flyfisher

I am not sure if i have the xtreme or just the regular version but the hooks out of the box worked fine and have caught me lots of fish. I'd fish it first and see what you think before changing the hooks out.

they aren't trying to be the top seller of kayaks but if you ask jsut about anyone what boat they want to get next, you will hear a lot of hobie answers. Their price point keeps them elite but at the same time attainable. Like i said earlier though, if i was gonna spend that much money I am getting a motor on a good paddling boat so I can have the best of both worlds.

I would say there are more kayaks that are designed for fishing that you can stand up than you can't these days. It also is highly dependent on the person as well. I used to stand up and fish out of my heritage redfish when others i knew thought it was tippy just paddling it around. You already took out what is one of if not the most stable boats out there in the PA12. I have a Wilderness systems ATAK 140 and it is plenty stable to stand up in and do whatever you need to do. See if that local shop has a demo days or allows for you to take out some boats to check out.

They are doing just fine. I am not a hobie fan because I don't like the pedal motion they use but they were the first to really popularize pedal kayaks and have a cult like following. Until their sales drop I would say they are doing just fine with their price point. Oh and they do have a good price point kayak as well, the compass i believe which is in the 2k range and in the ballpark of higher end fishing paddle kayaks.

Nice boat for sure but for that money I think i would rig up a different boat with motors and electronics and still be ahead of the game. I have a wilderness systems ATAK that I am thinking of motorizing for river runs and long lake runs. Beauty is i could still paddle mine, you aren't paddling a pro angler anywhere, at least not on purpose anyways.

snakehead

I stopped using backing a while back. The cost savings is minimal and more of a hassle than it was worth to me.

I used to be more brand loyal and stuck to St Croix but there are so many good rods out there now that my current setups include dobyns, st croix, kistler, duckett, shimano and one Abu Garcia. Lately the dobyns and the shimano are the rods of choice though depending on the situation.

the nucanoe pedal system is interesting for sure. One thing i do like is that you turn not by a rudder but by the propulsion unit changing direction, like a trolling motor does. I want to pedal one though before I figure out if i want ot make a change from my ATAK 140 which I absolutely love.

People always want to ignore this advice for some reason. There are plenty of carts out there that are great and don't need to use scuppers.

They look like a good value for a boat but I am always skeptical of the Old Town stuff. I have known a few people who had issues and they were great with warranty or whatever but that is irrelevant to me honestly. I know nucanoe has a smiler deal going as well with the paddle, pedal and motor version of a kayak being available for like 3500.

The only way you will know what is the best configuration is to try to mount it and see what you think. For me, I was not a fan at all of transducer arms, my last kayak purchase having an electronics pod was a huge consideration for me and I would have a tough time going back to any other way at this point.

Not sure how far way you are from FarmVille, VA but Appomattox river company has their demo days in june and you can try out any boat under the sun and they usually have good deals on boats as well.

Sales seem to be doing ok to me....

I got mine a month or so ago and threw it out a week or so ago lol

Did they hold a lot of water, yes, were they hard to cast not really. Two things work in my favor when dealing with heavy flies. The first being i started fly fishing as a poor college student and had one rod, a 4 wt, that i used to cast everything from #18 tricos to weighted closures for smallies, so I developed an ability to cast weighted flies on underweighted rods. The second is I am no longer a poor college student (just a semi poor elementary school teacher) so I have a Sage Bass II LM rod that I could cast a wet sock with pretty easily should the need arise

Another little baitfish imitation, trying some new materials and techniques.

yes, is is an upgrade transducer that makes for clearer images. My unit is pretty old so i am not even sure if they still have a different transducer or not. I know when i made the switch, it mad a big difference in clarity and detail on images.

love it. When i decide to upgrade i will 99% stay with the Helix line unless something else really takes my breath away. I did upgrade to the HD transducer which made a big difference.

nah, not an overreaction, just a statement of the obvious. they allow anything at this point in an effort to keep people there.

I have a first generation Helix 5 with side imaging and run a 12V 9ah and have never had it cut out on me on a full day of fishing.

A little baitfish imitation i had in my brain last night and made it today.....

There are no drill options depends on your kayak. As far as which side it is a preference deal. I retrieve left handed and cast with my right and i have mine on the left hand side of my kayak but i know many who have it on the right. There are times I wish i had one on both sides though depending on the conditions.

Why? they are easy to install and if you are going to anchor and actually care which way you face, they are the way to go. Wherever you set up the anchor tie in point the kayak will face into the wind based off that point. That is where the trolley comes in to play. Allows you to face pretty much whichever direction you'd like.

For moving water you will need to anchor directly off the center of the bow of the boat or things can get squirrels pretty quickly. I don't recommend those new to the kayak world to anchor in current until they get comfortable in their boat. As far as in non moving water my anchor set up is an anchor trolley, 8' stake out pole and a chain anchor for when the stake out pole doesn't reach. Anchor wizards are cool but I have a retractable clothesline reel that i replaced the clothesline with 5mm cord. Works like a charm and if it breaks or rusts out after a few years i can get another one since they are pretty cheap. The trolley is an absolute necessity for maintaining good boat position. I am actually thinking about rigging up a second anchor so i can really lock in my spot no matter the wind direction.