CountryboyinDC

I didn't know Falcon was still producing the Amistad, but I guess they're keeping that taper in the new lines. I have one in the last generation Lowrider (red), and I've used it for 3/4 oz Carolina rigs, but never a heavy football head jig. I liked it for that, and I actually believe 1 oz would be okay on this rod. I mainly have used this for large hollow bodied frogs, and it's done well for that too. I've got no experience with Dobyns.

I use grubs quite a bit for river smallmouth during the summer. I've had good luck with Case, Big Bites, Kalin, and Zoom grubs. Honestly, I used Nikko helgrammites last year and the year before in places I would have used grubs previously, and did about as good. The helgrammites last more than 1 trip sometimes. I'm lucky to get 3 fish off a grub, and sometimes get none before bream nibble the tails off.

I don't do surf launches myself, but the type of paddle type kayaks people use (the big OK Tridents, WS Tarpons and Threskers, and JK Krakens) makes me think you would be looking for a sleeker, longer hull. So I don't know that the OT Topwaters will be your boat, even though they otherwise fit within your parameters (and so far everyone that has them, loves them). I'm in an OT Predator PDL that hasn't been in water bigger than the brackish Potomac (Westmoreland), but I'd imagine if someone with big water experience was on the pedals, it might do. @Hook2Jaw has gotten his a full 2 mph faster than I ever have, but I still feel like I can keep up with the Pro Anglers pretty good, which is no small feat IMO. This kind of blows through your $2,300 budget, especially once you start to put on the finishing touches. I think the Predator is by almost every measure better than the 13 foot Slayer pedal drive, but if you find a really good deal, that's not a bad boat for your purposes. It's not as stable as the Predator for sure. The Perception pedal drive was mentioned, and while it's a fantastic deal and I think they've pretty well got the kinks worked out on the pedal drive itself, it's pretty small, especially for big swells. I'm not familiar with any of the others mentioned, so there may be some winners in there.

I use this crate, which a kayak angler who had a popular blog about ten years ago, a guy named Palmetto, designed. You can still find some of his stuff on Pinterest. In this, I have between 2 (shad fishing) and 5 3600 Plano boxes. I also keep a couple 3600 boxes in pouches under the seats. I have a binder for plastics and safety pin baits. I may carry 8 rods, or 3. With this crate and the flush mounts, I have no shortage of holders for that number. I have tethers that are attached with small S-biners on one end and Cable Cuffs on the other. Also, the Plano boxes are held in by the crate's bungee, and the crate is held by the kayak's tankwell bungees. Carry how ever much or however little you want. There's a guy on the river that brings a single rod and only what he can fit in one pocket, and he out fishes me. Other folks bring twice what I do and they're very successful too. I used to run a Ride 135, and I can only imagine you're going to love your 115.

This one's been pretty broadly advertised on deal forums, but if anyone's interested, there's a Stradic FK 2500 at Cabelas for $136. Not a super-slick deal, but I've got 2 of these, and I think they're pretty decent. https://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/fishing/reels/pc/105591780/c/105740280/sc/105742980/shimano-stradic-spin/2077309.uts?irclickid=zs0UmbTW%3AxyJWTs07OwzdzZ-UknRdZ22A2uR080&irgwc=1&WT.mc_id=ir10451&utm_source=Slickdeals_LLC&WT.tsrc=AFF&utm_medium=AFF&rid=10

Thanks @Sam, I'll probably head down for Sunday.

Is that $25 for 300 yards or is it 150 or 200? Probably not going to be anything I'll try either way, but I am wondering how 'premium' SK thinks this line is.

I had a small (17') boat in my younger days, and a 1 ton (single rear wheel, though) with RWD, because I mainly used it to tow horses. My friend and co-owner of the boat had a S-10 4WD that we usually used to haul the boat. One day, we decided to do some evening fishing and launched at Camper's Paradise on Smith Mountain Lake (our normal spot) and for whatever reason I pulled the boat. When we got ready to pull the boat out, the ramp was wet from the multitudes of other boats that had already left for the day. I tried 9 ways to Sunday to ease out, but couldn't get the transom out of the water before the truck would spin. Finally, after a crowd had gathered and a line had formed at the ramp (with no one offering to help), I did my best Big Daddy Garlits impression and did as much of a burnout as the 454 would muster until I couldn't see anything around me and worried I would hit something. With the tires warm, the truck crawled the rest of the way up the ramp. The crowd cussed me pretty good and the owner told me to never come back. I vowed to never again pull that boat with a 2WD, and since that truck I haven't owned one either. I guess you could swap out the spider gears for a locker and do okay, but 4WD is worth the money and gas mileage loss in my book.

