Cuivre

I don't think he has very good counsel. He goes out and mocks his arrest by selling T-Shirts with his mug shot on it, and continues to promote the idea that people shouldn't HAVE to buy fishing licenses, if they pay other taxes. Some people are likening him to being a "sovereign citizen" who thinks they don't need a driver's license....kind of playing the role of a "sovereign fisherman". He was without a license for 6-7 months prior to buying it after being forced to after catching the legacy bass.

The issue wasn't him getting a ticket for fishing without a license, per se. It was for affirming that he caught the bass legally when he signed the form on the app, when he didn't catch it 'legally'. That is where the "fraud" entered into the equation, since the shopping spree (from Bass Pro Shop- not his company Sixth Sense like Luke Dunkin and Ben implied) was worth $5000, had he won it. Who he is or what his net worth is should not be part of the formula. If his license is suspended in Texas, it will also be suspended in other states that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (all 50 states). That has very significant ramifications, obviously.

There is no shame- simple evolution of boatsmanship. Like I said, I started out in an old 1981 BassTracker III with a 50 hp Merc.-which I bought used from a buddy for $2000 or so. I learned a lot in that rig, and was TAUGHT a lot, due to having an open mind and being receptive to comments and experience. I also learned what I didn't like and want....from my local aluminum welder. He told me it was like trying to weld a beer can, and all the floor crossmembers needed to be welded due to them stress breaking. But, it is the same with their Ascend kayaks- folks go the easiest route, and Bass Pro Shops are usually that niche for that brand. Once they see what else is out there, they typically upgrade, as long as they stay in the sport.

I have buddies that fish our tournament series that run the AutoPilot series of kayaks. The spot lock and auto-pilot fob steering is very handy, but I was also unimpressed by the speed. I was much quicker with my Torqeedo 403. I don't really see the advantage of spot lock for holding position versus the Anchor Wizard- granted it is an easy push button, vs a drop and crank back up, but you will still be oriented the direction the wind wants you to point. If OldTown could marry the AP with their e-PDL drive's speed, THEN they may have something, but that has to merge two opposing engineering platforms.

I had the same transition as the OP when my brother took me to a big reservoir the first time (Mark Twain Lake). I eventually started to figure out the nuances, but it does take a while to learn the lake geography, structure, cover and patterns. Medium size conservation lakes (100-500 acres) are a good transition step. That is why I kid people who post up big fish or huge stringers on FaceBook as being the 'valedictorian of the special education class'. LOL! Find the right pond filled with dumb bass and you can fool yourself into thinking you're the next Kevin Van Dam.

Thanks for your paternalism. But, does that make you an "influencer"....like Ben? 😉

Good luck! I can't wait for the season to start up again for me for my local state club. Still frozen over here. I'm the same way as you- I have a lot of tackle from my bass boat (only) days, so I still feel like I'm leaving the key bait at home when I'm in a kayak, despite so many kayak anglers claiming to minimize their tackle and gear. (part of the reason why I'm moving into a Jackson Big Rig this year).

Definitely a pattern of that, isn't it? Kind of an enigma, wrapped in a paradox, and shrouded in irony...

So many unemployed comedians in the US today, and we get stuck with a couple of them using this post to try to still break into the business....🙃

I got mine for about $350 for a 50 aHr 36 V battery (LiTime brand). litime.com/products/litime-36v-50ah-trolling-motor-lithium-battery

It will, of course, depend on which size Newport they are using- the 1 hp or 3 hp version. The 3 hp (NK300) is a 36V motor and it will push a yak over 6 mph, easily (I have one on order to go with my new Big Rig FD.) The 1 hp is comparable to the Torqeedo 403, I believe, and that pushes my heavy loaded Coosa FD at 4.5 -4.7 mph. Newport uses off the shelf batteries but Torqeedo uses their own proprietary battery with a weird Voltage (German made)- 27V or something).

