FryDog62

Left 80 degrees in South Carolina for a wedding back in Northern Minnesota. Had planned 2 days of fishing afterwards, but because of 40 degree weather, rain and 30-40 mph winds only got a half day in. But found a few good ones on jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and Mini Max chatterbaits.

As a long-time user of YZH, 15 lb might be slightly less stretch, but I’ve found manageability of that line degrades pretty rapidly heavier than 12 lb. I think I’ve heard others comment on this as well.

If it’s loud, gaudy, and cheap - it works!

I always use backing for braid. I use some cheap, high viz co-polymer or mono from Cabelas (although other places have it too). That way, when the braid gets low, you can start to see the bright line at the end of a long cast coming through and helps gauge how soon you need to add more braid. I think I bought a 600 yard spool of the cheap stuff for like $5 bucks.

A buddy of mine had a flat when we were trailering his boat to Canada years ago. He had a relatively new spare but it was down to about 12 lb PSI when we put it on. It blew 15 miles later as we got into town so we were okay (barely). Nowadays I make sure to check the tire pressure on the spare whenever I check the other tires… plus I have a tire compressor in the vehicle now. I seem to get smarter every time something goes wrong .. lol

I'm a bit OCD on trailer safety, but replace my trailer tires (including the spare) at 5 years regardless if tread wear is light. The cost of the additional spare tire isn't that much more and is good insurance if/when you do have a flat.

We'll probably target smb first day and lmb the second. Not entirely set on which lakes yet, but likely the smaller/mid-sized we have fished before given the weather forecast. Don't really want to be on Leech or Mille Lacs if it's cold/blowing. The good thing there about 300 lakes to choose from in Cass County alone!

This rod has a unique "specially added reel seat nut to provide comfort for your finger while working the bait." I have only seen 2 reviews on the rod, and one person loved the reel seat nut, and the other decided to sand it off (?). Looking for any other people with feedback on this specific feature, and any other impressions as a jerkbait/topwater rod. TIA

90 degree heat is crazy in MN, its only 70's here in SC... of course when I'm heading to Northern MN in a week to fish they are forecasting a high of 48 where I'm going... drat

I agree, on my bass boat I had a rod each for topwater and one for jerkbaits. Kayak forces you to make decisions and limit to one rod. I have used 30 lb for both before and put on a mono leader that floats for topwater, and works reasonably well for jerkbaits. But it’s a compromise, and I find braid snaps more and that isn’t always a good thing when jerkbaiting in the cold water periods. Have to be really conscious of not over-working the lure. I don’t think there’s an easy solution here… Not familiar with SuperNatural mono, but sounds interesting… appears to be a thinner diameter than many monos or co-polies. How is the breaking strenght?

Yes, YZH is a great line. Crazy but 8 lb YZH is the equivalent thickness of 12 lb Sniper - and 6 lb YZH is about the same as 10 lb Sniper. Something about any 6 lb line scares me to death for any power fishing technique!

I prefer 10 lb fluoro for jerkbaits… and 30 lb braid for topwater… However, my challenge now in a kayak is versatility in the 8 rods I can carry. So I have one primary rod for the combo platter of jerkbaits and topwater lures. Anyone use a mono or co-poly that they like to use for both techniques? If so - what brand, pound test, etc?

17 lb fluoro for buzzbaits.. 30 lb. braid for all other topwater… 10 lb braid, 7 lb Sniper leader for BFS

Hope you get back out if you can 👍 I’m in MN the week after opener by Hackensack - hoping for some pre-spawn chubbies!

Fan of fishing gloves here... I get dark from the sun, really dark if I don't cover up and my hands get pretty weathered if I don't. I wear the Fish Monkey "Free Style Custom Fit" gloves that have full fingers, but you can cut off the tips however you like. I cut 9 of the 10 off - and leave my left thumb tip covered so I can lip fish. I have had 2 nasty infections on my thumb in the past, one staph so now I don't mess around. I can still do most everything with the gloves on, except some knots. Then I take one glove off, tie and put back on. Pretty easy actually.

