CountryboyinDC

I didn't see the Compass until you mentioned it, but I see the blue boat sticking out now. I think the Coosa was pretty much a one trick pony - it was a boat for technical rivers if you were good enough to keep it from turtling (which I wasn't). If you want a similar boat to compare for paddling, think of the 10 foot Tarpon, if you've ever tried one. My brother has one, and it's fine for going on a float trip, not exactly the great boat for open water bigger than a pond. It sounds like you get more paddle time than I do, so I'm sure that you've got good reason for your opinions. I'm not particularly brand loyal, but I don't think that all Jacksons are bad, and the same would go for most brands. With strategically placed scupper holes like that, at least you get to experience the feeling of a bidet without going to Europe.

The head on yours looks a little different and I can't tell if yours has a bait keeeper, but it looks a lot the same, @Bluebasser86. The weedguard that came with it has 7 strands, but @DSTNconvinced me to glue them on anyway, and I think there's some wisdom in that. I can always cut a few strands or the whole thing off on the river. I ordered some of the tiny Paca chunks yesterday hoping to have them for the trip, but in spite of paying three times the going price on Amazon with Prime shipping, I got notification last night that they'll be here next week. So small grubs is what I have. If this jig works out, I may get a couple more and try the small Yum craw @Bluebasser86 mentioned too. I've used the regular sized one before noon a T-rig and had some decent luck, it could be all the bite juice that they put on them. I'll let you all know how it worked out. Thanks.

@DSTN, thanks. I use a Paca chunk on my finesse jigs a lot of the time, but I don't think I've ever used (or seen) a tiny chunk. Have you landed any fish with that combo? Just thinking, that would really simulate the small crawdads younfjnd in the river.

I just got some tackle in the mail that I'd forgotten I ever ordered - it had some Megabass Dark Sleepers and frogs that were backordered at the time (probably the Dark Sleepers are what held it up 4 months). At any rate, this little jig, and I mean little jig, is what I'd like some advice on. This particular one is 1/8 oz and the hook is probably like a 2 (not 2/0, that's a nickle beside it for comparison sake). It has the vertical line tie about perpendicular to the long axis of the hook. So it's similar dimension-wise to a SK Bitsy Bug as I remember, but it's been a while since I tried one of those. I'm going to be on a shallow river (South fork of the Shenandoah) this Saturday and wanted to try this bait out. Here are the things I'm considering: 1. Should I glue in the brushguard? As I remember, I got plenty of bites on the Bitsy Bug, but didn't my hookup ratio was so bad that I quit using it after a couple of hours. Looking back, the brushguard might have been the problem. By another token, the brushguard might keep this thing from getting snagged every cast. I do a lot of what I call 'drift casting' along the riffles that I fish this time of year, and the current has a way of sticking your baits/hooks into any conceivable crevice, stick, or piece of vegetation. 2. Should I use a trailer? I also remember using a small grub on the back of the Bitsy Bug, and considered that might be my problem for the hookup. When I took off the grub, the bite died off, which may have been the time of day or the part of the river I was fishing. I stuck the grub back on and fished it for a while, but don't remember the bite returning, and I think I just put that bait down and went back to a Senko (my go-to at that time). I'm wondering whether a jig like this will even work without a trailer. I've only used hair jigs without something as a trailer. Thanks for any suggestions you have, especially if you've used this particular bait.

That's the first time I've heard that, and I don't know that I've sat in an Outback seat from the pre-180 Mirage drive era. We all have different bottoms, though. I'm one of the few people that doesn't like the Bonafide seat. After fishing it a day, I came off it feeling like I was 80. My hips hurt and I had a hard time walking for about 15 minutes. A lot of guys and girls with more posterior than I have sit in them and love them. The reverse function is a huge deal - you're going to be amazed at how much you use it on days with even a little wind. Instead of the stakeout pole or anchor, you can just keep your feet on the pedals. It's awesome!

I'm guessing you're talking about the one standing up; if I were guessing the one on the ground looks like a Commander or something. Is that a Coosa? I can tell it's something short.

