HeavyDluxe

I've only seen clips of this, didn't watch the whole thing streamed or on cable... So, take this comment with more than an average dose of salt. However: All I saw was a man who, rather than grandstand and call attention to himself, conducted himself respectfully while still showing joy. If that's really wrong nowadays, I feel very, very sorry for us. I fear we're becoming a bunch of narcissists feeding the egos of a bunch of other narcissists. I once commented on a kayak fisherman's youtube video (might've been the first comment I ever posted there, actually)... What I appreciated most about his videos was how simple they were and how unassuming he was. No, "*THERE'S* a fish" every hookset, grunting, groaning, or whooping over every fish he pulled in. It was just a guy, fishing.

You know, those Jackson color schemes are just awesome... Welcome to the site.

I fish strictly mono, at this point. 2 or 4lb on ultralight, 8lb on M. Just bought a heavier setup that will probably get 12lb. Used to use Stren, but after getting what I think were a couple bad spools, I switched to Trilene XL and really liked it. Why do I still live in the dark ages and use mono? Inexpensive Flexible, works "well enough" in most applications The idea of putting on a leader and depending on one of my knots gives me hives. I'm far more confident in the strength of a single strand of mono. I'm used to it and so it 'feels' right My (highly subjective and error prone) experience has shown that it works. I have only 'broken off' toothy things like Pike and Pickerel (or one very good bass which I hooked after releasing a pick and without checking the line for damage). I also have cast out as far as I can into a relatively deep lake up here and had to make hook sets almost as soon as the bait hit the bottom. With the line as extended as I can make it, I could feel stretch on the hookset but I've never had one come unbuttoned unless I was clearly late or half-hearted on the hookset. I tried braid for the first time last year (Sufix 832, which felt like it cost me a mint) and didn't really have a good experience. I'm debating trying it again on the heavier setup I mentioned above, but not sure. I'm also considering trying a co-poly like PLine CXX or YoZuri Hybrid as I've heard such good things re: them from people on here. If I was a tournament angler where every catch mattered for "dollah, dollah bills, y'all", I would view a lot of equipment choices differently (including line choice). But, for now, things just work fine for my needs.

Haphazard?

I am not a biologist or professional (or even decent) angler, but I have a suspicion that this summary is chock full of WIN and unicorns. A pattern strikes me as nothing more than an attempt to identify a location (or kinds of location), condition (or conditions, and - in extreme cases - presentation that are getting fish to feed. That specific patterns are somewhat consistent on given bodies of water and seasons/time periods isn't surprising.

I grew up in DE, now living in VT. In both places, I primarily fished small ponds like you indicate, though up here they seem to have more depth and (obviously) generally are far cooler even in the peak of summer than the waters there. My only productive addition would be to find the food... Walk around and try to find spots where smaller fish that would be food for predators are hanging out. Then, look for areas of cover, shade, or depth change close to that food source. Target those features.

Totally up to the fisherman... In my opinion, within the bounds of the law, they can release or harvest as they please. Obviously, I want people to generally practice CPR so that several of us can enjoy catching a big one, but if someone harvests a lunker once in a while, that's ok too. I would CPR, I think... Unless there's some major cash incentive at play (see the Mustad comment earlier), fishing records are a little silly to me. No one is looking at the list of names and saying "Whoa, that Dluxe was an awesome angler" or telling thrilling tales re: my skills. Sure, my name is next to the weight, but so what? (IMO) Of course, if I was holding a 13lb LMB or something (I live in VT), I might feel very differently at that moment. So, I reserve the right to change my mind.

Whoa... ok, reading that I realize that perhaps my question isn't clear. Don't want you to get the wrong impression. Basically, I wound up talking myself into buying two new rods - 7' MF and MHF BPS Tourney Specials. The price was ok, they looked like they were put together well, and a small group of older guys shopping together said they owned them and thought they were great (one picked another off the shelf). So, I bought them. I hemmed and hawed in the store, not sure I was making a good choice... But, I finally willed myself to the counter (along with other stuff). This morning, I discovered that the rods are actually TWO-piece rods, where I thought I had purchased one-piece sticks. On the upside, I imagine that will make them a little easier to cart around... But, I'm sure that - on the downside - there's a small loss in sensitivity because of the break in the blank. I don't fancy the gas to run back down to try to exchange the rods... So, I'm stuck with them at the moment, I suppose. The question is whether or not there's any merit in zap-a-gapping the rods together into one piece rods... I have some means to ensure the parts are aligned. Any thoughts?

So, in the BPS spring sale thread, I mentioned that I made my first trip to BPS yesterday (down to Foxboro, MA). I was more interested in seeing the store, spending a very small gift certificate, and spending a day with my son. With the cost of gas and having to pay the People's Republic of Taxachusetts, I wasn't really planning on spending more than a couple bucks above the cost of my gift certificate. Well, while I was walking around the store... I dunno, I started to feel kinda drunk on the whole experience. That's when I saw her... She was tall, redhead, and had great stats, if you know what I mean. Then, low and behold, she had a nearly identical twin - and they wanted to come home with me?!? Well, what's a guy to do, you know? I took both those sexy things home and planned to have my way with them. Well, that was yesterday... When I woke up this morning, I kinda looked them over again. In the light of a new day, let's just say they are were not what they appeared. They had... how do I say this politely? They both had extra parts, if you catch my drift... I can imagine how shocked you are, so you can imagine how disturbed I was to find this out! So, now what do I do? They're still here, down in the basement. I touched them for a little while, but it just wasn't the same... Should I get rid of 'em, or is there something I can do to make it better? Any help you guys can offer would be appreciated.