Koz and I fished Lake Kissimmee this past Winter. Didn’t see many gators, but they are there. I believe that Kissimmee has the most gators per acre in the state of Florida (probably the country). Real tragedy - -

Braid usually… an exception BFS. In BFS, when casting say 10 lb braid - the line is so light/limp that you are entirely relying on the weight of the lure to get distance. If that’s a 1/16 oz hair jig it doesn’t go that far. Substitute the braid with 6-7 lb fluorocarbon which is denser and that 1/16th oz hair jig benefits from the added weight of the line plus the lure and you get more distance.

I’m 95% Neko over Shaky head - the nose is pliable on a Neko and doesn’t get stuck in rocks as easy as a Shaky. And a Neko hook being a little higher up the worm seems to stay out of the fine mossy stuff better.

Trailer backs right into the water. People that have a stern mounted motor can load right onto the trailer without getting wet (although they lack the spot-lock feature). Those that own the bow mounts like me, just hop in the water (or wear NRS boots if super cold water) and pull onto the trailer. @Kayak Koz on this site got me into a winch that pulls the boat up tight to the rollers for a solid connection. Don’t absolutely need the winch, but it sure is nice when the total weight of the kayak, motor, batteries, equipment, etc out-weighs the angler.

I have an Autopilot which is extremely stable - at a cost, it is quite heavy. Initially I loaded the yak in a vehicle and used a Wilderness Kart to roll it to the launch. It can be done but it is a beast to lift, and get positioned on the cart, especially when pulling out of the water. I still do it at remote launches where I can’t access by vehicle, but it’s a challenge. I ended up with a Right-On Ruff trailer for about $1000. Best investment yet. And unlike a lot of small trailers is rated for highway speeds above 65 mph.

For the major tournament trails like Bassmaster, KBF, etc. you can use peddle/paddle but since motors are allowed that’s what pretty much everyone has. Some of the smaller leagues and adventure groups may not allow motors. For my money, boat control and wind are such an issue in a kayak that I think you at least want peddle. If padding, I think you are adjusting as much as your casting most days. … And spot-lock is your best friend👍

I have mostly all Tatula Elites, but one Steez SV TW and one Zillion SV TW. In my opinion, the only reason to own an SV reel is to skip lures. And they do a phenomenal job at that. However, SV reels, including the Zillion even with booster, lack greatly in terms of casting distance. I find myself over-casting to get normal range and find them frustrating, especially when switching rod/reels with Elites on them throughout the day. I know SV spools are touted for casting light lures, but I think they are a dud there too. I use BFS reels for that and can really zing a light lure quite effortlessly and farther. I’ll take my Elites, or even the Tatula 100, over my Zillion any day. Besides skipping…

I try to use a variety of brands now. For years I was all St. Croix until I found forbidden fruit of other brands. After using other rods, it was tough going back to anything Medium Heavy or Heavy in St. Croix. They are just heavy, tip-weighted rods to me. St. Croix did a disservice to themselves when they added rod weights to the chart on their home page. Heavy buggers! High quality rods, but fatiguing and cumbersome IMO. Dobyns rods are heavy too, but they do a heckuva better job balancing them. Still like some of St. Croix ML and Medium rods though, they are just light enough. That lesson taught me not to get too caught up with any one brand, it’s good to compare.

I know Wprich above said he threw 110 jr’s on the GLX just fine. How does the Oneten Special throw that or an even slightly lighter Zumverno 95 (.33 oz)?

Have you fished both the 6’5” and the 6’11? Curious if you have a preference there… Also, one concern with megabases is the three-year warranty versus Loomis lifetime. Both rods are great quality, but the two blanks that I’ve snapped in my life were both megabass which gives me some pause on a $500 rod.