Fishingmickey

I can vouch for the JDM Met 20's I have a couple and they are sweet, sweet reels. I have a Shimano Scorpion travel rod in five piece. I fished it for the first time couple of weeks ago while on vacation in Maine. It's a very nice rod that doesn't feel like a five piece. I also got a St Croix Avid Trek travel rod in spinning that pretty nice. I have two of the Diawa Ardito's one casting, one spinning. Shimano has also come out with a Zodias 5pc MH casting travel rod. I've got it on pre-order from Tackle Direct. Supposed to be shipping this fall. Finding good travel rods for bass fishing is really tough. I've been replacing some gear that got stolen. I've been shopping/eyeballing for about a year now. Here's a link to the Zodias. Happy hunting, FM https://www.tackledirect.com/shimano-zodias-5-piece-travel-rods.html

I use 12# - 16# Tatsu or Invisx. On the lighter line I use smaller weights 1/8oz - 3/16 oz and smaller baits. 14#-15# line I use 3/16oz - 3/4oz. I used a bunch of different brands of fluoro before settling in on Invisx and Tatsu. I've tried the Diawa Samurai and I think it is going to be as good as the Seaguar brands. Good luck! FM

I haven't fished the Victory but one of the top kayak anglers I know loves his. He is a St Croix rep. I don't think I got a sales pitch either I have known him for several years. Fishingmickey

X2 on the Zman jig head!

7" bit down to 6" Berkely pumpkinseed power worm. Rigged on 15# Tatsu or Invisx with a 3/16 oz weight and a 3/0 round shank Gamakatsu hook.

Good to hear you like the Sierra! FM Two week countdown until China Lake! I am pumped.

Hi Krux, This is what I have been using. The Engel 19 w/rod holders. I can bungee the cooler down with the rod holder tubes and it's secure. It's very light weight and does a great job holding ice, drinks and four rods. Fishingmickey

Man-o-man, look at the size of those paws! Beautiful pup A-Jay. Glad he has fine pack mates. FM

I'm assuming your talking a original floating minnow? FM

There is usually a time limit for picture submission. If it is lines out at 3:00. Pictures would have to be submitted by 3:30. That is one of the things a tournament kayak angler has to take into consideration is "do I have cell phone service". FM

If you can swing the difference in price, Dobyns Sierra. It is a much better rod then the Fury as NoShoes said other wise I'd go with Catt's suggestion and get the Powell. FM.

Beautiful fish, and sounds like an epic trip! FM

Ahyup, and is that the pot calling the kettle black? You asked about the Met's... I gave you my opinion.

Ding, ding! Winner, winner chicken dinner! FC doesn't liked to be kinked at all. I use the improved clinch knot (six turns) on my fluoro to terminal tackle and the Palomar for braid. FM p.s. I do like the MK knot that Minnesota posted.

0351, Not sure why you sold the Bantams, I'm assuming they are the newer 18 model. I have a couple, three of both the 18 Bantam and the 20 Metanium. Both are very fine reels. I just don't see much performance difference comparing the Bantam to the Metanium. FM

Glen L. Evans Loco lure, Daredevil Imp, Daredevil Five of diamonds, Swedish Pimple.

Hi Scud, You already hit the nail on the head as far as my opinion on length. If you've got long arms or are tall. The only issue I see is being able to get across the tip of the bow with the rod tip if the fish decides to go under your kayak and come up on the other side. I've been tournament kayak fishing for about seven years now and I think my shortest rods are 6'10" and longest is 7'4". St. Croix makes a fine rod. I really like the Dobyns Sierra series rods too. Good luck in your quest! Fishingmickey

Heddon Dying Flutter, OK Wiggler & Heddon Crazy Crawler.

Hi Robert, Thought I'd toss my .02 in the pool also. There is a lot to learn about fishing lines and rated pound tests vs actual breaking strengths. You've got basically four categories of line: Monofiliment - floats Fluorocarbon - sinks Co-poly + is a combination of Fluorocarbon and Mono. not sure if it floats or sinks Braid - floats Trilene Big game, Trilene XT (extra tough) and XL (extra limp) are all monofiliment lines. The lines have different diameters for the same rated breaking strength. They don't usually break at the rated strength. They will break at higher rating. You will find that the larger diameter lines break at a higher tension. Yo-Zuri hybrid also breaks at a much higher then it's rating breaking strength. So this gets a lot of OMG fanfare "this line is so strong" I used it to pull a submerged stump and towed my buddies pontoon boat back into the dock without re-tying. Reality is there are a lot of good lines out there and a ton of information here on the forum. Topwater lures perform better with lighter floating lines. Using straight braid has it's issues too, (for me) especially with walking type baits. With braid being very limp. No stiffness or memory, it has much more of a tendency to foul on the hooks of the lure. Where using mono line with some stiffness and memory it doesn't get "fouled" as easily. Running straight Mono or a co-poly is a good bet. If you go braid, tying on a mono leader onto your braid with many of the recommended knots Uni, Alberto, (FG knot for me). It gives you the best of both worlds. It's also more complicated and adds another knot in the line. I could go on much further and in more detail. The information is purely based on my own experiences and conclusions from using different types of fishing line. If your asking about small popper and tiny torpedo's using a spinning rod. IMHO Berkley XL in 8#. Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Big Game or XT you could probably go to 6# and you'd still have probably a 10 lb breaking strength or better. Those should work great for you. Good luck! Fishingmickey

I'm in agreement about the spinning reels especially on the low and mid priced end. I don't have any of the high end spinners of either brand. FM

Kistler is running a sale right now, The Kistler Graphite is 99.00, The Magnesium 2 is 129.00. Both are fine rods IMHO. FM

I'd rank the Bantam right up there with the 20 Metanium's. FM

I'd check out Berkely's Lighting or Shock rods. I've had a couple in the past that I thought were an excellent value for the money. Also Diawa's Arid series or Shimano's Sellus series are pretty decent rods for little money too. Just not sure what's available in two piece. Good luck in your hunt! FM P.S. The only two piece I found at TW was the Shimano Clarus. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SHIMNORODS.html?from=basres

Luke did ya ever get that kayak? FM

X2 with Catt's suggestion. Old school straight shank round bend worm hook. 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu for the 5-7" worm and 5/0-7/0 for 9" worms and up. The majority of the hook-ups with a round bend straight shank are usually through the roof of the mouth. I also use the EWG hooks when Texas rigging too. I do prefer the standard EWG over the superline for weightless plastic fishing (fluke, swimbait or Senko). I'd almost betcha you'll get the next one to hand! Fishingmickey