kayakamania

I also ordered WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner Spray. I'll try that as well. I like the unit as well so I hope I can resolve the issue. I got this to replace a Lowrance Hook4x that I had to do factory resets all the time on. The Garmin has worked great until this started happening.

I'll have to try the grease. I plug and unplug the cables multiple times pretty hard when it happens and it doesn't make a difference. The weird thing is when it suddenly starts working while I'm not doing anything to it.

I am having the exact same issue with my Striker Plus 7sv. I got that message the last 3 times I was out. I checked my connections multiple times but that didn't fix it. The strange thing is after a few hours on the water it suddenly starts working again and stays on for the rest of the day with no issues. Baffling.

My friend has a small pond (about 5 acres) and every year he tries to take out at least 100 of the larger bluegill and some of the smaller largemouth. He also purchases 100 lbs of herring every few years. The bass that are left are huge. You have to thin the herd.

I usually fish 5" thin and 3"thin Senko type baits texas rigged with a very light weight here in NJ. A casting outfit doesn't handle that very well. I did have one casting outfit for many years that I always brought with me until it went overboard. It was a Shimano speedmaster reel on a Shimano Speedmaster 5'6" fighting rod that I used for jigs and spinnerbaits. They don't make either one of those anymore or I might replace it. I always had much more accuracy with spinning tackle though and decided to just stay with it.

This year in the north east we had a really cold Spring. Most of the lakes around me were about a month late for the spawn. I was on a large deep lake 2 weeks ago and there were still some Bass on the beds.

Texas rig a 5" thin senko and drop it in the holes.

My simple fishing machine

Fresh water cats like channels or bullheads don't actually sting but the coating on the barb can cause pain. Salt water cats are a different story. I was swimming in the gulf side of florida when I was about 15 and stepped on one. They were spawning and they were all over the place. I ended up in the E.R. My leg was totally numb up to the hip. The Dr's in the E.R. said they get a few tourists every year with this injury.

I fish the Water Gap area a few times a year. Not many largemouth but smallies are good there. Also big channel cats. I have caught a few walleye there as well.

I have fished that lake a number of times over the years. Back in the 70's and 80's it was probably one of the best Bass lakes in NJ. Up until 2 years ago it was the site of my personal best Largemouth. 7.5 lb. on the spring scale I carried back then. You could go there on any given day and catch high numbers of Bass in the 2 lb. range and 3 to 5 pounders were not uncommon. I was in the bait shop on the lake when a guy came in with a 9+. Now it's 99% choked with thick weeds. You still can catch a few Bass there but not the quality fish you used to get. Pretty sad really.

I also have the Wilderness Ride 135 with the new Air Pro seat and rudder. It's super comfortable. I haven't fished too many rivers but I regularly fish a large reservoir near me with no problem. I have spent many hours in this boat and love it. Wilderness has a new one called Atak. Looks like a real nice fishing kayak and you can get pedel power or electric motor with it if you want.

Byram Twp. I fish mostly Northwest NJ.

Hello. I have loved fishing for many years. It's my favorite thing to do. I have pretty much fished all the lakes in North Jersey. These days I mostly fish from a kayak. My boat is a Wilderness Systems Ride 135 that I have added plenty of goodies to. I do also fish buddy tournaments with a good friend that has a bass boat. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are my favorite but I enjoy catching anything big. I am a 100% catch and release fisherman. I'm always interested in different techniques other guys are using and always looking for ways to catch more fish.