PAbasser927

I’ve always liked the saying that guns are like parachutes. If you ever need one and you don’t have it, you probably won’t ever need it again. I’m glad that was not the case for you.

Got out Saturday afternoon and caught my best bass of the year so far. This one must have been through a lot as you can see a portion of the dorsal fin is missing along with the entire upper half of the tail. Measuring in over 20 inches and only 3.55lbs, I would have loved to catch her in her prime. Still took advantage of the photo op since I had my wife out with me... we kayak fishermen don’t usually have the opportunity for good pictures lol

My brother has been enjoying his fenwick silverhawk II rods from Cabela’s. He gets them when they are on sale for 59.99.

I had a side mount transducer arm and disliked it enough that I took on a DIY project I found on another kayak website. I essentially mounted the transducer to a medium duty CB antenna spring off of my stern. The the spring flexes and returns to the correct position when I bump into something. This allows me to keep it permanently mounted... one less thing to fuss with on the water. Having the transducer located on the stern has a few other benefits. First, the drag that the transducer causes when side mounted is eliminated and allows the kayak to track straight. Second, I am able to place the transducer just below the surface and still utilize sidescan. On the arm I had to get the transducer below the hull in order to side scan, which in turn created even more drag. Third, I don’t bump the mount with my paddle anymore. I had to get creative in finding a way to make a solid mount, but I have been loving it so far.

That was a good thought. I checked but unfortunately that is not the case.

The spool was never removed from the reel until after the problem started and nothing seems to be off in regards to the spool shaft. My brother is going to give Daiwa a call and go from there. I’m thinking it is likely a bad bearing as suggested above.

When I was playing with it last night it behaved the same way whether the drag is loose or locked out.

My brother picked up a Fuego CT about a week or two ago and we ran into a problem on the water last night. The reel will no longer free spool when the thumb bar is pressed. I loosened the spool tension knob all the way and turned the brakes completely off - still will not free spool. However, with these settings, if I apply pressure to the spool with my fingers and rock it side to side horizontally within the frame a few times, it will free spool. Then when the line is taken up and thumb bar is pressed again, it sticks. I opened up the reel and removed the spool to see if there was any debris stuck in it, which there does not appear to be. The reel had never been opened up prior to me checking it so this problem would not have started due to tinkering and missing pieces upon reassembly. I also messed around with drag settings with no success in fixing the problem. Even with this issue it still seems to cast ok. He didn’t notice it until he tried to make a pitch and couldn’t get the lure out more than a few feet. Anybody have any thoughts as to what is going on? Thanks!

Got out this weekend and had my best day from the kayak yet. Got my PB smallie along the way with this one!

Hardbaits are certainly not my specialty - but I picked up some H2O crankbaits, jerkbaits, lipless, and squarebills when they were running a hot deal for $2 each. They seem to run well even in comparison to my Rapalas - and they catch fish!

I have another thread posted where I had accidentally sliced my transducer cable and a lot of this same info is already posted. However, I just wanted to take a minute and post about an excellent customer service experience with Lowrance where I feel they truly went above and beyond. On Sunday night I was working on my kayak and slipped using a utility knife. Of course, with my luck, the knife slipped directly into the transducer cable for my sonar unit. The cut went through the foil shield and nicked into a few of the internal wires. Considering the cut was only about 3 inches in front of the transducer, I knew I would have a tough time splicing and soldering while keeping the area waterproof afterwards. I called Lowrance on Monday and explained my accident. I told them I don’t have any certified dealers in the area to speak about repairs with, so I was calling for their recommendation on whether there is a decent course of action for repair. I told them the transducer was purchased only 4 months ago and I use it so I can switch my HDS unit back and forth from my kayak to my family bass boat. They said they should be able to help me out as long as I could produce a receipt for the transducer, which I told them would be no problem. After taking my name and address, they sent me an email so I could reply a copy of the receipt. I didn’t know what “help” meant at the time but I replied my receipt and waited for further instruction. Early on Tuesday morning I received a shipping notification. On Wednesday, a new transducer was waiting for me on my doorstep when I got home from work. Considering manufacturer warranties typically only cover manufacturer defects, I am blown away by the level of support provided by Lowrance. I called them hoping I could pay to have my transducer shipped back to them, pay a fee for repair, and pay return shipping to get it back to me. I could not have even imagined having a brand new transducer less than 48 hours later for no charge. This is, hands down, the best customer service experience I have with ANY company. Gestures like this go a long way with me and Lowrance has certainly secured themselves a repeat customer whenever I am in need of another unit.

