flyfisher

probably a fly fisherman......i enjoy fishing but i am not at the point where just getting out ther is fun to me, well because the fun is the catching.

Only time I remember seeing something like this was when reggie lews went down and later died during practice.

nose hooked weightless 4" stick baits are a goto for me. Like has been mentioned the smallies are looking at the current as a conveyor belt of food. Now this time of year it is a different game though and I prefer a hard jerkbait or a bottom bait that sits in their face until they have to check it out.

Just get a boat that doesn't need a rudder All kidding aside, I don't have these boats so I cannot comment but I would imagine taking a look in person or just loading it stern in would help alleviate some of the added pressure on that area. I trailer my kayak currently

I tie some crayfish flies with rattles and some without. It seems that the rattles help. I also use glass as it gives that click that you hear if you ever have observed crayfish underwater.

Yeah that lady who had hot coffee suffered 3rd degree burns from that coffee too so maybe it isn't as bad of a warning as you think.

maybe so but i know these lakes have way more than any of the others around here so that may be a factor as well.

They are all over here in VA. Many are reservoirs where i think they use them for water supplies and a few of the others with HP restrictions are because when they flooded them they left all the standing timber. I have seen kayakers get stuck on the trees and more than one person going full speed with their 9.9 stop dead and flip someone overboard.

For your first ones keep it simple and go with finesse changers and if yiou get the largest they make you can tie uop to probably 3-4" and even longer if you use a different head material. The key to remember is the head pushes the water with creates the turbulence which then activates the joints. I carry scissors with me in my kayak for on the watrer adjustments, especially on new flies as you can see immediate impacts.

Yeah and that is part of the reason I went with the NK180 as well, more flexibility on battery options and way cheaper to upgrade batteries as well. The upgraded 915 is roughly a 30ah which is almost a grand to buy alone or $500 as an upgrade. I know I got my 30ah batteries for roughly 600 including the charger. Both good products really at this point more of a preference and what you want to spend. I haven't heard of any major issues with the NK180s nor have I had any issues with mine in 2 years so I am good.

I looked at torqeedos and was gonna get one and right at that time the NK180s was released and half the price pretty much so i went for it and so far so good.

I am partial to the Gamechanger platform as it allows many different styles and sizes. Great book right here for that pattern. So many different types and styles and the action is fantastic. I caught my biggest smallmouth on the fly rod on a pink finesse changer this summer. https://www.amazon.com/Game-Changer-Tying-Flies-Thing/dp/1934753475/ref=asc_df_1934753475/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459515754640&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17400790759855667968&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027215&hvtargid=pla-951487185815&psc=1 I also like like belly bumper style patterns that ride hook up as they come through vegetation better. As @Fallser said, action on the fly tying thread will pick up here soon as I know I will be refilling my boxes for next season.

I'd be cool with a place somewhere in central PA so I could fish the susky and then a place where i could be warmer in the winter months and chase largemouth or saltwater or just stay up in central PA and fish for trout. The place is a gold mine of fishing really.

Look hard at the new one they just came out with.....3hp equivalent. It is a few hundred more and does require a 36v battery set up though. As far as mine goes, I have 2 Ionic Lithium 30ah wired to give me the 24v needed. It lasts me all day fishing with no issues. the bigest thing with these batteries and motors I have learned is going down to like 80% throttle changes top end about .4mph but extends battery to almost double. I fished with my dad last year on the susquehanna in the summer and water was low and my motor was chopping grass all day long and we fished about a 3 mile stretch back and forth probably 5 times and I still had battery at the end of the day. I have also done 12-15 miles on a lake with battery left as well. The Ionic has a bluetooth monitoring app as well so you don't need to wire anything else in to check out what you have left. If I had to do it again, i would probaboy go with the 24v single battery though jsut for the weight and size savings even though they only come in a 50ah and that would be overkill for my needs for sure. It was seriously the best purchase I have made for my kayak other than a stakeout pole and worth every penny.

Whatever you feel like spending it on really. For me I gotta find the balance between cost and performance and how I like to fish. My "best" conventional set ups are my jig and weightless soft plastics rod because I like to fish those the most. My "best" fly rod is my 7wt that when I got it was well over a grand all in but it is the best rod I have casted for its purpose.

I went with a kayak based on available fishing locations near me and that decision has held strong for a couple decades now. To me, the question isn't pedal pr paddle it is paddle or powered. Before motors became more reasonably priced a pedal kayak was always on my radar but I never really liked using the pedal option. Two years ago I was tired of paddling upriver to get to fishing spots and floating back and went with a motor and wish I did it sooner. A motor on a kayak that paddles well is the best of both worlds to me. I currently have a wilderness systems ATAK 120 with a Newport Vessels NK180s motor and it has been fantastic. is it as stable as a hobie PA, nah but it is plenty stable enough for me to stand and fly fish or turn and do whatever I need to do out on the water. I even use the motor as a rudder when floating downstream while I stand and fish. There are also days I take it out without the motor and it does great for that too. My dad got the Old Town with the spot lock and it is a good lake boat but really slow in comparison to my set up. I do like the spot lock anchor function though and have seen him use it in rivers very effectively. I think for lakes if speed isn't a big deal then it is a great option. For me it is way too slow and not a great set up for rivers which is what I prefer to fish. Bottom line is dont make a change to make a change but rather have a purpose. I am in the process of saving for a jet boat myself to better fish the rivers I like to frequent and hopefully in about a year or two it will be reality and most likely the kayak will be relegated to less frequent smaller bodies of water use.

3 times in 7 years based on your memory and you even explained why the number would be higher than your memory. And no, you can't take statistics and make them say anything you want but that is a common theme for people who may not have the understanding of statistics. Statistics are raw numbers and that is what they are and you cannot make those numbers anything they aren't.

DId you measure at the same place they measure their weather information? Anecdotal personal experience isn't that ground breaking. Or maybe they are talking in general terms and not specific but either way it must suck to think even the weather forecast is out to get you.... I know here in VA the last few days have been pretty cold but we will be near 70 next weekend. Highs below freezing doesnt' happen all that often around here but they are today and were yesterday too.

6 or 7 when going conventional 3-4 when using the fly rods. All depends on situations though.

Never happened to me, guess my grip is good enough to hold if there is an issue. If it was my friend i would have been cracking up laughing as I helped them try to retrieve it.

Like clockwork, the month turns to December and the Cowboys begin to choke.....Eagles continue to roll 13-1. Magic number of 1 for division and the one seed

$500 is a tough budget but doable if patient. The other part to remember in that budget is the PFD and paddle which will take a bite out of said budget as well. I would say keep saving and keep looking and see what is out there. If you can double that budget you will open up a lot more possibilities and be happier in the long run. No matter what you decide to get, try and paddle it before buying if at all possible.

I don't use a ton of heavily weighted flies nad never really liked clousers to be honest but I do agree with the smooth almost circular cast when throwing weighted flies. I learned that quick when I started flu fishing and only had a 4 wt and used it for everything.

nope. Same rods and techniques i use not in a kayak I use in a kayak. I have no need to try and solve a problem I don't have....I have caught some large smallies in current, largemouths in lakes and a 25+lb class carp in my kayak and it was all a lot of fun.

All depends what you define risk. I took the risk of dropping out of college multiple time to climb, fish backpack etc....then took the risk of moving from a successful corporate gig as a process engineer to be a teacher. All risks and all turned out ok. Most didn't involve any increase in salary but money isn't everything to me as I can make it work but doing something I view as valuable is much more fulfilling.