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Tie a swivel to the end of the line in your back yard before you reel it up. That will allow the line to spin and take out any twist on the line as you respool it. Then soak the spool in hot water to remove the memory. I don't worry too much about line twist or memory. The reason is because the line will get new memory from being on the spool, and will get twisted back up as you fish. Twist and memory are unavoidable. When it gets bad enough, I just do what I described above. Then I use it for a while, and wait for it to come back.

I'll use a Zoom 4" grub often. Sometimes they like it better than a paddle tail or craw. I can't really say why. I'll just try one, and if it's not working, try something else.

Most SOT kayaks are hollow on the sides, so unless the front hatch is self contained, you can usually store your rods in there. However, some rods may not work. It usually has less to do with length of the rod than stiffness and length of the handle. You have to bend them pretty good, which isn't a problem at the tip, but down by the handle, it can be an issue. That being said, I wouldn't recommend doing this with an expensive rod. There are usually bolts and rivets inside that can catch your line guides and scratch your blank. Plus they're gonna bounce around a bunch. And they can be difficult to load in and pull out while on the water.

Berkley Big Game 10# was my "do everything" line until I switched to 30lb braid for that. To me, 12# is too thick for more finesse oriented presentations, and doesn't really offer much more in the way of strength. Berkley Big Game is just a good overall line. It's not too bad with memory, so it casts and handles well. And it holds knots really well. It's biggest flaws, to me, is that it isn't all that abrasion resistant and it stretches. But it's cheap, and you usually only get nicks near the end of your line. So I have problem cutting off the last few feet from time to time to deal with the nicks. And no mono is all that great with abrasions. And as for the stretch, well all mono lines stretch a lot. Some might stretch more or less than others, but all stretch enough that if stretching is going to be a problem, then your best bet is to switch away from mono, rather than waste money switching between brands.

First, find out what's causing that. Second, patch that up (or replace the reel). Maybe try so mold some PC-7 in there, or mold some pieces out of a polymer clay like Sculpey to fit (press them into the grooves to get the back side and then cut and smooth them around the top and front to make exactly keyed pieces), bake them in the oven, and then attach them with super glue. Whatever's causing that isn't good and will probably lead to more problems, further down the line.

Hard to say. But are you sure it's coming from the reel? Often times I find that if I'm hearing weird noises at only one part of the cast or retrieve, it's usually something to do with my line and line guides. But if it is coming from the reel itself, then the first thing I'd do is tear it down and give it a complete clean and relube. That will do two things for you. 1. It will give you a chance to inspect each part individually, looking for anything obvious that might be the cause, and 2. it'll allow you to eliminate dirt, oil, and grease from the list of possible causes. Rattling/grinding sounds like a bearing issue, but they usually change pitch throughout the cast, rather than come and go. At least the one's I've dealt with did. It could be something to do with the break inductor coming back in. Like maybe it's rubbing on something or got some junk on it. That's about the only thing that I can think of that changes at the end of the cast and would cause a sound to come and go, versus something more like a change in tone.

The best value in a new fishing kayak is probably going to be the Lifetime Teton Pro and Yukon. I have the Yukon. It's just under 12' long, tracks well, is fairly stable, has a good seat, and is well built. It comes with two side track mounts, two rear, flush mount rod holders, adjustable foot braces, and paddle holders on the sides. It also has a covered storage in the front, and you can fit shorter rods down into it, that run inside the kayak, along the sides. It's about 85lbs, so it's not very light, but it's about the average weight for a kayak in it's class. I find it to be a good balance between stability, speed, and maneuverability. It's definitely not the best you can buy. But, it's probably the best you can buy for the money, unless you buy used. And even then, the full setup would still likely be outside of your budget. I probably spent around $1,500 on it, all told. And that includes the kayak, paddle, PFD, trolling motor, battery, anchor and anchor trolley, fish finder, ceiling host to store it, kayak dolly to transport it, tie downs, and various other little gadgets and gizmos. The cost of the kayak itself was less than a third of the total bill. So your best bet would be to find a used one that's fully decked out. Either way, make out a list of everything you're going to need ahead of time and see how all of that fits into your budget. It's really easy to nickel and dimed to death on kayak by not planning out for all of the other stuff ahead of time too.

Yeah. I think we're talking about the same guys, just giving them different names. To me, "aspiring amateurs" are the guys who aren't pros (and probably not looking to become pros), but aren't casual anglers either. They take it as a serious hobby, see buying new gear as "investing" into the hobby. They are looking for ways to get an edge over the "competition". This "competition" might be bragging rights with friends, local tournaments, or even chasing a personal best or lake record. Either way, they're not the casual angler that's just there to relax, unwind from their daily lives, enjoy nature, and pass the time not thinking about the things that stress them out. They're there on the water with a clear goal in mind. It's just like in the music business. Most full-time pros play what they get payed to play. Most aspiring pros play cheap gear because they want to funnel all of their money into the promotion side. Things like recordings, touring, advertising, and giving them more time to work on their craft. They're less interested in high end gear, and more interested in ways to push the band forward. That's how they'll become full-time pros. Aspiring amateurs are the ones who spend big money on gear. They're the ones who have disposable income from regular jobs, thoroughly enjoy the hobby, yet aren't investing their full lives into it. It's important to them, but it's not their identity. And then there's the casual player who just owns one or two guitars that mostly sit in the corner, that they really don't give much thought to, and just enjoy playing songs from time to time. To them, it's the act of playing that they enjoy most.

