Boomstick

They could make the rods magenta with a yellow handle paired with a lime green reel for all I care as long as the rod & reel does what it's supposed to. Disclaimer: Perhaps there would be an increase of people laying unconscious in areas I commonly fish at if they ever made this combo...

My only takeaway is where do you find a Steez AGS for only $385? That seems a bit too aggressively discounted...

I have a now discontinued Bass Mafia tackle bag that holds 10-12 3700 boxes in the back of my truck. Then I have a couple additional boxes that I carry in the kayak. Not the most portable option, but usually it doesn't need to be.

Sure they will! Try a nose hooked Roboworm Alive Shad or ned rig But yeah, I see where you're coming from. There's always something new to try if you keep your eyes and wallet open...

The 27+lb largemouth would be hard to pass up just for the sheer size and the thrill of catching a fish that big. It must feel like hooking a shark.

I do not own any Bass X, but I do own some Mojo Bass rods. I have held Bass X's in the store and tapped the tip against my kid's winter jacket, I couldn't really feel when it hit where I could with the Mojo Bass. Not the greatest real world test, but it still tells me the Mojo Bass is worth the extra cost quite easily. My kid has the 7'1" Mojo Bass Plastics rod. It's a solid rod for unweighted or lightly weight soft plastics, finesse jigs, jerkbaits, square bills etc.

Usually when the wind blows north or east, a storm is coming in which I would think has a lot to do with it.

The only problem is that they made the SLX MGL 70 a little too good. That is a well peforming reel.

The Curado MGL 70 is slightly smaller, but to be honest I barely notice the difference. They perform almost identically.

They are more or less the same rod, minus 3" of length. The 733c may have slightly slower action than the 703C, largely due to slightly more tip. My kid has the Sierra 703C and it's a stupid versatile rod -- perhaps the most versatile that we own. It will fish anything from weightless or lightly weighted soft plastics, lightweight finesse jigs (SK bitsy bugs usually), spinnerbaits 3/8oz and under, smaller plastic swimbaits, smaller sized prop baits, jerkbaits, squarebills, poppers, spooks and buzzbaits to name a few.

Often those rods designed for skipping aren't too long but also are a good action for fishing a jig and heavier weighted T-Rigs as well. I wouldn't complain if every rod was 6'9" or 6'10", I mean I can work with longer too, but that's the length you can do everything with. The 6'10" Tatula MH/F is a pretty good rod if you're looking for a MH.

Same could be said about 7'1" or 7'2" or 7'3" for that matter. There is a number of reasons why someone might want a 6'9" rod. Perhaps they have a boat that won't fit a full 7' rod, but will fit 6'9" which gives them a slightly longer rod than 6'6" for example. I like 6'8 or 6'9" rods for jerkabaits.

If the jerkbait didn’t work, I would try either a small dropshot or ned rig. So it doesn't really sound like you're using the wrong presentations at least.

I have something like 11 rods and 9 reels. Some of the reels do have a dedicated rod, and others will mix and match depending on what kind of cover I am seeing and where I'm fishing etc. I usually carry 3-5 on the kayak, so this has worked quite well for me. Matched pairs: 7'5" Daiwa Steez AGS Bottom Contact MH-H/F with a Steez SV for jigs, weighted T-Rigs and C-Rigs. 16# fluorocarbon 7'1" Daiwa Tatula M/F Elite Brent Ehrler dropshot rod with a Tatula LT reeel. 6'9" St Croix Avid X ML/XF with a Daiwa BG Other Rods: 7'6" Daiwa Tatula H/F flipping rod 7'4" Daiwa Tatula H/F 7'1" Daiwa Tatula MH/XF 6'10" Daiwa Tatula MH/F 7' Daiwa Tatula Elite Brent Ehrler "Finesse" M-MH/XF 6'8" St Croix Mojo Bass "Topwater" M/XF 7'2" Daiwa Tatula Glass MH/R 7 Daiwa Tatula Glass M/R Reels: 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula SV with 16# fluorocarbon 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula SV with 12# fluorocarbon 6.3:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite with 12# fluorocarbon 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula CT with 65# braid 6.3:1 Daiwa Tatula SV with 50 or 65# braid (had 12# flurocarbon on it this year, but it's replacing my Tatula 150 that broke for braid) 7.1:1 Pflueger Patriarch with 12# mono

