wpwarhawk

I was thinking about smallmouth bass and remembering all the time my dad and I spent catching them on El Dorado. This was shortly after the reservoir was built and opened for fishing. We used to joke that the only thing they stocked was smallmouth and walleye. We caught loads of both, sometimes literally hundreds a day. Of course they were all young fish and we never kept anything but walleyes. In later years the white bass seemed to get a foothold and they were the most common fish to catch. I was wondering if he smallies had survived in El Dorado, sounds like they did, cool.

I tend to go against the grain here. I like a larger diameter spool, seems to keep the line from coiling up. The now defunct US Reel Supercaster series are fantastic reels IMHO. I have two of the 180x size, and three of the 230x size. These are very small and light reels, just have a large spool. You can still get them new on eBay for $35-45.

USAF 184-88, F-15 Avionics specialist

Tatula or Tatula CT. I have several of these and some more exotic reels, but nothing really beats the Tatula series for me. Ebay for the best prices, and you can get 20% off by using the code PRETTYDAY until 3/26

I had recorded the show and just watched it. Great job promoting the web site and bringing so much bass fishing info to the web.

Be sure to check out Hot Springs Village while you’re there. Housing is MUCH more affordable in the village. Contact me me if you decide to check it out. I’ll put your name in t(e gate entry system and they will give you a pass to get in (it’s a gated community). I’ll show you around if I’m not working. Jim

Two places for you to look into, Hot Springs Village and Bella Vista. I relocated to Hot Springs with my job 5 years ago, we chose to live in Hot Springs Village and I wouldn’t change a thing. HSV is the largest gated community in the USA, it’s 14 miles across it from the east to west gates. It’s heavily weighed toward golf, but also has tennis facilities, 10 lakes, it’s really a great place to live. The Lake Ouachita State Park is 12 miles from my front door. There are 10 semi private lakes here in the Village that range from 20 to 1000 acres, and there are numerous other public lakes within an hour or two. Bella Vista is in the extreme NW corner of the state, the same developer built BV and HSV and both are similar, except that BV is located adjacent to Bentonville, a much larger city than Hot Springs with more and better job opportunities. Cherokee Village is a third similar, smaller community in the Mountain Home area. I’ve never been there, but it was built as a planned retirement community like the others.

We have some very active FaceBook groups here in Arkansas. That seems to be the best way to sell a kayak around here. When I had one to sell I hauled it to the site of a local kayak tournament and it didn't last 30 minutes before I had a trade deal.

You and I are about the same size, but I.m probably older at 56 and have a bad back and some stability issues. So standing in a kayak is out for me. My priorities are stability, a comfortable seat, and ease of paddling. I ended up with a Jackson Tripper 12, I was looking for a Kilroy, but the local dealers didn't have any in stock. I wound up trading for the Tripper 12 which is the recreational version of the Kilroy. I added some yak attack track, non skid flooring, and a crate with rod holders. Now it's just about perfect for me. The Kilroy (and Tripper 12) are hybrids, like the Ascend H12 mentioned above. I really like the hybrid kayaks and unless I was out in big waves, like in the open ocean, I would choose a hybrid.

We've had kayaks before, with the wife in a small 9 footer. Thing is, it was so slow that she couldn't keep up and hated it. This time we got her a Jackson Tupelo 12.5, it has a great seat, is stable, and very fast when compared to most fishing kayaks. She loves it and can easily keep up now. And it has some track for rod holders and lots of room inside I've taken it out fishing a couple of times myself, and really enjoyed it compared to my kayak (a Jackson Tripper 12), the Tupelo glides so much easier that I was constantly overshooting my spots, great problem to have and once I got used to it, maneuvering to fishing spots was almost effortless. I got the idea for the Tupelo from a Chris Funk video on YouTube.

Lots of solid choices here. I'll add a couple Jacksons, the Big Tuna and the Kilroy DT. Both are tandem boats that can be set up solo. Also check out Chad Hoovers kayak bassin videos. He's a big boy, as is Chris Funk that does some of the Jackson kayak videos.

The difference between the thr 175 TXW and TF is all in the front deck. The TXW deck is higher and only has one seat base. The TF has a lower deck and three set bases, so you can sit side by side for crappie fishing. A fishing buddy has a TF175 and it s a very nice boat.

Jackson Coosa, designed specifically for River fishing.

With a mod v you are "ON" the boat, at least the front and rear decks. With a deep V you are "IN" the boat, much better for a family boat IMHO.

If you like the H12, take a look at the Jackson Tripper 12. It's the recreational version of the Kilroy fishing kayak. I have one, and for a few bucks I was able to add yak attack rails and now can install just about anything on them. I need to take some pics and do a write up on the Tripper 12.

Here are a couple that I didn't see mentioned. Both have a lawn chair type seat, very important for me. Perception Pescador 120 ... $829 Pelican Catch 120 ... $749

Nice ... The weight of a kayak is very important to me. After two back surgeries I try not to lift any more than I have to. My Jackson Tripper 12 weighs a lot less than some of the big kayaks, but co pared to yours it's a pig.

There is a reason that the Bass Tracker 175 is the best selling boat in America. They work, and they are all you really need.

I had a 2012 Tacoma "low boy" extended can with the 2.7L and 4 speed automatic. It was a great little truck, and pulled my Stratos 176XT just fine. In fact I hauled it up here to Arkansas from Fort Worth and averaged 16.5 mpg for the trip. I usually got 23-25 mpg empty. I traded boats and now have a deep V with a full windshield, both boats weighed about 2500 pounds on the trailer, but the deep V and that windshield catch a lot of air, and that combined with the steep hills up here made the Taco struggle. I swapped the Tacoma for a Honda Ridgeline, which pulls the deep v boat just fine. You asked about double cab vs extended cab I've had both and the extended cab has one annoying feature, it's noisy. I don't think there is any insulation in the rear doors. It sounds silly, but everyone noticed it and it really got old on long trips

I haul mine in my Honda Ridgeline, I use a Boonedox bed extender.

54

I love the Tatula reels, I now have three of them. Cast one and see for yourself.

All this started 10-12 years ago when the tackle companies came up with a strategy to sell more rods by marketing "technique specific" gear. There is so much variation from one manufacturer to the next that calling a rod a "worm rod" is meaningless. Fenwick used a "power" system, a 4 power was a light action rod, 5 power was a medium (standard) action, and 6 power was a heavy action. These three covered all the bases, for baitcasting anyway.

Daiwa Tatula - Thailand Daiwa Zillion - japan Daiwa T3 - Japan & Thailand

Actually they were all caught on live shad.