michaelb

Does the Cuda come with the trailer? then yes on the price. Otherwise, there are plenty of new boats in the 8-1200 price range new. How old is this boat? The rigging is not worth that much to me; no idea how old the stuff is or its condition, but all used; the rudder is nice but only if you plan to paddle open water with wind and waves? I haven't paddled one, so don't have an opinion, but lots of reviews online. At 31" wide it seems like it will paddle better than most but be less stable for standing probably. Is it better than a brand new $800 bite though?

I agree with the general idea that they all work, and have often bought the cheap $3 versions that are on the counter at the tackleshop, and those work and do catch fish. But there are some differences. I prefer spinnerbaits that have a closed loop to attach to the line. This is primarily because I have a leader with a snap on the rod I use for spinner baits. But those spinnerbaits are also usually the better and higher quality options (like the Booyah Pikee) and are much harder to find. I am not sure why spinnerbaits generally just have a bend in the wire and what advantage or reason for that style exits. But last year I switched to the megastrike "strikeback" spinner bait. This is significantly different, in that the hook swings freely. I think the owner of Megastrike may participate on this forum, or used to. I haven't used them long enough to really know for sure, but I think hookups are much more reliable with the swinging hook, but even more so: you are much less likely to lose the fish after you hook up. the swinging hook reduces the fish's leverage on the hook and prevents them from shaking off. Pike love spinnerbaits and I often target pike, and so this factor of "staying on the hook" is more important for pike that love to thrash widely at the side of the kayak than for bass. Before trying these, I used trailer hooks, and trailer hooks on normal spinnerbaits definitely help with hookups. https://www.megastrike.com/bigbassspinnerbait

i'm not sure it makes sense to buy a paddle kayak if you want a peddle kayak. Unless you want to have two boats down the road? $700 is also right in between cheap and used ($200-$500) and the bottom tier of pretty nice for a paddle kayak ($800-1000); so my temptation is to look for used and/or spend a lot less, or think about spending more; and also demoing some paddle kayaks including nice ones so you get a change to paddle some boats, and ideally peddle some boats, before paying $700 for something you may not like.

I just got a black max too as an extra reel for an extra rod (I like both and will use them a lot). So just to cover a dumb question, to adjust the brakes on the side, you turn that dial counterclockwise to "tighten" the brakes to go up to max. That seems counterintuitive to me at least, and there aren't numbers on the dial or a clear indicator of what setting it is on. For my first 10 casts or so, I couldn't figure out why it was trying to backlash, when I had the brakes on max (I actually had the brakes off and set and at 0 or the lowest/least setting).

Thanks for that; these look great, but I am targeting and want to catch pike. I just don't need to buy any more anything right now + I can't pick what color I would want if I was buying something (I do have a musky killer and it will be interesting to see if bass hit that too).

I think the abu vengeance is a nice rod and you can find that for $50 (and comes 6' 9").

I think the snap style you are picturing here is called a "coastlock" snap. Yes, I like these and that is what I use. The "mini might" part may be referring the material, and the sizes you are talking about may be the size of the swivel. So this can be confusing. I buy the coastlock snaps separately from the swivel, and I put them on opposites ends of my flouro leader (this is for Pike, and I am using 80 lb flouro now). I like this version of snap best for leaders, because I like the closed loop for attaching the flouro with a crimp, and that can't get tangled with the lure/snap part. In the coastlock snap sizes, I like the #34 rated for 90 lbs. The smaller #33 rated for 75 are small, and hard to clip at times with my fingers and eye sight, particularly on larger lures, and I could bend and deform them with my fingers. But if you want a smaller snap for bass, that may be a good choice. I also bought the larger #35 rated for 150 and they are very strong and stiff, so much so they are hard to open (probably a good choice for musky).

I have no idea if bass can see lines or if line color matters. I do worry about this too. It seems like light thin line will at times catch more fish, but that may be how it impacts the motion of the worm more than being invisible. But, in terms of coloring the braid. How do we have any idea this is better? doesn't that just make the last 10 ft "black" and wouldn't that potentially make that line more visible, or at least possibly more visible?

