GADawgs

I can also see now in that picture there is a scratch on the blank.

I just got my new Powell Endurance 723 today and I noticed that on the guides that have feet going both forward and back have small cracks or separations on the epoxy wrapping the guides. Is this anything to worry about? It is not as much a crack as a small separation from the blank.

Powell Endurance 723, Lews Tourney Pro 7.1:1 and an *** 7'1" MF spinning rod. About 10 Siebert jigs too. It was a good week!

The title pretty much says it all. I fish out of a kayak and have plenty of room for what I bring (jig box, 2 plastics boxes, topwater box, crankbait box, terminal tackle box and another box for misc stuff) but I want to try to reduce what I am bringing so that I can learn to be more versatile and minimalistic and not have everything I own in the boat with me haha. I do carry at least 3 rods and will continue to do so (jig/topwater setup, plastics, crank/spinner and spinning setup are what I usually have) but wanted to see if anyone who has decided to minimize what they carry had any good advice. Overall I think I am going to try to pare it down to 3 boxes. Thoughts/suggestions?

I agree with the other posters, but your math is also too simple. While you may have $5k in equipment I assume you are not turning it over each year and buying brand new rods and reels each year. Therefore if you use your rods and reels for multiple years your CPF (cost per fish haha) drops. If you do buy new equipment each year, would you like to adopt me and give me your 1 year old gear? That being said, it is an expensive hobby. However like other have noted, the time on the water, the relaxation, enjoyment, life lessons, etc. make the cost worth it to me.

Thanks, I caught it on one of your jigs. One of many that trip!

I was up at Lake Bomoseen in VT at the lake house and I got out in the kayak 4 of the 5 days. The water temp was around the mid 60's and we had the hurricane come through (winds sustained at 15-20 with 35mph gusts) the first 2 days we were here. I had a great time fishing primarily with a jig but lost some fish when they jumped (still trying to figure out the jig as I have never had a problem losing fish before like I did this week). I lost about 5 fish that way but still had a blast. I caught my first spinnerbait fish, my PB rock bass and my PB smally (3.25 lbs at 18.25"). Another first, that was not as fun, was breaking my first rod tip. All in all it was a great trip to recharge the batteries from the first 2 quarters this year. I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th.

I'm in

Depending on the weight my personal choice would be a Powell endurance 714 or 723. However, like others have said there are so man good options to choose from in that price range. Good luck!

Tom, the lake is in Vermont and air temps now are in the high 70's. From what I understand the lake still had ice this year until late April. Thanks for the advice!

Sounds like a great time! It's also nice that your wife is interested in fishing with you. Best of luck in the future, it becomes quite addicting!

Joe, the weeds are just below the surface or at surface level in the shallows and continue as you go deeper. In the deeper water there can be 10-15 ft of clear water above the weeds. Thanks for the advice guys, I will be back at it again today!

I agree with what bad bass said. You need to worry about a stores availability and pricing. I will support my local tackle shop when possible but many times they don't have what I want and I get frustrated driving 10 minutes only to find it was a waste of my time. This inevitably leads me to go to the internet after that happens a couple of times. I think you will run into that a lot with internet availability, pricing and free shipping. Second, what is the demand in your area? Just because you want to offer it doesn't mean there is a good enough demand to successfully support a store. There is a reason that lots of small stores close, and it's not for lack of effort from an owner always. There is lots more to consider and other things I could say but this is ultimately your decision. Obviously asking advice about this on a fishing website probably isn't the best place because many may think its a great idea because they would like it for their town. Have you done any research/polls of people in your town to see what the overall opinion/demand is. That is going to give you a better idea of the viability of this venture than our input. Either way, good luck with whatever decision you make.

I am on vacation at a super clear lake that has lots of milfoil. I caught 4 today in about 3 hours, 2 on a lizard and 2 on a jig. The milfoil can stretch out to depths on over 20 feet. I don't have any electronics on my kayak and want to see if anyone has advice on where to look or what to throw. Water temp is in the mid 60's

It is in Downingtown, about an hour and a half or two east of Gburg

I will be heading out on the lake at my in-laws lake house after a little sleep in. Just got here around 2:30am after a full days work and 6 hour drive so no super early rise for me. Everyone have fun and be safe!!

I haven't handled the Pheniz but I have the Endurance 714 for jigs and plastics and I really like it. I am going to buy more of the endurance line in the future. Good luck, it sounds like either will be a great choice!

