CountryboyinDC

@dickenscpa, it's probably overkill, but that's why I went with the Yak Attack Leverloc HD. It has backing plates at the 'cam switch thing' and pulleys. I don't usually stay out on winds that I'd be worried about pulling loose ones without, but I can imagine them getting hung unloading the kayak itself or something like that. If yours are Leverlocs, they make a kit that just has a guide or 2 and backing plates.

@Matt Eisen, I remember worrying about drilling into a kayak coming from canoes, where the old adage is you don't want any holes below the gunwales, and only one above. I have drilled into all of the kayaks I own now. I think you want to make sure that whatever reason you're drilling a hole is going to also hold a decade from now. Make sure that you measure and get the holes straight - I've seen screws with no attachments where the owner said something like 'after I got it all set up, I realized I couldn't get my hatch open'. And make sure all your holes are above the waterline a few inches. Polyethylene (HDPE, specifically, which is what your kayak, the Cellblock, and so many other things are made of) is pretty good about forming around screws and not allowing water in, so long as you don't put excess stress on the fasteners/plastic holding them to wallow ther holes out. In my pedal kayak, I've now put holes for anchor trolleys on both sides as well as an 8" hole for a hatch.

@Matt Eisen, the CellBlock seems to be designed to keep water out, particularly low pressure stuff like spray and paddle dribble. Without going into great detail, the surface of this polyethylene is hydrophobic, there are no huge gaps, the top is the largest dimension piece, etc., Water certainly can get in there. I'm sure if you powerwashed it or submerged it, it would get water inside. It even has a slot cut in it up toward the top. It just doesn't under the conditions which I've used it. If you have a Pescador with the console, I've seen several people mount the graph on the console, and that's probably your best bet. I think it has battery storage and a transducer scupper, so it's probably super obvious how to make that happen and you'll avoid some of the drawbacks to the Ceelblock (no listing, etc.). If yours has the front hatch and no console, the best solution could be a number of ways, and I haven't been around enough of that model to know. You might want to mount the transducer inside the hull, at the transom, or off an arm. I don't think you'd like the Cellblock in your case, though.

Hi @Matt Eisen. Yes, I've put the Cellblock on my paddle-only kayak (Jackson Coosa HD), and it's less than idea for a number of reasons. It interferes with my normal forward paddle stroke and front sweeps, even with the seat way back in the high maneuverability position. I get some water on the graph itself and on the Cellblock. None inside the Cellblock, though. Not that I should worry about the battery, it's a Nocqua and should be pretty well sealed the way I have it. And one other issue is that it causes the boat to list, which in turn means more corrective paddle strokes (this is not a great paddling boat to start with, but it's a great boat for shallow rivers). On my pedal kayak, all of this is pretty well eliminated - after all I'm only paddling when I'm in 2' of water or less. The boat itself (an Old Town Predator PDL) has a lot more flotation built into the outer part of the hull by design, so if it lists at all, I don't notice it. And to top it off, when I'm done fishing, voila, off comes the graph, transducer, and battery as a single unit to be locked up.

^10 Now that's some southern rock I haven't heard in a while. I wonder where my Little Feat cassette tapes are and how I can digitize them. This is the group whose concert I last went to in Atlanta. The 2 percussionists are perhaps the best I've seen in person except for Neil Peart himself.

Did you know Sammy Davis was a real life barrel chested freedom fighter? Not the famous comedian of Rat Pack fame. https://www.military.com/history/real-forrest-gump-sammy-l-davis.html?ESRC=dod_200327.nl By one account he finished off all the HE and flechette (or whatever cannon cocker's call them) rounds, he then fired one final round with propaganda pamphlets. Amazing stuff some people have done for this country.

Welcome @Cook296649. Walleye are definitely the fish of 10,000 cast or more around here; around the confluence of the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah is a good bet close by, along with the main stem. The Potomac is huge, but somehow can still be crowded. The smallmouth in the upper has fallen off the last few years, but the largemouth in the tidal part (below Little Falls) is still strong. Lot's of DC-area folks on this forum.

^^^^8 - them boys definitely know how to bend the string them guitars. This is not my favorite song of theirs, but I can't find the ones I like better. Really like the sound of the moonshine jug even better than a stringed bass.

