Kayak Koz

I had a Lew's rod break at the butt end of the rod about a year ago. Despite the warranty being expired they sent me a replacement rod anyway because it was such a weird break. I was thankful they did that, so among my last few rod and reel purchases a did pick up one of their rods and one of their reels. That being said, since then I'm now a huge fan of Shimano Curado reels and St. Croix rods.

My Genesis Coupe is nearly 10 years old now and when it's clean it still looks great. I've always enjoyed washing my own car. But the problem is that this year I moved to a rural area. I live on a cottage out on a farm and I drive past farmland to get home. I also don't have a garage - or a driveway - and literally park on the lawn. I can spend hours washing and detailing my car, then drive 5 minutes down the road and it's covered in bugs and red clay. If new vehicle prices ever come down and there are actually new cars on the dealer lots I may by a Subaru Outback or Crosstrek. Those vehicles are made to be dirty.

None of the above. It's not about a job that pays well, it's about a job that will pay your bills and afford you a reasonable lifestyle to live. Let me explain. One of the topics we hear a lot about today is people can't pay their student loans and live the lifestyle that they want to live. The truth is, these are things they should have thought about before taking out the loans. So here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Determine how much you will need to borrow, then get an amortization schedule (I cannot emphasize this enough) to see how much you need to pay off each month, how much interest you are paying, and how long it will take to pay off the loans with the payment plan. Make sure that you understand the terms of the loan. As a real banker to help you. There are also a billion websites on the internet to explain the fine print. 2. Make sure any additional amounts you pay each month are applied to the principle and not the interest. This will allow you to pay off the loan sooner if your income permits. 3. Of the majors that interest you, find out what the STARTING pay is for the average graduate. Then look at what the AVERAGE pay for that degree. 4. What is the employment/unemployment rate for that degree? Are there more applicants than jobs available? A French Literature degree may be appealing to some, but are there enough jobs out there? 5. Is the job / industry scalable or a dead end? For example, technology is rapidly changing the current job market and things like neural networks and AI are going to have a dramatic impact on a lot of sectors. 6. You probably have an idea of where you want to live after graduation. Find out how much it costs to rent or buy there. Research the cost of living index for that area. Determine costs for property and car insurance, health insurance, groceries, utilities, streaming services and subscriptions, gas to commute to work, and miscellaneous expenses (entertainment, grooming, clothes, etc.). Whatever you come up with for miscellaneous expenses, double that. 7. Now subtract all of your expenses and student loans from your starting pay. Is it enough to survive with that degree? 8. Then factor in additional big purchases and life events. For example, will you need a new car in the next few years? Are you planning to buy a house? Get married? Have kids? 9. Of course, factor in your bait and tackle costs. You may have to put off that new boat or kayak. If I was going to college today, I'd look to enter an industry that was scalable. In other words, and industry that will progress in the future with the possibility of branching off to many industries. Things that come to mind for me are things like AI and colonizing Mars. Green technologies seem hot, but there's also some uncertainty as to which direction that will go. What I'm getting at is that a job you like might not be able to pay the bills or there might not be many opportunities in that field now and in the future. Or you might find a job with great salary potential, but limited available jobs. You need to find a balance, and you definitely need to plan ahead for your future expenses immediately after you graduate and down the road. I can just about guarantee that teh people complaining about their student loans did not plan ahead nor did they understand teh terms of the loan.

Standing is hard enough, but moving at all makes it harder. I'd set the hook and fall off the other side.

I use VMC Touch-Loc snaps for just about everything. They are a bit different than a regular snap. At first I did this because I was bank fishing and covering miles of ground so I usually brought just one rod. Now I kayak fish and I use them because it’s a pain to maneuver the rod and tie off on a kayak, especially with the pedal drive in front of me.

I had successfully avoided Facebook until last month. Then I purchased on Oculus Quest 2 VR system and it mandates that you have a FB account. I created one, locked everything down, and haven't looked at it since.

Over the past 6 months I've gone from getting up at 7 am and going to bed at midnight or so to getting up at 5 am and going to bed around 9 pm. I'm tired by the time I get home from work.

I haven't been buying any fishing gear, but for the past few weeks there have been a ridiculous amount of Amazon boxes delivered to my house.

One day I was fishing a cove with a thick tree canopy a few miles from my launch point. I felt a shift in the wind, but couldn't see the sky through the trees. I pedaled out of the cove just in time to see a storm barreling at me. I'd say that 2 mile pedal was a good workout! I made it back and managed to get my kayak inside the door of my hotel when the skies opened up.

My 16 year old son has had Covid twice. The second time he had it he had been vaccinated and had his booster shot. The first time he had it, he did have labored breath and chest pains for a few days, but nothing life threatening. The second time it was like a mild case of the flu. Being 16, he kept busy on his phone and playing on his computer. But mostly he just slept. Of course, that could also be because he is 16. Books and games will keep your kid busy. If they are isolating alone in their room, get a few walkie talkies or use a phone or tablet to face time to keep in constant communication.