WRT the noise of the drive, I heard that Jackson's Mark IV drive is the quietest drive on the market-at least for the prop driven ones. The old generation drive wasn't that quiet, but they fixed some of the other issues like the steering and then went with a total redesigned belt drive for their drive. They had an overall lowering of their list prices since the beginning of the year. The Big Rig FD, for example was reduced 33% down to $2675. Most say it is a better kayak than their Knarr, which was an overall disappointment.

Being the administrator is mocking my post, I'll let you find it yourself.

I used to sit in the front person's seat, facing the other way as well when I fished solo in my canoe. It gave me some room behind my seat and, of course, helped the weight distribution/stability. I always brought an anchor with me and either did a figure 8 around my TM bracket bolts or wedged the rope in my seat bracket crack.

I prefer to keep mine on the front hatch of my CoosaFD, but I use a net that doesn't have as big of a hoop as the Leverage net has. That net just seems like overkill to me. I put a longer PVC handle with grippy tape on a medium sized hoop that had a shorter handle.

Good for them! I always wanted to see higher HP rated aluminum rigs available. Too many of them don't have the same HP rating for the same size fiberglass rig. They still have to overcome the Tracker name as being seen as a "Noobie Rig". Seems many of the Tracker boat operators I see on lakes don't have a lot of navigation, handling and safety knowledge. Tracker was my first rig (and several of my friends), so I realize I learned a lot from that boat, and others who "mentored" me when needed.

Cerebral Tackle You Tube channel has dug and got some more details about this incident from the Game Warden's affidavit. Worth watching!

What I heard about them in the past was they had a pretty wet cockpit. The water leveled itself such that water didn't drain out the scupper holes very well.

The voice in my head tells me "are you out here to just "cast", or do you want to find the fish and start to "catch!?".

It depends on if I'm in my kayak or bass boat- and the degree of moving I do, of course. That being said, in comparison with others in the same category, I think I am a 5 if I have confidence in the area due to pre-fishing. If I'm in "search mode", I can go up to 8, but since I'm somewhat of a junk fisherman, I go through a lot of rods and lures to totally make sure the bass aren't there and I'm just not on the right pattern for them.

Yep- I still have my Curado 3.8 in my spare tackle room. LOL!

There are too many reasons to list, but a couple are: 1. The tournament is "ME vs the FISH"- which is really what it boils down to, regardless of the context. 2. I like the puzzle of figuring out how to catch the fish-how and where. 3. I like the 'experience" (peace and quiet) and the environment during the fishing trips-nature, boating and kayaking. I like exploring new lakes I haven't fished before. 4. I like to make use of the gear I spend time and money accumulating! LOL! 5. I like the camaraderie that often arises on the water or in the parking lot- comparing notes and talking about a common interest. No one I work with fishes seriously, so that is lacking at work. I can get most of these even during a tournament, but for me, it is still "me vs the fish". I have my own definition of success and it doesn't need to be in comparison to other people who may have more experience on that body of water or have better electronics/experience using them. I find it hard to continue to use a technique that is boring to me, even though that may end up being the way to catch more fish.

There are a couple different randomizer functions in Excel. Say if you have ten members and ten co-anglers- randomize the 10 co-anglers 1-10 and put them next to the boaters who were 1-10 in order. "RANDARRAY" might be what you want to use. YouTube may be able to help with the details past this point-it has saved me many times before.

Here's my G3 HP180 when I was bringing her down from quad cities where she lived before I bought her. (Still had the old reg numbers on her).

I have a stern drive on my Coosa FD, along with the pedals, but I added 2 Anchor Wizards/drop points able to be deployed either from the bow or stern, depending on the need and wind direction. On some lakes, I found myself subconsciously sabotaging myself by not moving, due to the effort it would take to move to another spot, then return. With a motor, that is no longer a barrier and the only cost is the time to get there. Even then, I can move between 4.5-5 mph with Torq Ultralight 403. It also helps with instantaneous steering, vs relying on a rudder.