YourBassIsGrass

Up until november when I got a my subaru outback I was hauling my 16' sportspal on a Scion tC. I used a Yakima canoe kit with the foam blocks and three straps (front going under the hood, back going into the trunk and one wrapped around the center through the doors). Never had an issue. Snug it down tight and check the straps before getting onto highways.

There are very stable options in both SOT and canoes, it is the combination of all the things that you want to do in your watercraft that will ultimately decide what you want. How are you transporting? Will you be able to lift and load a 90lb kayak if you are car-topping? Do you want to take people with you? How much junk are you going to want to put in the boat? How much do you want to spend? Both crafts are capable for fishing and both can be very stable, but as Tracker22 said, losing your balance can happen and you will get wet on both types if that happens.

So will there be an official 'weigh' in at the end of the day...or is it going to be a honor system by taking pics of the catch next to a measure stick? What other areas would you plan on having as tournament spots?

If you are looking at the sportspal you will definitely want to go bigger than the 12 for two people. I have the s-15 and am happy with the size and stability. I can shoulder the canoe myself and when I had a car was able to cartop without issue. At 67lbs it isn't light, but it is more than manageable. I am only 5'9" 150lbs. As for paddling...if you are going solo, yes it is a pig. However, they do sell the oar lock pins that turn the paddles into oars and you can sit in the center to row the boat. They have those on all their models too so even then s-14 and s-12 can be turned into row boats. I have not purchased those as I too went directly to a trolling motor setup and use that almost 100% of the time. I had a trolling motor die on me last year and my brother-in-law and I paddled about 6 miles round trip through the day. It wasn't fast by any means, but it went where we pointed it and got us to the fish. Durability, still to be seen. I have had it for one season and so far I have some scrapes with missing paint. I have bumped into standing timber and things while being pushed by current/wind and have zero dents. I am careful with it and don't foresee any serious issues with it. The only real differences other than weight between the sportspal and radisson are the number of sheets used to form the canoe, the keels and the thickness. I don't have any seat time in a radisson to give my 2 cents though.

If you are looking for something really stable and are already looking at over $1k price tag...I really recommend a sportspal canoe. Not only is it lighter than the big rig (30lbs+ lighter) but it can hold two people very well and standing to fish is done with ease. I have a 15' square stern but you could get away with a 14' double ender with two people and still stand. For one person it would be more than enough stability and you can stow and go by yourself (im 5'10" 155lb and can load mine alone). Your profile says you are in Bedford, there is a dealer (also sells kayaks including the Lure) in New Stanton. Rocky Mountain Kayaks. He has a demo pond and will let you test out whatever you want. Great guy and good pricing.

They didn't. They literally tattoo'd right over it. If you have something dark going on, most of the time they can 'hide' the older tattoo under the new ink. If you want a tattoo permanently removed your only options are 1) cut it off, 2) laser removal

Ah, the good ol' Allegheny whitefish. Their population has been declining over the years in the burgh after they moved the keeper size up to the Magnum XL.

Goose52 was the initial spark of the flame for me to pursue getting a Sportspal. I saw his rigged out and he had stated the bigger ones were more stable. Then I saw 'The BEST fishing canoe' video and was hooked. I was debating on the S14 so I could shave some weight, but ended up on the S15 for the bigger motor capacity and more stability. I really couldn't find any definitive answers on how stable the boat was so I figured the bigger the better. Overall, really really happy with the canoe. I will keep an eye out for the rocks thanks for the heads up.

This is more of a review than anything and figured this would be a good place for others that are looking for a great fishing canoe to gain some info. Last year I picked up my first canoe. A Mad River Adventure 16. It was a good craft, nice seats and paddled easy. Ran some creeks with it and had a blast. However, it had inherently weak initial stablity and that combined with a bigger sized (270+ lbs) co-paddler made for some uncomfortable and wet lake outings. After dumping into a lake last year, losing two rods and a tray of tackle, I went on the search for something better. I wanted something that I could really fish out of and use to access some electric only lakes where a canoe is really the best option. A jon boat is a bit heavy to take out myself if I need to drag it to the water and I would lose my garage. I needed something I could car top. The Sportspal meets every expectation I had and then some. Weighing in at 68lbs or so it was already 20lbs lighter than the Mad River. I can car top by myself and shoulder it to walk it to the water. The stability is amazing. My 270lb co-paddler and I took it out for the maiden voyage, as that was going to be its true test. Within the first 15 minutes I was standing and fishing. Literally taking steps and pitching baits into cover. On the Mad River I could, with exteme caution, stand for a moment to stretch my legs or look downstream. On this canoe I can literally do jumping jacks. By the end of that first trip out, my co-paddler stood up to stretch while we were powered by the trolling motor. Not the smartest idea, but it does go to show how confident we were in the boat. The square stern is close enough to the rear seat that you can easily work a trolling motor (or outboard, the S-15 is rated up to 5hp) and not so close the handle is jammed into your back. The foam liner makes everything nice and quiet and the gunwale seats are very comfortable without any additional seating pads (although i will pick up some seat backers so my passengers can relax and lay back a bit). As for paddling, the included paddles were comfortable to use and moved the canoe very nicely. The keel on the boat helped track it well and with some conscious reminders to myself not to follow the gunwale while paddling the boat stayed well on track even in wind. I had done my research on the Sportspal for over a year before buying. Mainly because I couldn't test paddle one at the time and I could never get a real determination anywhere as to whether it really was that stable. Some other forums talking about this canoes stability had some die hard purists that refused to accept that someone would want to stand in a canoe. Well I did want to. I want to put it out there that the Sportspal is absolutely stable. Going from a canoe that would nearly roll while someone picked up a split shot, to being able to stand and work a jig is absolutely worth it. Time will tell on the durability, so far I picked up a few scratches here and there and as this was a 'return' at the place I bought it I got a great price for it having a dent in the rear thwart. I really can't say how well it will hold up over years of use. I will definitely not be taking it on my creek bombing runs that I took the old Mad River on. Although it will more than likely withstand some bumps and dings, I am not a paddling expert and from my past experience know that I will hit some rocks. Hahaha, last time I went out on the Mad River my brother in law and I hit a rock so hard we slid off the seats. So, minus the creek runs, by far this canoe is my ultimate fishing vessel. If you are in the market for a highly stable, lightweight, car-toppable boat. The Sportspal will not let you down.

