FluffChucker

I've got a 80-90lb kayak and an SUV. Basically that just means that it sucks to load the kayak up at the end of the day. What I've found helps a lot is Seattle Sports Sherpak Boat Roller. You stick the suction cups to the windows, put the nose of the kayak up on it, and slide the back end right up onto your foam blocks, blanket, or whatever you're using. . It's worked well for me over the past 3 years so it may be worth a look for you too.

I also agree with Further North (as I also pull my boat with an Escape). Personally, I would avoid the 4cyl Toyota if you plan on getting a boat down the road. I don't know if you're in the market for new or used, but if you're looking for new I would take a good hard look at the GMC Canyon (or Chevy Colorado) w/ diesel engine. It may be overkill on the power for anything you'd need to tow with it, but the gas mileage (23 avg, 20/29 - city/hwy) is superior and it's in the same size class as the Tacoma. It will also be a bit more expensive, but could be worth it in the long run. The Canyon is likely going to be my next vehicle as well as I was overly impressed with the it when I test drove it.

I tow a 17' fiberglass V-hull w/ a 2013 Ford Escape AWD with the 4cyl turbo. Pulls it like a champ. If I had to guess at loaded weight, I'd say somewhere in the ballpark of 1600lbs. Take that with a grain of salt though, because I really don't know for sure. I believe dry weight of my boat is ~900lbs, plus motor, 3 batteries, trolling motor, gear... etc.

One of the best tips I can offer for removing the under fur of craft fur is to invest in a mustache comb or flea comb. It makes life so much easier.

Use use Google Earth to find the approximate river miles. Then, base your estimated time on what speed you've completed your previous floats with. For instance, I generally fish at around 1-1.5 river miles / hr on my local rivers. Anytime I move to a stretch on the same river, I'll usually build in an extra 30-60 minutes of time just in case I have to portage or walk through shallow riffles. If you're trying to plan a shuttle, I find it's best to person picking you up wait at all. That just causes stress, and if you're unlucky like me, reserves you a spot on the couch for at least a night. Also, if you've got any local kayak or canoe outfitters in the area you should ask them. They generally have a fairly exact river mileage that they'll share, as well as approximate float times based on past experiences.

Here's one from last summer. Taken on a local favorite of mine.

I'm 29 and feel the exact same way. I like rear-mounted higher angle cameras that give me a good view of the what the angler is doing as far as retrieve and landing techniques. I very rarely, if ever stick around to watch the full video if there is music playing over the video.

I haven't the slightest clue. Minoqua is a great area though. I've fished over there for muskies a couple of times. Really, the entire northern 1/3 of the state is pretty fun to fish in. Lots of hidden gems, and even better not-so hidden gems.

Just out of curiosity, how many Wisconsin anglers use this site? What part of the state are you from? Personally, I am from the Hayward area. Spend the majority of my bass fishing time going after SMB on the lakes and rivers up here.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm expecting a visit from the tackle monkey next week. Two new BB1's & a new Revo STX are on the way.

Let me ask this on top of my previous questions. If you had to choose between spending ~$150 on a Tournament Pro, $110 (after rebate) on a Revo SX, or $130 (after rebate) on a Revo STX, which would you pick?

Well, the left handed retrieve probably stems from fishing fairly ambidextrously. I am an avid fly fisherman and retrieve left handed. All my spinning setups are set up for left hand retrieve as well. But with baitcasters, I've always retrieved right handed as it was more comfortable. But like you said, I can see not reeling as smoothly with a left handed reel and it could cost me a few fish.

Thanks guys. I'll keep my eyes open for Tournament Pro's on sale. I'm fine with round reels in some applications (I've got a few for musky fishing), but I'd much rather stick with low pro reels for bass fishing. As far as gear ratios for the applications, what do you guys think. Mojo 6'6 Med Fast Action (topwater/Jerkbait rod) Mojo 7' Med Hvy Fast Action (all-around rod) Mojo 7'3 Med Moderate Action (Crankbait Rod) Also, do any right hand retrieve guys swap to left hand retrieve for their topwater/jerk rod? I've been toying with the idea but I don't have any left hand reels laying around to see how it'd feel. I feel like I'd have more control with my right arm, especially when it came to topwater.

Whoops! I had written my price range in, and must've removed it by accident. Around or under $150 would be nice.

