ClayBuster

I'm down in Monroe County. I fish for a lot of river smallies in the Raisin, and largemouth in a lot of smaller lakes in the nearby area. Mid- March open water sounds good to me, too.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the responses. Sounds like I'll be steering clear of the XPS hooks and stocking up on Trokar and Gamakatsu hooks

Awesome, thanks guys. Saving a couple bucks definitely isn't worth the trouble and lost fish.

I searched for previous posts regarding these hooks and was unable to find any information, so forgive me if this has previously been covered. I recently saw that Bass Pro will have their XPS hooks on sale during the Spring Classic and I'm considering buying a decent amount. But before I stock up on a ton of XPS hooks, I was hoping to hear some feedback from some people that may have used them. Are they quality hooks? Sharp? Durable? As a point of reference, I typically use Gamakatsu hooks, so I am looking for something of similar quality. I would really appreciate any feedback you guys may have. Hope you all have a good day.

Thank-You to everyone for the advice. I went to check the kayak out today and came home the proud new owner of a WS Ride 115X in excellent condition. Can't wait to get it rigged up and out on the water.

Thank-You for your reply! Those were about the only methods I could come up with as well. Looks like I'll just have to just look it over very carefully. Thanks, again.

Hi All, I've recently been in the market for my first fishing kayak and stumbled across a used Wilderness Systems Ride 115X for what I believe to be a fair price. After a bit of research I have determined that the Ride 115X will definitely fulfill my requirements. As I stated previously, this will be my first kayak, and because of this I am slightly concerned with buying it used. So I am hoping that there may be a few here that could offer up some advice on how to make sure that I am not being sold a pile of junk. My primary concern is the possibility of any undisclosed leaks that the kayak may have. Does anyone have any tips on the best/quickest way to identify leaks prior to handing over my cash? Are there any other important questions to ask, or specific areas of the kayak to inspect before purchasing? I would greatly appreciate any/all advice that you guys may have on this. Thank-You in advance, and Merry Christmas!

Owningsky, I have a little experience fishing the River Raisin in Monroe. I'm far from an expert, but may be able to offer a few pointers. The Raisin covers a good chunk of land so, if you'd like, message me with a slightly more specific location and we can discuss some details. Also, you may have some luck asking questions here, http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/. You will probably stand a better chance of getting your question in front of someone with local knowledge that will help you with your specific situation.