Smalls

I made this same switch this year. I had given up on fluoro a few years ago because of the memory issues. My issue was that I was using cheap fluoro. I recently bought a used reel on here that came spooled with 16lb sniper. The seller told me it was brand new line, but had been sitting on the spool for a long time, like 2 years. I didn't have any line to put on it when it came in, and I really wanted to go try it out. So I just used what it came with. 75% of my rods now have Sniper on em, if that tells you anything. My other reels have the original CX copoly line on em, which is extremely manageable as well.

Do not use dielectric grease on these connectors. They seat differently than most other graphs, and they won't seat with the grease. And it'll take you forever to clean it all out. Ask me how I know.

I've seen guys use them with good results, and you won't see any interference. If my kayak didn't have a sonar pod, I'd go this route. I hate the transducer arms.

I've got a bunch- Dobyn's, Powell, Falcon, etc. But I recently picked up an iRod... and I loved it so I bought another, and I'm waiting on another to be restocked so I can buy it. If you can see the pattern beginning ?

I forget this battery is Lithium ion and not LiFePo4.

They bumped it up to 1.3 amps, if I remember right. I really have no idea why they designed it to do this.

That battery won't work. It has a battery management system that automatically shuts itself off if there's a draw over 1 amp. Your 9" graph is definitely going to draw more than that. Dakota Lithium and Amped outdoors are probably the most popular batteries with kayakers.

On most kayaks, yeah. But the ones I've seen have been on a couple Hobie PA's that the seat was stolen from or broke, Nucanoe's and FeelFree's. The FeelFree's looked a little sketchy, but a short cooler might not be terrible.

I've broken a couple while fishing. My last one a fish took a dig at the side of my kayak at the very last second, and the rod bent really weird. I didn't have time to adjust, so it snapped. $70 warranty later, had a new rod.

Keep an eye on Craigslist/marketplace. I was in the same spot a few years ago, just wanted anything to get me off the bank. I happened across a 11' inflatable dinghy for $75 or something, and a trolling motor for $20 in the same day. It worked well for me for a while.

I've seen guys bolt a swivel seat on top of a cooler that fits whatever kayak they have.

Nice! Are those the MVT blank?

In my opinion, Brad makes the best swimbait rods on the market. I've had 2, and even though I rarely bust out the swimbait box anymore, I kick myself for selling one off. Those are absolutely gorgeous rods. What are the specs?

You're gonna have a difficult time setting the hooks on a frog with a medium.

Wise choice. I did the same, got her both.

Plus the steering (which is junk) plus a few other accessories needed to install. $1000 is about on par for a drive, but everyone else's works.

I think you're crazy if you have the vantage seat. The only possible thing more comfortable than that would be a lay z boy.

https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/bait-bags/products/bait-bag-large I don't know which has been more of a pain in my rear, soft plastic or terminal storage. But I finally have a terminal system I like, and I think these bags are my answer to plastics, as long as they hold up. They seem pretty sturdy, so we'll see.

Just like practicing at home, I'll pick a couple specific small targets like a floating leaf or something to pitch to. You've basically got to hit the local drainage ditch fish on the head to get em to bite, right now. So I'll just walk down the bank and toss pitch out 2-3x every 5 ft or so. Keeps it from getting monotonous.

Just got a few of these in the mail the other day. Pretty convenient, perfect size for Keitech's.

FeelFree makes a great boat. Everything else they make seems to be "great idea, poor execution". And when a design ends up being junk, they come up with a "meh" solution, but forget to include it in half the new kakayks. We're literally all on a first name basis with Joe in CS. The whole idea was gone from my mind in less than a few hours.

Agree with pretty much everything you mentioned. I'm starting to look into next year's upgrade, and a lure with o/d came across my mind, because I generally like my big fish. But then I asked myself if I really want to deal with all the things I don't like again, weight being high on the list.

Except... they don't make a swimbait rod. Looking at their site, I only see one rod that might possibly work, but it maxes out at 3 oz. Weight ratings are never spot on, you usually leave yourself some cushion room.

I throw em on my spinnerbait rod. 6'8-7' ish mh. 7.xx gear reel.

You have to really be on top of the Craigslist/marketplace deal, and check em throughout the day. If a deal pops up, you don't have much time to act. If it helps, lots of dealers offer Affirm or other short term financing, if you're buying new. I paid for most of mine up front, but financed the last little bit of it. It let me spend a little more on a nicer kayak, get a PFD, paddle, etc.