HeavyDluxe

FWIW, the crates are the property of the bottler, in most cases. They expect to get them back from the vendors who buy their milk and lose quite a bit of money each year on 'shrink' from lost/stolen crates. Take this from someone who's worked on a VT dairy farm. Store managers sometimes *do* give them away, but they shouldn't - since they aren't really the store's property either. So, if you're looking to get a crate, pay a couple bucks and buy one. But, if you have one that came through another channel, it's not a capital crime.

I've heard that before... In my experience, however, I didn't find braid to be all that much more manageable than mono - especially in wind. I'll agree the line was more sensitive, but I'm still not convinced that sensitivity is such that I was (or am) missing hits/fish. I've bombed out long casts into relatively deep water and, even with that much mono out, been able to feel 'light' bites and decisively hook/land fish. I'm not an evangelist for monofilament here, mind you. Just saying that my experimentation with braid has left me unimpressed. Like I said, I am going to give it a try again, mainly because I'm interested in being able to use a higher-visibility line color and have a clear leader tied on. Tying fluoro to hi-viz mono seems silly.

UL Spinning - 2lb Trilene XL M Spinning - 8lb Trilene XL (soft plastics, cranks) MH Spinning - 12lb Trilene XL (jigs and plastics in heavier cover) My experiments with braid haven't gone really well, and especially so where I've had to trust one of my less-than-stellar knots to the leader. I'm fixing to try PowerPro Slick 8 again sometime before the summer's out... FWIW, I still find mono 'good enough' for everything I do fishing.

The milkcrate is used to hold whatever you want it to hold... tackle boxes, rods, other stuff. This video might be helpful:

Classic video, dude... thanks for having the sense of humor to share it.

There are tons of options in your price range... I just bought my fishing kayak this spring (just slimed it yesterday, as a matter of fact) so I was where you are. My only advice, given your budget: Stick with a known, 'major' manufacturer... That isn't to say that off- and store-brands can't be good boats. But, there's a reason the people with name brands have them and I think the quality/feature differences will be seen in the long run. Get as much seat time as possible in all the boats that seem to be in play as you can. You'll be surprised how quickly you get a 'feel' for liking a boat or not. The seat time is also invaluable to really understand the differences in form/function between, say, hybrid boats and SOT-style kayaks. Have fun!

This year, I made a resolution to focus on jig fishing as a skill to develop. I ordered my first round of jigs from Mike just before the season kicked off. I have since placed *another* order because: His stuff is great. I can see that really fishing jigs means losing some. What I've appreciated most about Mike is the customer service... His advice and counsel have been invaluable to me as someone starting out.

I just researched the same stuff since I was preparing to pick up my first fishing kayak. Since I'm a, uh, "larger" guy, I wanted something that would be comfortable enough that I'd actually wear it. I wound up selecting an inflatable since they're so light and un-bulky. Everything Fishes in Trees said above regarding the mechanism is correct. Manuals don't inflate unless you pull the cord, the automatics have a 'pill' that breaks down in the water to release the gas for inflation, and the HIT-based models must be submerged for a period of time to inflate. I wound up buying a Hobie branded manual vest since I might dunk myself off the kayak intentionally on hot summer days and since I'm apt to get the thing wet unintentionally just from normal use a time or two. Your question seemed to be focused on brand. My sense is that if you go with a reputable brand (so, BPS, Cabela's, Mustang, Hobie, etc) you'll probably find the quality and performance to be the roughly the same at within a given feature set. In fact, I've been told that Mustang manufactures some of the off-brands under contract - but I take all such 'facts' with a grain of salt. In the end, I would advise picking the price you are willing to spend on a vest - don't be skimpy here! - and then find a name brand vest that has the triggering mechanism you want at that price point. In the end, overpaying for something that will potentially save your life may not be OVERpaying at all.

The primary pond I fish is mountain spring fed. Gin clear to the N'th degree. I've pulled plenty of fish out on the brightest of days on black, black/blue, black/purple plastics. I'm new to jib fishing this year, but my first two jig fish (caught this past weekend) were caught on the same pond with a black/blue jig. Take that with more than the appropriate grain of salt, but there you go.