I am going fishing in Vermont to lake bomoseen. It is a super clear lake 10+' visibility from what I know the has largemouth and smallmouth. I will be in my kayak and will have 4 rods with me (Powell diesel 765 with 6.4:1 reel, Powell endurance 714 with 7.1:1 reel, basspro carbonlite 6'6" MF with 6.4:1 and *** black spinning MF). My confidence baits are plastics and jigs and when I fished there this time last year I had great luck with t rigged lizards so I will obviously be trying those again. Water temp is low to mid 60's. It is a 2,400 acre lake with average depth of 27' max depth of 65'. There is lots of milfoil in the lake as well. I am thinking top water with the diesel in the morning and night and flipping/pitching with it during the day. Endurance will be jigs and heavier plastics, cranks and spinners on the carbonlite and finesse on the ***. If anyone has experience on the lake or advice on very clear lakes I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I agree. I have a Cuda 12 and I love it. The insert that you are complaining about is just that, an insert. It is not build to hold a ton of weight and therefore does not to be made of very heavy plastic. In addition, it is made to be slightly flexible in the middle as those tabs click into place below the hatch. The kayak itself is made very well and everytime I go out I have it pretty heavily loaded (4 rods, 5 3700 plano boxes, PFD, 2 nalgene bottles, bagged lunch and a small dry bag) and I have never had any issues. Wilderness does not have any inserts in any of their hatches, it just goes through to the hull, just like the Jackson would if you took out that insert. The front and back hatch lids on the Jackson are desinged the way they are to be more waterproof than a latching lid. I agree, $1300 ain't cheap, but in hindsight I would have made the same decision. GOod luck deciding which yak is right for you!

If you are in a tourney people want to cover as much water as possible (usually) until they find fish and can slow down. For a recreational angler I think it boils down to patience and confidence. I am very confident with a jig and t-rigs so I rarely throw reaction baits. Thus, I catch most of my fish on jigs and plastics so I continue to fish them more often.

For me it has been a jig

I would recommend doing what I did..... Call or email Mike at Siebert outdoors, tell him about the areas you primarily fish (clarity, depth, cover and structure) as well as common forage and ask him to make some recommendations. I did that and will be taking my order out this weekend to catch some bass! I am very happy with the quality of his jigs and the prices are quite reasonable.

I just got my order of Siebert jigs and I have no idea what length to trim the weed guard to. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

I decided to hit the local lake today after work and wanted to keep tackle and rods to a minimum to continue to learn how to fish a jig. I got my rod and jig box packed up with some bags of trailers and put the kayak on the car and headed out. I hit traffic on the way as there is road work being done that I did not expect, oh well no biggie. Then I arrive at the lake to find a local fishing tournament just started, once again no biggie. I unload the kayak and grab the jig box only to find that I grabbed my spinnerbaits box instead....idiot. Well, at least I had a jig tied on and a couple of trailers. I unpacked and hit the lake. I fished for about 3 hours with little success (about 4 bass all near 1 lb or under). The sun set so I put on my headlamp and started to paddle back in. As I was nearing a spot I have had some luck in the past I decide to stop and let the wind drift me by to make a few final casts for the night. After a few casts I hadn't even had a bite so I decided to make one final cast before I called it a night. I tossed the jig out and let it sink. Nothing on the fall so I gave it a drag and hop. I felt some weight so I reeled down and set the hook. The hook set was met with a big pull and I knew I had a decent fish on. After a short fight I see a flash as the fish is trying to throw the jig and I realize that this will probably be a PB for me and I am very excited. I get the fish to the side of the kayak and reach down and get a finger in her mouth and start to pick her up to measure, weigh and photo. I did not have a great grip and the fish thrashed as I brought her out of the water and slipped from my grip and I heard a sickening snap. The line broke. In slow motion I watched the fish slide back into the lake and slowly turn on her side and return to the depths with my jig still lodged firmly in her upper lip. My elation turned to heartbreak as I sat in shock for a while. Not having another jig to tie on I called it a night and packed up and drove home while thinking about that fish. It would have been a new PB for me. My current PB is about 3.5 lbs and the fish tonight was a solid 4.5 maybe 5. Needless to say I am frustrated but also very excited to get back on the water and have another go at it. However this time I will change my leader to 15 lbs and do a better job checking my line for any knicks or abrasions. I am usually pretty good about it but was lazy about it tonight. That being said, remember to check your line and a net never hurts!!

So I am just here to be an enabler......do it