PAbasser927

^ Same.

Thanks! It does stop at 90 degrees. I made sure to cut it that way since I had the same gripe when I used to run a transducer arm. That, and I was always a bit overly OCD about trying to make sure the arm was perfectly straight/level when I deployed it. This setup gives me peace of mind in knowing the transducer drops to the exact same spot every time. I’m excited to test it on the water.

Just wanted to share a winter project I have been working on to get my sidescan transducer mounted to the bow of my kayak. Ultimately, I wanted a setup that would allow me to put the transducer dead center inline with my kayak while also having no obstructions to sidescan. I also wanted it in a position that I can easily drop a bait next to it for “video game” fishing. Last, I wanted a setup that is easy to disassemble for transportation and easy to stow and deploy while on the water. After drawing out a few options, I decided to mount it to the bow and I got started building a “rotating drum” design that stows and deploys the transducer via a trolley system: I will have the transducer permanently mounted to a short length of 3/4 in PVC. The PVC will insert into the coupling on my mount and be held in place with a pin for easy removal. I haven’t seen anyone else run a setup even remotely similar to this, so I figured this may help pave the way for anyone who has been interested in running their transducer off the bow.

@Gundog I haven’t been in this section of the forum in a while or I would have answered you sooner! I live in one of the developments within walking distance of the Ironton rail trail. Unfortunately, the ponds you are seeing are either fenced in quarries or private fishing clubs that own and stock their quarry. The only public pond I have luck with in this area is Johnson’s pond which is great for numbers. However, I have yet to catch a bass over 2lbs there. Most are less than 1lb. That being said, Coplay creek does run right next to the rail trail and I see kids catching small trout from time to time. When I feel the need to get out and do some quick bank fishing in this area, I take the short drive to the D&L rail trail and fish along the Lehigh river. This provides far better numbers and quality than the ponds in the area.

I have only had one expirience with their customer support so far, but it was extremely positive. I actually posted about it here a few months back.

Finally got this pic from my buddy. He snapped it over the summer on our trip up to Maine. Turned out to be my PB smallie. Caught at 40ft in water that had 30ft visibility. It was awesome being able to SEE the fight almost every step of the way.

I read an article that someone posted here about research that Berkley had done in regards to bass feeding on craws. The bass turned out to be FAR more likely to feed on craws with missing pinchers. They said the bait resembled more of a shrimp than a craw. They never produced a bait to look like this because their marketing research showed nobody would ever buy it. Interesting your results seem to back that up!

I use braid to leader. Leader could be anywhere from 10lbs for senkos in open water to 20lbs for creatures in the slop. When using 20lbs I step up to a heavy rod though.

That should be the case for anyone who carries. People who carry responsibly have adopted the mentality that nobody should ever see your gun (or even know you have a gun) unless you truly feel your life is at risk. I carry on the water from time to time depending on the situation. Sometimes I know I am going to be out late where I am the last one packing up my boat in a dark parking lot, or I may be walking through the woods in the dark after wading the river. In over a decade of carrying, I have not had to draw it once and truly hope I NEVER have to. People who wave a gun around to show off, or prove a point, have no business carrying in the first place.

It’s funny you mention that, I actually just caught myself starting to do this more and more in the recent months. I wouldn’t say that I dislike my split grip rods because of this, but it is awkward to find the right place for your left hand depending on the rod. I am primarily a bottom contact fisherman so I like split grips just to keep the blank lighter for sensitivity. Usually my casts take 5 minutes or so to retrieve so a slightly awkward cast is not a huge deal. However, if I was running and gunning with crankbaits all day I think I would prefer the full grip.

Yup that was it! I must have been remembering what I read a while ago incorrectly. Thanks for clarifying!

We have the same TM on our boat and everything I have read seems to discourage using the integrated transducer entirely. Apparently the quality of the picture is not great, in part because the power source is shared with powering the trolling motor. Since the current being used to power the trolling motor is variable, it is desirable to have you sonar hooked up to a more steady power feed. Most people opt to mount a separate transducer to the bottom of the TM and bypass the integrated transducer alltogether. This is all information I have gathered in research, I have not actually tried using the integrated transducer.