I think I prefer shorter rods for my kayak (I only have kayak rods, so I don't have any "long" rods). The main reason for that is that it can be helpful to able to reach all the way to the tip while still holding the reel, in case you need to clear a loop of line or a weed, etc. This only matters if and when you are sitting (when standing, it is easy to lower the end to the ground and reach the tip); with my 7" rod, I miss this reach by a few inches, and/or have to work hard to reach; at 6' 6" I can easily reach to the tip. The other reason is that shorter rods stick up less, so less likely to catch on overhanging branches, and stick out in the back less. This may not really matter and few inches isn't a big difference. But I have one light 5' 6" rod and I like how that takes up basically no space when stored in back. Generally, on the kayak, you don't have to cast far, so any gain from a longer rod really may not matter much. But that is your preference. I agree with the others that if you can mostly stand you should use what you like. The rod handle length matters too, since you will be wearing a life jacket, and it can be easier to maneuver a rod around in front of you if the handle length is reasonable and not too long.

All of these seem like great choices, but wacky rigging is also a technique where the rod may matter the least. You are on your kayak, so can approach anywhere you want to be. For the most part, you don't want to cast far, the key is the initial "drop" and you want to put that on the spot, so accuracy is key. Although you will catch fish reeling it back, wacky rigs are notorious for getting snagged, so t-rigging is much better for that. I like using circle hooks, since bass will absolutely swallow wacky rigs, and with a circle hook you don't really need to set the hook (ie any rod will work). I also prefer shorter rods on the kayak, and so 6' 6" or even less would be fine; you can go 7" but you don't need to for this rod.

Nice boat, I love the look of the ATAKs. Are we supposed to be posting pictures here?

Thanks, it looks worth trying. This page shows this knot and others and shows knot strength, and seems to list this one for mono (same as san diego jam). I am taking "polyfile" to mean braid, but I don't know that, since it doesn't seem to use consistent words to describe the same things on that page (so "multi" or "multifilament" could also mean braid, or it could mean several types of lines?). http://www.angelknotenpage.de/WebApp/festmacherknoten.html edit: I see that they do show different wraps and so that suggests "multifile" may reference braid there.

Thanks, not much of a name even in german (I don't speak german at all, but does that translate to "multiple knot"? It seems like it is listed as a knot for mono, not braid, but I am not sure the word for braid in german to even know that. So the question for me is whether that is easier/stronger than then san diego jam. I was thinking of trying to tie a knot in a flouro leader, and I haven't had much luck tying knots in heavier flouro in the past.

Does this knot have a name? It seems easy to do but hard to find online. I like the idea of knots that double up through the connection.

If your goal is actually catching fish (and not changing techniques for the fun of doing that), you can probably spend $38 on senkos and hooks (in variations black + 1 pack of some other color like watermelon) $12 on spinnerbaits (allowing you to buy two hopefully) Probably enough for 2 years, unless pike destroy your spinnerbaits.

That looks like an awesome project, thanks for sharing. How does it handle wind or rough water (the lake looks small and protected)?

I just rebuilt my kayak trailer using yakima bars I had from long ago, and had been thinking about mounting old ski racks I have on the bars next to the kayak. It seems like a great way to repurpose stuff and so I am happy to hear you like how that works.

This is probably user error, but I haven't really caught much of anything on realistic looking swimbaits; the ones I have are weedless and have the hook hidden, so allow you to throw them into weeds and other heavy cover which also seems like a bonus. I did catch my first and only musky on a pike looking swim bait. At some point I may try swimbaits in bright and flashy and unrealistic colors to draw more attention to them.

The kayaks sound awesome and very well rigged. I also want to see pictures of them on the trailer that you have to build up next heading to Vermont to fish. Are your lakes shallow generally to use power poles? i would think most small lakes (and large lakes) in Vermont are generally pretty deep quickly off shore.