X 4 on the Aqua Bound, and depending on the width of your kayak, a Manta Ray or Sting Ray. At a certain kayak width and a paddler height, you won't be able to use a high angle stroke, and so the Manta Ray won't be the best between those 2, and that will be the case for a lot of fishing kayak/paddler combinations. I think you should try to keep your paddle stroke as vertical as possible. At $200 for the kayak, I can see why an expensive paddle seems silly. Getting a $500 Werner bent shaft touring paddle would not only be a poor match financially, it'll be less durable than a nylon/aluminum shaft job (are you going to buy an aftermarket Coach paddle case for your paddle?). FWIW, my current paddles are a Werner Skagit that I got as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and a just-acquired Bending Branches adjustable shaft length Navigator (wooden blade). Neither of these is even considered entry-level for touring type folks, but they're more durable than some carbon bladed job. That's what I need, because if I don't have river current as my primary means of propulsion, I'm going to bring the pedal drive. Folks on big water have to put in a lot more paddle strokes, and so light, efficient paddles fit their needs. Just realize that the paddle has a lot to do how well you're able to get your kayak to move. I think there's some valid criticism on the seats and I haven't particularly liked their newest offerings (still haven't been in the Bite), but this is painting with overly broad strokes, IMO. The Cuda or Kraken paddled significantly worse than other brands' similar kayaks? Sure, if you compare Coosa to a 16' Tarpon, you'd say the Coosa paddled poorly (of course when you were on a river you could cast across, you wouldn't be crazy about that 16 footer either). But I don't think that I've found that they paddle significantly worse than other kayaks, if you look at the intended use. Fishing kayaks that paddle well don't sell anymore anyway, it's mostly a stability and topside features, if it's not about the pedal drive or electric motor options. Witness the Feelfree Lure, Bonafides, etc. I guess different paddle strokes for different paddle folks.

I like the Big Bites finesse grubs for the price, although I've used Zoom and Case grubs as well. White, smoke, and green pumpkin would my top 3 color choices.

I think you're right. I'm not familiar with the guides Kistler uses, though.

@Harold Scoggins, I think the OK Big Game is enough like the Predator PDL that you'd feel at home in one. Obviously they share hull design elements, and the same parent company. I have seen, but not paddled a BGII, but I know they have a reputation for high weight capacity. I don't know what the chance is for OK to come out with a Big Game PDL. @Hook2Jaw, I usually don't see people moving from PAs to Predator PDLs. I think that the PDL does have some advantages from my perspective even over a PA, but most would see it as a step down/backward. You might miss the seat on your Hobie, though. There's no kayak seat that comes within spitting distance of the PA IMHO. This video is great. It addresses some of the troubles I predicted. I'm still not sure if the plastic on the gunnels where the brackets/backing plates go will won't fail over time. There's not very much flat surface on a Predator PDL like most kayaks. I was planning to put a 6" hatch to install some lights anyway, so I may still may go the Boonedox route. I don't like how far back he ends up installing it - I wish there was a way to get them closer to the seat, but it looks like that's the only feasible location. @Largies4Life, I think it depends on you as to whether cartopping is going to work out. If you already have the rails and crossbars, then all you'll need is a bath mat with a rubberized bottom, and you'll find out when you try it. There are a lot of videos showing this method, and a lot of guys I fish with that have 14' ATAKs and Big Rigs get their kayaks on the vehicle this way. You'll want to keep the kayak right side-up as opposed to a canoe which you want gunnels down. If it works out, you'd probably want a saddle of some sort - this kayak has a pronounced keel line. I have the Yakima Big Fish, which has worked for my other kayak, and I bet it would be fine with the Predator PDL. It is a big kayak though; I'm guessing 95 lbs with the PDL drive and seat out. If it means saving your back, the trailer may be worth the expense and hassle.

