Kayak Koz

I've been lucky enough to put together a good core team of people that want to improve the hotel. Without them, nothing I do really matters.

I have a Curado K paired with a St. Croix Mojo Yak that I really like. In fact, it was because I like the Curado K so much that I was thinking of trying the Curado DLC I'm going to look into the Expride. Thanks. I know Daiwa has great reels and I have been tempted to try them. But I bought a Shimano Curado K this summer and I really like it so I'm leaning towards the Curado DC.

I swim T-rigged plastics all the time, or I'll hop them or drag them along the bottom. I just can cast them out there, let them sit a spell, then nudge them an inch or two and start the countdown again.

My hotel owner came to town yesterday and surprised me with a Christmas bonus. It was definitely a surprise because I'm the kind of guy that signs on the dotted line for a salary and expect nothing else. Anyway, I thought I'd take a little of this bonus and buy a new rod and reel and probably some baits as well. While nothing is off limits, I'm just not teh type of person that has ever spent $400 on a reel or $500 on a rod. Every rod and every reel I have cost under $200. I have no issue with anyone that spends more on their gear. We all have different levels of comfort when it comes to spending for different items. But with some of this "found money" I'm thinking of upgrading a bit and I was looking at purchasing a Shimano Curado 150 DC reel and a Shimano Zodias rod. What do you think - good combination? Or should I take the opportunity to go bolder? Any suggestions?

My preference is to use moving baits. I can fish them fast or slow, lift and drop, rip, or fish at a steady pace. What I don't like is throwing a soft plastic out there, letting it sit for a minute or five, move it a few inches, and then wait again. That's my idea of hell. My preference is to use moving baits. I can fish them fast or slow, lift and drop, rip, or fish at a steady pace. What I don't like is throwing a soft plastic out there, letting it sit for a minute or five, move it a few inches, and then wait again. That's my idea of hell.

Good question and one I've often asked myself over the past 5 or 6 years as I got back into fishing again. When I got back into it I bought a cheap Flueger spinning reel and an Ugly Stick rod and I was catching a lot of bass. Then I bought a baitcaster - an inexpensive Lew's American Hero combo ($80) and I caught a lot of bass. When I decided to add to my arsenal, I spent what I though was a lot of money on a Lew's Mach II combo ($179( and I caught a lot of bass. This year I got a little caught up in spending and bought a pedal kayak and it snowballed from there. I didn't go wild, but I spent a lot more than I usually spent on gear including some $200 Shimano reels and some Dobyns and St. Croix rods. And you know what I learned by upgrading my equipment? Nothing. Well, that's not quite true. I learned that the most important thing for me was being comfortable. That is in being comfortable with how much I spent and the comfort of the rods and reels I paired. I love my Shimano reels. They feel and operate so much better than my less expensive reels. And I love my St. Croix rods. But you know what? I still have that old Lew's American Hero reel (now paired with a Dobyns) and it's still part of my arsenal out on my kayak. And it still catches fish. So my advice - be comfortable with whatever you fish. I'm sure people that fish for a living feel differently, but for most of us the only diminishing returns we have is spending beyond our means and not enjoying the time out on the water. And I would bet that the guys that overspend on gear get a lot more ticked off about getting skunked than I do!

Well, if I ever play and win the lottery I'd by some land with a private lake in South Carolina, somewhere in the middle of the state where I won't have to deal with alligators. The lake would be big enough for a tricked out jon boat or kayak. Not too big and not too small. Then I'd take the time to place different structure, aquatic vegetation, and shoreline vegetation to create diversified habitats throughout.

A month or so ago I bought an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and it's been a lot of fun. There's an OK fishing game that I play now and then. It has South Korean lakes and seas, but I think the latest update has west coast US lakes. The table tennis game is fun, as is the mini golf, bowling, and a game called Superhot VR. So far all of the games I have played are through the headset processor and storage, but I can connect to PC games. However, with my latest PC build I did not want to spend $1,500 - $2,500 on a video card that should cost only $300, so I will have to wait until the chip shortage ends. My old video card can't run VR. I really want to try some racing games in VR.

I saw the thread title and immediately wondered, "Where the heck is this going?"

I've got the Flambeau Premium Tuff Crate on my kayak (top and bottom compartment) and in it I carry 5 Plano boxes, a spinnerbait box, and then a 12" or so Tupperware type storage to hold bags of soft plastics. I could fit another few Planos under my seat if needed. I have 4 rod holders, but usually bring only 3 rods. But to be honest, I don't need to bring that much. I guess there's some comfort having a lot of baits on board, but the truth is I'm never going to get through even half of them on one trip. It can also be a pain to twist around and go digging through my crate to get what I need, although I will say the Tuff Crate is much better than a standard milk crate. But what gets me is why doesn't every kayak have a hatch on the deck right in front of the seat where you can keep a set of pliers and a handful of your top baits? That seems like a no brainer.

Fishing pet peeves? hands down that would be the reckless jet skiers. I don't think there's enough server drive storage to list all of my pet peeves.