First, I won't often won't go, and certainly not if there is any issue with the weather. I may go 50 feet off my beach in 5 feet of water. I may paddle a half mile along the shore. So I try to not take any risks, or if I take risks try to reduce them as much as possible. I have done week long canoe trips in the north woods with water temps in the mid to high 50s, and that does sometimes involve crossing lakes with a loaded canoe (so i do understand that is some risk). I don't really have an issue with your chart; its good general advice. But it applies to sea kayaks on open water (and canoes, and sit in kayaks), in which self rescue is very difficult or impossible and involves other boats in a canoe over canoe rescue or a bilge pump and float bags and in either case, limited chance of success. I have jumped off and climbed back on sit on top kayaks at least 500 times in all water conditions including at times in strong waves; I do this for fun, so I am reasonably confident that I could get back on the boat in something like 15-30 secs. But if your point is that folks should not be paddling kayaks with water temps below 60 I pretty much agree (whether or not they have a dry suit doesn't make a big difference to me for that situation; if they don't have a clear plan for self rescue it may not really help).

I don't wear a dry suit and I am not sure that is needed for fishing off a stand on top kayak unless you are off shore. You should be able to self rescue within a minute, if you managed to go over. My kayak tends to stay upright even if I fall/jump off it, so that makes it easier, but otherwise you absolutely must practice righting it under adverse conditions like waves. But I take cold water paddling very seriously. So I stay near shore most or all of the time, hopefully shallow enough that I could walk in, and never do open water crossings measured in miles. I sit more and stand less or not at all. For clothing, I wear breathable nylon pants (so not waterproof) and usually a soft-shell jacket, so powershield. I have waded into the lake in April in what I wear, so at least have practical experience in swimming in what I fish in when the water temps are the 40s. The major limitation for me are my hands. I wear fishing/paddling gloves but they are not full fingered. I maybe should try those. But if the water is really cold it is hard to be on the water for more than an hour or two, and sometimes even much less than that. I bring some form of overmitts, but haven't tried paddling with them.

I love spinnerbaits but don't think of them as a spring lure, so thank you for reminding me of that. Plus you don't mention the fun of catching Pike (which is often why I throw spinnerbaits).

the shearwater looks like a really nice boat. at 35" standing should be no problem, and it comes with the rudder, right? the rudder will help with tracking and with handling bad conditions, particularly cross winds. The pod gives you options down the road. Multiple seat positions, plus a track to slide the seat to adjust trim (really key with a motor or loaded for a overnight trip). Everything except the easy to cartop part, but you will find a way to manage. There are options for rollers off the back of your SUV and that might make getting it up on the roof easier.

I think you should definitely get a kayak you can stand and fish; you will be on skinny water and sight fishing and standing is a huge advantage and you can mix sitting and standing for comfort. You don't need a boat designed for surf and open water paddling. But if you are roof topping this solo than weight and is a definite consideration. With 70+ lbs canoes, I can sort of sling them over my head and then get them up on the roof rack, but canoes have gunwales for grip and an open space for your head. It is much much hard to do this with a fishing kayak. I have the Kaku Wahoo 12.5; I have managed to get on the roof, but it is too heavy and large and hard for me solo. I built up a kayak trailer, and it is a beast dragging it up on that 2 feet off the ground. So you may need to look into lift assist bars for your rack or try rollers if they could help. But I would also look for a lighter boat. The specs on kayaks can be misleading, since they often list the "hull weight" which is not the weight of the kayak, since that doesn't count everything else attached. I see my wahoo lists its hull weight as 76 lbs, so rigged up it is more like 80. Personally, like the wahoo, I think the bonafide 127 is too big to roof top solo. So I would be looking at boats under 70 lbs rigged, so the Jackson Bite for example. Kayaks are one of those rare gear purchases in which the lighter options may be cheaper, and the heavy options are heavy and expensive because they have tons of rigging. The Diablo hybrid SUP/kayaks also look really cool and the Chupacabra comes in at 56 lbs (just make sure that is the total). edit: I carried our bathroom scale out to the driveway and picked up the wahoo still dripping from the lake, but with no seat and minimal extra rigging and that came in right around 80.

It is more a series of decisions, that yes involve trade offs but more that one decision leads to another Do you want to paddle or peddle (and can you afford a peddle kayak) How big of water are you paddling + wind and waves or surf + distance to fishing spots How important is standing and fishing? Do you need to lift it solo, roof top or truck bed or trailer? Most of the best standing kayaks have stadium seats that are all pretty nice. But standing and paddling speed and efficiency don't usually go together. Peddle kayaks can be both fat and wide and fast enough to get somewhere.