Hawkeye21

Are you able to see many fish from shore at all? Any bluegills or bass along the shore?

I started kayak fishing last summer. It's my only way to get out on the water besides going on my friend's boat. I have the Pelican Catch 120 and bought it on sale for $599. I believe the capacity is 450 pounds so it can handle a decent amount. It's also fairly wide so it's very stable and I can stand in it easily. I'm 5'11" and 215 pounds for reference. I don't have any experience on any other kayaks so I can't say much about other brands but I highly recommend the one I have. If you can find it on sale like I did you will find it hard to get a better kayak for your money.

I prefer avoiding all of these knots altogether and just using all braid or fluoro. I hate mono.

I prefer to have multiple good combos. When I'm out fishing I hate having to tie on a different lure each time I want to switch it up. I like to have at least three different setups so I can switch between them easily.

Yuck. I got 5 inches on Monday and I was not happy. I had told the wife I was done shoveling for this winter but I had to break down and do it as it wasn't going to get warm enough for it to melt right away. Was 1 degree when I went to work this morning. I was just out on my kayak fishing a little over a week ago too. So frustrating. As for those who live in the south and can't handle the cold I do find it humorous. My brother lives in Houston and while he can handle the cold when he comes back because he grew up here it's funny how his wife and kids handle it when they are back. If it's below 70 degrees they are cold. If it's above freezing and sunny for me it's no jacket weather.

Cold water bass fishing in Iowa is upper 30 to low 40 degree water. When I got out on my kayak over a week ago the water temp was 41.5 and I managed to catch 5 small ones. I caught them using a chatter bait, lipless crank and square bill crank. I caught most on a small retrieval but I varied my speed and managed to catch my largest one while reeling faster.

I see he moved down to Texas now.

When I'm out in a boat with someone else we usually listen to music or some comedians. Since we are usually talking anyway I enjoy the music that goes with it. Sometimes we do some cat fishing at night from the shore and like to listen to music while enjoying a few beers. If I'm fishing by myself I prefer the sounds of nature since that's one of the main reasons I'm out in the first place. Nothing better than fishing a trout stream all to myself with nothing to hear but the rippling stream and nature around me. It's a humbling experience that music would just ruin. It's most definitely not a generational thing either. My friends dad is a big rocker and loves to listen to music even when fishing. Everyone is different, even at different ages.

I've been watching some of Greg's YouTube videos lately. He's really good and seems like a pretty cool guy. I really enjoy his videos.

Zero leaders on any of my poles. I use all braid or all fluoro.

I think most of the decent kayak designed for fishing have a large capacity. My kayak has a 400lb limit which is pretty good. I'm 215 and probably have another 50 to 60 pounds of gear on it and have zero issues. I have a Pelican Catch 120.

I think there is a major advantage to having a pedal drive kayak because of the control it offers and how it gives you the ability to be hands free. Being hands free allows you to cast more. Casting more gives you more opportunities to catch fish. That being said, I think it's still fair. There is nothing stopping me from buying a pedal drive kayak right now, I just prefer not to invest that much in one right now. Having a pedal drive does not mean you are going to fish better either. In the end it all comes down to who is the better fisherman. As long as the kayak is driven by human power I say it's fine. Don't they all use the same boats in MLF tourneys?

Dick's has a Flash Sale online right now. You can get the Shimano Sahara 1000 and 4000 models for about 30% off. The 1000 model is marked down to $54.98

Dick's has a Flash Sale online right now and they have a Lew's bait cast combo on sale for $79.98 from $119.99. I'm not sure how good it is but it's a good brand and good price. http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/lews-american-hero-tournament-baitcast-combo-16lewahtrn6ft10mhcom/16lewahtrn6ft10mhcom?&color=

I use the Navionics app for lake contours.

I know how you feel. You will run into this a lot when shopping especially for lower priced items. I've had two lightning rod shock rods and both broke at the same spot and both in similar ways. I still use it with the tip busted off and probably catch more on that with my president reel than any other combo I have. When reading reviews it's important to take them with a grain of salt, especially negative reviews. Some negative reviews can be ridiculous and don't even have anything to do with the product itself.

Not seeing it listed on their site right now. I'm mad at myself for not buying it at Walmart for $30 the other week.

This is the exact combo I put together when I bought all new stuff 4 years ago. The tip broke on the pole so I bought another one and it happened again. I still use it with the tip busted off and even though I've had two of them break it's still my favorite combo. I saw the Lightning Rod Shock in Walmart for $30 the other week. I should have bought it.

I have a few combos and I think they are a great way to get a good start on a collection. Once I had a few different combos I then started looking into more higher end, specific gear. The first bait cast I ever got was a KVD combo and it's still one of my favorites. It was cheaper than my other setups yet it has more features. Along with the KVD combo I also have a Pflueger Summit combo and Lews combo.

Jon boats are great for the price but it's the motor that you have to be worried about. What shape is that motor going to be in for that price? One of the reasons I went with a kayak over a cheap boat was the maintenance. You may be able to buy the boat and trailer for $800 but then you still have to register it and keep up maintenance. I'd hate to see anyone spend money on something like that only to have it break down and not afford to repair it.

If you have a small budget I would recommend a fishing kayak. If you think it's too slow you can add a trolling motor to it to help motor around a little faster. I just think any boat with trailer for that kind of money is going to be of very low quality and will require plenty of work. If money is an issue then you may not want to go that route due to all the money you'd have to put into it. Kayaks and canoes have very little maintenance.

Interesting. So they only have one price for their products and no Minimum Advertised Price? If so then they are very different than the majority of companies. Good for them for trying to keep things even. It's gives local shops a chance to compete then. Selling appliances and TVs was a huge pain in the butt. So much competition out there.

I use to run an appliance/electronics business so I try to support local businesses as much as I can but I know how hard it is to pass up a great deal or convenience. My way of thinking is if it's a product that I would need service or help with after the purchase then I'm buying it from a local place. If it's a one and done type item then I'm going for the cheapest price. That doesn't sound accurate. Any product I've ever seen has a MSRP that they recommend selling it at but you are not required to. Then there is MAP pricing which they are required to advertise at that price or higher or they could lose that product line. Usually any retailer is allowed to sell a product at any price they want as long as they are not advertising the price. It's up to them if they want to make or lose money.

He had record highs here in Iowa all week and yesterday the NW portion of the state had a blizzard. I woke up this morning to the ground covered in snow again. I told the wife I'm not shoveling it... I'm letting it melt.