I have one. It's easy for me to stand up and fish from, and I am overweight and ruined my ankles in the service. I have only loaded it in my truck, haven't cartopped this kayak yet, and don't have a trailer. I can definitely load it on my truck; certainly no 10' Tarpon, but I manage. With the seat and pedal drive out of it, I can lift it by the side handle to move it short distances, but wouldn't want to do that for much over 50 yards (same for my Jackson Coosa HD). If I move it any distance, it's on a cart I built. It's over 13', but it's fine in my truck, which has a 8' bed with a toolbox. For me, it was better than anything else on the market for me, and I guess that still stands from what I see. The others I considered were the 13' WS Radar, the Jackson Coosa FD, and the Hobie Outback. The Predator PDL won out for me because it was more stable and I liked the more open layout than the Radar, maneuvered/turned a lot better and was also more stable than the Coosa FD, and was hands-free in reverse. The old Hobie system was hard to go from forward to reverse (which is really useful for a pedal drive), but it looks like the came up with a 5 grand solution with the 360 drive. The new Predator PDLs that they showed at ICast are going to have deck padding, a front facing flush mount rod holder, and be about $300 less than the last model, so take that into consideration when you look at the discount. I think the new one will have a cheaper front hatch cover, and maybe the small hatch in the PDL drive itself will be cheaper. But I'm just guessing, I haven't seen the new ones in person. The plates look like something I'd still change out for a rail system. I have the YakAttack ones, so there's another $160. I really like my Predator PDL. The pedal drive feels rock solid. It needs about 2 feet of water to operate, no feathering the pedals like a Hobie or 1/2 up position like the Jackson FD. It is fast, and you will get a workout pedaling it, but it's much easier than trying to paddle a fishing kayak with these dimensions and weight. The rudder is capable of turning the kayak sharply enough that you'll want to slow down if you have some speed built up when you move the rudder control deftly. I bought the adapter so that I can use it as a paddle-only kayak (they're about $100) in shallow water, and I use that when I take someone along that doesn't have their own kayak. The things I'm not crazy about: 1) It has some serious curves topside that make it a challenge to strap a cart to (I strap it right under the seat, but that makes getting the cart that far forward a challenge) and I had planned to put the Boonedox wheel kit on it, but I think that might be a challenge. I stack this on top of my Coosa HD when I'm hauling them both, using a 4"X4" as a spacer. To stack something on top of this you'd need a piece of 12" I beam. 2) The tranducer scupper only accommodates a tiny transducer, like the ones that come with a $100 graph. I ended up with a box that houses my graph, transducer on a arm, and the battery. I've grown to like the setup because it all comes off as one piece, but originally I hoped to set it up a graph differently, but that scupper really threw a wrench in my plans. At the rate the new kayaks are coming out, the next best thing may be just around the corner. If you're not chasing that, this is a solid pedal kayak.

Some of these can't be designed to catch fish - the Homer plug or beer can crankbait you used to see. My grandmother gave me a helicopter lure, I never did get a bite. Those wriggling worms might be a close second, although I did catch a red ear with one. That one the OP shows is worth $5 for the laughs.

5th for the binder/CD case. The only thing that doesn't fit for me is double propped buzzbaits.

It may help to read up on what constitutes a biodegradable or compostable plastic. This is a bit out of my field - although I can understand the chemistry behind it, I'm no material scientist. I came across some compostable plastics a while ago and checked into the way they worked. The bottom line is you wouldn't be able to compost them in your compost heap at home. The biodegradable term is applied to plastics that could, due to their chemical structure be broken down by a naturally occurring organism. Whether they encounter the conditions that allow that where they're used is another, and there are arguements in the literature that given the intended use, it's unlikely that they'll be decomposed to the same extent that non-biodegradable plastics are. I do use Nikko helgrammites, and read about them after the outfitter I bought them from told me what had made him start selling these baits. There's a lot of lingo used that leads me to believe it's possibly more sales pitch than actual environmental benefit. I do use them, because like the Zman baits, the baits last longer, and I guess that leads to less plastic in the waterways. There are also places that take use soft plastics that will be repoured or recasted, sort of like your plastic grocery bags. Come to think of it @Dirtyeggroll and @WRB might have the best options we have at the moment.

It depends on the guides. If you have a size 4 tip top, I think you'll have trouble with any knot. I don't use micro guides for this reason. I use a Crazy Alberto knot as @Jig Man suggested, and the leader is as long as I can make it without the leader/junction knot coming through the reel line guide.

You can drag any of them through the woods I guess. I guess if I was going to be rough on one getting it to the fishing hole I might think about the rudder. Native and Jackson have rudders that sort of follow the keel line and are not as likely to get torn off, in my opinion. The wheel on the Feelfree is good on hard surfaces, I'm not sure how it would do on unimproved surfaces. I haven't tried a Dorado, but everywhere I see them they're on sale for about $2,500. The ability to add an electric motor easily and the comfy seat make that may make it a real contender for you. I like my OT Predator PDL for my purposes. I considered the WS Radar and Jackson Coosa FD when I bought it (those are both good boats too), and decided it was the best for me.