I imagine that part of locking Flacco up at that price is the expected merchandising revenues and revenue generating power he'll bring in the next couple years. They have to fill more than just Ray Lewis's linebacking. They also need to replace lost revenues from marketing. The Super Bowl winning quarterback, no matter his real skill level, counts for something. Just ask the Giants.

First time to BPS, ever... The haul: Two new spinning rods (7' MF & MHF Tourney Specials) Two new spinning reels (Pflueger President 35-size and Trion 30-size) Three bags of Stick-Os A couple packs of Money Minnows Sundry bargain cranks my son really wanted... Plus, bless my soul, there's a Capriotti's near the BPS in Foxoboro, MA! What an unexpected blessing! Other than the plastics and the cranks, I don't think we capitalized on the sale... But, it was a ton of fun having a day out with the boy. Wouldn't change it for the world. The two rods will get two Presidents (one from a Pflueger combo I bought last year and the new one), and the Trion will go on the soon-to-be reel-less Pflueger rod as an upgrade for my son this year.

Delaware? BLUE HENS!! Uh, sorry... dunno what came over me.

I have the newer model, and it's a very nice reel - especially so for the money. The upside to the newer reel? The upgrades mentioned above - most particularly the braid-ready spool. The downside? Well, only one spool for starters where the older model probably comes with two. Just a couple weeks ago, I bought a small Pflueger Trion to replace the reel on my ultralight (panfish, trout) setup. It has a wooden handle similar to the ones on the older Presidents as pictured on the Cabela's page. I think that's a very comfortable handle (though very dif'rent), too.

There are some funny ones out there if you do a GIS search for "the oxford comma", too.

Hence why Jackson released the Cuda.

I completely missed that line in the OP's note. my mistake.

Wow... big budget, and there's lots of good options. The Pro Angler, mentioned above, is one heck of a boat... For my feelings, maybe even a little too much. Lots of people use the < $1000 offerings from Wilderness (the Ride, Commander, Tarpon) and Jackson (Coosa, Cuda) among others. Almost all kayak threads here or elsewhere boil down to telling you to get seat time in a boat to see what you like. With the amount of funds in your budget, you'll be able to put yourself in a top-flight boat or completely trick out a more common model to suit your preferences. Kayak fishing seems to be a bit of a trend, and so accessories of all kinds (transport, fish finders, trolling motors, and the like) are more available in the market than ever.

Last season, the *only* bass rod I used was a 6'6 Medium Fast Pflueger President combo. I'm too new to make really reliable comparisons, but I would buy that combo again without a moment's hesitation. I'm willing to bet that the Trion combo is pretty good bang for the buck, too.

;-)

Just to echo what everyone else has said... Recommendations online: The more 'normal' guys singing a pretty song about a particular bait/technique/toaster oven, the more likely I am to look into it and buy it. Personal experimentation/shelf appeal: Next to that, I might look at something (in the store or in a catalog, for example) and just say, "That looks interesting!" For the right price, I'd buy it and experiment. I'm personally pretty skeptical of professional recommendations of sponsorship products and tournament wins. In the latter case, I'm probably more interested in the technique and 'class' of lure than the particular brand/color. So, when Brand X's chatterbaits - to use an example above - wins the Classic this week, I'll hear about it on here (no cable) and I'll likely think about playing with chatterbaits sometime thought I will not be unduly drawn to Brand X.

If you haven't read RW's excellent "Guaranteed to Catch Fish" article on here, you should. FWIW, I think that slow fishing (almost dead-sticking) soft plastics is just a consistent producer. The discipline developed there (patience) is helpful to all kinds of fishing and, I think, helps you to think through what's happening. You learn more, and fishing slow entices the bite.

FWIW, I've been a Pflueger President owner and they are obviously great reels. Still, I bought a Trion for a setup for my son. I have to tell you, that Trion is a very nice little reel as well. If you're really trying to keep your budget small, I think you would be able to save $10-15 by buying a Trion and be pretty happy.

I've also been told that lot of people choose shotguns for in-home use because of the rick of over-penetration from errant handgun or carbine shots. I would also think that, under stress, the little bit of spread a shotgun gives you is a good thing.

Look in your phone book and see if there is a kayak store near you... Most of the kayak shops are trying to blow out 2012 models now that 2013 is in full swing (and the season is almost upon us). The benefit there, too, is that you might be able to paddle a boat and see what you like. My sense is that price probably isn't too awful, but you can probably get a nicer boat for not a lot more investment. I'll echo what has been said above... For me, personally, a sit-on-top kayak is a much more comfortable fishing platform.

I'm a budget shooter in the same way I'm a budget fisherman. I've *loved* my Palmetto State Armory rifle. It's cycled everything I've put in it (and I've fed it some crap) and it is pretty accurate, too. Built out a stripped lower with my son, but we bought the fully assembled upper since the thought of screwing up the headspacing kept me awake at night. But, based on our experience, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a fully-factory AR from them.