HookInMouth

Can't put down the texas-rigged rage menace. Been throwing it all year and waiting for it to stop working. Still waiting.

Strike King Rage Tail Menace in green pumpkin or black/blue on a 3/0 Gammy EWG. FishOn 1/4 tungsten worm weight.

When I'm going out with the family we take an Engle dry box/cooler since it holds a lot more for the weight/size of the cooler (thinner walls, less insulation). Loaded up with ice and water it's still pretty heavy. I don't really notice it on my Bonafide SS127. But then again when the cooler isn't back there my 75 pound yellow lab is and I don't notice that much either. Not sure about your kayak. When we don't need the capacity of the Engle I take an RTIC soft. I'm a really big fan of the RTIC stuff. I personally can't notice a difference between their stuff and Yeti outside of the price in my climate. Maybe if I was crossing 300 miles of hostile environment on foot it would be a different story. The RTIC soft is light and works really well.

I'm "okay" with bait cast accuracy. Precision, no. Enough to keep myself out of the trees usually. Really want to improve here. Been setting up a bucket in the yard and casting into it when I can. I'm horrible with spinning. Just feels uncomfortable. I have trouble controlling the distance more than anything.

Grab an SLX combo for $140. I know it's a little bit more than you want to spend but IMHO not much more and it's well worth it.

Usually a texas rigged creature and that's almost always a rage tail menace grub with a 1/4 oz tungsten worm weight. This is my senko. It always seems to catch them.

The Bite is known to paddle better than the Outlaw according to my dealer. I've not had any experience with the Bite but the Outlaw is a bit of a tank. I've got a decent amount of seat time in one. I think the Outlaw is one of the best values in kayak fishing right now but it's not because of it's ease of paddling. Both my Voodoo and SS127 paddle better than the Outlaw.

Been thinking about trying the same thing for the same reasons. In PA all we need is a 360 light to be legal. I've been looking at the lights that clip onto hats. Amazon has some that have red or white LED.

Right on. I always tell my son that you need to be good enough to get lucky. Now if only I was good enough... ?

Thanks. That makes more sense.

Absolutely. I've actually been studying like I had a career shaping test ahead. I've watched pretty much every video I can find, read the owners manual like twice, and right now the unit is hooked up to a battery on my kitchen table haha. I'm familiar with the unit now. It's really easy to navigate with the touchscreen. I can find what I want and quickly. The real test is going to be knowing what I'm looking at on the water and how to apply it. I'm sure that will be a learning curve. I've seen a lot of guys talk about how they bought one and never really figured it out and don't use it much. I've made it a point that if I invested in this I wasn't going to do that. I'm going to learn it and apply it. Might take a while though.

Right. That's what wasn't making sense to me.

Don't underestimate how slow I am haha. Seriously, that's good to know. I'm probably showing exactly how little I know about marine electronics but...have you had any issues with "leveling" the transducer? I don't think my boat spends much time level in the water. It rocks, wind, waves, my weight in the seat.

I've been resisting the urge to add anything to my kayak for almost three years now. Finally decided to add electronics because I ran across what seemed like a good deal at Bass Pro. Picked up a Garmin Echomap UHD 73sv with the GT54 ducer for $449.99. Not sure if the side scan will work or not with my paddle-powered SS127 (nope... not adding a motor... I will not... must resist...) and I have no idea how I'm mounting it. Probably the pod and then I'll just be careful. But I'll be figuring one of these out on a kayak too shortly.

I'm terrible in the hot summer months. A lot of that is the fact that I don't use electronics on my kayak. The fish that stick shallow after the spawn I usually find in vegetation like pads. When that doesn't work I look for ledges with Navionics but that's hit or miss since I can't see cover. I have had luck with it though.

I almost never fish completely alone. Usually on a kayak but my wife and/or son are usually close by in theirs. There's also always a 75lb yellow lab that cannot abide missing a fishing trip as well.

Briery Creek Lake in... 2010?

I don't post much but I read a lot. The knowledgebase is unreal. The forum is without peer. Best managed forum on the internet. Bar none. Thanks to all who help make it what it is. Like AJ said, words can't really do it justice. A huge resource.

Have you looked at the Star Challenger?

I'll stick with my gas powered Rams as long as I can.

Most all of my success has come in shallow water (rivers to be exact). I've had very little luck in water deeper than 3-5 feet. I've not noticed a time of day difference.

If you are looking at the SLX you can get the combo for $150. It's a very underrated rod IMHO. I'd put it at about the Dobyns Fury level.

It really is. I'm not a tall guy (5-7") but my legs bend perfectly off the seat and I sit flat foot while fishing. But it's not just the height either. They put a lot of thought into the ergonomics. I'm not in the greatest shape and I've had back problems since high school (44 now). I can easily put 6-8 hours in that seat without issue.

I think comfort is a big thing. I can't imagine anyone being uncomfortable in a Bonafide SS127. Honestly, that seat might be more comfortable than anything I have in my living room. I think a high well made seat is paramount. Wind and anchoring I'm still trying to figure out three years in. Lakes are easy. Get an anchor wizard or something comparable. Rivers though, I worry about anchoring in current. And I spend most of my time in current. There's something about the simplicity of the venture that calls to me. There's also something about that small one-man vessel that does as well. Maybe it's something like the difference between driving a car and riding a motorcycle? I don't know. Love it though. And that's good since the shallow rivers I like to call home leave few other options.

I use google maps a lot to locate new spots on shallow rivers but I'm exploring with a kayak so I can cover a little more water than what I would typically wading. Although I do get out and wade a bit.