Kayak Koz

The load out includes the boat, trailer, motor, spare tire, and an estimate of on board gear and tackle. I found the number on some marine dealer websites.

The load out on the 175c is about 1700 pounds. I’m not sure about the 178.

I have a maximum tow capacity of 2,200 pounds so I can tow both the Stinger 178 and the Stinger 175C. Ideally. I don't want to push that limit and overwork my transmission. Obviously, there's a big price difference between the two (about $10k). So what it might come down to is what features I want to add, say a spot lock trolling motor and a live target system. Knowing me, I'll spend all winter listing different boats and options on spreadsheets and overanalyzing everything. I'm also going to be asking a ton of questions here on BR. The heat index got up to 113 today. There's hot and there's no way I'm goping to bake on the lake in this weather ? On Oconee I have been out there at 3 am because I'm familiar with the areas I am fishing. These are the first times I am getting out on Sinclair. I wouldn't be comfortable going out there at night until I familiarized myself with that part of the lake. My maps can show me the coastline, but not where all of the trees and stumps are. Plus, it's really creepy out there on a kayak after dark! I need to be in the right frame of mind to go out there.

Now that I finally have a trailer for my kayak and a new SUV to pull it, I'm no longer bound to fishing near my hotel and storing my kayak there. So last week I took a couple of hours off in the morning and launched at Cosby's Landing on Lake Sinclair. The weather was iffy, so I didn't fish long and stayed within a mile of the launch. I fished for an hour or so, didn't catch anything, and didn't even see much of anything on my electronics. I was fishing the shallows and vegetation. It looks like a place to target in the spring. Today I headed back to Sinclair and launched at the Dennis Station ramp where we launched for our MLF event earlier this year. I caught two small ones on topwater early on right in the creek channel where the ramp is located. Then I pushed into four different coves and was fishing 3ft - 8ft of water and there was absolutely nothing. The area has tons of downed trees in sunny and shady areas but there were no takers. I even pedaled over those areas and picked up nothing on side imaging, down imaging, or 2D. I'm guessing it's the lack of oxygenation in the area this time of year. Sure, I'd like to fish more dropoffs further off shore, but it's no fun being in open water in a kayak on a weekend. There's tons of pontoon boat and jet ski traffic and I just don't have the patience for that anymore. I moved to deeper water outside one of the coves and my electronics lit up with tons of fish and baitfish. The water was 24 feet deep and the fish were active between 6 and 17 feet. This is where packing light for the day may have got me. I had no deep cranks, lipless cranks, or spoons packed today. Nor did I have an umbrella rig. Or a big swimbait. My guess was these were probably stripers, and it would have been nice to catch a big one of those as well. There are some other areas nearby that launch that look interesting so I'll head out there again. I'll also head out there earlier next time, probably before first light. I didn't launch until almost 8 am today. I stayed out for less than 3 hours because it just got too dang hot out there, especially pedaling around in my kayak. I think this will be my last season kayaking. It wears me out in the heat and I'd just like to cover more water. With this heat it wears me out loading everything up at the end of the day. Right now I'm eyeing a 17 foot Lowe Stinger or a Lowe Skorpion. While I'd like a bigger boat or a fiberglass boat, the towing capacity on my Bronco Sport is limited. I like my Bronco and I have no plans to trade it in for a more powerful towing vehicle. But the good news is that with my trailer I hope to finally start fishing more again. I had basically stopped fishing for months because my kayak was stored at my hotel and every time I went there to fish I got sucked into work.

It's great when you can take something you love and pass it on to others. Congratulations and awesome them you stepped in and helped them out. Stuff like this is why I have the kids fishing program at my hotel.

Imagine if fishing lures were like shotgun shells or bullets. One and done.

This is where it came apart. The end crimp loop did not bend or pull apart and neither did the wire. The swivel holding the gold blade and the gold blade itself are gone. One strike, one fish, new bait. This does not mean that I will not give War Eagle another shot. It just means what I said - my first impression is that I am not impressed. I've had Strike Kings come apart as well, but that's after a season or two of them taking a pounding.

The hotel I run is right on a big lake so I can take a few minutes and go fish off of our docks. I also host a kids' fishing program on weekends and while I'm mostly baiting hooks and unbuttoning fish for those events I manage to get in a few casts. Lastly, my hotel gives me a little sponsorship money for MLF and BASS events so I fish for work and I will take a day every now and then and state that I have to go practice. But work keeps me so busy that most of my fishing is in 15-20 minute intervals a few times a week. I haven't done a proper fishing trip in months.

Spring and fall. Normally I'd include summer, but as I age the heat gets more oppressive. I was all set to take my kayak to a new section of lake this morning but the heat advisories kicked in and I did not want to deal with morning heat indices of 106 and rising to 100+ later today. I'm fine with night fishing on my kayak, but I've never been to this section of lake before and I'd rather familiarize myself with the area and map it out first. Too much can go wrong at night as it is.

A kayak is fun, but it's also a lot of work. If you get a kayak, get a pedal drive. It's much easier to fish out of. I love my kayak, but what I find to be the biggest obstacle is the limited range. This becomes even more of an issue on very hot days. An average pedaling speed over longer distances is going to be 2.8 - 3.2 mph. So if you want to fish a spot 3 miles away it's going to take you an hour just to get there, and it may tire you out. I don't know how many times I've cruised around and fished a bunch of spots and either start to get worn out, get an alert of weather moving in, or just decide to wrap it up for the day only to find that I've got a 90+ minute jaunt back to my launch point. And it's all work to pedal back.