The general consensus is for finesse presentations you want between 6# and 8#. Some fluorocarbon runs thinner than others and some runs thicker as well. Last year I was using Daiwa J-Braid Samurai 7# which is a good all around diameter if you only carry one with you.

I would second that it's not your line - unless it's actually breaking on you. Most braid cuts through lily pads roughly evenly. Honestly your experience sounds pretty much accurate for fishing lily pads. you want to set the hook early and turn their heads and pull them out of the pads before they can run figure 8s around all the stems and make a real mess for you. If you do want a recommendation on braid, I usually go with Daiwa JBraid Grand x8. PowerPro Maxcuatro is also worth a mention as it is thinner in diameter and fairly smooth. There are plenty of others that will do the job as well, so these are far from the only options. These pics have got me excited for summer! With pads like this, I would say you will want at minimum 50# braid to be safe. Personally I only run 65# braid on my two reels since I pretty much use it for heavy duty weeds and use straight fluoro thee rest of the time - although I may spool one up with 50# next year (I think I have a spool of 50#).

I've been brand loyal to Daiwa. Probably more so I can officially say I'm a Daiwa fanboy than anything else. Not that their reels are bad. I mean in some cases, I do have the best reels for the job. It's hard to beat the Steez SV as a jig reel (targeted casting, skipping, pitching etc). My Tatula SVs are in the same ballpark. The Tatula LT spinning reel is fantastic and the bail gives my large hands enough room to not hit my thumb, and my BG was a great cheaper option as well. But for bomb casting crankbaits and weightless soft plastics, Shimano would be a better offering. Daiwa doesn't currently offer anything that can do the above as good as the SLX or Curado MGL 70, those reels are great for those applications. My oldest son has some Shimano reels, so I'm no stranger.

Do you have one where the letters are just etched in? I'm not sure if I could even read that myself - although I am finally getting new glasses (mine are so scratched up I can barely see). Did you find any tricks to store it some place convenient?

That explains that then. I imagine it would also be the easiest to store, being much lighter than the aluminum ones.

The funny thing is one of them was essentially how to get started doing KBF tournaments video.

Well I guess it's a ketch board then. I'd have sworn I have seen people using the Hobie Hawg Trough before. The aluminum ones look nice but I hear they're also heavy and don't float, so I'm leaning towards the plastic one. Need to find a place to store it.

What do the kayakers here prefer for a measuring board? A ketch board, hawg trough (hobie or other brand) or something else entirely? I may try to enter a KBF tournament this year and that is the only thing I don't have.

They are. The wheel bearings last a season. But they're cheap, and modifying them is still fairly cheap. I was going to build one during the pandemic when I bought kayaks for myself and the kids, but you couldn't buy one. You could buy a similar trailer for 4 times the price, but at that price I went and bought a Yamima Rack & Roll. It doubles as a hand cart as it's light. There are other purpose trailers that are cheaper, primarily Malones but the bars cave with a single heavy kayak and I'm not about to try three.

I got my largest two bass on a dropshot last year. I also had a hell of a year with a drop shot. I would wager I will get my best bass on a jig in 2023. Possibly spinnerbait too (I've got a few nice ones on spinnerbaits).

You know, this sounds like me. I mean if I get a good spot with a lot of grass I'll throw one, but given I only have spaces for 5 rods on my kayak, that's one I pass on a lot. I never have the best success with them in general. There probably is something I have completely given up on, but I can't think of it right now.