DogBone_384

Launched the kayak yesterday at Jacob's Pond in Norwell. Caught a good size pickerel, LMB about a pound or so, another small pickerel, and a yellow perch that thought it was a 50 pound striper! All in all a great day after Christmas for sure. Now I'm at Logan, heading to FL. Yes, I packed a couple set-ups.

I'm with Hootie. I own ***, Abu Garcia, BPS, Diawa, Lews, and Shimano casting reels. They all have plusses & minuses to them. They're all well build and cast great. My favorite varies on what type of fishing I'm doing and / or mood I'm in - a very subjective thing. If you can try out different brands before clunking down your cash, do it. If I HAD to make an objective recommendation, I'd say *** and Shimano are the two best (in my SUBJECTIVE opinion....). Overall, when you get closer to $200, you really can't go wrong anyway.

I use straight braid on all but two of my setups, which have a 20# Fluoro leader.

If the forecast is REALLY going to be in the high 40's tomorrow..... I'm gonna have to take the day off & go fishing... What a Christmas!

Merry Christmas indeed! Congratulations! That's nearly 1/2 way to a fishing kayak!

I've not learned how to fly fish yet because I'm new at bait cast reels (2 years). I don't see a reason NOT to take up fly fishing. It can't hurt anything other than your checkbook to learn another way to catch fish. What's the worst that can happen: take trips you normally wouldn't, and catch more fish.... I'm sure I'm going to dabble with it at some point. Best of luck if you do.

Not before I bought a a kayak, no. Since then I've caught two topwater Rapalas that got away from me.

Congratulations on your Christmas catch! I got out this morning for a couple hours up here in Boston. No bass or trout, but I caught a Pickerel for Christmas anyway...

The Plaza wasn't crowded this morning so I had some time to take a jar of Powerbaits, a couple of bobbers, and my light spinning rig to Houghton's Pond. Stayed for an hour or so without success. Stopped by St. Moritz on the way home and snagged a Pickerel with a small, yellow spinner. Good enough for Christmas Eve Day....

I fish from a 11.5' & 12'8" kayaks rather than a boat. They're both stable enough to fish while standing. I'd have to say anything in those dimensions that's 36"+ should work. Best of luck and Merry Christmas.

Was bored at home today so I tossed a B/C I'm taking to FL this week and a light spinning reel in the truck and went to Houghton's Pond to try out the PQ I just got back from DVT. I spent most of the time just casting to get the B/C set up, but managed to map out about 1/3 of the accessible shoreline with my Sonarphone. To my surprise it averages 10' in reachable areas and drops to 20' in the South/South-West corner near what Google Maps calls Coon Hollow Brook. ​I also wasn't alone. There was a guy trout fishing with trout worms & a bobber. He said he caught a nice one but had to cut the line and it got away from him. One of those things that applicable to my Grandfather's saying "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see". I congratulated him, wished him good luck and Merry Christmas and continued mapping the pond. He said he's had good luck there for trout, but I didn't have any trout snacks, or bobbers, so I'll hit it next time. Long story longer, the PQ I just got back didn't gain any noticeable casting distance, but feels much smoother and gets its distance with little or no braking. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Over the last couple years I think I got rabies from the tackle Monkey. My most sensitive casting rods are: Abu Villain & Vendetta; BPS CarbonLite;*** *** Black; Diawa Tatula & Ardito (a 3 pc. travel); Abu Veritas. In that order. Less sensitive casting rods are (from most to least): Fenwick Silver Hawk; St. Croix Premier; Abu Vengeance; BPS Crankin Stick. Funny thing is, my favorites are my Veritas. They're light, load up and cast great with whichever reel I've mounted on them. I'd also have to say the difference in sensitivity from top to bottom is very slight, with exception of my ML/F Crankin Stick, which feels like a rubber band but throws light spinner baits pretty well. All of these rods, except for the Villain, are $150 or less. Like others have already posted, all of this is subjective. What feels good to me might not feel the same to someone else. If you don't get a chance to fish the rods you're looking at, at the very least try to get to the store and handle them. Good luck with your rod choice, and Merry Christmas!

Around Eastern MA I've caught some pretty good Pickerel, but Crappie put up a fight with light tackle too. I'll go with bigger is better and choose Mr. Teeth. I've only caught 3 Rainbows, so they don't count as much. That's all I've got, Merry Christmas.

.... O-ring. ...

Massachusetts would never allow a vanity plate like this, just too liberal & conservative out here.ADD: I'm making no predictions on the Patriots .... Just too hard to say what they'll do.

Congratulations! Is it going to get mounted?

That story's a trip. When my brother and I were kids we had a 55 gallon tank with Ciclids & African Snake Heads (about 30 years ago, they were still legal) as pets. One afternoon I caught a couple of 12" LMBs and decided they'd make good additions to the tank. We put them in everyone scattered to different corners of the tank. The next morning the only two left in the tank were the LMBs. There were bits and chunks of the Snake Heads and no signs of the Ciclids. Shortly thereafter the LMBs were back home....

For sure. Doesn't help my checkbook or savings account though. I just got 3 reels back from Mike @ DVT & plan on sending a couple more after Christmas, pending OT and side-work.... BTW, is 'meery' in a NY accent? If so, Mehrie Chriistmis to you too (Bawstin accent)

I've never tried, to be honest. When Spring comes around again I might just see if it does. BTW, 50 yds is 150' - LOL.

No, I bought the Sonarphone a couple of years ago on a whim, seeing it on Cabela's website when I had a discount coupon, and before I bought my kayaks. The Sonarphone's display looks similar to my Lowrance unit I use on my kayak, so no map. I hook my Sonarphone to a MH spinning outfit with 20# mono, cast it out and either reel it in slowly or let the current take it. It's range is the 100' they promise too. The only thing I might steer away from the iBobber is that it uses Bluetooth, which is a great connection, but if they're promising up to 100' range, I sure hope they put a heck of a battery in there.

I have Vexilar's Sonarphone. It works very well with my iPhone. I've used it to map out ponds not offering boat access to map out any structure and drop offs. Worth the $, IMO.

You sound a little like me Felix. My spinning setups have 6# mono and 10# braid where I have 2nd spools. My baitcasters too, are "all over the place" with 20 & 30# braid or 10# mono / fluoro.I surmise that it might just be because we're stuck inside for a good chunk of winter and have more time to read this forum & try everything under the sun? Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you & everyone!

How'd I ever get by with just a Shakespeare spinning outfit with Stren mono on it when I was a kid ?!?!?!? oh, the HORROR!

Like anything else, practice, practice, practice. Other than using your wrist and not your arm, I'd say remember to always keep your eyes locked on your target and relax. Don't overthink your casting, just keep at it. It took me two full seasons to get consistent accuracy and distance. Best of luck!

How cold is it in GA? It's warm @ 40 degrees here in MA... I always thought that rods & reels moved all year round. The only rod/reel I've ever caught was my own after I accidentally dropped it off the side of my kayak. It was a Core on a Veritas. Luckily the line drew across my lap and I was able to grab it. The pond was crystal clear. Watching it sink slowly away was rough....