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The sealant still feels like cork. It seems to permeate the cork (like staining wood) rather than coat it (like varnishing wood). The only areas that do not feel like natural cork are the spots that are filled in on the handle. The spots that have cork filler seems to feel more "unnatural" when sealed. At least that is what I have encountered with my rods. Works great though and is easy to apply. Vic

Hey all, I understand that there are different grades of cork and that everyone uses a different ranking system. But can anyone help clarify or me what qualifies cork as being "Flor" grade? Thanks for any help Vic

Was the line different than what you were using before? I notice that when I go back to a spinner reel, the line impacts my accuracy a lot. Some line has a lot more stretch to it and (for me) is harder to control. I got used to using braid on my spinning reels and was very accrate with that. Vic

I like denatured alcohol and a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Then seal it. Vic

I have used units like you described. They are fun especially for the kids I take fishing. A few things to keep in mind though, when you throw the "submarine" the splash can spook away fish. So your best readings will come after you let it settle a while or when your retrieving it. Also you cant tell what kind of fish it is. It can be a catfish or a turtle. It will still register as a fish. A unit like that you are best using it to get water temp and water depth. You can locate some weeds on it to if you have the settings right. Again I had fun with those things. And it did help me when I used it to bypass an area that looked "fishy" but wasnt. From what it sounds like your needs are, you wont need to purchase a 500$ system or anything. But I would use the one that you have to its maximum potential like searching out cover or drop points. Vic

A fishfinder is for more than just "seeing" and spottting fish. In fact I have to say that is one of the least important benifits of a fish finder. One of the main purposes is to spot the things you can not see under the water such as structure, points or breaks. If you have the right equiptment you can also locate weedlines and see how high they are. This is the real benefit of the electronic devices. Do you know how deep the water you are covering is? Can you tell if there is a hump or mound under there? Or are you able to follow the breakline without being able to see it to fish it. Remember the original fishfinders just gave you water depth. With that information a fisherman was able to find structures underwater that never could have been seen otherwise. Today with maps and gps in the finders you can do such amazing things to help you locate the fish. As far as its effectiveness, that is not as important as the person's effectiveness at reading it and interpreting the information. Vic

I personally feel that even though two items may look similar and have the same mechanical design, it can work completely different with just a few tweaks. Like you said a few bearings more can make a big difference. Using different materials can make a big difference. Same bale but is it the same quality metal? Quality control is also a big difference. Parts may have a lower tollerance of error in one line over another etc. I can two identical mechanical pencils that are designed the same but one works much better than the other. Why? and not suprisingly, the more expensive one works 10X better. Basically what I feel is that, just because it looks/ designed the same it doesn't mean its made the same. I have a president myself and love it Vic

Better go have it go while its still putting out quality episodes instead of having it die out sucking like.... A-team or something. Vic

Living in florida myself, I would only use a float tube in a pool. I havent heard of any float tube incidents here in Florida but then again I dont know how many people actually float tube in our lakes. An inflatable boat I may consider but with a float tube, your feet are kicking/dangling under the water where it may stirr up the curiosity/ agression of gators. Cottonmouths (watermoccisans) are also a concern too. Vic

Crappie pole? some of those get pretty long.

Hey all! I just wanted to thank everyone for all the information and help. After reading all the various opinions, I decided to go for it and get a Kayak for bass fishing here in florida. (traditional tackle and fly) I decided on the Malibu Mini-X. There were many great suggestions here and I appreciate them all. I figured to choose a kayak that fit what I was looking for most. Small enough to transport alone and with a small car and very stable. Thanks again all! much appreciated. Vic

Gander mountain is where i got mine the first time. i checked today here in florida and they do not carry it at the store anymore here.

LOL my wife just told me that we should get one of those tandem paddle boats to fish out of. That way she, my son (when old enough) and I can get out onto lakes with in the future. Might look funny but hey its still fishing with the family! and its one step closer to that dream bass boat lol Vic

The pedal system is something I looked into also a lot. It certainly has a great advantage. The 10 foot length is also a good advantage also for me. My only concern when asking about the pedal systems is how it holds up in the weeds and pads. Here in FL the veg gets pretty thick. Of course im sure I can clean it after every trip and paddle for the times it mucks up during a trip. Is that a concern or something you have to deal with in WA also? Thanks for the tip. Im seeing some store experts this weekend to get more info before making a 100% choice Thanks all so far for all the input both negative and positives. It all helps in the decision making process! Vic

Most fishing areas and some stores have mono trash tubes where you can get rid of it. Dont know if it gets recycled though, but it doesnt wind up in the trash where it can hurt animals though Vic

