JKay

I use a St. Croix 6'8" Medium, Extra fast. Great rod for the money and that extra fast tip has made all the difference in increasing hookups

Now I've got something to do with all those little tag ends

I've fished from a canoe, but much prefer a kayak. I had a buddy of mine that has a tandem kayak get me into kayak fishing a couple years ago. I got my own kayak and love it. Now I'm trying to get him to leave the tandem for his wife and son and get a real fishing kayak Some of the SOT kayaks offer a really dry ride and have room enough to get the essentials on board. The fact that I can put the Yakima rack on the company car, load and strap down the boat in about 20 minutes can't be beat. Wish I would have done this years ago :'(

Shaky head rocks Got 3 smallies last night at Split Rock reservoir in northern NJ using shaky head. One of my favorite ways to fish provided I keep it out of heavy weeds.

I was there yesterday looking for some foam practice golf balls to use as emergency scupper plugs for my buddies kayak. I strolled over to the fishing section and they were blowing out rods. Picked up a couple Berkley Lightning Rods as back up rods- (1) 6' Med/Heavy and (1) 6'6" Med/Light. $9 each!! Here's a couple rods that I don't feel bad about cramming into the hatch of my kayak. If they get broken, no big deal.

The Gluvit product that Fishing Rhino suggests is great stuff. I've used it on several of my boats and can't say enough about it. It came recommended to me a number of years ago by my uncle. He has had a high end boat building and repair business out on Long Island for maybe 35 years, and has been a steady customer of this product for a long time. It's proven stuff with a long track record

I'm not a fan at all of Reel Magic . I've been using the KVD line conditioner for a good part of the current season and really like the stuff. I get far fewer tangles and the line is smoother with casting. My vote is for KVD

I second the 5 wt recommendation. It will let you get the smaller stuff, but you can still fight both largemouth and smallies. The limitation is that you won't be able to cast some of the bigger bass bugs very far. This is the rod that I started with. I now have several 5 wts, a 3 wt and 7 wt.

If you don't end up welding the crack, take a look at Gluvit. You can find it on the internet at marine supply houses. It is a high build marine epoxy that is flexible. I've used it on my boats and have not had any cracking issues. Stuff is tough as nails and won't peel. I've never had a leak in the same spot after using it. Note: It does not have any UV properties, so you'll have to top coat it. I used primer and aluminum colored top coat and it blends pretty good with aluminum. Psst - For all the jon boat draggers out there (like me ), you can use this product to build up the bottom of the boat where it would get dragged across rocks, trails, etc. Stay far away from JB Weld. It works for other applications, but wasn't designed for boat hulls.

KVD! Tried Reel Magic and couldn't stand the stuff. Not sure it even did anything other than leave an oil slick wherever the line was.

I'll second the #6 Yo Zuri Ultra Soft. Use a little KVD line conditioner with it and it works like a charm

If you decide to cartop, I'd suggest including some bow and stern lines. The lift underneath the boat on the highway can really exert some force. By taking up just snug on the bow line, it helps prevent some of the lift and relieves your main tie downs of some of that force. Besides that, if anything happens to your two main tie downs, the bow and stern line are sometimes the only thing left to prevent your boat from bouncing down the highway hitting other cars. Any time you transport the boat, tie it down like you're going to be driving 1000 miles. Overkill is always better

Great suggestion for Kayak Fishing Stuff. They are about 45 min from my house and that's where I got my yak. I would definitely tap into these guys. Great bunch and can help with the selection. I cover some bigger water sometimes and my kayak is just for fishing. I got the Hobie Revolution with the Mirage drive. It works so great that you can fish or rig up gear while peddling. When you're way out in a reservoir and your buddy had to paddle all the way back to the take out, you smile and are glad you have the peddle drive

Some of the bites can be real soft; can't feel a thing. I do a lot of line watching. If my line is tightening slightly or moving off to one side, I reel down and at the same time try to feel for the weight of the fish or a slight bump as he changes directions. If I feel that, I swing for the bleachers Sometimes the line movement is obvious and I just set the hook. Night fishing is something I'm not used to yet. It must sharpen your sense of feel. I just need to get out and do more of it

Some kayakers use 12V deer feeder batteries to run their fishfinders. You can find them for less than $20 on the web.

I second the kayak. Best money I ever spent. I hardly ever use the 12' jon anymore.

What is it that you don't like about the M x-fast? Just interested. I've thought about picking up another Compre in x-fast, but your comment got me curious

I would get the xfast Compre. I have a 6'6" Med-Fast Compre as a backup rod. It works well as an all around, but xfast works better with senkos. I've got a St. Croix 6'8" Med-Extra Fast as my main senko rod and love it.

I used to use swivels for everything and had myself convinced that it was helping with line twist. I was wrong KVD line conditioner has done the most for me with controlling bird's nests on my spinning rig. Thank goodness I finally saw the light. Two less knots and better control over casts since I can reel the lure higher. A late X13

12' aluminum jon with 30# Minn Kota. I still use this when I have more than 4 hours to fish. If less, out comes the kayak

Yes, before I tried KVD line conditioner, I got suckered into trying Reel Magic. It was "reel disappointing" , I didn't like it at all and left an oil slick on the surface of the water . I just started using the KVD product a month or so ago on my spinning reels and my line twist problems have been dramatically reduced. I had a really bad birds nest yesterday that I had to cut out. First bad one since I started using the KVD. I more than satisfied with how it performs

Thanks RW; great deal. Just ordered a spool

The rod upgrade will really depend on your budget. The Shimano Compre is a great budget rod and can be had for under $100. In the $100-$200 range, there are rods like Shimano Crucial, St. Croix Avid and others. If you can get out to a Bass Pro Shop, go take a look at some of these rods and others. If you're not in a hurry and see some rods you like; take some notes and throw these out to the masses here at the Bass Fishing Forum. The responses can be really interesting as you have a lot of different opinions and ideas. I've bought most of my rods and reels off input of other members here. Good luck

Don't you love the Mirage drive I've got a Hobie Revolution and love it. Beats the heck out of my 12' jon for quick 2-4 hour outings. If I have 4 hours+ on my hands, then I'll take out the jon boat. It's more comfortable for longer periods and no effort with the trolling motor. On the Revolution I was even able to shoehorn another seat in back of me (back to back) for my 8 yr old son. We were out today trying to outfish each other for sunnies. He won. It was more important to me to make sure that he caught a bunch of fish, so my primary job was to keep the kayak just off the shoreline. Great time and perfect weather 8-)

Yo Zuri Ultra Soft #6. I've got to start looking at another line for a spare spool for frogging and hauling the big girls out of thick timber.