Choporoz

Finally got a Bull Run key. Been kayaking up river from there a couple nights after work this week. Not a lot of bites, but a few nice fish. One of which was my first smallie east of the Shenandoah. Not too fat, but pretty long. I'm liking it up there. I went Mon and Wed, and all I met felt it was slow...but, of course, the word is that Tues was insane.....of course....LOL

I also got caught last week in a quickly developing thunder storm. I fished through it for a couple of reasons. I'm stupid. And, honestly, I didn't know what to do. That storm went from 8+ seconds between lighting and thunder to 2 in less than a minute. I suppose getting to shore would be smart. Get to the bank and get out of the boat? Stand under a tree? I now know to at least put down the rod, but when you're caught in the middle of a body of water, what are the minimum precautions?

I've become a big fan of Cabelas Rip Cord 8. I much prefer it to Power Pro (reg and SS.) Its quieter, digs in less and much cheaper. The only negative I've found is that it doesn't hold color well, but that really doesn't concern me.

Was a big concern for me, as well. I'm neither as young, nor as flexible as I once was. I've only been fishing from my yak a half dozen times now, but I am happy to learn that it gets easier each time. As noted above, however, it would probably be best not to have small stuff without a lanyard in the bottom of the crate that you might actually need. Every time out I still adjust what I want where. I'm still trying to figure out what the bow hatch is for....the only way I'm getting in there is if I get out of the yak. Which isn't out of the question, of course, but I've not considered using it yet.

sorry...I misunderstood. I thought you were trying to choose among rods you already own

Try it with each? Which one do you generally use for spinner baits? Curious, only because that's the rod that I typically use. 6-10 and 7' MM or MF; but I don't see much difference. Never tried a MH, I don't think

Gammy's. I have been alternating between g-lock and skip gap. I'd say they're pretty equal. I don't put much stock in the need for an offset, but if you do, the G-Lock has a slight offset

http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-ELITE-4X-HDI-200-455/dp/B00F5ENKLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=marine&ie=UTF8&qid=1437489535&sr=1-1&keywords=elite+4x+hdi I'm a long way from understanding the different units, transducer options, etc. But....I'm jumping in ahead of myself here. Found a good deal on this unit ^ Is this a good unit to work with for a clamp/board/jerry-rigged portable for kayak, rowboat, jon boat?

I started with zman's regular old chatterbait and due to lack of success hooking up with those, I didn't touch another chatterbait for years. YMMV, but if you have to go with zman, I suggest one of their higher end models which seem to be better regarded.

The remedy that usually works best for me is to clean out the fishing line that I got wrapped around the prop shaft. Beyond that, I have routine speed/controller problems, but no thrust reduction issues.

Great ideas above! I've used a Fishin Buddy for about 5 years in rented jon boats. But I don't recommend it very highly. You will get depth and surface temp but little else. It is very hard to learn and follow contours and bait balls, fish and submerged trees all look the same. It is certainly far better than nothing, but the modded examples above with a better unit will serve you far better. Had I realized it would be so easy to do, I'd have gone that route years ago. In fact, I'm so inspired by JF's post that I'm going to make a unit that I can use in my kayak, but transfer to other boats when needed.

If the 'point' of an offset hook is so that you can still hooked up even if the fish 'flattens' the hook sideways, it seems that such an very slight, couple degree, offset wouldn't make any difference....except maybe to the fisherman consumer, I suppose

What's the decent water? just curious.....

You're going fishing for goldfish....I wouldn't think you'd worry too much about being embarrassed

I searched, but could only find about 75 threads specifically about drag, so I figure we're in need of another...not SETTING drag, but "UN-setting it" In over 50 years of fishing, I've never backed off the drag of any reel when coming off the water. I'm unaware of any mechanical problem(s) resulting from my total disregard for my equipment. Since I've been here on BR, I have read many times that it is necessary to loosen the drag at the end of a day of fishing. I usually forget, but maybe because I don't know why its important. What are the specific risks of not doing so? Is it equally important for spinning reels and baitcasting reels? (Unrelated? observation.....If everyone backs the drag off at the end of the day, a bunch of folks must carry weights and scales in the boat with them....since many say they set their drags precisely with them. For me, I'm going by 'experience' and 'feel' which, I fully acknowledge may be way outside 'best' parameters.)

