for quick mental "fixes" over breakdowns, etc., are everyday people you'd see at the mall, on the road, etc., but have these mental issues. They may not be taking their drugs, or such, and have "episodes". Point of it all is to confirm/add to Sam's comment that you never know what kind of person/people you're dealing with. Are they just rude, or have other issues which would make them snap if you confronted them. My wife is urging me to take the "shut up and move on" approach. And even though I'd rather throw a few choice words back at the dudes, I am seeing the wisdom of her counsel more and more to take this stance.

Ever since I found these years ago, I can't remember when I last had a Hostess product.... http://www.littledebbie.com/products/swisscake.asp

Nice!

Welcome, JW!

What I know about the Hobie is all good. I've seen them on the water, talked to owners, but never tried one myself. That said, if I could afford a Pro Angler 12, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat. And, being a "very tall and large person", have you looked at the Pro Angler 14? May be more comfortable. Both are all wicked stable, far more than a canoe. Even my Native Ultimate is more stable than any canoe I've paddled.

Not sure braid-only is an issue in muddy water; however, I always use a leader where I fish, which is in greenish-clear-ish water. I have fluoro, but prefer using either P-Line Floroclear or Yo-Zuri Hybrid leaders with braid as a mainline for management issues. I'm currently downsizing leader size to 6 lb for my spinning gear. Throwing 10lb on my baitcasting gear, but likely downsizing to 8 there. Just find the downsizing lends to a better fall/winter bite for me. Your mileage may vary...

They're out there, probably. Cali's deep water may have the biggest, though there may be yet another one in Japan's Lake Biwa. Those 3 buddies in Cali (who foul-hooked probably the biggest bass of all time) might just be the hunters who'll find the large, lurking lady. Think they were featured on NatGeo, Science, or Discovery a year back.

Hmmm. Good idea. "Here hon, advanced tickets for that Twilight movie thing...you can even take your BFF!" That's money in the bank, man. If it ain't Twilight, there's gotta be something. A 30 minute massage, facial, bottle of her fav wine. There's always something that lets a dude out of the dog house.

Great stuff, Cap.

Welcome!

No experience with an inflatable, though I did look at them. Would probably be a lot of fun. I'd look and see what Black Friday holds, say at Dick's, local shops, etc. DSG's spring sale usually has some aggressively priced yaks for sale. There are inflatable fishing vessels, so not unheard of.

Fantastic vid.

Welcome, and wishing the best for you! May fishing be the exact therapy you need. Many happy days on the water.

Assuming you mean baitcasting? Either way, practice, practice, and practice some more in the yard, the drive way, etc. I like to put "targets" (often what stuff the kids leave around the yard) in various spots and cast at them until I can hit them consistently. For flipping and pitching I'll put a coffee can, mason jar, or something out in the yard and work at hitting it consistently...

Indeed, excellent Bond movie, one of the best, IMO.

Sounds good, Silas! Your trips sound a lot easier than mine, LOL. Practice the knots, double, triple, quad check them on the water, use plenty of spit and you *should* be good to go.

Hey Chris, look forward to your contributions!

Have very rarely had knots come undone, but has happened. For worm hooks I tie a snell, for lures or jigs I'll either tie a palomar with plenty of saliva, a double palomar, or a clinch knot. I always do the pull test, usually several times before I snip the tag end and begin fishing.

I'll start with this: I'm lovin' this new reel, a Lexa 100HS, 7.1:1 gear ratio. Started out casting in my back yard with light lead weights, 1/4 oz casting plugs, etc. Experienced some minor backlashes until I was able to get it dialed in for weightless plastics, etc. Currently using it with a 6' M Field and Stream rod, hoping to upgrade to a Croix or Shimano in the near future. Spooled with 10lb test YZ Hybrid in camo green. Plan on putting yellow PowerPro in around 15 or 20lb test + leader. Can't see the green lines well enough. I can only compare the Lexa with my Quantum Accurists, so bear that in mind. No Shimano BCs in my arsenal, just on the spinning side. Hands down, the Lexa crushes my Accurists in terms of smoothness, cast ability, reeling, and backlashing. I'm not sure I even want to pick those up anymore after using this puppy, LOL. As one who primarily fishes soft plastics, I wanted a BC that could cast 4" Senkos, Stik-Os, etc. Lexa 100 handles the job extremely well. I've now dialed it in to where I can get a consistent 60-65 feet on a cast with zero backlash and not even having to thumb the spool, using a #4 or #2 Gammy Wide Gap Finesse hook, or a 2/0 round bend BPS worm hook, each with a 4" Senko. NEVER been able to do that before. Saw KVD do that on the Bass Pros once, and now I know it really can be done! Have also been able to cast 4.75" Zoom Finesse worms, but need to use a split shot, or TX rig to get enough distance. Used bullets down to 1/16 oz along with the finesse worm. So overall first impression of the Lexa 100 HS is excellent. Will continue experimenting .... As a kayak fisherman I'm not looking to win long distance casting contests, so I can live with shorter casts and zero backlashes. I leave the mag brake set at 7 and adjust the spool tension + thumb control to tweak things if I need more distance.

Welcome, Tristan!

Welcome South-Sider! There are a lot of great freshwater fisheries down there so I've been told.

Yup, that's a good deal, assuming it is for the FD model? The FE is newest and $79.