Hanover_Yakker

I hear you and I know all about the culture down there. Several of my KBF friends are in that area. Part of the challenge of carrying certain brands of kayaks is the dealer/store actually committing to carry the line. Carrying every brand requires a huge warehouse.

The Ribbits (along with other brands) do flip over from time to time. The keel weighted approach helps a lot, as do the double take hooks. After several frogs had their legs ripped off from aggressive fish, the double take hooks may cause the legs to rip. After three or fours Ribbits were destroyed using those style hooks, I opted to not use them anymore - just a personal preference. When the Ribbit flips on it's back, I simply give the rod a little vertical pop-pop-pop twitching and the frog will right itself. Bowing the frog helps some like mentioned earlier, but the popping of the rod fixes it for me.

If you're interested in trying a Hobie out on the water, as well as every other major kayak manufacturer, Appomattox River Company is holding their annual on the water demo day on Saturday June 8th. The event is held on Wilks Lake in the heart of Farmville, VA on the island. I'll be there representing Hobie and ARC, but several of my friends will also be there representing their respective brands like Wilderness Systems, Native Watercraft, Ocean Kayak, Jackson, Hurricane, etc. Make plans to come out and try as many different ones as you can. I'll have my Pro Angler 14 on display and rigged for all to see.

Without knowing your exact location other than what's in your avatar, the closest one might actually be out of state in Columbus, GA. The best thing to do is check the website for current dealer locations. You can use the Dealer Locator found here: http://www.hobiecat.com/dealers/

Nice!!

I'll do my best - weather is not cooperating for tomorrow, so I have already booked time on Sunday morning when the sun comes up to do some video of the Pro Angler in use. I plan on showing: 1. The overall layout of the Pro Angler. 2. How I have it rigged for fishing. 3. How to unload/load it from your vehicle. 4. The view from the seat when fishing. 5. The view from shore or another boat as you are seen fishing. 6. Maybe even get a hookset or two. 7. Casting while standing. 8. Accessing rods and tackle while in the Pro Angler. I also plan on doing a voice over of the walk around and rigging if I can find a microphone. Might just take the GoPro out of the waterproof housing and hope the wind isn't up and do the voice over while doing the walk through. We'll see what I can come up with.

I'm possibly heading out on the water tomorrow for a HOW planning event, so I'll see what kind of unique footage I can get and piece together some compilations. I also have several Hobie videos of real fishing action I have put together over the last year and a half already in case anyone wants to look at those in the mean time. .

Positive vibes, well wishes and prayers for you buddy on a speedy recovery!

I think I am qualified to answer that question. I could do a write up for BR if you want.

It can be a difference maker in finding quality fish over the course of your lifetime as an angler. Some of the best places I have fished were inaccessible by bank fishing. Not to say that there aren;t quality locations near you, but for me, the best waters are often a bit far for a bank fishing journey. A boat of some form has its place in the fishing world, but your finances and means of supporting/maintaining the vessel of your choosing over the long haul are only assessable by you and you alone. I took a step back and looked at my situation and quickly came to the realization that I could never afford a traditional boat, because of the following factors: 1. The initial cost of the entire setup also required the purchase of a trailer. 2. The trailer would necessitate a towing setup of some form that would possibly lead to another vehicle purchase. 3. Annual costs of property and registration fees plus insurance. 4. Annual costs of winterizing/maintenance. 5. No place to actually store the boat/trailer combo. When i added all of those factors together, I went the non-powered route and purchased a kayak. I've never looked back. Don't get me wrong. At some point I would love to have a Ranger Center Console to use in both fresh and salt, but that is a dream and one left alone at this juncture of my life.

Welcome aboard - central VA is a wonderful fishery.

I'm with JF on this one. I have never used a frog specific technique problem and have no issues at all other than not paying attention and failing to set the hook I use a casting rod rated as MH/F or MH/XF and pair it up with a reel spooled with 50-65lb PP braid. Works like a champ. Not saying that the technique specific rods don't have a time and place. I find that those situations are rare where I fish, and I fish some pretty thick and nasty pads/grass/vegetation down here in VA.

Woo hoo!! Well done Mike!

Welcome aboard!

Sounds to me like you either have line that has weathered and lost its strength from being left out in the sun or your knot was tied incorrectly/moistened improperly. I personally do not use the improved or traditional clinch knot, because it has failed me more times over than I care to remember. I use the palomar for most everything, but I have started using the jam knot al ittle lately and like that as well. If you use the palomar knot on coated lines, then tie the double palomar and your line slippage will be nullified.

Depends - if the crank has a split ring or not and you are concerned about lure action more critical on a clearwater bite than other times in my opinion. If action is not a concern, then you can learn how to tie a palomar without wasting a lot of line, but another knot to consider is the Rapala Knot or MirrOlure knot. Both are quick and easy. I've also used the improved clinch but had it fail, so I don't tie thatone anymore. The fastest knot I have ever used and would recommend is the Canoe Man's knot.

Top notch guys!! I've got an idea on how to raise some funds from the kayak community down here, so I'll keep you posted.

Need more info please - would love to help out!!

Like jfrancho said - the key I have found is line management (ie: a little slack line) paired with the proper rod action. In otherwords, a slight "s" in your line as it lays on the water, so that a side or upward twitch only moves the bait some. Too taught of a line will give you improper action on some baits. Find some wind protected water where you can practice this. It does take practice!

Roadrunner jigheads tipped with Crappie Sliders/Grubs or Berkley Gulp! Minnows in 3" work like a charm. If you want to try different baits, then run a tandem rig with a hi/lo setup with varying colors. Similar to a shad rig, but you run the small profile crappie jig up high then the Roadrunner jighead with the Gulp Minnow low. Just vertical jig it a little then let it sit parallel to the rootball.

Use an ammonia-based solution with lemon and some warm water and clean it, then leave it outside to dry.

Too funny. Their names are Plasticpirogue and Bass & BBQ.

Replenished my chatterbaits, some shad spoons, a couple squarebills, a pack of road runner heads and a spool of PLine CXX for my Swimbait reel. Also I picked up a ci4 from a fellow BR member.

I'll let you know on the reel here soon, but if you want a decent reel that will last you a while, try the BPS Pro Qualifier. They run sales on them throughout the year between $59-79. Normally priced at $99.

Awesome - make sure you PM Adam and Matt (on KBF) if you're in their neck of the woods down in Luzianna - they can get you on quality fish real quick.