FryDog62

If given the choice of Live or 360, I think Live is the better choice if you're only going to have one. I am adding Helix/360 to my existing Garmin/Livescope. Two transducer poles in the water, we'll see how it works, or if I trip any gators below lol.

My balance and legs still feel as good, strong and agile as they have ever been. I did have a bad reaction to statin cholesterol medicine 15 years ago that wreaked havoc on my legs. I workout/stretch daily and do the exercise bike to combat this. I can still outrun most guys I know half my age. But I can't stand in one place for any length of time. If I do, my legs throb like an Excedrin headache on steroids. So converting from bass boat boat to kayak where you sit most of the time has actually been good for me, even though it was a very tough decision to sell my Lund. Everyone is dealing with something as you get over a certain age. Tom, I hope you find the right "balance" to keep you on the water. Keep at it !

I picked the wrong week to upgrade my Helix and add 360 Imaging to my kayak too. Waiting on transducer mount that has been delayed with USPS... then assembly before hitting the water finally.

I'm anxious to find out - unfortunately my schedule now is uncertain but looking forward to testing all the gear out!

Conclusion: Reel was a lemon. Sent it back in exchange for the exact same reel. Works like it should, and I’m back on the water 👍

7 foot Medium/Medium-Heavy Extra Fast Tatula Elite-Ehrler rod Tatula SV TW 7.1:1 12 lb Sniper fluorocarbon Owner Twistlock Light hook, either weightless or 3/32 oz 4/0 hook The owner hook is pretty flawless in terms of hook up ratio. It’s a thinner hook for good penetration, but I have never bent one out even on 40 inch pike.

This… There are times I just liked using straight fluorocarbon to get a uniform sink rate with finesse techniques. Eventually spinning reels turn into a twist problem and I gave up. The braid/leader thing created a bow in the line and I found was a pain to mange when reeling up to set the hook, or dealing with any kind of wind. So I did try something else - went to BFS when using light fluorocarbon. Much less twist if any on a baitcaster. Best solution I’ve found yet.

Somethings not right with the reel, am exchanging it for a new one but won’t be back in town til mid week to test out. Fingers crossed I just got a lemon 🍋

Good idea, will try that next. Thx

I don’t believe that’s the issue, and would think if it was - it would affect casting as well which it does not appear to.

Wondering for those that have this reel - if you’ve noticed that the retrieve (reeling the lure back towards you) is harder to do? Does it feel like there is more resistance reeling in? I recently received an Aldebaran BFS and have done all the usual settings - tension knobs, brakes, drag. Casts ok, but I would say it’s about 2-3 times harder to reel in. Doesn’t rub or grind, just more effort. Can do it, but doesn’t feel like any other reel (BFS or non-BFS) that I’ve ever owned. Is this just the unique feel of this particular reel? I also have a Curado BFS and 2 other brands of BFS reels. They are completely effortless to retrieve. Not this one… Thoughts?

I bought the PVC at Home Depot ($90 each?). Plus the end cap kit ($70 each?) off of Amazon. Put a vinyl wrap around it and called ‘er good 👍

BTW - Owner hooks 30% off on TW right now ~

Experiment, may have to move down a notch in power from a 734… closer to a true medium.

I’ve tried other hooks and some are ok and some so-so. Some have too wide of a gap and the plastic seems to sag in the middle, and swimming action and hook up ratio sometimes suffer. The Owner seems just the right gap and although it’s a “Light” hook, I have never bent one out even when hooking pike/muskies or fishing heavy vegetation in Florida. If I’m fishing outside weed edges or any depth at all, I use the 3/32 oz 4/0 hook… if I’m fishing shallow and/or skipping docks (Caffeine Shad skips extremely well) then it’s the weightless hook. The 4/0 aligns perfectly with the 5 inch Caffeine Shad. As far as rod, I think a medium fast or extra fast works well, a medium heavy might be too much. I actually use a 7 ft Daiwa Tatula Elite Ehrler rod which is a Medium/Medium Heavy extra fast with 12 fluorocarbon. The Tatula SV reel is great for skipping purposes. I would not recommend a moderate or parabolic rod, a friend of mine uses that and seems he either can’t react to quick strikes and is also unable to skip the lure very well. If you’ve got $270 to shell out, the new Splittail rod from ALX looks about perfect. Although a ML it’s a plus closer to medium.