I use a 3700 series (I think) Plano box. I take a safety pin, take a particular size hook (3/0 EWG, nickel), and thread them on the pin. Once the pin is 'full', I drop it into a particular, labelled bin in the box. This keeps the hooks from turning into too big of a tangled mess in any compartment and keeps hooks from jumping out of their bin and into another.

Thanks, Weber... You can shoot me their info in a PM if you want and I'll look them up. Truth be told, though, with a new kayak and four kids (including a new infant) here at home, I doubt I'd really have the time to get into the club thing. Maybe in a couple years. But, it sure wouldn't hurt to check. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Knowing my own propensity to not follow my own advice: Let it go. Escalating the situation does no good. It just drags you into their hole-iness.

For me, soft plastics (particularly t-rigged/weightless stickbaits and the GYCB Fat Ika) fished really slow. I really want to gain more confidence in jig fishing this year - and will, if we ever get another stretch of warm weather here in New England. In my head, I know that what another poster said is true... Finding active fish is the real key. And what confidence baits do for me is allow me to take a deep breath and fish slower. That means keeping whatever lure in the strike zone longer, more patiently, and thus even enticing a few more bites from even the more passive fish.

We wound up buying a Marlin 795 (.22lr, semiautomatic, mag fed) for our first starter gun. It's been very good for us for the price (<$150). Ruger's 10/22 is pretty much the all-American .22lr, though. Depending on the kind of shooting you're interested in, a couple other options: Savage makes some very, very good bolt-action .22lr (the MkII series) in varying configurations. They are fantastic rifles. If you're looking for bigger, centerfire calibers, the best bets I think are to be found in used gear. If you really must buy new, Ruger's American Rifle is a great place to start. Savage, similarly, has a competitor entry bolt-action hunting rifle that's very good. Mossberg and others all have quality items out there... So, set your price point, pick your caliber, and then go with a 'name brand' gun and you won't go far wrong. ed: oops, here's a PS - the Mosin Nagant is a great, cheap rifle and ammo is still pretty available. They do kick like a mule (essentially a Russian 30-06) and are not know for accuracy. So, just know your purpose.

If you want a really solid spinning combo, look at the Pflueger President Combos that you can buy at your local StuffMart. $70ish gets you a President reel - which consistently gets good reviews on here - and a 6'6M or MH rod that I think is really solid. The reel can always grow with you as you move to a better rod.

I placed an order for jigs over a month ago from Seibert Outdoors. I just placed my second order with him. Great product, top-notch service, and quick delivery. I started with a handful of colors, but am down to mainly stocking 4: Brown/Orange, Black/Blue, Bluegill, and "Clear Water" (a lighter brown/orange mix). Can't say enough good things here.

Three colors, or four max... These seem to provide a match for just about everything that is in the water as forage around here. Green Pumpkin w/ Black Flake Black w/ Blue Flake Dark Pumpkin w/ Black Flake That's mainly it... I'll occasionally buy a natural shad/silver color, too.