While I fished mainly in the Beaufort County area of the SC Lowcountry, there were times when I coached baseball in the Charleston area and I brought some fishing gear along. Fishing there was comparable to where I fished. The number one bait that worked was a 3/8 ounce white spinnerbait. Fish it with no trailer year round except during the pre-spawn. Then add a white paddletail trailer. Just like anywhere else, bass will slow down here in the winter. Water temperature is always relative to the region. So your next best winter baits are going to be a wacky rigged Senko or a jerkbait. A good third options is a black/blue 3/8 chatterbait with a blue speed craw trailer. Fish this with a big lift and drop action. You don't have to let it hit the bottom, but bring it up near the surface and let it fall. On some lagoons in the winter, this is the only bait I need. If you've had 4 or 5 days of warm sunny weather and get a little wind on the water, break out a 1/2 ounce white or sexy shad buzzbait - no trailer. Just realize that with any topwater there's a good chance you will attract an alligator, even in the winter. Just keep your head on a swivel and scan the water while fishing. Please let us know how you did on your trip.

I love my Seastream Angler 120 PD kayak. I know that the Old Town's and Hobies are considered to be the cream of the crop when it comes to pedal drive kayaks, and maybe someday I'll splurge and buy one of those. But when it comes to bang for the buck, I think I hit a home run, especially because it was only $1,399 when I bought mine. Being an older guy and fishing on a lake with a lot of pontoon boat recreation boaters, stability is important to me. Not once have I felt unsafe out there with wakes or even heavy, heavy chop on windy days. The only drawback is that it's heavy. The kayak is 99 pounds, the pedal drive is another 22 pounds, and my fishing gear, paddle, Lowrance, and whatever else I bring probably adds another 20-30 pounds. So when I have to haul it up the hill back to my hotel it can be tiresome. I'm actually thinking of buying a house on the lake next spring so I won't have to haul it up and down that hill. I also wish it had some dry storage. It navigates well, and I can really move when I have to. I usually cover 5-10 miles easy. I'm sure there are better pedal kayaks out there, but I have zero regrets with my purchase. Here's my original thread:

(In my best Ron Popeil or Billy Mays voice) "But wait - there's more! They also sent me a TW t-shirt!" Meh - I'm just having a little fun here. I appreciate the freebies from TW, but I would have spent that money with or without the free stuff. I'm really happy with those purchases, especially the Curado.

https://www.thetechwire.com/ps3-cannot-start-the-appropriate-storage-was-not-found/

I have a camo kayak - no one would ever see the sticker ? I've honestly never even thought of putting stickers on my kayak. I think the only sticker I have is a free one that TW sent me when I bought $500 on their website one day.

Babe Ruth really could do it all. That's also probably he 22nd beer of the afternoon ?

Find a lagoon, any lagoon and fish. There are literally thousands of them in Savannah and the SC Lowcountry. There are 5+ pound bass even in small lagoons. But you do have to watch out for alligators. If you get yourself a GA fishing license you can also fish Ft. Stewart. There used to be great bass fishing in there, including many double digit bass. For baits, start with a 3/8 white spinnerbait. Try fishing it naked (the bait, not you!) or with a white paddletail trailer. Another great bait is a 3/8 oz chatterbait with a craw trailer. Depending upon the body of water, a slim speed craw works well or a larger Rage tail craw. Try blue and blue or green pumpkin and green pumpkin combos. April is also a great time for a white, 1/2 oz buzzbait with no trailer. Just keep in mind that topwaters can be dinner bells for alligators. Seriously, you don't need a big body of water. Simple 1/2 acre to 3 or 4 acre lagoons are all teeming with big bass.

I agree. What we really need now is more people in the trades. If you're a good plumber or electrician you'll be rolling in money. Plumbers especially are making ridiculous money. Foundations like https://www.mikeroweworks.org/ are a great place to start. JUCO and community colleges (as you mentioned) are also underrated. You can even go there for a year or two and transfer to a larger college.

The Sandlot Field of Dreams Bull Durham (I'm sensing a theme here...)

I've been a Lew's baitcaster fan for years starting with an American Hero (my first baitcaster), a Mach II SLP, and the new KVD rod and reel. They've all been great, as has the customer service I have had from Lew's. But this year I bought a Shimano Curado 200K and I love it. I don't think I'll go back to Lew's. My next purchase will either be a Shimano DLC or another 200k in a different gear ratio. I still like my Lew's reels, but I like the Shimano a lot more.

This was quite possibly the worst fishing year I have ever experienced. It started off OK in February and March and I landed a 6+ pounder off the docks of my hotel fishing late one night. I thought things would take off once I received my pedal kayak and could explore the new lake I moved to (Oconee). But it was downhill from there. What little I caught was under 2 pounds, and I caught more stripers than LMB. I was beating myself up, wondering why I could find tons of baitfish and no bass. But talking to local fishing guides I found out I wasn't alone. They had trouble finding the LMB and stripers as well. Long story short, DNR surveyed the lake and found out GA Power screwed up much of the lake. This summer, even at 90 feet deep out at the dam the water temperature was 90 degrees and most of the lake where I fished was low on oxygenation. The good news is that GA Power is almost done installing 5 miles of aerators which should help return the vegetation and the bass population. But not all was lost. I found out that I really love my kayak, and even with the poor fishing I enjoyed being on it out on the water. I'm really looking forward to the spring.

Try marinating it in Texas Pete's Sriracha overnight. It has a sweet and heat flavor. I also do a dry rub with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. For prep I use a dehydrator. Great - now I'm craving it and I have to go out tomorrow and buy a London Broil and make jerky.

Johnson Beetle Spin. I think most people have at least one, but don't fish them enough. Maybe that's because it's a bait that appeals to too many species and isn't bass specific. I use them for LMB, stripers, and crappie. It's the "Life is like a box of chocolates" bait - you never know what you're going to get.

Hotel Revenue Management.