NJBasstard

No I haven't tried that one. Besides the number of pockets it looks like the biggest difference is the flat back on the Raku VS the high back on the Chinook. Not sure if one would be better than the other or if it's just personal preference.

If your fishing the Raritan Bay and bigger lakes here in NJ like Hopatcong or Round Valley where your not always a few minute paddle from shore then I strongly suggest a dry suit. The post suggesting it's not needed if your confident in your abilities is some of the worst advice I've seen on this site to date. Nobody plans on going in & accidents happen all the time. When water temps at 40° it can take as little as 20 minutes for hypothermia to kick in. Set a budget and buy the best dry suit your can and wear it. Carrying a first aid kit & pair of clothes in a dry bag isn't a bad idea either.

Theirs a lot of nice paddles out there. Bending Branches, Carlisle & Werner to name a few. What model depends on budget and like you've seen they can get expensive. For a PFD have you checked out the NRS Chinook?

Seeing it shared on FB that he's to have surgery for a brain tumor. Can anyone confirm this? Nevermind I see it's been mentioned already. Hope he has a speedy recovery.

I'm surprised nobody has asked yet, but does your $1600 budget include a paddle & PFD or is it just the kayak itself?

I throw them spring thru fall mostly. I like a paddle tail swimbait in lower temps and a craw once the water temps reach around 60°. The SK Rage Swimmer and Netbait Paca Chunk are usually my go-to's. The only moving baits I really throw in the winter are lipless cranks and jerkbaits.

If you open the side plate theirs a screw where the dial is. Loosen it 1/4 turn.

Fish grips always at night, pliers (if needed) and a headlamp to turn on once I've landed the fish.

The only reason I advise people to go 30lb minimum is because it's easier to manage for most people. Also theirs a lot of reels out there that don't handle anything less than 30lb or the equivalent mono/flouoro that well. My Curado 50 & 70 handle light line (15-20lb braid) much better than my 200 sized reels.

I'm in Southern New Jersey. If I was putting a box together for someone new it'd look something like this. Soft Baits: -5" Senko (Junebug and/or Black & Blue) -TRD Ned Rig (Black or Black & Blue) -Fat Ika (Junebug) Jigs: -Arky Jig 3/8oz (Black & Blue and Red Craw) -Bitsy Bug 1/4 or less (Black & Blue and Watermelon) Hard Baits: Squarebill 1-5ft (Shad pattern & Chartreuse) Crankbait 5ft+ (Shad pattern & Chartreuse) Suspending Jerkbait (Shad & Bluegill) Top Water: Jitterbug (Black) Buzzbait (Black) Frog (Dark & Light bellied) Additional: 4/0 EWG hooks 1/0 or 2/0 Wacky hooks 1/10oz Ned head Craw trailer Paddletail trailer

Theirs a review of these on this forum from a few years ago. After reading it I decided to buy a couple to see how they compared to my Berkley & Rapala scales. I was so surprised by the accuracy and how consistent they are that just I use them 90% of the time now. Here's the scale.. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Electronic-Hanging-Fishing-Digital-Pocket-Weight-Hook-Scale-40kg-10g/201182152447?pageci=89ed084d-a922-4a9f-ae22-79b08e7e0df0 And heres the thread from a few years ago..

This confused me too. Heres Gary Dobyns reply to a similar question on another forum. I get this question a ton. There are separate rating systems in rod categories. For instance a 5 power Flippin Stick is Med/Hvy in Flip/Pitch category. A 5 power in a crank bait rod is a Med/Hvy also but in Cranking category. A 5 power in a jig rod is Mag-Hvy or some companies call it XX Heavy. It's a power house rod. The difference between each of these 5 powers is a LOT!! But, they each have a category. It pretty much breaks down like this: Swim Baits , Flippin, Cranking or CB, and everything else. The 735 is Med/Hvy in Pitch/Flip category. We put the 735C in this category because it's truly a frogging, Pitch/Flip rod and since the 734C is not, this confuses people. I've often thought about making it a Mag-Hvy just to avoid confusion, but it fits into the Pitch/Flip category perfectly. This is not my best explanation and maybe one of you guys can explain it better. Also, always feel free to call our shop and it's easier to explain by phone. We're always happy to talk fishing rods. 530-671-1989 THX A TON GUYS!!!! Can't help much with the original question, but I use a Sierra 704c for 1/4-3/8 jigs. Same power & action as the 734 but with a bit less flex in the tip. Never fished a similar Champion to compare, although I'd imagine the Champion would be more sensitive.