This. This is the most gut wrenching sad story of the bunch, and at the same time would have been hilarious to watch happen. I just picture you standing there in a cast finishing pose with a bewildered look on your face. Like, "how the f#$k did that just happen?" The worst I have lost is the top tray of my 3 tier plano box, a rod and a shoe. Tipped the ol canoe in some backwater when the old man reached to grab a dropped rod. Soon as he leaned over the gunwale we were in the drink. My tackle box was floating next to me and I was able to recover it (minus the contents of the top tray) before it went to the bottom. My second rod's line was looped around my leg so I 'reeled' it in. It wasn't until I was climbing back in on the bank that I realized my shoe was gone too. We had a good chuckle about that and it took the sting out of losing the rods and tackle (only slightly). My wife was supportive and listened to me mope about losing all that stuff. But after the second week of hearing me wimper, "I lost all that tackle" she had enough. The fastest lost lure I have ever seen would go to my brother-in-law. He refuses to remember how to tie a fisherman's knot and it has cost him so many lures on the cast it isn't even funny. He will struggle for 30 minutes trying to get a knot on the lure, toss it out, reel in an empty line and repeat. I have tried so many times to teach him, it just never sticks from one outing to the next. But his all time best/quickest loss was while tying on a berkley weighted plastic swimbait, he just lost grip of it and dropped it. It bounced into the water and out of sight. He just shrugged, pulled another one out and said, "well, at least I didn't waste all that time tying the knot".

I know you meant fishing, but wishing is sometimes needed

Whatever you end up going with, DO NOT and I mean DO NOT purchase the berkley hot line cutter. I made that mistake. Fool me once Berkley. Absolutely will not cut wet braid. It sinks the heat out of the tip into the water in the line and will not heat up enough to cut. Plus, the replacement tip doesn't even stay in the tool. Absolute garbage.

Buzzbait, spinnerbait, swim jigs, swim baits, chatterbait. Let's him cast a bunch and reel a lot to feel like he is doing something. At least it will let him change it up a bit. Frogs are a good one, maybe a mouse. With the summer coming into full swing those would be fun for early morning/late evening. Nothing beats a good live minnow though. Might be fun just to switch up the live bait to something new too. Whatever you end up with, hope you have some fun times out there with your son.

So my brother in law and I went out on fathers day for a half day of fishing fun. Ended up bagging about 2 dozen bluegill. Had some fun on the water for the day, packed everything up and headed home. Put the canoe on the car got to the house and unloaded everything. Hanging the canoe back up, storing the vests and paddles and canoe in their appropriate location in the garage. It was pretty hot out so we decided to clean the fish just inside my garage to stay out of the sun. I figured the scales, head and guts I would put in a bucket and just bury it them all in the backyard. We cleaned them all and had everything put away before the wife got back from the pool. Even gave the garage a good rinse out Whew, just sneaked that one in! She comes strolling home only to immediately notice that the garage smells like fish. Dang it! So I tell her it was only temporary and the smell would clear out after leaving the door open for the evening. So I did just that and let it be. Monday morning. Smell is a tad bit worse . Its just some left over fish slime I spotted and the towel that I used to hold the fish while cleaning them, right? So I pick up some clorox on the way home from work. Monday evening, smell is pretty noticeable, like going to the aquarium at the zoo. Wife is not happy. I tell her I'm going to fix it up right away. I head down there and put the fish towel into double trash bags and re-clean everything with clorox. Smells just like a pool now. She will be sooo happy that it is back to normal now. Tuesday morning. Wow, smell is back with a vengeance! Figure that it just needs a bit more clorox right? So the day passes while we are at work. Get home after a 95 degree day and boy is the smell bad. Seriously bad. Wife is to the point of anger now. The smell is creeping into the house. The furnace/ac is right next to the garage and it is now pulling the smell into the upper floors. Not good. Now we are on the verge of serious anger here. She tells me how i get fish guts all over my clothes and life vests and boat and never clean it before coming back into the house. ​ .. .. . Oh the boat! Oh man totally forgot about keeping the catch in the bottom of the boat all day. I bet the fish slime is what is smelling. I pull the boat off the pulleys in the garage and flip it over. Pour some bleach into it and wash it out and around. Flip it over and dump the water out. Give it the ole sniff test. Whew! Terrible still. Man that must be really on there, let me grab a rag to really scrub it. As I turn to grab the rag, sitting just under the molded seat is a bluegill. Eyes shriveled. Skin yellowed and flies hugging it. Somehow my brother in law and I lost count of the fish, didn't count them right catching them, putting them into the cooler at the car, cleaning them, gutting them, bagging them. And, that little lucky gill managed to stay in the boat after flipping it 3 times before being put away and riding 10 miles home. I'll see you guys out on the water once my punishment is served! hahahahaha!

