flyfisher

I'll argue that using gas for "grilling" is no different than cooking indoors even with the flavorizer bars they say adds flavor. Charcoal al lthe way for me and the time it takes to get set up is about 2 miutes of actual work. Get out chimney starter, put newspaper on the bottom, fill the top with charcoal, light newspaper.....go inside and get your meats and things together and by the time you are done that, it is ready to go. For hot and fast items like burgers i like lump charcoal as it burns hotter and faster but for everything else i like briquettes as i can manage temps more easily. I'll grill anything and everything but one of my favorites is grilled cantaloupe wrapped in bacon...doesn't sound good at first but when you try it you will say now dang, that was tasty. As far as smoking meats go, I am partial to beef like brisket and chuck roasts for shredded beef sandwiches but pork butts and ribs are also pretty good. Tonight i will be grilling some chicken up so we will see how i decide to do it....BBQ or just basic salt and pepper. Might even make a grilled spinnach salad too....romaine works better to grill but spinach isn't bad.

I know here in VA there are plenty of records and citations that are labeled as private ponds. If i catch a state record i am going to try and get that sucker certified. Yeah knowing you caught the record is cool and all but i would want it to be official.

Do you mean the flag guys have on the back of their kayaks while on the water? if so, i have seen DIY versions and others with lights built in like http://www.yakattack.us/category_s/1819.htm?searching=Y&sort=2&cat=1819&show=10&page=1 sells but i haven't ever used one myself. I very seldom frequent lakes that allow boats over a 10hp motor so i am not to concerned about having a flag. if they can't see me in my kayak bobbing around flinging a rod around, i high doubt a flag will help anything. now at night, a light is imperative to the safety of yourself and others and usually required by law too.

A PFD that you will wear and a float plan is important. I also strongly disagree with a paddle leash. In the unforeseen circumstance that you tip the last thing you want is something else to get tangled in as you try to right yourself. Paddles float and will generally not get to far away. If you are unable to swim to get your paddle then chances are you have other things to worry about, like tending to injuries, than getting your paddle. I feel the same way about leashes on anything in the kayak, especially on a river with current. If you are concerned about losing gear, use a crate that has a lid and fasten the lid and use rod floats. Gaeirth hit it right on the head too about practicing a re-entry when you can't touch....it is completely different than when you can or in waist deep water. The other piece that I don't think was mentioned is dressing appropriately for the weather. A quick dunk because you fall out of a traditional boat that is a good laugh can be a lot more deadly when it happens in a kayak.

5 has never let me down from 2lb tippet and up.

nose hooked 4" stick baits will kill the smallies any time of year. You can use a circle hook or a finesse hook just watch your line because you will hook a few deep until you get the hang of it, hence the reason i prefer circle hooks since you don't even really need to set the hook with them.

Very cool. There is one lake i fish that has a cove that is probably 50 feet wide by 100 feet long and when it is bluegill spawn time, it looks like a honeycomb in there from all the beds. I take people there to learn how to fly fish because you can catch fish after fish after fish.

You really need a reality show.....or i can send you my GoPro and you can use it to video your various exploits.....as long as you give me 25% of whatever you make off the videos

Every company can't have perfect products all the time. Take it back and get another one. I have quite a few of their scatter raps and like them along with the xraps and all of the dt series bait too.

nobody said anything to you probably because given your descriptions of everything else what difference does wearing a hat make other than provide a little more color to the story they tell their friends......you should have seen this guy, he was wearing.......

I have bought swim jigs and have all the other types as well and the swim jig is set up different to facilitate swimming. Sure you can swim any style jig but the brush and football head styles don't swim well for me. You can do it with the grass jigs and it seems to work fine. the swim jigs i have use a more slender head style, a slightly thinner hook and also have a more swept back design for the weed guard which helps them get through cover better.

I find I have better success with other popper style baits but nothing really compares to a jitterbug and it's action.

