CountryboyinDC

Oh, I know. If it is featured in GQ, it probably ain't anything I'm wearing. I'm just thinking Google hasn't got their algorithms quite right if this is coming up on my news feeds.

These won't help you much if it doesn't. It might easier to tie a short piece of cord through them than try to drive them into the bottom through a narrow opening. In my case I drive them in, then fasten them to my anchor trolley with a carabiner.

I would think that was a hellbender, but I've never seen one with white stripes. They are a type of salamander you don't see much anymore.

I'm not about to tell you what to wear or how to spend your money. I've never been accused to being fashionable, but showing up to fish in something like this would be reason enough for me to insist that we fish separately.

I have 2 of these for a kayak with the 3/4" stock and several threaded couplings. I could hypothetically have one be 2' or 14', but usually I leave them both 8'. They're good for fishing grass on the Potomac, but I don't use them for much else. They hold a kayak rock steady, I'm not sure how big of a tin boat they will hold, but I guess you'll find out

The cart on the right breaks down so that you can fit it in the front hatch of most kayaks (WS Ride 135, Jackson Coosa HD, and OT Predator PDL verified) and this process takes probably less than 2 minutes. I built it thinking that after carting the kayak to the launch, I'd put it in the hatch to keep it from getting stolen. It turns out, no one steals homemade PVC carts, but it may take up less room for you. This design is adaptable to more hulls than the C-tug is, with pneumatic tires gives a smoother ride, is higher (which makes for more comfortable towing) and of course cost less. The C-tug is handier (the straps and the kickstand are very handy) and loads easier due to being lower to the ground. If you're interested, I can PM you more pics, cut list, etc. Congrats on the new kayak!

New fishing attire, probably a site sponsor soon. https://www.gq.com/story/supreme-the-north-face-spring-2020

Just out of curiosity, I was looking for a rod for this just under 3 lb bait. The heaviest swimbait rod I could find was the Roman Made Mother Chaser rod, which I think is rated for 1.5 lbs. Surprisingly, even surf rods are not rated for anything close. Those things are big and heavy, of course you're not doing a lot of retrieving, you just cast it out and leave it in the rod holder. I want to see how they build rods for baits this big, and how they imagine people to actually fish them for any length of time. I was imagining a contraption rigged up to an anchor mate or something, but this is piquing my curosity.

The technique I'm talking about is exclusively for Ricos. Take a Pop-R or a chugging Spook and use this technique, all bets are off. There maybe other baits that will do this too, I just haven't used them.

Definitely point out, but I may be misunderstanding what you mean. Different people will have the point facing toward the fat (and weighted) end of the bait, others away. I am in the 'away' camp.

Something about those Texas Tackle pliers makes them take split rings off easier. I carry a some aluminum job with me fishing, but they certainly can mess a split ring up, but in a pinch they do.

The lighter rod shouldn't pose an issue. I use a spinning rod, which has 15 lb braid, and a maybe 3' leader (which was 30 lb mono). The regular Rico is a pretty small bait, and that's why the use of such a hefty leader seemed crazy, but it works, and keeping that knot (no loop knot here) cinched to the 'ventral' side of the eye seems key too. I'm with @BassWhole!, it's hard to believe that the whole thing won't work with 15 lb mono; I usually use 10-12 lb with my topwater plugs. But the whole premise of what I was shown wouldn't be believable if it didn't work, and so I just kept doing what I was shown. Now seeing this video, what is was shown was remarkably similar to what the Zen Master is saying, but if he can get it to work with 17 lb test, I'm going to make it work too. 30 lb leader is a bear to work with.

The motion is popping on slack line, a lot like you would with walking bait, but faster than I walk anything, even when it's really hot. My fishing buddy calls this 'skitting', whatever that is (it does seem to fit). I was under the impression that you needed 30 lb. monofilament leader for this to work, but since Rick Clun says it works with 17 lb. test, that's what I'm using next time I fish one, which will probably be soon.

