Christian M

Sounds like you're serious about fishing, and your parents are serious about your education. If this is the case, your best bet may be to present them with the prospect of fishing in college. Nowadays, most colleges have fishing teams. If you can balance the two at a young age, there's a possibility that you can fish on a college team and possibly land a scholarship. You can use the angle that a kayak would be a good introduction to fishing on a boat.

Ok, so I spent about 12 hours and a decent chunk of money outfitting my Native Ultimate 12. When I bought it off CL, all it had was a seat and a paddle. After several trips to Jersey Paddler & Dicks, I brought it into my workshop and got down to business. First I installed the Anchor trolley. I bought the Hobie Pro Angler trolley because I liked the shock cord and 2 rings. Next was the ZigZag cleat, paddle clips on the side, and bungee kits in front and back. After that I installed two Scottie Ram Mounts & bought Scottie rod holders for them. I used a milkcrate with 3 rod holders attached for the back space. Inside the milkcrate, I keep a mesh bag with two 5lb anchors, two 30' lengths of paracord, and 50' of reflective cord for night fishing. I also keep whatever plano boxes I need inside the milkcrate. In the front of the Kayak I keep a soft cooler bag with soft plastics & at my feet I keep a sling pack with my "go to" lures, weights, hooks, leader line, swivels, etc. Behind the seat I keep a 2L camel pack. All that's left to install is a fish finder.

I got my first watercraft when I was 18, it was a Yamaha 1200 Waverunner (didn't do any fishing out of that). When I started fishing about 8 years ago, my first floater was a Sevlor 360 with a 32lb MinnKota. After that was a Coleman Scanoe with a 55lb MinnKota. My first "boat" was a 1976 15' Glastron Trihull that I converted into an open deck bass boat with 3 electric MinnKotas, one 55lb in the front, 2 in the back. I didn't get my first real bass boat until I was 28, a 96 Tracker PT17.

...I usually take 2 casting and 1 spinning setup, but it varies by season, weather/water conditions ...a folding net ...three 3200 plano boxes (one with crank/jerkbaits, one with jigs, and one with topwater baits) ...sling bag with soft plastics, terminal tackle, a small plano box with my "go to" lures, hooks, weights ...a bag with 2 lengths of paracord & two 5lb anchors for my anchor trolley ...a drybag for my phone, wallet, etc. ...digital scale, pliers, boca grips, knife ...camel pack with 2 liters of ice cold water Most of this fits in my milkcrates, I'm working on installing a fishfinder on my Kayak

07 4.0 Nissan Xterra, General Grabber AT2s, K&N Intake & Bully Bar & taillight grills pulling my Tracker PT17...My Native Ultimate 12 goes on top of the stock aluminum rack.

I really like the Ultimate 12. At first I was a little nervous because its a hybrid style yak, but I got it in great shape & its pretty light. The first time in it I was wobbly for 5 minutes, within 30mins I was standing up and casting. I was really impressed with how well it tracked with little effort. If you can get it for a good price, go for it.

Thanks for the advice guys! I really appreciate it. I took it out and the milkcrate was perfect with 2-13 rods. Im still debating whether I wanna put my humminbird 581hdci on my yak, then buy a newer unit for my Tracker, or just buy a cheaper, smaller unit for the kayak. Im leaning toward the latter, since im gonna be in such shallow water, all I really wanna know is water temp, depth and a hint of where the fish are. I got everything I need for an anchor trolley, along with the cleats etc. Im just getting a feel for the kayak before I start drilling holes.

I catch a ton of 8-12# carp using braid with a split shot, to flouro w/a #4 octopus circle hook. I use sweet corn to chum the area then pack the hook w/corn. They usually will hook themselves, if you feel a little tug, reel down. Dont try to horse them in because they'll break your line in a hurry. Let them run as much as they want & take your time.

Last week I scored a Native Watercraft Ultimate 12. I also own a Tracker PT17, which I absolutely love, and plan on keeping for years to come. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to take my Tracker out, especially alone, in a V6 SUV loaded to the hilt...hence the Ultimate 12. I used to own a Scanoe, which I regret selling, but it was too cumbersome to take out to remote locations alone. Anyway, now that I have my Native, I'm working on setting her up. So far I have a good starter paddle with a float and leash connected to my vest, a 5 lb anchor, milk crate with a 3 rod holders zip tied to it, 2 Scottie mounts that need rod holders, paddle clips, 2 nylon cleats, 2 packs of those little hook loops, & 3 rod floats. I plan on using the Kayak in small, shallow lakes, ponds, and rivers/tributaries that I cant get my boat into. Does anyone have any advice on rigging my Native that I haven't covered yet? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks guys.