When I make a pitch or cast, I still keep two fingers in front of the trigger. When I regrip to fully palm, I have three in front. I don’t ever actually take my hand off the rod though. I just shuffle my ring finger from behind the trigger to in front of it.

Thanks! I do too, I feel like you can’t go wrong with them.

Now that I have spent at least a full season with each, if I was in need of a rod that was offered in both lineups, I would pass on the elite. That is not a slight against the elite because the elites are awesome rods, I just feel the original Tatula is that good.

I’m righty and have all left handed retrieve baitcasters. If I only casted I could probably get used to switching hands while the lure is midair. Pitching is the main reason I prefer LHR. Pitching and switching hands the whole way down a bank sounds exhausting - though I admit I never tried. Plus it’s nice to be ready to go on the occasions where a bass takes your jig immediately as it touches the water.

My OCD would not allow me to put a Daiwa reel on Shimano rod (or the other way around). For that reason alone, I’d go Tatula lol I have never handled a Zodias but I have owned 2 Tatula rod’s. One of the original gold and black ones and one Elite. They are both fantastic for the price point.

Are you talking about the mainline? If so, I usually like to keep my mainline a few lbs above the rod’s maximum line rating. This allows me to use leaders throughout the rod’s line range without having to worry about the mainline being the weakest link. Most medium heavy rods are rated up to 15-17lbs and mediums are usually right around 12lbs. So I would say your plan of having your medium heavy rods strung up with 20lb braid and your medium at 15lb is pretty spot on. This should give you all the strength you need while keeping your casting distance at its maximum since the line diameter is still very thin.

I like to use 12 lb test as a good all around size for crankbaits. For top water lures I usually run straight braid with no leader. Most will say treble hook baits like poppers should not be fished on braid since there is no stretch, but I just use a softer rod to counter the lack of stretch.

I choose my weight based on the rate of fall I am looking for and/or the depth I am fishing. If I am fishing deep, I may want to put a 1/4 oz (or more) on a trick worm so it decends faster and maintains bottom contact. Fishing shallow I would probably go with 1/8th or less on the same worm. Bigger profile plastics would need to be weighted heavier to obtain the same rate of fall and bottom contact as you would with your trick worm. I don’t believe color makes a difference - my tungsten is all black.

Usually, in bass fishing, guys prefer to run leaders lower in breaking strength than the mainline. This allows you to break off the leader without having to lose massive amounts of mainline if you were to snag. IMO, 12 lb test would not be ideal for TRDs. I usually never go heavier than 8lb test and will sometimes drop down to 6lb. TRDs are so light that the larger diameter line really affects the action of the bait. I would run an 8lb leader on the medium rod for your finess stuff and 12-15lb leader on the medium heavy. The medium heavy is the rod I would use for your T rigs.

Other than top water, I have a hard time catching bass on any moving bait. I started bass fishing last spring and all I have caught on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and various crankbaits are pickerel (they eat anything). I have had a ton of success with soft plastics and jigs. I much prefer bottom contact presentations anyway, but I do feel that I struggle finding fish considering most people suggest using a lure that covers water to find them. I have relied on my proven spots as well as using my electronics to find them. I also fish in HEAVILY pressured water where the fish basically have a conveyer belt of lures being thrown at them so it could just be my area.

Dobyns Champion Extreme DX 745C would fit the bill perfectly for this.

I use the slim beauty knot. 10 wraps down and 8 or 9 back. Never had an issue with it getting caught on guides, even with micro guides using 50lb braid to 15lb leader. I used the FG knot until I learned the slim beauty due to how long it takes to tie an FG. The FG may be marginally slimmer, but slim beauty is shorter. Comparing knot strength, the FG probably tests stronger. However in actual use, I have NEVER had this knot fail. The terminal knot has always broken prior to the leader knot, so I have no reason for anything stronger. This video is where I learned to tie it:

I am with DVT in that I would much rather put money into my rods than into the reels. For one of my setups, the rod cost me about $230 while the reel sitting on top of it cost me about $50.