X2. If you put on loose fitting moisture wicking clothes that cover your body. The air space between your skin and the clothing insulates the heat from your skin. As an added bonus if the clothing can wick moisture easily (cotton/performance fibers) the evaporation of sweat is even more cooling. Middle easterners have been doing this for centuries.

It's a tie for me, Zoom Finesse Pumpkin and Gulp Nightcrawler Black. Although I absolutely cannot find the black nightcrawler in stock anywhere near me. I have looked in every store I have stopped at just to look for them and can never find them. I picked up some in the 'natural' color and they don't seem to have the same magic in them. The original ones I found in black were on super sale at cabelas on an end cap.

X2 I use the same brands, they had a sale at Dick's Sporting Goods and now that I know how it feels to wear it all, I would pay full price for the same items again.

2 shirts just so I have a clean one. I wear it dirty now if I fish back to back days. As far as the sunscreen on my fingertips, I guess I should, but right now without gloves I don't put sunscreen on my hands. So I'm not exactly 100% covered. However, if I had even finger-less gloves I would be that much more covered.

I have Columbia Tamaimi II shirt and Columbia Backcast convertible pants. I wasn't sure how well it would work out and now looking back should have at least picked up a second shirt for those weeks I can get 2 days on the water back to back. The Buff I have is this one: http://buffusa.com/sports/collections/uv-buff-reg/styles/uv-buff-tarpon-scales?gclid=CLmsmfCQ2r4CFesDOgod2ygAFw The buff is a little scratchy if I have a few days growth on my beard, but I only notice it when I am putting it on. It is really thin material though so really breathes well. Plus as I said before, dipping it in the water is instant air conditioning. I may pick up some gloves here soon. But not sure what kind to get. I want fingerless, and I want them to be extremely lightweight. I'm open for suggestions on that one.

Having recently purchased a real 'fishing' outfit so that I can avoid sunscreen for the first time this year, I can say 100% i will never go back to sunscreen. The entire outift is so much cooler (temperature wise) than going without. I usually wear it with a hat so there is zero sun on my face. The long sleeve and pants are extremely light weight. So much so that in the morning I usually have something on over it. Once the sun is out and it warms up, if it is to the point that I feel hot, I dip the buff in the lake and put it back on. Having the cool water against your jugular/carotid cools you down incredibly quick. It is like air conditioning. It may look a hot to wear long sleeves/pants/headgear, but honestly it is the complete opposite. Those guys living in the middle east have it right. Long loose fitting clothes are cooler than minimal wear. Not only am I protected from the sun, but I am cooler (temperature) than anyone wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I was out today and it was about 85-90, didn't even break a sweat.

@Zach, I feel you on the first love situation. With plastics and rapala's those seemed to just 'click' the first time I used them. Since then it becomes hard to drag yourself away from the old tried and true. @ho0ah212002 I fall victim to exactly this, tie something new on and don't try all the tricks before putting it back in the box. Then if I head back to the familiar stuff and catch something the new item was probably defective @WVBassin87 That is exactly what prompted me to write this. I am buying things left and right because they look good, but never try out the stuff I bought the week before! The go to baits get tons of game time but the new stuff only gets cycled in for a couple of casts at best.

Definitely a fun little lure. I throw it around the shallows and usually get hit right as it lands. Throw it around brush and logs as though a bug fell off and into the water. Caught a few that way this past weekend. Bring some pliers though, the little trebles stick to fingers and bass lips equally well.

You would think being as though they were originally a mail order company, they would have the whole mailing ordeal on lock. Unfortunately not the case. I never order from them anymore. I put a Cabela's order in last Monday. Everything was at my door on last Thursday. It was even during a free shipping event.

I guess everyone has their own comfort zone. Their go to lure/bait. It is hard to move away from the tried and true. I must push myself though. I want to have new tools to try out on the water. I think experience will play a large part in what bait I reach for the more I get out. As of now I just go with a 'hunch' that some fish should be there. Never really knowing if baits don't work because there is no fish, I am using the wrong bait, or just using the bait incorrectly.

Do you not find joy in group 2 because of the pace of fishing, the strike of the fish on those baits, or because of lack of success? Not trying to highjack, just curious as to how you found your way to preferring group 1 over group 2.