First, you have to use that hook not just any wide gap. The 3/32 oz Owner is center weighted and keeps the plastic in a more horizontal swimming position. The magic is the air bubble in the tail of the Caffeine Shad. It not only helps to keep it horizontal, but between that and the heavy salt content, it just undulates and swims forward slowly on its own. Very subtly, but after you cast it out let it do its thing on slack or semi-slack line for 4-5 seconds. It will usually swim a little, then slow down, change directions and swim awhile on its own again. Then give it 1 or 2 quick twitches, it will dart/rise and start its spiral/swimming action again. Sometimes you work it fast, other times fairly slow. Get it as close to the weedline as you can or until it makes contact and keep working it back. Many strikes happen when it’s free swimming, so have slack in your line but not too much as you may have to set the hook quickly.

The suggestions for a jerk bait are very good. However, if weeds are a factor, try a 5 inch Caffeine Shad on a 4/0 Owner Twistlock Light hook - either weightless or 3/32 oz depending on depth. Cast it out and let it swim on its own on semi-slack line for 4-5 seconds and/or until it makes contact with the weeds, then a couple twitches to bring it up again and longer pauses to let it do its self-swimming thing again. A hard jerkbait and steady cadence will get reaction bites, but the Caffeine Shad will draw out quality fish from the weedline like few other lures can do. When we had the cabin in Wisconsin, this was the #1 lure for both smallmouth and largemouth and no one else was doing it.

My Blackpack Pro holds 8 rods so that’s how many I take on any given trip, some rotation of the following baitcasting rods depending on where I’m headed: *7M+ Tatula Elite Ehrler for Caffeine Shads, Tatula SVTW for skipping. *Cashion ICON 7 ft Light BFS and Daiwa Air TW for topwater/small cranks. *7-2 Expride ML + Aldebaran BFS for Strolling, Hover Rigs. *7-1 Phenix Feather ML + Curado BFS w/Ned *7-1 Phenix Feather MH for Free Rigging. *7-1 Phenix Classic BFS Light + Ark Gravity BFS for 1/16th oz hair jigs *NRX 852 and Steez SVTW for wacky/Neko. *ALX Toadface for Toadz, buzzbaits. *ALX Dream for poop baits *ALX Enox Decoy for T-Rig worms *ALX Dragger for Carolina Rigs *Dobyns 734 for swim jigs *Dobyns 685 for jerkbaits, squarebills. *Megabass Perfect Pitch for football jigs *Alpha Angler Chatterbound for Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits and mid depth cranks. As I have switched (at least temporarily from bass boat to kayak) many of the single hook combos were 100% fluorocarbon but are now switching to braid + leader to get better hooksets on long casts. Harder to get leverage when you’re primarily sitting, or standing/balancing in one spot.

131 guy here...

This walk the dog action sometimes is the trick, especially in deeper waters where they just aren’t used to seeing that kind of action.

On techniques with a single hook and long casts (Carolina Rig, Swing Heads, Texas Rigs, Scat baits) I have switched to braid + leader now that I am a kayaker. You need that extra leverage when you hook one far out. You can’t take that longer step backwards many times in a kayak and lay the wood to them like you should with fluoro/mono. They'd eventually jump and spit the hook too many times. Previously, in my bass boat, those were all fluorocarbon techniques, a few times Yo-Zuri Hybrid.

I found with the 2.5 too many smaller fish bit off the tip… much more than a Ned. There are some videos out there on how to rig the 3.5 so they get better hook penetration and resist tearing a little more. Apparently by the inventor. Basically hook it Texas rig style, but before you skin hook it, pull the eye of the hook down about a quarter inch inside the body of the fat end. Then the other end of the hook (point) is positioned at the furthest point down and just into the slot where the body gets slightly thinner.

One of these depending on size of plastic..

Split shot rig is good for smallmouth, unless in rivers/lakes with rocky snags. Then try a Free Rig with a cylinder weight. You might still lose some but not nearly as many 👍