GrumpyOlPhartte

@wasabi_VA: I also have a Catch 100. After getting caught in a “scattered shower” last Sunday I can attest to the fact that the single row of scuppers works just fine. My brother-in-law could barely drag his canoe out of the lake because of the rain water he collected. I had no problem at all. As for handling; well, it’s a 10-foot kayak with a 34-inch beam so, nope - it’s not the greatest-handling buggy on the lake. But for me, the adjustable-height lounge chair seat, the stability, the light weight, and the low price make it ideal for me. Oh, and the 10-foot length is mandatory unless I want to buy a house with a larger garage for winter stowage of the yak. As far as I’m concerned, if you are satisfied with it, then no one else’s opinion really matters anyway.

I usually let my lure sit until I get the backlash cleaned up. Seems to work for me. (Obviously the amount of time varies when using this method. Skilled casters may not find it as effective!!!)

I’ve been impressed by the Daiwa BG 2500. Solid as a rock, smoothest action and drag I, in my rather limited experience, have ever used, (has a fairly wide-diameter spool, and a reverse switch (very important to me). Does weigh 9.3 ounces but I like it on a 6’8” Yak Mojo (M/F) rod. If I was in your position I would look at the BG 2000 as well. Weighs in around 8.5 ounces but, in my opinion, holds enough line for any bass-fishing applications for which I would use it. (Funny thing is that due to previous experience with a Daiwa baitcaster and customer service, I would rather stick a 5/0 Trokar hook in my eye than use one of their baitcasters. For all you Daiwa enthusiasts, I am certainly NOT trying to bash Daiwa; I am just trying to emphasize how good I think this reel is.)

I personally am thrilled when I get my lure within the same zip code as my target ... and a backlash that I can clear in less than three minutes. I do hope to “raise the bar” this year.

Hmmm. Just reviewed my my copy of MA fishing regs and found out MA has a season for bass (and most other species). Seems that season is from January 1 to December 31. (Granted there are seasons for smelt and some trout streams.) Methinks @Flatrock might be a little more cautious in making sweeping generalizations without having researched his information. Tends to really irk those whose experiences don’t coincide with his. Personally, I vote that the moderators terminate this thread. Seems to me we all have mostly good mixed with a few bad experiences on the water. That happens. How we each deal with it is what defines us as individuals.

@HeyCoach: The wealth of knowledge on this site absolutely confounds (or confuses) me!!!

@John Taylor: If you go to UglyStik.com, you can find the recommended lure weights for their rods. Looks like MH are rated for 1/4 oz. - 3/4 oz. Hope this helps!

Mebbe we should start a new thread debating which side of the Velcro has superior fish-snagging abilities. ?

But, on a more upbeat note, I prefer to “talk up” brands which I prefer. To me, in many cases, the customer service is more important than the quality of the product. I suspect no company has a 100% track record; an occasional stinker occasionally gets through. But, what they do to correct the situation speaks volumes. My personal favorites (in no particular order): Siebert Outdoors Lew’s Manley Rods Okuma Biospawn Dick’s Sporting Goods (Go ahead and laugh but I got 10% off a kayak because the decal was scratched up! Wonder if bass hate those scratched decals.) All of these companies have taken the time to either correct a situation or communicate with me when I had a question or needed advice. To be honest, I have probably omitted a couple of others, but when someone asks me what I would recommend, I work from this rather short list and just avoid the others. Frankly, it’s amazing that several companies about which many on here rave will never get my business simply due to the treatment I received. (Yeah, like that’s gonna affect their bottom lines. LOL!) (Gets down off soapbox and goes back to waiting for water to warm up.)

@RagingOwl: I spent a lot of time shore fishing and, to me, the best change I ever made was to buy a pair of waders (although I don’t use them unless the water is cold) but my point is that even a pair of old sneakers and shorts or swimming trunks can really expand your “shore fishing” to a new dimension. Typically a shore fisherman man will start at any point with a few casts while standing back a few feet from the chosen spot to see if anything is up close at that spot. Then he moves up into position and perhaps target likely cover. Or, he may fan cast the area from one side to the other. In my locale that left left a lot of tempting overhanging brush and some shallow lay downs unfished. Shoreline brush interfered with my casting, particularly to the right. In my case cover to my right was almost never fished. But, by wading out into the water just a few feet I could cast parallel to the shoreline and, for me, this resulted in several nice bass. OK, there was an occasional leech to be removed, but a cheap pair of nylon wind pants corrected that issue. Don’t know if it’s your cup of tea to get your feet wet but it certainly did increase my numbers. Just a thought.

@Manly Studson: Uh, I guess my question is, “Why attempt to fix it if it ain’t broken?” I’m pretty much a hack bass fisherman but if I’m getting bites I stick with it. If the bite drops off I try to figure out why and change presentation, or location. If I was having better results without a trailer, I’d stick with it. Personally I’d be happy with any bite on a jig!!! Gotta say I really appreciated what @Columbia Craw had to say. And just as a point of interest, I remember back in the ‘60s a local bait shop occasionally offered “soft shell” crawfish which were basically those that had just molted. Couldn’t get many, they cost a lot, and they didn’t stay “soft shell” for long.