For me, my pedal kayak is exercise. I can go for miles and miles. But I don't feel it until I have to haul the kayak up and over the sea wall then pull it up a big hill to store it back in my hotel. Then I feel it - especially when it's blazing hot outside. I never bring any food out there, but I do bring water our Lipton Diet Green Citrus Tea. Speaking of fitness, I bought this Amazfit Band 5 Fitness Tracker for $30 on Amazon and it's great. It tracks everything including my sleep, heart rate, PAI, steps, stress level, and more. It also connects to my phone, Alexa, the local weather, and more. I think it's as good or better than a FitBit, especially since FitBit now utilizes subscription services.

Really? I haul my kayak up a long, twisty hill with a steep incline and I've never had it slip at all. What's more I have a really wide, pontoon style hull and not a smooth, round hull so the C-Tug pads don't rest completely flush. But because they pivot they grab enough of the hull where it doesn't move when I transport it. My suggestion is to experiment placing it at different points between the bow and the stern to find a better balance point. Maybe that will help.

Those all sound great, especially if you enjoy time out on a boat. But I'll tell you, you can have a great time bank fishing the lagoons in the southern part of South Carolina and across the border in Georgia. There are literally thousands and thousands of lagoons to fish, and most hold a lot of 5+ pound LMB. DD bass are in these lagoons as well.

I learned that I really, really enjoy my new pedal kayak. There's a certain tranquility when you're out there, just drifting along and casting. I also learned that the fishing for LMB on Lake Oconee is generally lousy, and for most of the year striper fishing is tough as well. But I also recently learned why it was so lousy - and it's because of GA Power and their water management policies at the dam. Near the dam the water gets to just under 100 feet deep. What I found out from a local fishing guide and a DNR study is that with GA Power's dam operations that this summer the water temperature depth at 90+ feet was almost the exact same as the surface temperature. The warm water and lack of oxygenation was damaging the fish population and activity. Oconee is also strange because their is little or no aquatic vegetation. But now GA power is in the process of installing 5 miles of aerators which should help with oxygenation, aquatic vegetation, and aiding with the water temperature issues. The project is just about complete and we should see better fishing next spring on my side of the dam.

It might make you tip over! But seriously, space on a kayak is at a premium. Unless you had a dashboard type setup it would probably get in the way. The one drawback of my pedal kayak is that you can't mount anything right in front of you. Everything needs to be on the rails.

I just saw an article that stated that Academy Sports will have the 12 inch, Lowrance Hook2 on sale on Black Friday for only $700.

I don't think that this question can be properly answered without factoring in the water depth of the basin and the different climate regions.

Mine is very stable as well. I've been out there in 15+ mph winds and taken on the wakes of the big pontoon boats screaming by and not once have I ever felt like I might get dumped. Same thing when I have to get up and put my knees on the seat to get to my crate storage. That being said, dumping it is always in the back of my mind and I try my best not to put myself in a bad position. If I'm going to be impacted by a big wake I'll stop fishing and steer my nose into it rather than get broadsided. But dumping it in summer means that I get wet. Dumping it in winter means I might die. I still have a few good years left!

It was 28 degrees this morning in GA when I went to work. I was not happy. And what the heck is going on around here with houses without garages? I hate having to scrape the ice of my car windows and have it frigid inside the car. Daytime temps this week in the 50's and 60's and nighttime temps in the 30's and 40's. I think I'm going to pack up my kayak for the year and stick to fishing off the docks at my hotel. Maybe not. I don't mind fishing when the air is cold, it's the water temperatures that give me pause. I stay safe on my kayak and haven't had an accident out there. but in the back of my mind I worry a bit about getting dumped in that cold water, even with a PFD.

Field of Dreams and Bull Durham more than make up for those duds.

I lean more towards making money so you can afford to do the things that you enjoy. That doesn't mean to gut out a job where you're miserable, but sometimes you have to cope with some crud at the office. If you still enjoy coding, neural networks and AI are where both the fun and money are these days.

Last weekend: Temperatures in the 40's and 50's and windy. I didn't even think about taking the kayak out on the water. This week while I'm working: Temperatures in the mid to upper 70's and light winds. Clocks changed so it gets dark right after work. Forecast for this weekend: Temperatures in the low 50's and windy. Not kayak weather. It might be time to break down the kayak and put it away for the winter,

Clearly you missed an opportunity here. The only proper title for your post was "Callin' Baton Rouge." ?

My Lowrance Hook2 and tripleshot transducer disagree.

I think I heard a story about one guy who used to get out of line here on BR. Rumor has it Glenn chopped part of him up for bait and the rest of the guy is, ironically, sleeping with the fishes. ?