fishwizzard

If copoly will work for both cranks and topwaters I would prefer that over braid/leader.

I think this is why there are divergent opinions about keeping stuff in cars. A temp of 100f will make the news around here and even an inch or two of show will cause schools to close. The mid-atlantic is very very temperate most of the time.

Oh well then I definitely recommend trying the native lawn chair seat, it is probably the most comfortable lawnchair I've ever sat in, kayak mounted or not. 10 footer does not have a ton of storage, but the 12 has a generous amount.

This is been my experience too. I discovered this when my well-meaning wife picked up a package for me containing about eight packs of the new TRD tubes. I was out of town for work and she ended up leaving it in her car for about a week. In early August, in Maryland, where it regularly gets in the high 80s to high 90s. The tubes definitely ended up rectangular rather than round, but with a little massaging they still fish just as well as some other ones I picked up at the store a few months later. I found if I remove a few baits from the pack so they are not crammed in tightly they do perfectly fine. I also always make a conscious effort to park in the shade, even if I have to hoof it bit further to get where I'm going.

When I got started kayak fishing I waited until West Marine had a sale on their Pompono 12 model. I believe it is from an old wilderness system mold, or at least it looks incredibly similar to some of their older kayaks. It's a solid, but very feature basic fishing kayak but is plenty stable for my 200 pounds self. It served me well in learning how to kayak in general and let me get in on the action for around $400. I'm very glad I went with the more basic yak first, as if I had dived right into the high end I would've ended up with an 80 pound monster boat that would not have really suited my actual needs. Even if you're able to demo the brands you were talking about, which are all quite good, do a little looking around see if you can find an intro one for a good price. I checked craigslist every once in a while looking for them and even basic fishing kayaks seem to hold their value pretty well if you end up wanting to upgrade once you get your needs/wants worked out.

Look up the area called "Widewater", then slowly follow the canal up north until the water disappears. The whole thing is a pretty amazing fishery, so long as the water is high. Widewater will always have water in it, but, to me anyway, it's one of the hardest spots to fish. There are other watered sections as you head up north to Cumberland, but I'm not as familiar with them. I took a great little weekend trip at the end of last summer up to Cumberland to buy a rod from a guy on here. I fished the canal all day on the way up and the river all day on the way back. It was an absolute ton of fun I can't wait for the canal water to get high enough for me to do it again.

it's not a pond, but most of the Patapsco Valley State Park is good for smallies, sunfish, and stocked trout.

Do you have or have access to a car? Lots of spots around here, but not such great public transport. Sadly it seems the C&O canal is going to be dry in DC all year for some work, but the northern parts are a great largemouth fishery when the water is up.

Welcome! PM me and I can give you one decent smallie spot (its a bit of a hike though) and some more general info. It's all mid-northern MD stuff though, not sure where you are around here. There are (small) smallies a lot more places than I would have thought before I went after them more aggressively.

Why I hit "submit" when I clearly was in the middle of typing my post? Will edit the OP in a sec.

Hi, I have a ML/MF-F (it's a MakroCraft Go Emotion, the speed is listed as "Regular Fast") rod with a SV105HS reel on it. I bought it in the fall to use for small jerkbaits over the fall and winter. For that I used 10lb floro, first Shooter, then Invisx. I ended up catching more pickerel then bass but I liked how the floro performed. The Shooter as a tad stiff but was better when I wanted to throw plastics or a Ned with the same rod. The Invizx was better all round but a bit less with the plastics, it was harder to feel the Ned ticking off the bottom. This spring I want to use this combo again for jerks, but also for small lipless cranks, squarebills, and topwater poppers and other small hard baits. I am wondering if not using mono will hurt me a ton for the topwaters. I would prefer floro as I very often only have one combo with me and still would like to throw small plastics and the Ned. Would something like Hybrid be a good compromise? Also wondering about line weight. The SV spool helps a ton but I am still a bit gunshy over thinner floro breaking from backlashes. Thanks.

Hah, I would love to take you up on that! I only started using hard baits, other then spinners, for bass this fall. I would use them for perch and stripers but my casting accuracy was not quite up to the task of throwing them around cover in freshwater. I figured I would start with topwaters and shallow cranks so I can see where I am running them.

