haggard

Lately it's been this 4 inch paddletail in green/white on a jig head, on a ML/XF spinning rod. Nothing but smallies. When the head of the soft plastic gets worn down, snip off a quarter inch at the top and thread it back on the jig head and keep fishing. Smallies love it.

I got a Sun Dolphin Journey 12 about a year+ ago for $185, new on sale. Bought it as a "last resort" yak that I can throw in the truck and carry anywhere to the water (43 lb or so). It's a sit-on-top style with two rod holders. I love it for its intended purpose but I would not recommended it for a 315 lb paddler. I'm just under 200 lb and find it quite tippy. Your 300-350 budget should be able to get you a sturdier, more stable yak. I would keep stability and sit-on-top style the two biggest priorities. Unfortunately they often work against each other but keep searching. EDIT Just realized mine is a Journey 10' not 12' for what it's worth

Checklists. They seem tedious but they work. I'm not preaching, because I'm guilty.

As @jbmaine says the Fury is similar (and for that matter the Rebel) - Jim took me fishing on his Lund for a day and if you're looking for a family friendly (comfortable), high quality, plenty of storage, boat that's still able to get into tight spots for bass? Lund.

Son caught his first fish today. So that was pretty awesome.

Came across a haiku (5-7-5) generator website that lets you enter some keywords and it creates a haiku poem for you. Here's what it came up with: https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/haiku/ Boat - A Haiku - by Anon "Steady aurora A little, slimy boat waits at the perfect fish" Inspired by this masterpiece I thought I'd write on of my own based on my current predicament. Goes something like this. Locked the boat to tree It seemed like a good idea. Where'd I put the key.

The Vantage seat is one of the things that sold me on the Pro Angler. It's solidly built, light weight, highly adjustable (seat back, seat bottom, lumbar suport, height), easily removable (makes a good beach chair) and of course comfortable. I've done 6-7 hour days in it on the water.

I highly recommend the StC PC66MF (6'6) or PC70MF (7'0). Disclaimer, I'm a StC fan. The Premiere series is a decent blank, quality rod and price point that's not insane. They're versatile - lure rating 1/4 to 3/4 oz, line 10-17 lb. They say StC runs a little on the heavy power side so the M/F is maybe a little heavier than medium but not MH. Website says it's $150 but I got a couple at my local shop for $120. The 6'6 was my first baitcaster (a couple years ago) and while I have a couple "better" rods, these are still my favorite in their class. I use it almost exclusively for Texas rigged worms.

@jbmaine also corrected me on the species. Edited! Thank you

Been looking forward to catching a trout on the lake, finally happened today. Thanks to unofficial "guide" @jbmaine for tips and pointers on this water. What a great day. (Edited to correct species!) Smallmouth = bonus.

Largely correct, but the plates just transfer the load to the hull. The plates are mounted under the top of the hull and with the wheels deployed and the boat on the ground, the entire system pulls the plates upward against the interior topside of the hull, transferring pressure from the plates to the hull. So ultimately, those few square inches of hull need to withstand however many psi. Successor or failure depends on (as you mentioned) mounting location and weight of the boat - and also hull thickness.

After installing the Boonedox on my PA12 I did the math on the force per square inch on the hull, based on the plate area and boat weight. I can't remember the figure but it ended up being so small it wasn't worth worrying about.

My go-to is a 2-inch paddle tail grub (light green) on a small ball jig head with eyes. Prior to that I've had great crappie luck on a Crappie Magnet (black/chartreuse) This year I'm going to try Bobby Garland 3" slab slayer (black/chartreuse). But the go-to for panfish and crappie is still the 2-inch CT grub. Unless the Garland proves otherwise.

In my limited experience the only two "bigger" bass I've (almost) landed seemed to quickly head down to cover, whereas the smaller smallies were more inclined to come to the surface, jump and shake free. Some of them rather successfully.

With trailer all dialed in (except for vibration from wheels/bearings), focusing on the boat. Motor is hung on the transom but not really secured - it's a 1974 Evinrude 15hp 2-stroke that was last used on a salt water sailboat so the clamps are broken and seized - but that's a project for another day. Bass Pro seats and mounts installed, and tonight it was accessory rails. Got them from my dealer. They're aluminum C channels. Cut the 8 foot length into two 4 foot sections and installed one on port, one on starboard. I felt bad drilling holes in a new boat but it worked out well. Beveled the drill holes and used nuts with nylon inserts on the outside of the hull with nylon washers between them and the hull to protect the finish. For accessory bracket just use a panhead bolt and washer slid into the rail, secured with washer/lockwasher/nut through a section of L-angle iron (aluminum) to support anything like cup holders, rod holders, bimini top mounts, etc.

The tires are new (so are the hubs, bearings and rims) but bad things can still happen to new stuff. When I get a chance I'll jack it up and spin the wheels to see if they're out of round. Thanks for the suggestion.

It's a very heavy trailer from the 60s or 70s - even unloaded, surprisingly, there's no bounce (edit: earlier I said it bounced around a bit, but now I attribute that to vibrations in the wheels, not bouncing due to trailer weight).

Just over 100 miles round trip to pick up the skiff, spent much longer at the shop adjusting the bunks and winch stand, but after a bloody knuckle and some sweat, got it home safely. Bearings run a little warm and there's still some vibration but tomorrow I'll loosen them up a notch and make another adjustment on the winch stand.

I've found some hitchhikers after fishing & camping in recent years and these things work so well I now have several - one in the camper, one in the boat, one in the truck, one at home... https://www.redcross.org/store/tick-nipper/0155-0661.html Good luck on Saturday!

Brand equity. Like advertising - a company isn't making money when they run an ad on TV, radio, web, but the next time you go into a store and see their product, you recognize them. Repetition is the key. Repetition is the key.

Built the bunks today, pressure treated lumber wrapped in runner rug. Taking the new skiff out of storage tomorrow and expect a few adjustments but hoping all goes well. Trailer bounces around a bit unloaded, hoping that will settle down with the boat on top.

Consider Lund Rebel and Fury. Quality and simplicity.

Launched boat at dock and left drain plug out while parking the truck. Fortunately got back to ramp in time. Left rods in holders while trailering boat backta camp, snagged a tree on the way and had to reel in lots of line Got to camp, left travel trailer key at home, slept in the shed Forgot to pull up anchor before motoring to next spot Forgot to pull up submerged camera before motoring to next spot, got the tether tangled in prop on a windy day and had to beach the boat While unhooking a deep hooked bass, let the phone slip into the yak pedal drive cavity which was full of water. Saved the bass, killed the phone. Not all on the same day, by the way. Live and learn.

Great to hear a shout-out to KTP from Wisconsin. I live 2.0 miles from KTP, not that I'm counting, been a customer since 2006 and have given them more business over the years than I want my wife to know (or my self to recall). Often it's the same people behind the counter today as there were in 2006. The place has expanded and has so much to offer but still has that family owned business feel. It's like a Bass Pro or Cabela's, but not as overwhelming

Screen size might be the biggest price driver here. For fresh water bass fishing up to 40 ft you don't need to spend $1,500 to get a high quality unit, but if you're used to a large screen, the additional dollars spent may be well worth it.