I have only caught a few bowfin and they are a blast to catch. Still trying to get one on a fly rod though and hopefully I can in the near future.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. As far as mles go I will increase each week or two but my goal is to ride every other day or so until I start adding in hours/miles. So right now I will be in the 100 mile range for the first few weeks. I build up a little different in that for about the first three weeks I won't go more than 25-30 miles a ride but I will try and decrease my time. Once I am in the 20mph range consistently I'll bump up the distance. By mid June I should be doing 250 miles or so a week. Once I hit late July/early august I'll start doing longer rides on back to back days. This is necessary since this is a two day event and riding 75-80 miles on back to back days is a little different than just one day. By august I should be doing 50-60 mile rides 3-5 days a week I plan on continuing to update this thread to help motivate me to keep on going and to bring awareness to the cause. I do this ride for a buddy who was diagnosed with MS when he was about 28 because he lost his vision for no reason. Luckily he only has a flare up once or twice a year but more money is needed for research. Normally I don't ask anyone for anything but I do in this case. I want to raise $5,000 so if anyone can spare a few dollars it would be great or if you can't there are rides all over the country that can always use volunteers too. Every little bit counts. Feel free to spread the word too and pass around the link above Thanks again guys.

I never understood that mentality either. Around here i see people tossing chain pickerel on the bank because they kill everything apparently and God forbid if they catch a bowfin.....those get dispatched too even though they have been around sicne the age of the dinosaurs pretty much.

There is a ton of info on here abotu what rods work for waht techniques so just doa quick search and you should find more than enough info to make an informed decsion. As far as being in a kayak goes, I don't fish any different from a kayak than i would from any type of boat and don't see the need to tailor specific gear because i am in a kayak.

Second training ride compelted on Tuesday. I knew i had to go out of town for a few days so rather than put it off and try and catch up later on, I went for a ride before i had to leave for the airport. It was actually the same ride as my first only I didn't miss my turn this go around. Ended up being 13 miles right at a 16mph average. Not to bad but i will need to improve for sure and should be in the 19-20MPH range pretty easily on a short ride like this one.

Looks real good. I always love seeing the pictures of people with their first kayaks and seeing them rigging up while sitting on blankets to protect them One trip out and you will realize just how tough those boats really are. Nice job on the conseal too, looks very clean.

Breathable waders and a waterproof top fits the bill for me. A lot of guys who are really into the cold weather fishing will go with a dry suit but i am not going out in the rivers in that kind of weather. If it is spring time i will go with rain pants too but generally if it is cold enough to worry about going in, I am wearing waders.

I have heard a lot of good things about the nucanoe but the one draw back to me is the weight. They seem kind of heavy (based on specs of course). I eally like my commander and now that i have a shiny new 2014 model with the new seat, I may even use the seat instead of hte captain's perch 95% of the time.

Yeah it's good stuff for a little bit of energy to stop yourself from bonking. The big thing for me is that it doesn't take a lot of water to digest. Many of the power bars and other gels out there take up to a quart of water to digest so all the water you are drinking goes to the digestion process and not hydration, which when you are riding for a few hours becomes pretty important. And it tastes pretty good too, a lot like a cross between chocolate pudding and chocolate icing.

So I guess that means you don't know either?

I was in the same situation and went kayak. I was realistic in my expectations when figuring out which would work. Sure i might take someone out with me a few times a year but the majority of time i would be solo and moving a jon boat around isn't as easy as throwing my kayak on the roof of the jeep. The other piece i considered was having to register the jon boat because of a motor....not much money but the added hassle of doing that and then if i trailered the jon boat i would have to register that too, again, not a huge deal but one more thing. Then there is maintenance on the trailer as well. I went with a kayak and just picked up my 4th one in as many years after selling a few and buying some others Name brand kayaks hold their value extremely well for the most part and i have never sold one for less than 75% of what i bought it for. All that being said, I will eventually get a motor powered boat but it will most likely be a modified V so i can take out my soon to be 4 year old soon and fiancé but i can guarantee you that i will not be getting rid of the kayak when it happens.

So how many of these lakes that are being "destroyed" are naturally occurring lakes?

LOL i figured that would get you going bro.....just an energy gel pack that has a little caffeine and around 100 calories and is easily digested, AKA easy to take while riding. https://guenergy.com/products/products-energy-gels/