Hey everyone, Great info so far and I realy thank you for taking the time to reply. misfit1III8: certainly taking my family fishing with me is one of the factors. My son is only 1 right now so I have some time before I get him out on the water. At that time Im pretty sure im going to invest in a bass boat or at least a dinghy. Snowbass23: Awsome post and I really appreciate the time you took to post it. One day I dream of getting a dedicated bassin boat lol But I have to wait untill I get a car strong enough to tow one, not to mention the boat and trailer lol but Hopefully my wife would enjoy getting on the water as much as I do. The low angle is a concern that is why I want a kayak able for me to stand with semi-stability. As far as the casing position, I am certain that it can get uncomfortable after long periods. Does sitting with your feet hanging out of the boat and into the water help any? Kind of like straddling the kayak with your feet hangning out over each side. It seems like a good way to relieve the stress of sitting with knees bent or legs straight out. Enjoy your bass boat !! Ninjafishin: portability and easy of transport/ getting on the water is one thing that I always try to do also. Im not one for a big prep list lol Popeye: That post seriously made me laugh thinking of a kayaker floating past a gator lol Here in central florida there is a gator in just about every body of water. They are a concern but they usually dont attack unless in mating season or when protecting their nest. One day while canoe fishing in a spring river, a hard wind blew me into a bush that had a nest nearby and the mama gator growled at me! I neary crapped myself lol normally im not to concerned about gators, but in this instance I knew was a dangerous situation. I quckly paddled away. In that situation a canoe would certainly be a little safer than a kayak i would imagine. But if it really wanted to get at me, its jaws could really easily get over the rim of a canoe or a tail could easily knock me over. Just something we have to watch here in FL LOL As for the hybrid canoe/kayak it is something that Im currently looking into also. I havent found one yet that I can try out. How stable is it compared to a normal kayak? I see that you have some stablizers on yours and I think that is a great way to stay steady while fishing. Are you able to stand up on it? What about without the stablizers? I like the idea of a canoe/kayak hybrid but Im still not 100% sold on the stability of them. Thansk again all for all this info. it has given me a lot of food for though and I appreciate any other comments! Have a great day! Vic

Hey perfectly fine question! My main concern was portability and stability. The canoes that I looked at were all to long for my ability to transport it. I drive a saturn and it will have to be on the roof. The kayaks also seem easier to launch than a canoe. Since my wife doesnt fish, it will always be a one man job. A kayak seemed the better choice for those reasons. Another consideration was flipping or turning the boat. With a sit on kayak, I can just turn it over and jump back on. For a canoe, it would be a much harder process especially if it filled up with a good amount of water. Again one person, it seemed a better choice. I do have to admit that the carrying capacity of a canoe was one thing I was thinking about since I will be taking my son out on it in a few years. But I can pick one up for about 300$ arround here at that point. Brian_Reeves: Its too funny but I was looking at almost the Exact same model for a kayak lol VA Hawg Slayer: Thanks for the input about the sitin vs siton kayaks also in FL the sunscreen is definately a must also. Awesome website too. Thanks for the link! Vic

Hey all! I am really thinking about possibly buying a kayak for some bass fishing down here in Florida. There are a ton of great ponds and rivers to fish here and MANY spots that I can't reach bank fishing. I hardly ever fish big lakes unless on a friends boat and I would not venture out on those lakes myself. Basically I wanted to get some opinions from lovers and haters of kayaks to see what your experiences are to help me come to an informed decision. Good experiences/ bad experiences. Love it or hate it. Any information would be great Appreciatively Vic

2 words... Plank Grill! yummy!

Crickets and breadballs work well also. The best looking redbreasted sunfish I ever caught was with a breadball while fishing with kids. for artificial I like beetlespins and for a flyrod I like poppers. Vic

Polarizd glasses are a must in my opinion. Not only for the fish but the UV protection. Awsome Trout. Wish there were streams like that in FL! Vic

Lefty Kreh also has a book called "flyfishing for bass" that covers largemouth and Terry Wilson's "Largemouth Bass Fly-Fishing: Beyond the Basics" I read the one by lefty and it was pretty good. Havent read Wilson's though. Vic

Wow thats a long wait lol At least it will give you time to practice your casting. The tip that helped me the most was to "accelerate to a stop" on the back and forward casts. Also did you pick out a good line yet? or did the setup come with one already? Now when you are ready to tie on the flies, you dont really need a tippet either. Just use a mono or floro leader. For largemouth, a tippet doesnt make a difference unlike when fishing trout. Vic

I love fly fishing for bass and panfish! It was a fun skill to learn and the bite/fight is great! I love the feeling of brining in a bass while stripping the line. Now the one negative is that the bass tend to be smaller than the lunkers caught on traditional equiptment. Smaller baits etc. I tend to catch many 2-3 pound bass. And a lot of 1 pounders when fishing for panfish. Either way it is a lot of fun. Poppers are my favorite but my largest at 4 pounds was caught on a frog. Here are a few links for you to cruise through. http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/techniques/sisk_bass_on_fly.aspx http://www.activeangler.com/articles/flyfishing/articles/doug_macnair/assembly2.asp With that 8wt rod you are going to be able to toss some larger fish lures Vic

Do you have a Chamberlins or Whole Foods market near you? These are those places that sell organic foods etc. They usually sell cones. Vic