kjfishman

In the under $60 price range what are your picks for rods. I am thinking either Berkley Lightning Rod 7' MH or Ugly Ugly Stick ELITE 7' MH for cranking.

You can get suitable carpet scraps from a carpet store, Home Depot, Lowes etc for much less than precut strips at a marine supplier.

I have to replace a low profile Abu Silver Max that I lost, another story for another day. So I was looking at specs on different reels and found the Abu Garcia 4600 C4 retrieves 30" per turn and the low profile reels with same ratio return 27" of line per turn. Also the max drag on the 4600 C4 is 30lbs vs 18lbs for the low profile reels form Abu in the same price range. Thinking replacing the lost Silver Max with a 4600 C4. What are your thoughts.

We were vacationing in Ocean Springs MS and there was a gas station that only sold ethanol free gas. It was about 25 cents a gallon more than RUG in the area.

If your using a Minn Kota transom mount trolling motor on your boat and the tilt lever breaks in can easily be fixed. I found a washer cut a slot in it with a dremel tool and glued with silicon. Did it as a temporary fix but it has held up for a few years. You can make the fix with out taking the transom mount apart by sliding the washer under the head of the T-bar.

If you go a little further up 61 past Troy there is White Memorial Wildlife Area, William R. Logan Conservation Area and 2 lakes in Bowling Green. Also close Warrenton is Reifsnider State Forrest has a couple small clay pits with bass in them.

I have an Old Town Loon 126 sit in rigged for fishing with 3 rod holders soft side tackle bag secured behind the seat, anchor trolley, stake out pole home made and a fish finder. Pros 1. The sit in kayak makes for a kayak that I can use year around. Cooler in the summer warmer in the fall winter because your legs are out of the weather. 2. Made from 3 layer Polylink 3 so it is extremely durable. My previous yak was a Loon 138 made from the same stuff bought in in 1999 was still going strong when I sold it last year and bought the 126. 3. Fast and tracks well. 4. Reasonably light 56 lbs. 5. Removable console with USB power outlet for storing keys wallet or what ever. I could even fit the battery I use for the depth finder in the console if I wanted. 6. Lighter than most sit on yaks. 7. Great resale value. i sold my 1999 Loon 138 for close to what it cost in 99. 8. Rated for up to 450lbs . 9 Very comfortable adjustable seat. Cons 1. Probably couldn't stand in it. 2. Not inexpensive but you tend to get what you paid for in the long run.

I do as the others but I have added a leash to the paddle. You don't want you paddle floating off hard to paddle with your hands. Some of things you might want to add are an anchor trolley, rod holders and a fish finder. As mentioned before there are tons of information on setting up kayaks for fishing on the internet.

Thinking outside the box can make some ramps to use when you back it in or out?

Maybe a metal shop could fabricate one for you.

Down side of 24 volt system is you have to buy 2 expensive batteries instead of 1. My 16.5 foot deep V has a 12 volt 54lb trolling motor and works for me. The only thing I regret is I should have gotten a longer shaft for choppy water conditions.

You might think about getting a keel guard. The keel takes beating over time.

The on board charger you plug in at home won't charge your battery while running but you can buy a charger that does that and it can coexist with the plug in charger. A good write up is here http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=4594 Last time I bought batteries I got the best deal at Costco.

A used Old Town Loon 138 is a good choice. Huge cockpit, seat and pedals move, indestructible polylink 3 hull and very stable.

You have to wonder how he passed his 7 level test.

What not to do. Replaced the carpet in my old boat with black carpeting because it looked good. Big mistake the black carpet got too hot on sunny summer days.

Old Town Loon 126. Didn't by the angler version rigged it myself. Loons are made from Polylink 3 and will last forever. Super comfortable adjustable seat. Weight capacity 450 lbs so even a big person can safety use.The 126 tracks really well and is fast. They aren't inexpensive but will last a lifetime.

Definitely have one in front. No reason you can't mix brands. If they are the same brand with similar controls less of a learning curve but other than that no reason.

First I built one with PVC but it really didn't hold up. Ended up buying a folding aluminum style and used the straps that I used with old PVC cart. Shop around they vary in price from $50 on up. It works well over rugged terrain.

The rock an arrow head?

I have made them from steel dowel rod as spares. In fact I had to take the prop off while out on the water and the factory shear pin fell in the lake so I have been running on one I made for some time.

Do you have Kidde brand fire extinguishers in your home or boat? There is a recall on many of them. They will send you a replacement for free. Consumer Contact: Kidde toll-free at 855-271-0773 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday, or online at www.kidde.com and click on “Product Safety Recall” for more information.

I have been using 3 and may drop to 2, one bait caster one spinning and carry less tackle.

After I type this I am going to set the DVR to record the episode. Shoiuld be great.

While getting ready for spring and organizing and cleaning tackle I noticed the the skirts on a lot of my jigs and frogs were tacky and stuck together. Soaking them in soapy water to see if I can salvage them. Anyone have suggestions to clean them up and how to avoid this in the future?