JKay

I've got a Compre 6'6" Med, fast spinning rod that I use as a second or backup rod. Great rod for the money. I've used it heavily for 2 seasons.

I use denatured alcohol with a light colored shop rag to clean the handles. Once clean and dry, I seal the cork using U-40 cork seal. The U-40 seems to darken the cork a bit, but the finish is good and it should last a season or two depending on how much you use the rods. Careful not to use too much. It can drip or run if you brush too much on.

I just bought the Sospenders model that they have at Cabelas for $150. I haven't used it yet, but will likely store it in a plastic bag and find some desiccant bags to throw in there. Plenty of folks use these auto inflate vests and hopefully if stored properly it won't go off.

I have that same rod and use a Shimano Symetre 2500. Great pairing for the dollars

This won't fit your budget, but you could try looking at a G-Blanks rod. His rods start at $125. I've heard some good comments, but have never seen or held one myself. You'd have to do a little investigating to see if it's what you're looking for http://www.imaginationbassin.com/gblanks.htm

I have a Shimano Compre 6'6", medium, fast. It's a great pole for under $100. I use a St. Croix Avid now as my #1 pole, but the Compre is on the boat most of the time as backup or rigged different. I've never owned a Premier, but fished one a couple times. It seemed nice, but I was gunshy on getting one because of some of the documented insert problems. If I need another pole in $100 range, I'll get another Compre or consider the stretch to the Shimano Crucial.

I'm up in the northern part of Morris County. I fish some of the local reservoirs. Split Rock is one of my favorites. Great smallie action. I usually fish that with a buddy in a tandem kayak. The boat ramp there is a pain, but not bad for a lightweight boat. I mainly fish a private lake up here and that's where I keep my boat. The LM fishing is pretty good and I have a handle on some of the hot spots. I made the mistake of telling my buddy's 13 year old kid about one of these spots. Next time out there were a pile of kids trying to get fish out of this area. Sweet revenge was that they were all throwing the wrong things. I don't think much was caught from that spot.

LBH is right. I'd plan on sticking with sitting down in it. I've fished out of a 10' jon and I didn't dare stand. I currently have a 12' jon and I don't stand in that either. It's only 32" across the bottom and fairly shallow draft. I've already taken a tumble into the water when trying to stand and fish in this boat. I often fish alone and at 230 lbs with a 31 series battery and TM in the back, things are seriously off balance. A couple days ago I finished extending the TM cable to 13' long so that I could mount the battery up in the front of the boat. It should make a big difference.

Instead of trying to mount something in the boat, I decided to bring along a milk crate with PVC tubes mounted inside. The kayaking community uses this arrangement quite a bit. Using plastic ties I secured a bunch of them to the inside of the crate. I used a larger PVC tube to put my Fishing Buddy fishfinder in when I pull it into the boat. The crate still has space inside to keep my anchor and a few other things. I even mounted a couple cup holders on the outside of the crate. It's really turning out to be a multipurpose piece of equipment!

Eagle Claw makes a 4 piece travel rod that you can get through Cabelas. I can't say what the quality is like, but I have an Eagle Claw 3 wt fly rod that is d**n impressive for the money. I've thought many times about picking up that travel rod to throw in my suitcase on business trips. I'd have to just get a hard case to put it in. I was in new Orleans last week and was kicking myself for not having a rod with me!!

I've got one. It's a 6'6", medium, fast action spinning rod. Great all around rod for the money. I use it with a Shimano Symetre. I've switched over to a St. Croix Avid, and the Compre does back-up duty or as second rod on the boat.

I don't, but my 8 yr old son does. He's got a little crankbait that caught a 24" rainbow trout. I almost fell in the water scrambling down the bank to help him get it out of the water. That was a fun day! All I got were dinks, but the look on his face was priceless. He remembers exactly where that lure goes back in his tackle bag!

Wow...reminded me of a similar incident years ago. I was on board a tanker working on a 220V circuit on a ladder. 2nd Assistant Engineer says "yup, I killed the power on that circuit". My screwdriver slipped and went across two terminals. Went off like a bang and threw me off the ladder and onto the deck about 5 feet away. I was so ticked off at that 2nd I was ready to throw him overboard! Valuable lesson though. Never, ever take anyone's word for it when working with electricity. Kill the power, tag it out and test it yourself. If working on live stuff, keep one hand in your pocket and be REAL careful. Ouches can be deadly

Sorry guys, I couldn't include the link (newbie still!). Has anyone tried these out? It would make for a fun Saturday am product with my 8 year old son. Nice bonus if they had decent action and ran good in the water

Hip waders when I'm shore fishing in the rain and it's cold. Old pair of sneakers during the summer months. I'll wet wade in sneakers also. I save my wading boots for fly fishing.

Another great product is Gluvit. It's a high build epoxy specifically used for boats. I used this on the bottom of my jon boat where I had leaks at a seam and on a couple rivets. Boat is bone dry now. Stuff is tough as nails. I also painted on a couple thick coats near the stern since the boat gets dragged in and out of shallow water. If you go this way, Gluvit needs to be top coated with paint because it lacks UV protection. I coated with grey primer and aluminum colored spray paint. Matches the boat pretty good.

You could also check craigslist for something used. I see canoes, kayaks and jon boats on a regular basis for decent prices. Another thought is go for a 12' jon with some oars. You'd still get your workout and have plenty of room to bring someone else. If you're smart, you could also sneak a trolling motor on there every once in a while when the folks aren't looking

Silvercliff, Here's another option. If you rig them carolina, t-rig or weightless, wait until they get a little chewed up, then rig those wacky. I set aside the chewed up worms for wacky rigging and use the o-ring method. Usually good for another few fish. The bass seem to hit the chewed up ones just as much as a new one. I also use *** worms which are more durable than Senkos. John

I ordered one of these from Cabelas for our toothy friends. Can't wait to give it a try in the next month or so. Sorry couldn't post the link due to the rules. Search Cabelas under: The Fish Grip Fish Holder Regards, John

To me, fly fishing is all about timing. I start with a strong backcast and aim initially for 12 o'clock. I try to let the rod drift back to the 2 o'clock position through the backcast. I pause long enough for the loop to almost completely unfurl before starting the forward cast. This helps load the rod the right way. I finish the forward cast at the 10 o'clock position. As you feed more line out while false casting, your pause on the back cast increases. I still look over my shoulder every once in a while to make sure that I've got the timing OK. I just started showing my 8 year old son how to cast a fly rod. My most common comments to him are: "More pause on your backcast", "look over your shoulder", and "don't drop your tip that low". When I first started, it took me a couple all day outings to really get the hang of it. I kept snapping that line like it was a bullwhip! Have fun!

I used a 2 piece Shimano Compre for several years before getting some better rods. I had a few problems with the upper half loosening and flying off. I learned to just give the joints a good push together before each fishing session and any problems were gone. I have a bunch of 4 piece fly rods and only had problems with one St. Croix rod that would fly off and down the fly line. After 3 or 4 times on the river with it, it seemed to break in and I don't have the issue any more.

I too considered the Cuda 168. Wound up buying the Bottom Line 1200 currently on sale at Cabelas. It will go under the tree with a St. Croix rod and bunch of other fishing stuff! I have a 12 foot jon and the portability of the Bottom Line is what the deciding factor was. The side looking sonar should be neat also for looking towards the shoreline in shallower water.