I hadn’t tried testing it because I wanted to cover my bases with Lowrance first. I didn’t want to go boogering it up even more trying to waterproof it and end up ruining my chances getting help from the manufacturer. That being said, Lowrance’s customer support was fantastic. I came home from work yesterday to a new transducer on my doorstep. I called them Monday and the package was delivered less than 48 hours later. There was no instructions for return shipping so I don’t think they even require me to return ship the transducer that I cut (I will be keeping my eyes peeled for an email or call from them about that). That is, hands down, the best customer service experience that I have had with any company. They have definitely secured themselves a repeat customer with me. Now I just have to make sure to be more careful with this one!

It’s hard to tell from the picture, but yes a few of the interior wires are nicked. Not cut through, but nicked through the insulation and into the wire. Obviously to get to that point the foil shield has been cut through as well. I appreciate all the feedback on how to fix, but I may actually be off the hook with this one. I called Lowrance yesterday and explained my accident and how the transducer was just purchased 4 months ago. They asked if I could produce a receipt, which I could. Now it sounds like they are going to send me a new one and I can return ship the one that I sliced the cable on. Considering only factory defects are typically covered under manufacturer warranties, and this one is completely on me, I am pretty blown away by the excellent customer service on the part of Lowrance. Once I get more details as to the next steps I need to take with Lowrance I will post about my expirience. Hopefully good news to come!

The problem I am going to have with splicing it is how close the slice is to the transducer itself. In order to stagger the splices so they are not on top of each other, I would need about 12 inches to work with since there appears to be many wires that would need to be spliced and soldered. I only have about 3 inches to work with and that would take me RIGHT to the transducer. So in order to get a waterproof heat shrink over top of both sides of the splice, I am now looking at about 2 inches to work with, maybe even less. Usually I am meticulously careful when working on stuff like this, but when I do mess up, it seems like I go big!

If I plan to throw light baits, I pair my rods with a Tatula SV. If not, I save myself a considerable amount of money and go with a Fuego CT. Both fantastic reels and can be had discounted on eBay. Even cheaper right now with a 15% discount using promo code “POPULAR”. My brother just picked up a Fuego for less than $60 using the promo this morning.

That is promising. Hopefully Lowrance has some good feedback when I give them a call.

I figured as much. Not sure I would ever trust the image to be as good as it could be if I tried to fix it myself anyway. It’s a shame the transducer is only about 4 months old. Live and learn I guess!

I was working on a new mounting system on my kayak for a totalscan transducer. I slipped when cutting with a utility knife and sliced the transducer cable pretty good. This is only about 3-4 inches in front of the transducer so it is an area that will be submerged. l will likely be giving Lowrance a call to see if anything can be done. Just wondering if anyone else has ever done this and whether it was able to be fixed? I have heard splicing and soldering these things are much more tricky than a standard spice and solder job.

After I happened to catch this video I started tying my Palomars by cinching it on my finger before pulling it to the hook eye. Turned this knot from something I never used to my new go-to. When it is cinched around your finger you can even check to make sure the lines are not crossed and fix them if they are. I have yet to break off at the knot since learning this way.

^This same thing had been happening to me earlier this year only with the small fish. Along with some of your theories, I also thought that the weight of the fish could be an issue. Heavier fish would not budge on a hookset and the hook would penetrate. Smaller fish may just get pulled along a bit rather than the hook actually penetrating. Now when I am reeling and realize the fish is small I give a second hookset with a little more purpose behind it. I don’t know if this is the correct way to handle or not but it has alleviated most of the problem for me.

St. Croix Avid X 6’9 ML XF paired with a Daiwa Procyon 2500. Love the combo. Typically this is the only spinning setup I take with me unless it is some sort of odd occasion.

^This was going to be my response, except mine was $52 with the eBay code.

Went out to practice two things I need more confidence in... skipping and the Ned rig. Caught this decent one skipping a Ned under low branches.

A third issue is that overtime the softener in the baits that keeps the plastics soft will be absorbed by the organizer and it will warp. I put some of my plastics in organizers as well but I keep them in the bags when I do so.

I have occasionally gotten down to my mono backing on long casts when my spool is low. I have not had a problem passing this connection knot (also uni to uni) either since my mono backing is generally 8-10lb test. When it comes to leaders, I have never had a problem when casting, only when retrieving. When casting, the T wing is open and there is more than enough space to pass any connection knot. However, when retrieving and the T wing is closed, I have had issues passing a leader knot with 50lb braid to a 15-20lb fluoro leader. I like to use a slim beauty knot because it points both the tag ends toward the main line which essentially eliminates the possibility of a hang up in the guides when casting. Maybe this same reasoning is why it gets hung in the T wing on the way back in, but I have not had the knot hang in any other reel. I had the same problem with the FG knot (supposedly the thinnests knot) prior the learning the slim beauty. Worth considering for someone in the market for a reel that is interested in running long leaders.