Hi, all... Last year, I bought my first, decent all-around fishing setup. I had heard such great things about Pflueger President reels on this site. My local Wally Worlds was selling a President combo - the 35 size reel with a 6'6M/F rod (also from Pflueger). It was marked down to the same price as the reel normally sells for ($60), so I pulled the trigger and bought it. I had a lot of fun and success with that reel. Fast forward to this winter/spring... Back during big sale week(s), I made my first ever trip to a BPS. My son and I had a great time driving the couple hours together and browsing. I wanted to get a heavier rod for my experimentation with the jig this year. And, being on a budget, I wound up getting the BPS Tourney Special 7' MH/F rod. At $50, I figured that it was apt to at least be comparable to that Pflueger rod I used last year in sensitivity. My son also wanted an upgraded rod. So, I got the bright idea to buy a matching, 7' M/F Tourney Special rod, slap my President on it, and then hand the Pflueger rod to my son. At worst, I figured, the BPS rods would be at least as sensitive... Right? Win/win. Well, I've now been out with the new rods a couple times now... While I'm too much of a n00b to bash anything, I thought it was worth posting some of my experience for other people who might be considering these BPS rods. While it's possible these things will grow on me, I would personally advise anyone considering the new year Tourney Specials to consider another line of rods. While these are clearly budget rods, I can tell you that the sensitivity over the Pflueger, 'no name' rod I used last year is *markedly* reduced. It's possible that the issue is simply that, for a given power-rating, the new BPS rods are simply much 'stiffer' than the comparable rod against which I'm comparing. However, the just feels much more 'dead'. For example, using the MH rod to pitch a 1/2oz jig with a sizable soft plastic trailer... I can't really distinguish between the 'tick' of the jig hitting wood/brush. The sensation is very dull and 'thuddy'. Throwing a similar rig on last year's rod results in a much more 'crisp' sensation. FWIW, I know that 'you get what you pay for' and so I'm not trying to moan sour grapes or anything like that. Rather, my point is simply to give someone considering these rods something to think about. And, if you're ever in your local StuffMart and see that Pflueger President rod/reel combo, buy one if you're on a budget. I'll update this post as the year goes on if my experience warrants it. Just hope this might be useful to someone else in the market.

I'm gifted.... what can I say? Wait 'til you see my dance moves. Just to be clear guys, my intent wasn't to knock backreeling. It's something I'd like to experiment with again somewhere down the line.

This is a perfectly valid (and helpful!) approach, but I want to offer a bit of a contrary view. There are two reasons I don't personally like backreeling, even though it does allow you to manage the pressure on a fish. I fish spinning gear exclusively, and so I have a couple rods with different weight line. I found it hard to judge pressure relative to line test when I'd go back to my lighter setup. I found myself overpressuring the fish on my lighter tackle and breaking off. Setting the drag properly on each setup helped. The final nail in backreeling's coffin for me was a couple times I have slipped, lost hold of the reel handle, and ended up with a real mess on my hands (and no fish). Backreeling is definitely something to experiment with, though. FWIW, I've always felt like I can properly set the drag on my reel and, if needed, apply additional pressure to the spool with an extended finger on my reel-hand or palming the spool with my crank-hand.

I think the compromise (and correct) answer is that the Pros would win, but the locals would be probably be able to be competitive and keep it close. IMHO, this goes back to all the equipment versus experience threads that sprang up a while ago. In the end, the ability to understand the fish's likely behavior given the conditions and use that knowledge to find and catch 'em is vitally important. This is where the best of the best distinguish themselves. It could be close, I think - especially if the local is able to 'fish his game', as it were, unaware of the pros presence. This gets rid of the psych out factor above. Still, in the end, the pro will win more often than not. An interesting thought experiment would be if you were to limit the pro re: some resources. In other words, what if the pro and angler were both limited to a couple techniques/presentations and forced to fish from the bank only? What set of 'handicaps' for the pro would result in the most level field?

You, sir, are clearly a gentleman and a scholar.

Welcome from your neighbor to the west... and thank you for your service.

Last year, I bought 6 jigs which were a 50/50 mix of Strike King Bitsy Bugs and Booyah somethingorothers. From what I saw, they were fine and worked fine - especially for the budget price I was able to get them. I didn't see any of the massive QC issues that other posters have raised. I think you'll do fine with these. I will add, however, that this year I bought a dozen jigs from Siebert Outdoors. I bought some of the Zenith series jigs which were (are?) on sale. They were only marginally more per jig than something like the SK or Booyahs and there is a marked increase in quality. So, when you lose your Bitsy Bugs you might want to consider that when you go to replace them.

Hobie makes great boats from everything I can tell... But, as others have said, I would advise you to get seat time in a handful of models/manufacturers if you can. You might be surprised what 'fits' you and what doesn't once you wiggle your butt down in the seat. The Mirage Drive is just cool, though, for sure.