flyfisher

I would definitely steer clear of a product like that one. Scuppers aren't designed, except Hobie, to withstand forces on them and they will crack. This product, while a good concept for thsoe who need it, will flex those scuppers and crack them for sure.

on flatwater unless you are blindsided perfectly sideways by a large boat wake it is extremely difficult. On moving water, yup it can absolutely happen. On my kayak when I first bought it, as I do with all my kayaks, I go out with nothing but me and the kayak and figure out stability. I had a hell of a time trying to flip it. I eventually did but I fell out of it a bunch of times first. And none of the flips or fall outs was while I was seated.

It is all about getting your system down. When conventional fishing I am taking anywhere from 3-6 set ups, 6 or so plano boxes, scale, ketch board, fish grips and all of that tackle minus the rods stays in teh crate. I also have a NK180s motor that on short trips I just leave on the kayak for transport and on long ones i take it off. The battery box i put in the kayak and strap it down for transport. Electronics are in the pod so that stays on the boat and folded down. Fly fishing is pretty much the same except i take less gear and rods, most trips. On my soon to be received kayak, I am gonna figure out a way to keep my throttle control mounted is it is one less thing to worry about. All in all I can be at the lake and within 15 minutes be on the water if i am not even trying to rush. Oh and i have a trailer too so that helps with leaving things on the kayak.

Depending on the trailer you can back it in and launch it just like a boat. the yakima trailer and others like it are advertised as a roof rack on wheels which is accurate. I have an older model sportsrig trailer which is basically a yakima style but made here in the US and i can't launch directly into the water but it is still easy to load and unload. What is funny is I am looking at my next vehicle and want a truck so I don't have to use the trailer any more. It is super convenient but I think a truck would be even easier to load and unload in my situation.

I think it is next to impossible to compare and be accurate on a gas mileage from one place to another. There are way too many variables involved to have anything close to an fair comparison. Now i have noticed certain gas places my car doesn't seem to run as well but I mainly get my gas at kroger to use up my fuel rewards from my groceries.

Agreed on that one. I think I am up to 3 8wts, 3 7wts and a few 4s and 3s lol easier to swap a rod than a reel when i want to go between sink tips and floating.

I had some weird happenings with my cucumbers this year. They were growing fine but they are realy pale green and not the normal dark color. They taste like crap as well. Oh well....it is what it is I guess.

If i didn't have anything else to spend money on i would get one but i think my stakeout pole and anchor trolley will actually keep me facing ther direction i want to be facing.

hot peppers are loading up and zucchini and yellow squash are solid. Beets are ready to be picked as are string beans. Tomatoes are turning red and watermelon should be good in a few weeks. Already picked a load of lettuce already too All in all doing ok...

lol that is funny, superior propulsion system. 15 years ago you probably had a case but that was as much because you can't compete against anyone when there is only one competitor. Now though, lots of different pedal drives out there and they are all mostly solid. Personally unless there is a specific reason to get a pedal kayak, i'd rather have a motor. I can get a better paddling boat than a Hobie and throw a motor on it and save a bunch of cash in the process.

quick i guess is relative but the kayak is over 150lbs once everything is in it. How you are loading and unloading is probably a major consideration as well. You get it on a trailer that you can back into the water and it is pretty quick I am sure.

this is so true. Jeff Little an east coast smallie and kayak guru did a whole writeup on his tarpon ultralight and he beat the crap out of it and it was still ticking with no issues. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/kayak-fishing.html He talks about the boat here, granted a long time ago but it is still valid.

I didn't think I would like them but they are entertaining and I would rather see one than sit in a movie theater. I just picked up some outrageously expensive tickets to see Hamilton on the Broadway in Richmond tour. We have seen a few other ones and they are always a good evening. We also try and hit at least one of the Christmas ones each year with the kids, last one we saw was frosty.

That makes sense. I try and keep that angle as steep as possible so I limit those long casts unless i am swimming a jig and dropping it into holes. I guess that is the fun part of fishing....figuring it all out and seeing what works on any given day.

Like has been mentioned, high water means new flooded areas. Somewhat hard to do from the bank though as you have to be extra cautious on spooking them. My preferred bait is a fluke rigged weightless and weedless but i don't think it matters as much as it does getting it to them. One of the best days I had on a lake that is notoriously finicky was in conditions like you have, high muddy water. I was chucking my fluke as far up into the shallows as I could and I was amazed at the size and quantity of fish up so shallow.

I use both but a jig is more often tied on and used for me. I used to hate using jigs in vegetation but over time, I have learned how to finesse it through and that seems to do better for me than a T-rig. I think the bulk of a jig helps it flutter through grass rather than slipping past it all if that makes sense. On the river for smallies I am 75% of the time using a confidence baits draggin head with a craw over a jig. The jig is either a football head as they seem to not get snagged in rocks as often or the confidence baits finesse jig. Like has already been said a bunch on here, try both and see what is working that particular day.

You mentioned you are going to your jeep, is it a gladiator or are you cartopping it or have a trailer? For that short length I would get whatever is cheapest because like you said, the use of it is minimal. For me, I have a few spots I like that have a decent distance to the ramp so I went with the Wilderness Systems cart and couldn't be happier. Used to have a c-tug which was solid and more compact but it isn't as easy to load or handle the rougher terrain. For a heavier kayak a wilderness cart seems to be one of the better options out there albeit pricey.

Wacky rig and weedles rigs are different actions for me. I hate throwing a wacky as it is a do-nothing kind of approach. Yes I know it catches fish but so do spinnerbaits and I am not a fan of fishing those either. I always have a weedless weightles soft plastic on a rod as they are super versatile and can be used a ton of different ways. Wacky, not so much.

killer on the small streams i fish around here.

Go with the highest thrust your bnoat and budget can handle. Yes it will burn more battery at full throttle but you also won't have to use as much throttle to maintain the same speed as you would with a lower thrust version. the basic formula to figure out approximately what you will want/need is AH/amp draw=hours run time. The other thing to consider is if you are going lithium you will have a longer run time as they will hold voltage for more of hte battery capacity than a standard battery will. You'll pay for that added run time and massive weight savings though. i currently run a newport NK180s and have had it about a year and i run 30ah and it has only burned out when I was intentionally trying to burn it down to see how far it would go. A little less throttle goes a long ways with battery life and the speed decrease is pretty minimal.

jitterbug

It is funny you mention the whole wind assisted speed. One time in higher water conditions i turned my motor up to full throttle and going downriver i hit 10.2mph. In a kayak that was pretty d**n fast lol

I'll take that over an 8 hour in person meeting any day of the week.

Most guys I know only do that if it is super short distances, otherwise they are gonna paddle. It is amazing at how much seat technology has changed over the last 15-20 years. People always talk about hull design and kayak layout and they neglect one of if not the most important aspect of a kayak......the seat.

The other thing people are forgetting or not mentioning on this thread is the confidence factor. We all have baits/techniques we are confident in for whatever reason that may be and those will always be productive for us. For me when I am flyfishing i always have some sort of topwater popper on, a Gamechanger and a bottom fly of some sort ready to go. How I fish them changes based on my experiences and confidence in said flies. All it takes is one or two decent outings on a new technique and your confidence will go up and you will begin to use those techniques more often and all of the sudden your fishing toolbox has grown. Oh and I HATE fishing spinnerbaits when going conventional but I like throwing cranks and chatterbaits so go figure....