Now instead of trying to cast as far out as possible, you're gonna try to cast as close to the shore as possible!

There is a small lake about 45 minutes away from me that is designated a "lunker lake" by NJ fish & game. Toward the back of the lake it gets reallly choked up with Lilly's and hydrilla. A few years ago I began focusing on jig fishing. I quickly realized that if I used a jig w/a beaver trailer that matched the water & vegetation, I could flip & pitch along the weed lines & catch some really nice bass. The Lilly's are virtually the only cover that the bass have to hide under during the hot summer days. Since then I've been landing big bass around and in the holes near the vegetation while EVERY OTHER angler fishes a frog or fluke on top...try a jig, you might be surprised.

I have a 96 Merc 2 stroke, I change my plugs every year when I bring my boat out of winterization. They only cost a few bucks and it takes 5 minutes to swap them out. Thats just a part of my annual service, you can call the manufacturer and they can tell you exactly when they recommend, but the most common answers you'll get are every year, or every 100 hours.

Christian from Toms River in Ocean County here.

Back when I had a 14' trihull, I would use 2 drift socks whenever the wind was bad. I would troll against the current, until I got to a spot where I wanted to start fishing, then I would use the socks to slow my drift down the bank. It would save battery life and they never really got snagged. I still keep them in my current boat but I have yet to use them. If you're having trouble with the wind I would definitely get a couple, they key is to have a path planned out before you deploy them.

I've been using the casting and spinning Rage 7'1" rods since they came out and haven't experienced any issues with discomfort. I would definitely get it checked out to be safe

Good Luck Man!

Check out Starboard, its a polyethylene that can be cut, sanded, drilled, glued...you can do everything with Starboard that you can do with plywood. It comes in different thickness, and is very light. I found it while looking for a backing plate for my Kicker bracket. Its a bit expensive, but when you consider the fact that it literally lasts forever, its worth the extra $$.

I cant speak for the Fenwick or Diawa, but I know my 7'1" MH/F Rage is the one rod that goes everywhere with me.

Taking up the flooring is gonna take a lot of elbow grease. As far as new material for the flooring goes, besides marine grade plywood, aluminum is a great option, theres also a polyethylene called Starboard. Its a bit pricey, but it basically lasts forever. It has all the advantages of marine plywood & none of the downsides. You can cut it to size, sand it, drill it, glue it...etc. It comes in different widths & is very light. Definitely worth checking out.

I've been doing this with my rigs. Instead of bringing 8 setups rigged with 8 different lures, I've been giving myself a maximum of 4 rigs (2 casting & 2 spinning). If I'm only going out for as few hours, I'll bring one casting & one spinning rig. Its really been working out well for me. I'm no longer picking up a different rod every other cast. Im spending more time concentrating on finding a pattern according to weather & water conditions, & I'm putting much more consideration into what lure im going to use.

Don't underestimate that water, just because there is pedestrian/vehicular traffic above doesn't mean you're safe, all it take is one wrong step, slip, or drop off and you're in serious trouble. Buy a sling pack & waterproof plano boxes, it doesnt cost much & it makes life much easier.

It may be the length of the rod, I have the same reel & I use a St. Croix 7'1" MHF & have never experienced this. What type/lb line are you using? Is the spinnerbait within the specs of the rod of is it heavier than spec??

The pedestal should have 2 pieces with a bolt & a large ring at the end of it, this will let you adjust the seat height, if not you can buy an adjustable pedestal seat. It should be right under your cheek so that you can lean on it while steering the foot pedal, most guys I know don't really use them unless they have back problems or are fatigued from being on the water all day. I have back issues so the pedestal seat serves me well.

One hole is for water, the other is a vent, all 2 stroke mercury outboards have these holes. If you ever have questions about your outboard, you can just call Mercury Marine. I recently tuned up my Merc & they were really helpful

Definitely, I wouldnt go for a Tracker, or for that matter a Ranger, if it was beat into the ground. Take your time & find a boat that suites your needs amd wants. Dont get pressured or rushed into a sale & make sure you really love the boat you end up with. You cant go wrong that way.