KayakKid

How close are you to the outflow? I have fished dams where the surface water was flowing fast, but the water nearest to the bottom had almost like an undertow to it. If I recall right the water would drag my bottom baits up to the dam, and then push them back out in almost like a circle pattern. Now I think if the bass were suspended closer to the bottom, they were probably where these two areas meet therefor in slower moving water. I think if you would be able to run like a spinnerbait or crankbait in that zone you would have no problem. Also it might be time to break out the 4lb braid to try and manage light lures better. Just a thought.

I too think I would get a new prop. You could try balancing it yourself, but I think you would end up with a chip chop prop, better suited to be an anchor.

I think I would get down there and see how the fishing is from shore first. Panama city has some great fishing from shore for Bluefish, Spanish mackerel, sea trout, red fish, and off the jetty there are always pompano, sheepshead and other species. This also really depends on where you are going though so don't think it's going to be like that everywhere. I'm not an good saltwater fisherman by any means yet somehow the fish always seem to be there and biting. Hope this helps.

This is something I was wondering about too. Just posted to follow the feed.

Imagine the kind of doughnuts you could do with an outboard strapped on the back! -or would that be the front?

I think you will be fine. Five battery's seems like to much though, I would just get two at the max. I have an 8 year old size 24 deep cycle battery in my 1448 mv that powers a 55lb thrust trolling motor, and I would be struggling to run it dry in a day running constantly at 1/4 speed. It doesn't charge from the motor and I have spent days traveling around the whole lake with no sign of it getting low. As for your deck, I think you will fine too. Boat ratings are always on the overrated side IMO, and as far as i'm concerned wardens and officers don't give a hoot about weight and hp ratings.

I don't know if this is relevant, but looking back, I would have bought a boat sooner and built my tackle from there. I was mostly bank fishing (with the exception of vacations) a couple years back, and when I bought a kayak the possibilitys became endlessly greater. Last year I upgraded from my kayak to my current 1448 Jon boat and again I wish I had done it sooner just because fishing from a boat is more productive for me and is such a convienience. If you already have a boat then you are set, and if not it's just something to think about too.

No, you will be fine rod and reel wise as long as you clean them before and after. Tackle is a little different though, I have had the split rings and hooks be totally fine, and others corrode and rust to hell, so I wouldn't want to be takeing any mega-bass lures or anything expensive like that. How well bass lures work in salt water isn't my expertise as for I fish live bait almost exclusively; however I have caught redfish and trout on flukes, and have caught mackerel and bluefish on spoons, cranks, and topwater. I have only fished a small canal a handful of times so I don't know about there, but on the ocean some stuff will work. Hope this is helpfull have a nice trip!

If you choose to go with power pro I would go to farm and fleet and look there first. Here in Janesville it was on sale today at 12.99 for 150yds, but regular price is still the cheapest I have found.

Welcome!

I thought the same thing. They're nice don't get me wrong, but I never use them just because there are better options.

Weight isn't an issue, simply reverse the leads of the bilge pump on the battery and pump like 500 pounds of water backwards into the boat. Hahahahahaha

As fleshy as their mouths are, they are tough like human skin. As far as hooks go, I would suggest something like the size of a nickel and extremely heavy duty (their mouths are like the size of a half dollor). I have snapped off countless of those cheap eagle claw hooks with the bait holders on monster carp, that It makes sence to buy the more expensive hooks in turn for they last longer. Hope this helps and best of luck

I bought a 7 foot ML spinning rod about two years ago and I love it. I've used it for bass since and it's been great. I would buy one again especially for 40 bucks.

I'm not 100% sure if I understand, but I think from what you're saying, you could just drill out the existing rivets and replace the unit with a similar one. Pictures would help I think, but maybe someone else knows what your talking about better.

You could use a small jerk-bait designed for crappie.

I have a Diawa pro caster and I love it. I just got a new Lews lightning tournament 100 size or something like that, but still I like the bigger feel of the Diawa.

Elaz-tech trailers come in the package with the original chatter bait, and the trailers hold up in my boxes when not in contact with regular plastics. I had only one chatter bait this past year and the Elaz-tec trailer on it lasted up until I lost it a couple weeks ago.

Within With in

How long have Phenix rods been around? I had first heard of them a couple months ago, but after seeing all of the reply's to this post it seems like they existed before Aaron Martins switched from mega-bass?

Alright, so yesterday while in the midst of a new project on my Jon boat I found that the foam in my boat was completely water logged. It was so bad that I could cut a chunk of it out and squeeze the water out to the point where it must have lost like 20X it's weight. I then realized that it was the reason my 1448 seemed to weigh 600 pounds and the reason that the tongue weight on my trailer was just more than 25 pounds. I concluded it absolutely needed to go. The problem is that I don't just want to replace it. All over online people seem to just hate foam weather it is closed cell or not, and I can now say that I share that hatred. Point of the matter I just don't know what to put in instead of foam. I thought that maybe instead I would get some big inter tubes at Fleet Farm, and just inflate them with like 5 psi every season. I thought that maybe I would fill the compartments with milk jugs and small plastic pop bottles, and I also even considered filling one of the compartments with some orange life jackets. I don't know what I am going to use yet, so I just want to know what you guys think would be the best alternative to foam. I realize that foam has great sound dampening quality's, and that is the sweet spot I'm trying to find. All help is appreciated, and 'bad' ideas are welcome too; some how I seem to like them more anyways.

Spanish mackerel are also pretty good too.

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/564620-deka-copper-battery-cable-lugs.html http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/036498-deka-marine-battery-terminal.html Here are some pretty inexpensive lugs and post adapters that you could install in 5 min.

If you are just talking about connecting the trolling motor's wires to your battery, I would just suggest making some little clips. Just make about two inch copper crimps out of 1/2 or 3/4 inch pipe. Then crush the crimps on the wires with something like a vice grips, making sure to only to put the wires into the crimps about half way. Then it's just a matter of drilling a hole the size of your post's through the end of the crimp without the wire in it and voila. I have done this in the past with my fish finder and a trolling motor and it worked, but that was just a couple of years ago; hence I don't know how long it would take for it to corrode (worst than tin disputably), but I think they would still last fine.