I would watch this. I also fished a guy wit a little more gray in his beard who used this retrieve and got me hooked on the Rico. There may be other baits that do the same thing, I know the Pop-Rs and Heddon lures do not.

St. Croix Avids. I believe that they're at the end of production with the entry of the Victory line. I have a Victory, and so far very little time with it in my hand (no fish either). Although it seems to beat the Avid in sensitivity and weight, I prefer the components used on the Avid. In the end, I think it's a nicer rod.

I don't know that we have any riverine herring other than the 2 shad species (American and hickory) that people target with rod and reel. Our club has probably one of the foremost enthusiasts of shad fishing, and the first seconds minutes of his video tells the difference. Amazingly, the meetings where he is the speaker are the most attended both at our (bass) club and Trout Unlimited. Shad fishing is definitely a thing around here and Richmond. I don't know if hickory shad can survive in freshwater long enough to reach adulthood, but that might be true. I don't think the one @GreenPighas is a hickory.

If you use Megastrike, they hang on for a full minute. Just ask Bobby. YMMV in my experience.

That is the most likely thing that could have happened, TBH. Thanks for the tip - I'm going to see if by chance I kept any of the SXTs that quit working and if that might be the problem.

Likely you have hickory shad too. They look like the picture below. The Americans are bigger, up to 12 lbs I think, but a real nice one is 6 lb. They call them 'poor man's tarpon' due to the acrobatics they perform when caught. They reason you only see them in the spring is they're anadromous and spawning then, which they do in fresh water, like salmon. They survive the spawn, or I guess some do unlike the Pacific salmon. Those are amongst the ones that don't survive the spawn. At places around here famous for shad (Fletchers Boathouse), people mark monster stripers during the shad run.

On casting reels, only the 3rd Gen Abu Revos gave me issues. 3 had the issue with the thumbar failing to return after spinning the handle, bit I still have a SX and a Premier going. The 3 1st gens are still going so far as I know (I gave them away). That said, I have needed service for reels before, usually to replace parts that I loose or break during my maintenance routing (I'm good for loosing at least one of the retaining clips for the spool bearing on the non-handle side. Nowadays with parts cataloged online, most of the manufactures are fine, but it used to be that Shimano wasn't so easy to deal with and whoever you called at Abu Garcia had obviously never used their products. Daiwa was a little better, but Lews' staff were the most helpful (I never had a Quantum, but I've heard they're a helpful group too). I've never owned the 2 Lews reels you have, only the Tournament MB (now MP) and the BB1. I've had no problems with either, but they make up the preponderance of my rigs now.

What's the bobber stop for?

Tandem kayaks and canoes are called 'divorce boats' for a reason, but with the right 2 paddlers, it can be a fun experience. A cheap entry is the Crescent Crew kayak. It can be paddled solo as well. Availability could be an issue. My 8 y/o has an Old Town Heron Jr. I got him last year. It has a little tow line for it. There are a good many more, but these days you're likely to find your options limited in kayaks, jon boats, or most watercraft.

Wilderness sells the Radar, and I guess the Recon without the pedal drive for a price that leaves you some room for a roof rack (hope you have a somewhat low car, these kayaks are not light). I would check with the company and see if the kayaks are 'rudder ready' or have rudders installed if you're not getting it as a pedal kayak. Although installing a rudder is entirely possible, it is much easier if the tubing is already there. I'm not as familiar with them but Nucanoe has some models that allow pedals to be added later. They also have some high capacity models. I have no firsthand experience with the pedal drives, but they looked clunky to me.

I couldn't say - I wasn't there to witness their descent and heard many versions when I was loading up at the ramp. I think that the vehicle ended up there when the fire department winched it out. Fortunately someone was quick-thinking enough to have them come out through the windows, because I believe they were originally in enough water that the cabin would have filled had they opened the doors.

They weren't hurt, praise the Lord, but they both got wet and I'm sure embarrassed by all the police, fire, etc. that came. Definitely were having a good day in their spot before that, making me look terrible.