I'm with Scott here. Inflation is a fact of life. (Speaking of McDonald's, I clearly remember a McD's commercial advertising a burger fries and a drink...and change back for your dollar.) Compared to stagflation and deflation, it isn't a bad fact of life. In moderation, it is a good thing. But advertising a 'full rack' and delivering less than full rack is grounds for justifiable outrage, IMO.

Bought it. Easily worth the $30 to me. Bought and used it.....except for 'transits' of more than about 10 yards at a time, I used it almost exclusively. Awesome tool and already wonder how I managed without it. I would like it just a little bit longer...since I have short arms, it is a little difficult to paddle both sides with one hand. Then again, much longer, and it would be unwieldy with one hand. I am just going to have to get longer arms. But I am very happy with this purchase.

One more (recently acquired) piece of advice that I have not seen mentioned above: Don't trim your fingernails too short. Sorta amazing that using a baitcaster can affect something as seemingly unrelated as personal hygiene.

I bet they buy from the farmers that are breeding partially boneless ribs. Those pigs only have 9 ribs and the rest of the 'rib area' is used for McRibs and other "boneless rib" products. :wink7:

Since posting here, I made note of all the replies...and let the Bait Monkey take over. I got an assortment of weights; 3/4 oz egg sinkers, 3/4 and 1 oz lead and tungsten worm weights, 3/4 oz mojo carolina weights, and 1 oz brass weight (Top-Brass) with a built in swivel. I tried the brass swivel/weight first, because it seemed to simplify things by eliminating the extra swivel and bead. Logic failed me here. Having a 'fixed' carolina weight made it absolutely impossible to detect strikes - especially at 25+ feet. I could feel the bottom just fine, but if I ever got a bite, I'd have never known it. As to the rest, I'm very disappointed to find that like the tungsten the best. The compact size makes casting heavy weight much easier, which is a big consideration with a carolina rig. The bottom contact 'feel' is far superior to lead. I put off trying tungsten for a long time due to the price and the frequency with which I lose weights (mostly drop shot and texas, but carolina too at times.) I can't say if it is 'worth' the premium price in all applications, and it certainly won't be for everyone, but I'm sold...at least for deep c-rigging. I will say that the Mojo Carolina sinkers are not too far behind. Every single Mojo product I've ever used has impressed the heck out of me. These are no different. They come across the bottom well and transmit well. I feel the differences in bottom composition, but I'm not as confident about what I'm hitting (rock, weed, wood, etc) as I am with the tungsten.

Normally, chasing shad boils turns out to be a mistake for me,but today, it was productive. After the rain, it was a feeding frenzy. Many bass achieving significant hang time. Most of my fish came on lipless and med divers pulled through panicky looking shad. Nothing over 3, however. Biggest bass I've seen there followed my lure all the way to the boat before peeling off. She was in a small bay just herding shad to the back and cleaning up. Jig was mostly useless for a change. Just one dink on it. And a huge turtle...shell was a good 14 inches across. Fortunately he shook of before I cut my braid....oh and a 5 in bluegill hooked in the mouth. First time I've done that with a full size jig

Did you really go there? Not even "what size"? first....?

How long? Forever? Rare day when I don't get overruns. Had to cut one out for only the second time ever just a couple weeks ago. Smooth is the operative word. Even if you've got it set up great, a hitch in your swing or a head wind you didn't anticipate may have you picking at your spool. Keep at it in the yard. Smooth swing.....don't swing for the fences

LOL, Roger.....only last night I opened a box and the first thought in my head was "WTH was I thinking?"

Check ebay. Then keep checking. There is some price volatility. Not sure its just Daiwa. Quantums were reel cheap just a couple months ago, but now I don't see the same prices. Maybe its just because this is peak demand period. Keep an eye out. I just got a Type-R from a place that had offered me a coupon on top of a discount and only paid $100.