I have a Slayer 10 Propel and love it. While I have stood in it, I don't even fish that way because the seat is so comfortable I never want to leave it. If you can make the money work, go for the Propel model. It is so so nice to be able to hold position while working a lure and I have even peddled backwards to help fight a fish when I would say hook a striper while UL fishing for perch. The only real complaint I have with the 10 is how easy it is to spin in the wind, but having a boat with so many features and so much deck space at only 50lb hull weight, I can deal with a little wind movement.

Oddly enough, when I go on little trips, I always bring my stuff inside at night. Even if insurance will replace it, my trip would still be ruined. My car, in addition to all my gear, is full of enough other general clutter that it would take a "Where's Waldo" master to be able to pick out anything in specific even with one's nose pressed to the glass. I travel for work about 80% of the time, so when I am home, any day has the potential to turn itn a fishing day.

Hah, my first thought was "man that thing would be great t-rigged with a small weight, run through the sparse pad fields around here".

I guess I am the lone dissenter here who keeps gear in the car all the time. Usually a small duffle bag full of lure and plastics and two to three combos. I change them out depending on the season and what lures/styles have caught my attention at the moment. I also keep a second duffle with my waders and other cold weather fishing gear in there, my wading boots, my hiking boots, a third duffle with a full change of clothing, rain gear, and some heat/cold resistant snacks. There is usually a case of water, a pint of bourbon (hid under my jack), and a case of energy drink mix. Under the drivers seat there is a small bag of common automotive tools and a spare belt. I also keep a growler or two incase I discover a new place that fills them. In the summer I also keep my PFD, break-down paddle, and my water shoes in there too. I have a little RAV-4 and have already had to take one back seat out and I am eyeing the other one for removal. I have never noticed any issues with my combos or tackle, but everything is out of the sun and covered with packing blankets. I am not too worried about theft as my renter's insurance covers things stolen from my car. I keep it all in there mostly out of laziness, but also because my work schedule is so weird that I like to be able to hit the water whenever I get a free moment without having to go home and load up. I am even looking at buying an old beater minivan so I can keep my kayak loaded up too, sort of a "Fishing Mobile Command Center".

That is nice looking. Honestly most of my jig/chatterbait trailers are "whatever soft plastics I use t-rigged, once the nose is too ripped up to stay on the hook". I trim them down and they get to be useful again.

I have a few of the SA ones and one actually Buff branded one. I really cant stand any of them for more than maybe half an hour. I ended up getting a longsleeve/hooded sun shirt from Cabalea's that I like a ton more. If I wear a ball cap I can stretch the hood over the brim and it keeps my entire face shielded from the sun. On extremely bright days I will keep the buff around my neck to protect my lower throat but usually the hood and cap takes care of me. I do like the SA buffs for stashing in my assorted hiking packs and in my car for days when I forget my sun shirt or for a little warmth in the spring and fall.

I ordered two of them yesterday, one in Bone and the other in X-Ray. At $10 they are in the middle of the road for pricing and I think I only have a pair of normal poppers in the collection as is.

Yep. I had one already and loved it. Was looking at picking up one of the JDM versions but this sale was too good to pass up. Between the reel and the CR721 I got from the ALF sale, I think I might have lost a little money at work yesterday.

Try ebay, sometimes you can find them there. i have ordered them from Alderney Angling in England. Shipping time and cost are both pretty reasonable if buy a decent number of hooks.

American Legacy is selling all their IMX rods at 25% off. Just picked up a CR721 that I have been eyeing for awhile. I hope they keep offering them when they update the IMX line. Otherwise I might have to buy a CR722 soon just to complete my set. It's a hard road being a short rod fan.

I use these hooks from Cox & Rowle; http://www.coxandrawle.com/products/hooks-singles/inline-replacement-single-microbarbed They work well and snag a lot less. Owner makes hooks like this as does VMC, but they are both harder to find.

I use this stuff called "friction tape", it has a tar-like coating on it. I have found it in the electrical section of hardware stores. The braid digs in and does not move.

Man, I am almost 40, but the idea of cutting out a UPC code and mailing a form in seem so......old fashioned? I know that letting people do it digitally is just asking for a ton of fraud, but is still seems so weird. Now, if I could mail in 10 UPC codes and get a pair of x-ray glasses, then we might be onto something.