It depends on where you're going with the kayak. If you're just getting started on rocky shallow rivers, then an expensive carbon fiber job will kind of a be a waste, and possibly even less satisfactory than a aluminum shaft sub-$100 job (which will probably outlast your kayak). Even paddle length is kind of hard to gauge. For some strange reason, both kayak and canoe paddles are usually sized by the overall length, which is less useful than the shaft length. What you want is a paddle shaft length that, using your normal paddle stroke, has almost all of the blade submerged, but the shaft is never submerged. If the shaft is submerged, you're doing work but getting almost no benefit of the work being done. Kayak forward paddle strokes don't vary a huge amount (in terms of the ideal paddle shaft lengths) between individuals, especially when compared to canoe paddle strokes, but there are some variables. So you can get the shaft length by subtracting the blade lengths from the paddle length and get reasonably close for sizing, but I favor the better infinitely adjustable ferrules, a la Bending Branches and other manufactures. Folks will say, 'go try a few out', and that's good advice, but hard to adhere to, just as it is for some to try out a bunch of kayaks (there just aren't that many opportunities). If you can, do, but if you can't I would start with a entry level, fiberglass handled, general purpose popular model. The Manta Ray or Stingray from Aqua Bound, Werner Skagit and Tybee, and the Angler Classic from Bending Branches may be what you're looking for. Again, I'd get the adjustable shaft job. I'll also say I don't really like the hook retrieval feature on the Bending Branches paddle, it has a propensity for getting hung on bungee cords among other things, but some find it really useful. One of those may fit your preferred paddle style and not break the bank. Once you've used it a little, you can get an idea of what you like and don't. If you really get into it, especially if you do long trips, you'll probably want to upgrade, sometimes to the point of bent shafts, etc. But just getting into the sport, there's no need to plop down $300+ for a paddle.

I have a bit smaller graph, a 7" Lowrance HDS, and it's mounted on a Cell Block from Yak Attack. I used the gimbal bracket that came with it. If you wanted to mount right to the track rail, I would go with the Ram ball system. The adjustability and holding power of that system is phenomenal. When Yak Attack came out with their new rod holder, I got one. Bottom line is it's fine, but the Ram system is still the best IMO.

Some of them are not intended to be relocated to either side and the hull mold does not make this change at all easy. My Predator PDL is like this and it appears this Perception is not intended to be changed, either. There are kayaks with the rudders that can be on either side like the Jackson Coosa FD and the Wilderness System Radar (both 11 and 13 foot models) where the rudder control can be relocated easily (relatively). There are others that have rudder controls on both sides like the Hobie Pro Angler. I am wondering if you called Perception and mentioned why you want to relocate the control if they would at least tell you what might be looking at to make that happen. On the surface it seems doable, but until you start pulling the rudder cables, etc. you won't know. The people that designed and put them together everyday will be the best to tell you.

5/0 Eagle Claw Razor Sharp. Depending on the toad, I'll either put a small keel weight (BPS has crimp-on hook weights) or just fish it without weight.

Like @txchaser, I use the Lake Fork lead collars for wacky rigging. I use them with either a 4 or 5 inch Senko. It makes a Senko last a ton longer than even o-rings or shrink wrap tubing. I think there are better hooks for this, but the collars slip over practically any hook, so you can use your Trokars or whatever. The action is different than sticking nails in the ends, but the bass still seem to eat them.

For the (likely few) Quantum fans out there, there's a 50% off on the Quantum site with code 20CLASSIC50. Still will cost about $19 for shipping, which may kill it for you. I heard it's good until 1-Apr.

I have a few Chatterbaits, bought a few when they first came out too (catching fish with them, less so). But a flipping jig at $7 might be as expensive as I've seen. I used the heavy gauge hook finesse jigs from War Eagle and I don't think 2 cost this much.

Not sure I understand....these are priced at $7. Are there 2 (or more)? It's a lead bass jig, right?

I don't know too many people that have had trouble with OT, and I would say that their stuff is rarely the most expensive or has the finest finish, but it's known for being a quality product. My first new canoe was an OT Appalachian, and those cost beat up more with a decade of river rash than mine did at the time. Nucanoe is supposed to be a pretty good boat too. I've only paddled the 11' model, and it seemed well made and thought out (I couldn't get used to no foot pegs). None of these OTs have the ability to do all three - paddle, pedal, and motor. You have to choose 2. Their setups are a lot cleaner than the Nucanoe pedal system I've seen (never used it). That would be a nice addition. I was thinking that they pretty much carried over the Predator and Topwater molds, but that might be assuming too much. When they came out with the new Predator PDL last year, I contacted them to see about buying that forward facing flush mount rod holder. They told me the mold had changed enough that it wouldn't work on mine.