The other day I needed to pick up a few things at the local tackle store, among them a 1/2 spinnerbait that I could slow roll alongside the docks. I usually buy Strike King, but I've seen people post on here about War Eagle so I thought I would give them a try. I picked up a double Colorado blade silver/gold in the cole slaw skirt pattern. So today I took a break at work and went out to the docks of my hotel and tossed it in a shade pocket along the sea wall and sure enough got a strike and landed a little two pounder that actually put up a decent fight. But when I unbuttoned him I noticed that the bigger gold blade was gone. Who knows? Maybe this was a one in a million fluke. But it came apart after only 5 or 6 casts and one fish. Has anyone else had quality issue with War Eagle spinnerbaits?

Other than taking a couple of casts during my Fishing with the GM program at my hotel, either I have made every excuse NOT to fish or I haven't been motivated. Tops on my list is the heat, so I considered night fishing. But with my kayak stored at the hotel I dread going in because I'll just get sucked in to work. --HOWEVER-- I received my Malone kayak trailer on Friday and put it together this weekend. On Monday I'm going to take a break from work and get it registered. Then hopefully later this week my Covercraft cover arrives and I'll be bringing my kayak home. Saturday later afternoon I should be heading to Lake Sinclair to try out a few spots in the daylight, then maybe head back early, early, early Sunday morning.

Fishing from the bank I would ignore your fish finder to find fish. But use it to see the depth and find ledges or dropoffs and maybe some structure. Fishing for bass from the bank I would look for the following: 1. Cover 2. Structure 3. Drop offs and creek channels 4. Bait balls and schooling bait fish

I'm not even sure if I'm going to back it in to the water, especially if the ramp is crowded. I may just transfer it to my C-Tug in the parking lot and wheel it to the water.

I have to ask - what do you do with a dead black bear under your deck? Does DNR remove it?

I just saw an episode of North Woods Law the other day and they put down a fox with mange because they said it could not be treated.

I went with the Malone trailer with the bunks. While more costly than the Right On, ultimately I think that it's the best way for me to go. I also found a website that sold it for the base price of $1439 with no taxes or shipping charges and that saved me some money as well. I just got notice that it is shipping today, so hopefully it's here in time for me to build it on Saturday. Since my kayak is currently stored at my hotel, I haven't wanted to fish because if I go there on my day off I know I'll get sucked into working at some point during the day. Now I can store it at home and head out on the water whenever I want without worrying about that. It will also open up better launch points on Lake Oconee and more importantly let me access better fishing lakes like Sinclair and Clark's Hill.

Malone Ecolight Single Kayak Trailer ($1,439) or Right On Multisport Trailer ($799 + about $100 for rack pads or bunks) I'll be towing a 12' 6" Seastream Angler pedal drive kayak. The kayak and seat are about 108 pounds. Everything else we be stowed in my SUV. And no, I don't want a DIY or modified Harbor Freight trailer. I'd like to be able to do 60 - 65 mph on the roads. Of course, I'd like to save money if possible but that's not the defining issue. That being said, I don't think I need a $2,800 trailer either. What I'm wondering is if anyone has experience with any of these models, what you liked, what you didn't like, and the reliability of the trailer. I'll be twoing this with my Bronco Sport. Thanks!

Technically you need to be certified for any commercial use. It's an easy test. https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot

The first thing to know is that you are not alone. It hits just about everyone to a varying degree. We also live in a time when we are bombarded by constant images, messages, and news. But I am going to let you in on a secret that can help if you are going to commit to it. If you don't commit, it will mean nothing. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference" This is from the Serenity Prayer and most associate it with Alcoholics Anonymous. I'm not an alcoholic and I rarely drink. No matter. It works for me. That first part is important - to accept the things that you cannot change. Too often we stress about things that we can never change. Those things can eat us alive. Combine that with the last part - the wisdom to know the difference - is also critical. You have to read this multiple times a day and commit to it. I have a wooden tabletop piece of this at home and at work. You can even write it down and carry it in your wallet. Stare at it. Read it. When things get stressful recite it in your head or aloud. It's not a magic bullet, but if you can believe it and commit to it then it will make things easier for you. I promise. I've been there.

I used to do aerial photography years ago as part of my job, flying a DJI Phantom. I now have a Mavic that I fly for fun and have used it for photo and video shoots for my hotel. Perhaps I can answer your question.

Find the shade pockets and the weeds and you'll find the bass.

Doesn't that interfere with the rod when setting the hook, fighting a fish or landing the fish on the deck? I could not center mount with me pedal kayak. I could see a center mount with a paddle kayak if it was lower, but the way I fish I'd be bashing that thing all day

I'm at that age where I have to wear glasses to see clearly and usually when I'm out on the water I have sunglasses that fit over those. And whenever on the bank or in the boat I fish I keep fish grippers in my pocket. If I'm in my kayak they stay clipped to my seat. I ALWAYS use the grippers with treble hooks and most of the time with single hooks.

I saw that one but it had a ton of negative reviews.