Alex from GA

It all depends where I'm fishing as what I'll fish in. I have a bass boat in the water in a large lake and a kayak for places I can't go in a boat and an extra one for my grandson. I also have a small boat on a trailer for when I don't want to take the bass boat out of the water to go someplace new.

If you want to go inexpensive you can use a transom mount trolling motor on the front with an L bracket. I have a 14' glass boat that I did that and it works great. If you want I'll take a picture.

Not bass fishing but trout fishing in the High Sierras. There are many dirt roads and trails that lead to lakes, streams and rivers. I used to ride my dirt bike from Kennedy Meadows to Monache Meadows at least twice a year to flyfish for golden trout. I road with my buddy in his Bronco to a couple of lakes to fish for brook trout also, I think we went out of Bishop. No bass.

I'm in the summer doldrums.

I think it was January I was throwing a buzzbait in the river and a gator I didn't see inhaled it. I was bringing it in and it wasn't hooked and I got the bait back. The blade has a tooth mark. Probably 7'. Saw a couple of big ones that I detour around.

I like a shorter rod for fishing small overhung rivers for shoal bass in N GA so I built on a Rainshadow IMMWS62MXF blank. I use the same line and leader you do.

To eliminate the fuel pump buy an inexpensive one @ an auto parts place and run the boat with it installed somewhere near the tank. Do only one thing at a time when troubleshooting.

Like you said the best way to know if the engine is being cooled is with a water pressure gauge. All of the later engines have alarms if it's overheating. Guys and girls that run hydraulic jack plates and run in skinny water will almost always have a pressure guage.

I've had boats for the past 50 years and about 20 years ago I bought a kayak to fish where I can't get to in a boat. That's the only reason for the kayak.

I've waded in the saltwater to get lures from oyster beds. When I fish deep lakes I always have a lure retriever in the boat. It probably works 70-80% of the time.

Frogs and flipping it's hammered down otherwise it's 1/4 to 1/3 line weight by feel.

Nice rod catch lots of fish with it.

Threw a worm in the pond a couple of times yesterday and was skunked. This morning I caught a fish and quit. When I'm in the boat or kayak I can't remember the last time I was skunked and I fish several time a week.

I've had one on a 14' boat for 3 years and it's been a workhorse. It's mounted on the front and I use it like a bass boat. I do have a big battery, group 27, to run it and also start my 25hp engine. It has never used more than 40% of the battery in a couple days of fishing. I also rarely run it @ full speed.

It's easy if you've ever wrapped a guide before. It'll probably cost you more to DIY than to have it done. You have to buy much more stuff than a rod builder already has.

Glue a tape measure to your kayak paddle.

My '88 Renegade is all welded and doesn't leak a drop.

In the tank.

My kayak fishing is confined to rivers, mostly small, for bass. I live in N GA and if you're a bass fisherman you're in fat city. We also have a winter place in central FL and there are small lakes and rivers that also have many good bass and they're very hospitable for northerners.

There are marine junkyards in every large boating place.

Put a hydrofoil on it and go fishing. For $50 it's cheap @ twice the price.

A float tube would have suited you for even less $.

Are you closer in the kayak?

I have a new Hook2 7" with the split shot transducer on the trolling motor and love it. I'm not using the GPS but the fish locator goes very shallow. I go in the river and it shows to 2'. The transducer is smaller than the first generation Hook and tucks behind the skeg good.

Thumb pressure works better with heavier line unless you hit a tree 10' in front of you then the clippers come into play.