Bought a few of the old model Mojo bass rods the other day from the factory (I live fairly close by, and just "happened" to be driving by). I need some suggestions of reels that would balance well, and then what gear rations I should likely be looking at for the reels. I'd like to keep the reels around or under $150 each. Thanks for your input Mojo 6'6 Med Fast Action (topwater/Jerkbait rod) Mojo 7' Med Hvy Fast Action (all-around rod) Mojo 7'3 Med Moderate Action (Crankbait Rod)

Isn't that the truth? Pike have saved the day more times than I can count when I bring out less patient anglers. If it's slow, I've got no problem trolling weedlines with deep running cranks to put a few fish in the boat. Pike, prepared properly, is a poor-mans lobster. I tend to keep a few pike over the course of the ice fishing season as they are some really good eating. Anything over 25 usually goes right back into the water, while the smaller ones come home with me for a date with the kitchen. While I'm a C&R fisherman almost always, I firmly believe that on many of the lakes in my area you're almost doing a disservice to the lake by not bringing a couple home once in a while. Many of our lakes are overpopulated by an abundance of hammer handle pike. If more people would take a few small pike home, there would be a lot more BIG pike which are about as fun to catch as anything that swims in fresh water (behind smallmouth, of course).

I'm curious if anyone has had a chance to test drive this boat yet. Thoughts? It REALLY has my interest peaked. Unfortunately, we're likely a month or so out from open water and not many dealers around here seem too keen on the thought of stocking them.

A fantastic multi species boat would be the Tuffy x-170 and it would fall into the lower portion of your budget completely rigged up. Worth taking a look around for one. I bought a brand new 2013 model last year with a 50hp Merc tiller and it cost me $13,000. Granted it was a year old at the time, but it had spent it's time sitting on a showroom floor. I believe by the time I put electronics, a trolling motor, and paid taxes on it I had spent somewhere in the ballpark of about $18,000 or so. Perhaps less. I'd tell you that it's biggest downside is it's small storage capacity and 7' rod locker. But for a sub $20,000 BRAND NEW boat, it's hard to beat this one. It's not as nice as a brand new Ranger, but it's also 1/6 the price of one. For my money, it's a fantastic multi-species boat.

The one place I didn't look for some reason....

Can someone tell me if they discontinued the 4" models of this bait? They're very hard to find in the colors I'm looking in anything but the 5" model. My apologies. believe this should have been posted to the Fishing Tackle specific forum. I'm still learning.

Thanks everyone. That is funny stuff! Sadly for me, I'm a Vikings fan.

Hello everyone. I just recently found this site, and thought I better post an intro before doing much else. I've spent about the last 12 years of my life fully dedicated to fly fishing with not much time for other types of fishing. The last two years have seen a drastic change where I'm starting to spend more and more time using conventional tackle. I grew up panfish and bass fishing as a young kid, and switched over to trout through my late teens & early 20's. After that, I spent almost all of my time on the water chasing river muskies and smallmouth. This season will see me using conventional gear almost the entire year, minus a few early season musky trips and a trip or two out west for trout. This year, I'm hoping to get involved with the local bass league in order to learn as many techniques and tips that I can from some of the better anglers in the area. That's also what brought me here. I've got a lot to learn, and the desire to go with it. So for now, I'll just keep browsing through the forums and pick up what I can. --Fluffchucker

Chances are this is going to fall on deaf ears since it's an old post, but if you find yourself up here next summer and want to get out, feel free to send me a PM and I'll see if I can help you out. I live in Hayward and fish Round quite often. Give me plenty of notice and I'm sure I can make sure you get a day or two on the water.

I may be joining this party late, but thought I'd throw out one more option for you to consider. The Peak Rotary. The only reason I throw that one out for your consideration (and I have absolutely no affiliation with them, just FYI) is that they have pretty economical replacement jaws. You can swap out the standard jaws for a saltwater or big game jaw that will hold even larger hooks (up to 10/0 if I am remembering correctly). I know a few guys that have been tying on them for years, and absolutely love them. I tied flies commercially for a few years and have always been a Renzetti guy. But they're generally a bit more money, and not quite as flexible as I think that the Peak is. If you see yourself tying on larger hooks, then I'd do a bit of research on the Peak just to make sure you've covered your bases.