The ones that are soft cross bars with straps may be your best bet. Otherwise, you're going to be into some serious money. On my Highlander, which had the rails, I have over a grand in cross bars, a big cargo box, and a nice J-type cradle. And that was during the REI 20% off sale they run each year. I'm sure there are some drawbacks (I would imagine your door seals might leak a little in a deluge), something along these lines https://www.yakima.com/easytop may get you going. I'm sure there are even cheaper solutions, it all depends on what you're willing to deal with.

I really like the sheath design, but I was a little disappointed with the blade sharpness and its ability to hold an edge. Me too. I may have what @J Francho has, or something similar. I think mine is called the Co-Pilot. Even sharpening it, it isn't fast about cutting through rope or 550 cord. I've sharpened the non-serrated part, but it's not a ton better. I had a Benchmade H2O knife diving style knife that isn't made any more, and it was far better.

Well then maybe for the knife it won't matter too much. Once you get the sheath on the lashing tab, it'll be like attaching pieces of kit to Molle. Once you've got it on, it works fine. If you were clipping a folding knife like a lot of people do to that tab, hard plastic is a lot easier to use. At any rate, if it's like the old Chinnok, they're comfortable!

I see where you're coming from, and none of these systems are hands free like a trolling motor. I think most of the competitors' pedal drives function like mine (I've been told the Predator PDL is one of the best for holding in place), which means forward to reverse is hands-free, but that's only part of the equation. I still have to adjust with the rudder a lot of the time, in fact some times the rudder adjustment is all I need to maintain on a spot. The rudder control being on the left side means I have to use the hand I'm usually palming the reel with to make that adjustment. It's something that I've gotten better at, and there are probably folks way better at it than I am. So in circumstances like you mentioned, I find that I'm not necessarily hands-free either. So if you don't find it game-changing for you I understand, and maybe I'm buying into the marketing, but I think the improvement is substantial. I'm not buying one though, unless I wear out the OT or find an unknown substantial inheritance was left to me. Do you carry a diving/river knife or a folding clip-on knife?

I would say this is game-changing for Hobies, and a pretty significant advantage over all other pedal drives. Getting a Hobie to back up reminded me of an old worn out farm truck we had with a column shifter and worn out forks - you had to hold your mouth right to get it into gear. So you definitely couldn't hold in place without pretty well putting your fishing rod completely down and either using your paddle or manipulating the reversing mechanism. This is why I bought a OT Predator PDL when the shop tried to talk me into an Outback (they were the same price at the time, I think). While it still will take 1 hand to go from forward to reverse, it won't take all your concentration. And the other trick moves they showed in the demonstration may seem gimmicky, but I'll bet if you use it enough, you could find situations to put it to use. If I only had more time to fish.....

The Predator PDL looks just like mine, with a different finish and a forward facing flush mount rod holder. I guess the big star is the Hobie. I've always been Hobie-curious, but the way you have to shift to reverse has kept me out of one. From the demo, that definitely shouldn't ba an issue. Now it'll just be the five grand pricetag that keeps me from making the leap.

I actually don't mind the PFD bulk, to me it's like plate carriers (hard body armor) I used to wear in the service in function. It holds all my stuff - split ring pliers, kid scissors, crankbait tuning tool, qnd hook sharpener, along with safety gear like a whistle and river knife. If I had to strap all that on or find a pocket to put it in, I'd be 1/2 hour getting kitted up. Since I'm generally fishing alone or with a group for which PFD use is mandatory, it's an easy decision to wear it. I've had the NRS Chinook for a while, and I guess they updated them just last year,.so I don't know about the new ones. If your kayak has a high back seat like either of mine, this will be a huge improvement over the Onyx vest that worked for me with my lower backed seat Wilderness Ride. (I still have it and can get the model if you're looking to eliminate models). For about $20, less, there's the Stohlquist Piseas, and if my local shop had one, that's what I would have. I've borrowed one and would have to say it's as functional as the Chinook.

Thanks @Choporoz. It's a little bit of a haul for me, bit if I can get away from the elbow-to-elbow crowds I find about everywhere around here, I can deal with drinks. That's what I catch on the Shenandoah and Rappahannock mostly anyway. @Sam, thanks as well.

I hadn't heard of Mooney before. Sounds like it woul be worth a visit. How are the crowds?