I can't keep buying kayaks. The first 1 lasted over a decade and cost $700. I don't have a lot of time in any Hobie, and I was definitely careful when I was. There are a number of Hobie owners on this forum to give you feedback for comparison. My PDL drive doesn't get fouled often because I lift up the pedal drive and paddle when my graph says I'm in 2' of water or less. It's obviously a prop, so it has the potential to catch weeds and if you're going to be fishing shallow flats or something a lot, I can imagine it getting aggravating to lift the pedal drive up often. Usually when I'm in less than 2' of water I'm not en route, I'm fishing or close to where I'm fishing. I use a stake out pole for something to stay put since I don't have the pedal drive to help hold me (and I've gotten spoiled about having to use the paddle to stay put). I can't recall getting grass wrapped up so I have to clear it, and I tried to take a picture of the PDL drive prop area without moving out the car and everything stacked around to get it (didn'twork out). What I was trying to show is that it looks pretty much like the lower part of an outboard, from the lower unit to the skeg. People take those through bayous and places that I'd think would be a good places to get hung up with relatively little issue.

I think Eddyline is pretty much a thing of the past for fishing kayaks. You see a lot more of their touring models on the water and on tops of cars. I remember not too many years ago seeing an Eddyline fishing model that went for nearly $3k, though! That thermoformed polyethylene is a lot more than the rotomolded stuff.

I think it's strange the way the marketing works here. Vibe and a bunch of other companies brought out some pretty early in the prototype stage. Since the iCast show people have been talking up those products. From the pictures/videos, these products look pretty well ready for production and ARC and Austin Kayak are taking pre-orders for them. The new AutoPilot models certainly seem to be in line with where the industry is going - I see trolling motors everywhere I go, from really slick Torqeedos that cost several grand to transom-mount jobs in cobbled-together mounts costing probably only a couple hundred. This promises to be the most functional by a pretty wide margin. I'm not going to be buying one, but if Hobie can sell a 360 drive Pro Angler for a grand more, I would imagine these models too will sell. Good question, but I don't really know that it makes a difference. Unless you don't care for the new colors, the Predator (less the MX and the OG Predator) and Topwater lines seem to be carried over to the new line.

Almost anything I have, so long as it doesn't have flurocarbon line. I've thrown them with an Ugly Stick when river fishing with a spinning reel (those rods typically have 20 lb braid), my topwater plug rod (6'6 St. Croix Premier M/F with 12 lb mono), a 7' MH/M St. Croix Premier crankbait rod, all the way up to a 6'11 H/F Falcon light pitching rod with 50 lb braid. I may get a little more accuracy from the topwater plug rod and so forth, but once I get used to casting them, I don't really find one a ton better than the other. With the heavier rod with braid, I do tend to hook more with a trailer hook than the primary hook. I'm picky about a lot of other things, but a buzzbait setup isn't one of them. I do prefer a fast reel, but I can make do with a 6:1.

Evidently Old Town is renaming their existing fishing kayaks (the Predator PDL becomes the Sportsman BigWater 132 PDL), but adding some new boats as well. If you're the type that wants a Minn Kota foot brace controlled TM with spot lock, they've got the Sportsman AutoPilot 120 for only $3,800 (batteries not included - sounds like a Mattel commercial). I haven't seen these get any press anywhere else, so I was surprise when I got an email from OT trying to get me to buy one (it seems like I just bought the last one a couple of months ago). https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/sportsman

They cost a bunch more too. Optimas are really popular, particularly with the off-road crowd (they hold up well to vibration). There are a bunch of other ones too - Napa https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBP9834M?partTypeName=Battery+-+Commercial+Gel+%2f+Marine+Gel&keywordInput=agm+batteries and others carry them, but most of the in-stock ones are Optimas. I did see an Exide spill-proof at BJ's Wholesale one time - I think it was right around $125.

Around June, I would say the South Fork of the Shenandoah is your best bet. There are several outfitters, if you have your own kayak. If you don't, Front Royal Canoe rents some pretty good fishing kayaks like Jackson Coosa HDs, Bonafides, etc. I try to avoid the tubing routes, particularly on the weekends. The state park is a pretty safe bet for consistently decent fishing, but you don't have to drive all the way up to Bentonville if you have your kayaks with you, there's some good spots further south. Hit up this forum closer to when you'll be there, and I'm sure someone on here can put you on some decent fishing depending on what's going on river level-wise, etc. The James is a pretty good way from there. I've fished around Eagle Rock on into Buchanan, but I don't know that I'd recommend it over the Shenandoah River. There's not much in the way of reservoirs worth considering around that area as far as I know.

I used to use Rooster Tails for panfish and would occasionally catch a bass, but I haven't used one in years. I have the same experience with them not spinning well and being hard to cast in wind that others have mentioned. I do have some Mepps spinners and quite a few Vibrax spinners in my river Plano boxes. Kind of like the old Beetlespins - when nothing else seems to get them interested, I try an inline spinner. It may not catch me a monster, but there's been a lot of times it got the skunk off.