If you're looking for bang for the buck, something like https://www.samsclub.com/p/kvd-tourn-bundle-16-pc-kvd-bundle/prod21200396 would get you a small variety of SK cranks, plus a couple of spinnerbaits, a buzzbait, and a trap for $35 from Sam's. I've seen these on sale for $25 pretty often and the reason they haven't ended up as someone's Christmas present is I'm not a member of Sam's club.

Anybody got a list of the seminars? None are listed on the website https://www.richmondfishingexpo.com/seminar-schedule/. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth fighting 95 traffic to make it on Sunday. I've got to make karate belt testing for my son Saturday. Definitely don't need more tackle, but this show has a way of lightening my wallet.

I know John Crews is from Virginia, Missle Baits are made in Salem near where a buddy of mine works. Jacob Powroznik is from somewhere around Richmond. There's probably more, I just know of these 2 from going to the fishing expo in Richmond.

@Dens228 has a couple of reasonably good options; I didn't realize that the Elite line was so much less expensive than the HDS. You'd still be hard pressed to keep that under a grand, but especially with a creative battery solution, it could happen. I used the Noqua larger battery, and it would kind of blow out your budget.

I'd rather stare at a Lowrance with no power source than graph fish with a Garmin.

Congrats on your new kayak. A lot to consider. I believe that your kayak comes with the really neat retractable transducer shroud (don't remember what Hobie calls it) that will hold a side scanning transducer. I think it's supposed to be Lowrance specific, but I would bet that there are plenty of threads and videos of PA owners that have made it work with Hummingbird or Garmin transducers. I think it will be tough without finding a bargain to get a graph mounted with everything you've mentioned for under a grand. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you're going to have to keep your eyes open and buy what will work and is on sale rather than what you want. When Lowrance phased out the HDS Carbon, I got a 7 inch head unit with the TotalScan transducer for a grand. Add mounts and a battery, I'm in it $1,250 or so. Anything Hobie-specific is expensive and rarely on sale. But I would want to make use of the H rail and and other neat stuff on the PA. After all, that's why folks buy Hobie - it truly is better than the competition in a lot of cases. So I would say if buying the PA blew your budget, wait until you can get what you want or find a deal you can't pass up, and then enjoy what you end up with. If you buy a PA and then put a bargain graph on it, it'll be like getting a tricked out Winchester 52 and shooting high velocity Walmart ammo in it.

Bruce Ingram (a writer who fishes a bunch in Virginia) catches them on 7 inch Rapalas. I haven't tried one (never owned one), but I've used inline spinners like Vibrax, Mepps Aglias, etc. in places with both trout and smallmouth and done alright.

I'm sorry for your loss. My grandfather was a Seabee when he was on Saipan and Tinian (he was a Marine before that). He would have been older than your father, but I wonder if their paths would have ever crossed. Those were tough men back then. Some of the pictures of my grandfather on Guadalcanal make me thankful that we had enough food and ammo at all times when I served. God bless your father.

I understand what you were thinking of now. That's a nifty storage idea, and unless you want really long (and expensive) slides, what @Bass_Fishing_Socal about the 4-5 rods per drawer side seems like a.good idea.

There was a thread going a couple of months back about inflatable kayaks. I think the general consensus was in most cases an inflatable kayak is less than ideal, but someone that has the inflatable Hobie may be able to get you better information.

Reveros or the Reveros LT @Bluebasser86 and @Randy Price? Thanks.

If you have access to something like good pallet material (and you mentioned all sizes, so I'm assuming longer than the standard 42" ones), it's a shame to let it become kindling, or worse, go to the landfill. You mentioned having a drawer slide function. Where is it going to be (under a workbenches or overhead cabinet, on the garage door itself, etc.) and how many and how long are the rods going in it?

@J Francho, that's the nicest pallet I've seen. I wouldn't think of setting around bale on it. OP, the slides for those would probably be pretty expensive (there are 8' slides). Maybe a nice door or something with what you have on hand?

I throw finesse jigs and plastics with a Shimano Curado 70 reel, stock except for the handle (I swapped it out for a Metanimum handle, but most folks just buy bearings). I don't know the baits' total weight, but some of the worm weights or jigs are in the 1/8 to 3/16 ounce range, and there's no problem. The issue may be line, if you like braid. If you go really small, say below 20 lb, you're probably going to get frustrated with a baitcaster.

That's a pretty green bass (and I ain't talking about the stuffed one).

Thanks, you learn something new everyday.

Do you know what an 'R' action stands for? I've only ever heard of slow, moderate, and fast and combinations thereof (and XF, of course).