@IgotWood: Here’s one ya don’t hear about every day. Go to manleyrods.com and check out the lineup. I’ve been using one for yak fishing for almost three years and really enjoy the adjustable handle. To be honest, I’m not qualified to judge its sensitivity compared to many other rods but it seems to be comparable to my Okuma TCS and St. Croix Bass Yak rods. Might be a little heavier due to the hardware but being able to adjust the handle length so that rod butt is not whacking my PFD more than makes up for it. Oh, and when I whacked the tip and dinged the guide, I emailed them and had a new tip within the week. Did I mention, “No charge,” for the tip or postage? In my opinion their customer service rates right up there with Lew’s and Okuma.

So which weighs most? a. 1/2 - oz. tin sinker b. 1/2 - oz. lead sinker c. 1/2 - oz. tungsten sinker Inquiring minds want to know. (And for this discussion we will not consider 1/2 ounce of feathers.) Oh, please let the weather warm up and the rain stop!!!

@Scuba Steve: These may be too large but if you go to rapala.com and do a search for DDW it should lead to VMC Drop Dead Weighted hooks. It appears that they may be too large (smallest is 3/0) but I like the position of the weight on the hook and there are weights as low as 1/16 ounce. Might want to take a look. Good luck.

@EGbassing: Three years ago I got my first kayak (a sit-in) and with a few DIY mods, I found it to be quite serviceable. Now, at the age of 70, I have gotten a Pelican Catch 100, a sit-on type for the greater ease of entrance and egress. (Not to mention the really comfortable seat.) I would suggest that you follow the excellent advice given by the folks above. First, determine your budget INCLUDING ACCESSORIES. In my mind, the most critical (after the best PFD you can afford) accessories are a good paddle and an anchor trolley. I prefer a trolley on each side. The trolley can also be used in conjunction with an anchor pole which enhances the use of the pole. At my age comfort has become paramount but I would recommend you take the time to prioritize your requirements before you make your decision. Because storage requirements and portability necessitate that any kayak I purchase be no longer than 10 feet and be light weight, I had to recognize that weight and length were the critical considerations. Next was getting my aging carcass in and out and comfort. I had to compromise on speed but I can deal with that. So, I would recommend that you identify what requirements are most important to you before you buy. Choose a yak that most closely meets your needs. It took me two attempts to get it right. Hope this helps.

@Crestliner2008: Today, Sunday, April 7, I finally got back to Cheshire Lake. Saw four kayaks and one boat out fishing in the northern section. I was fishing from the fishing piers on Farnum Road. The northern section appears to be open. The center section is open along the western side but still iced on the eastern side. I’m getting my kayak down because I can access either from Farnum Road. I tried a lipless crank, chatterbait, jerkbait, jig, and T-rigged senko with no luck, but a wacky-rigged senko lying on the bottom resulted in my first Northern Pike! Measured over 28 inches and gave me a tussle on my spinning rig. Wish I’d taken my scale just to see its weight. It was fat and healthy. Haven’t checked Onota, but heard it was still pretty iced up.

@LCG: Sealing “oops” holes is pretty straightforward. I use Marine Goop or silicone. If you’re really concerned about leaking, just goop up a short round-head stainless screw of the appropriate diameter and screw it in to really plug the hole. Not beautiful but definitely watertight. I

From personal experience I would recommend checking out YouTube for installation. Lots of good info. Although it may not apply to rod holders since they are recessed, I learned the hard way to ALWAYS place protruding accessories like paddle holders and cleats on the yak with a dab of silicon, then sit in the boat and determine if they will interfere with paddling. Also, check to see if they interfere with lifting, carrying, or cartop carriers (if you use them). My first kayak looked like a colander before I got it right. Oh, and before mounting the rod holders, ensure there is clearance inside the yak then verify you can reach them when seated. Actual installation is usually straightforward but convenience is sometimes overlooked. Hope this helps. Good luck! Edit: Forgot to mention that if you are not using recessed rod holders, they can really interfere with paddling.

Personal observation: There is no such thing as a stupid question; however, there surely are a lot of stupid people asking questions.

You folks are making my head hurt!!! Thank heavens that I’m such a lousy caster that it doesn’t matter!!! I just cast so it’s comfortable. ?

@NittyGrittyBoy: Hmm. Guess I would put on an A-line skirt. Would give me more freedom of movement in my kayak than a pencil skirt. ?. (Hey! Don’t yell at me! He asked!)

Looks to me as though they’re gonna tear pretty easily. Hope you didn’t pay a lot for a pack of them. The good news is they shouldn’t interfere with hook penetration.

Not sure but it appears to me that you might be able to screw a couple of padeyes into the gunnels directly aft of the forward seat. You can buy a pack of ‘em for $5 - $10 at DSG or any local kayak dealer. Then use bungee cords to secure the crate to the padeyes. Not a bad place to secure a paddle leash as well. Just a thought. Good luck! Edit: I’d suggest putting a little silicon on the screws before installing them.

@Crestliner2008: My brother-in-law checked Onota yesterday (Sunday) to see if he could find trout around the launch area. Said it’s still solid and probably won’t be open for at least another two or three weeks.

@Crestliner2008: I’m in Pittsfield and Cheshire Lake actually had an open area. Managed to take a new rod and reel out and practice backlashes for a couple of hours. No luck with a jig or lipless CB, but it felt s-o-o good to be fishing, even without the kayak. And I wasn’t the only one. Met one young fella who had saved up to get a Lew’s Crush combo and he was more excited than I. Didn’t want to disturb him but did get a kick out of watching him cast, pick out a bird’s nest, tweak his reel, and repeat as necessary. Looked to me as though he had it figured out by the time I left. Gonna be awhile before I do that again though.