paleus

Any new truck is going to have traction control, so if a wheel starts spinning it will automatically brake the slipping wheel with the ABS system. I wouldn't worry about getting the locker unless you're gonna do some serious offroading. 4x4 by itself should be able to handle slippery ramp situations. Just be sure to stop first before engaging 4x4. If your rear wheels are spinning and the fronts still when you engage 4x4 you might blow something up.

The Buffalo is a good option, lots of outfitters to help with shuttling you around. There's also Crooked Creek which I've heard is an excellent smallmouth stream, but I've never fished it. I hope to this year. The Buffalo can be crowded with people on the weekends but is pretty quiet during the week. The Ned Rig always produces for me on the Buffalo. ZMan TRD in Green Pumpkin/White combo is my favorite color. Inline spinners also work well.

I've got a double cab short bed. There's really no room for normal sized humans in the back of an access cab. You can get a double cab with the 6' bed if you want the extra bed length. I put my 12' kayak in my 5' bed and haul it around no problem. I've never run into a situation where I needed a longer bed, but I have wished it was wider a few times.

I would get a V6 tacoma. The I4 tacomas are pretty underpowered and don't get really any better fuel economy than the V6 because they are working so hard, especially if they are towing something. A 17 foot aluminum boat is around 2500 lbs dry, that's getting awful close to the max capacity for an I4. I drive a doublecab V6 Tacoma and it tows a 15 ft aluminum mod v like it's not there.

+1 on the Boomerang The Snip

This has been my experience with the FG knot. It holds great until that first loop slips off the end of the leader, then it all comes undone. I know you have to pull really hard to set the knot so the braid really bites into the leader. I just can't get it to work reliably on small diameter lines. Plus, the alberto is easier to tie.

Alberto is what I would use.

I've tried many different knots and settled on 3. Arbor knot for trying to the spool, Alberto knot for braid to leader, San Diego Jam knot for line to lure. I might tie a Palomar if I am tying braid direct to a lure.

1. Ned Rig 2. Ned Rig 3. Pop-R 4. Inline Spinner 5. Ned Rig Green pumpkin on the Ned Rig, baby bass Pop-R, white Spinner.

Totally different battery chemistries.

With the scupper plugs in my slayer and paddling so that I don't sling water into the boat, I can stay really dry. Dry enough that I'll go fishing in jeans and not get any wetter than I would in a boat. If it's raining, you're gonna get wet no matter what you're in. But a SOT kayak will drain instead of filling up with water.

What? Just the opposite in my opinion. Kayaks are self draining, can't get swamped by a wave. Kayaks are usually more stable, the ones designed for fishing anyways. Kayaks usually have a more comfortable seat. Can't take a canoe out in the ocean beyond the breakers. Kayaks have a shallower draft so don't get hung up on rocks like a canoe. Kayaks have a lower profile so are less affected by wind. The list goes on...

That's in my home town yesterday. Southeast AR.

Berkley lightning rod shock

I learned to fish from my dad and we used nothing but Big Game and caught plenty of fish. I grew up and decided to try braid and I will never go back to mono or even fluoro as a main line. The sensitivity you get with braid just cannot be beat. I know there has to be bites that I did not feel when using mono that I definitely could have felt with braid. And it is much easier to tell the difference between being hung up and there being a fish there. Maybe it is not for you, but I would at least try it.

Everything. 30lb braid with 12lb fluoro leader on casting rods, 15lb braid with 8lb fluoro leader on spinning rods.

Yep, I do this because the color fades on the braid. Flip it around and it is just like new. If you've got a couple extra reels laying around, it is easy, just like making a 3 point turn. Reel the line onto the first spare reel, then the second, then back on to the original reel and it will be reversed.

Check out the Abu Veritas and Vendetta. The Vendetta seems to be a little stiffer than the Veritas. Both under $100

I started doing it with a razor knife and then finished it up with the dremel. I took a lighter and melted the rough edges. Still ugly, but it works.

That's cool. That is the only section I haven't floated, Rush landing to the White river. I've heard that is where the best fishing is. I'm hoping to fish Crooked Creek this year too. Check out Cadron Creek too, it's just north of Greenbrier and is a pretty fun float.

Hey, welcome. I live in Conway and float and fish the Buffalo often in the summer. Maybe I'll see you out there.

My mistake, I thought you were talking about the ZMan Shroomz.

I don't have any problem getting the Ned rig rigged up right on the zman jigheads with the elaztech baits. They're so tough, just pull em off and try again if it's not right. But, I would imagine those bait keepers would destroy any non elaztech plastics.

I make my leader about 6ft, one wingspan for me, use it until it gets down to a foot or so and then retie. I'm not sure if the visibility makes a ton of difference. I've fished when they didn't seem to care and then other times, having a leader made the difference between bites and no bites. I mainly like it because it is easier than braid to break off if I get hung up.

I would say the SOT kayaks designed for standing in would be more stable than a canoe. Plus, they can't be swamped by a wave.