Almost everything. Squarebills, spinnerbaits & chatterbaits are what I like mine for the most. People use them for anything from finesse to throwing frogs though. Swapping for a 200/201e handle for about $30 is a pretty common upgrade. You can swap gears from a 7.0:1 Core MG7 for around $40 too.

Correct. So you can help support any Youtuber by just using the link in their video description to enter the site you wish to shop on.

If you enter TW or anywhere else by clicking on the link in the video description they get compensated once you make a purchase. It doesn't have to be the product they're advertising. As far as Dobyns I don't think most of us get paid to advertise. The reason their name pops up is because they offer competitive rods at every price point. Combine that with their customer service, warranty and the fact that many people like the idea of supporting a smaller company and it's no surprise they have a large following.

I have multiple of both in.. Helsinki shad Hot mustard ? (I think that's the name) Red crawl Regal shad Yellow perch I've had success with all, but the first 3 are my favorite for the waters I fish.

The Rapala Crankin' Rap CCR-3 and CCR-5's are my favorite squarebills. Think they got discontinued about 3 years ago. I'll have to source some pretty soon since my supply is running low.

Clean the guides up and then inspect them. Take a Q-tip and pull a little of the cotton out so it fluffs up and run it around inside of each guide. The cotton should stick in any hard to see cracks in the guides. The only other thing making contact with the line other than the guides is the line guide on the reel.

Been doing it for years on for all my soft plastic fishing. Never tried doing it on jigs and don't think I'd want to on my treble hooks. Better for the fish and helped once when I had a 4/O in my leg.

The deal on Sportsman Outfitters is over. If you already placed an order than you're fine. I believe the rods themselves are shipping directly from Dobyns who I'm sure are absolutely swamped with orders right now. It wouldn't surprise me if it took an extra day or so for orders to ship.

Depends on what you have I guess but I made a rod rack. Had a sheet of 1/2" finish grade plywood behind my wood rack so that's what I used. I needed it to fit in a limited space so I made it to hold 10 rods (5 on each side) since that's all I need. It's about 36" high, 25" wide and 16" deep. Any of the rods I've retired are in rod tubes. My reels are in the original boxes but once fishing seasons in full swing I usually keep them on the rods.

I don't fish floaters much. If I do it's usually a Smithwick. I have some Rapalas that were handed down 20 years ago but they're somewhat sentimental to me so I stopped fishing them before I end up losing them. My favorite suspending is by far the Lucky Craft Pointer 78 SP. That bait in the American Shad color has been the most productive jerkbait for me. Only problem is the amount of pickerel I catch on it outnumber the bass.

Like many my favorite is 1/2oz. All I own are Red Eye Shad, Rat-L-Trap and Cordells. Colors are basically just sexy shad, craw and chrome. I'll use 1/4 in shallow water sometimes.

If you haven't already you should read the topic pinned at the top of the If you haven't already, check out the topic pinned at the top of the page here called "Jig Fishing Questions". Lots of useful info in that thread that could help improve your jig fishing. On to the topic of wether success create my favorite bait.. I would say no. When things seam tough and I'm having trouble catching I tend to tie on a senko or a little TRD ned rig just so I can catch something. Both of those baits are most likely to catch me fish but are probably some of my least favorite things to throw. My two favorite baits are squarebills and jigs. I almost always have one or both rigged up on a rod. Squarebills allow me to fish open shallow water, fishing around rock, laydowns and docks bumping into everything & making all the commotion I can while covering water fairly quick. Depending on the jig I'm able to do a lot. My favorite (and maybe the most versatile) is an arky headed jig. The jig lets me go everywhere I do with the squarebill & more, but it allows me to fish at whatever pace I want. It can be fished at every depth of the water column and can be used to imitate both crawfish & baitfish. Tons of different trailer options too. I can swim it, drag it, hop it, knock it into things, rip is through grass or whatever else. I think the jig is probably the most versatile thing there is for bass fishing. Those two baits might not get me the most numbers but they're what I enjoy the most. I get enough quality fish on each that I've kept them as go-to's for about a decade now.

I think the OP is talking about these..? If so than I'm wondering the same. I have LC baits but they're all 4+ years old and I've read the same thing about quality on some baits going downhill. I don't remember the squarebills being this cheap..