It's probably fine. Give it a test. They're not super delicate devices. They're made to take some abuse. Usually, with modern reels, all you have to oil is the worm gear between cleanings. I usually just put a few drops on the worm gear, about once a month. As far a cleaning and relubing the insides, I typically do that once a year, or anytime the reel gets dunked under water or I notice a decrease in performance. Some people do it more often, and others do it less often. If you do that, you typically don't have to worry about adding oil or grease in between cleanings, except for the worm gear because it is exposed to the elements. But everyone has their own cleaning and lubing routines, and much of it depends on how much you use them, the conditions under which you use them, and whether or not you can do it yourself.

That's more or less what I do. Sometimes I also use my fish finder to read the depth of the water that I'm in, and then drop the lure over the side and count how long it takes to reach the bottom. Then divide that by the fraction of the depth I'm looking to hit. Sometimes you can even see your lure on the fish finder. Just make sure you draw out the line on your reel so that it's not dragging down your lure's rate of descent.

I used to be a semi-pro musician. I have several friends in the industry who are signed to big labels and tour the world and all of that stuff. I imagine that their relationship to gear is pretty much the same a pro anglers'. Basically, if you get good enough, and well known enough, you get sponsors. Once you get sponsors, you tend to quite buying gear yourself, and you use whatever gear your contract says you should promote. Usually this gear isn't the high end stuff that you may have used earlier in your career, but it's still high quality, and certainly good enough for you to still get the job done. Besides, what got you to this level wasn't the quality of gear you used, but the skills you acquired along the way. After all, there are a lot more people out there using top level gear than there are people who do this stuff for a living, and make a decent income at it. So while you might could squeeze out an extra 1-2% or so from using even better gear, you make a lot more money using the stuff you're paid to use, so you use that instead. And since you're a professional, you don't have a problem making it work for you. The high end gear is sold to aspiring amateurs. They're the ones who will believe that the difference between them and the pros lies in the gear. The pros know that it's all a business, and they'll do what it takes to put food on the table. And if that means they have to work a little harder to make that good, but not great gear work, then that's what they'll do.

Something's not right. First, what kind of braid are you using? I find that the 8 strand varieties don't dig in as much as the 4 strand. Secondly, are you fishing around lots of hard surfaces? Are you sure the line isn't getting nicked? Third, where are they snapping? Is it as the knot? Or it is in the just near the bottom? It its several feet away from the lure? 30lb braid should require about 30lbs of force to snap. If you're experiencing 30lbs of sudden force, enough to snap the line like in the scenario you're describing, you'd likely damage your rod before the line broke. Imagine trying to set the hook on a 30lb weight in your garage. So I'm thinking there's something else going on that's weakening the line so that it can break below it's rating. Obviously, if it's getting nicked on jagged surfaces, then switching to fluoro would be a good idea. At least a long fluoro leader, anyway. If it's the knot coming undone, then try a different knot. Braid can be picky about which knots to use, and how to tie them. I've snapped a few lures off during the cast. I've even snapped a rod on a cast. None of them were caused by the line being dug into the spool. With the lures, it was always the line being nicked or the knot coming undone. With the rod, it was a bad rod from the factory. It broke the first time I really tried to bomb a cast. I'm not saying that the line being dug into the spool can't cause a snap. It sure can! I'm just saying that ordinarily, it shouldn't cause a line to snap, as I've had numerous (way more than I should) times where the line was dug into the spool and I got a nasty backlash while trying to bomb a cast, and it's never resulted in losing a lure. Sure it's possible. But it's not the norm. It shouldn't happen repeatedly.

Fluoro is more dense and rigid than braid. It's also a single piece. So it'll conduct vibrations better than braid in most circumstances. Braid, however is less resistant to stretching. So if the line is pulled taught enough that introducing vibrations will cause the line to stretch, then braid will eventually start to overtake fluoro, since that stretching can absorb some of the energy of the vibrations and reduce it's transmission. On a bottom contact bait, you're likely going to be experiencing both conditions on the same cast, often switching back and forth between them while your jigging your bait. So you can't really say that changing from braid to fluoro, or fluoro to braid will be like changing from one rod to another. There are areas of overlap between them, but they're not consistent with each other.

And watch out for tree branches and docks. Anything that sticks up high out of the water. In a kayak, you'll be tempted to get closer. Or you might snag a lure and decide to go free it. And unlike on most boats, your rods are probably sticking straight up into the air (or at an angle off to the sides). Either way, eventually, a tree or something is going to try to grab one of your rods that sticking up behind you, and since it's behind you, you can easily paddle off while it slowly, and silently, pulls your rod out and quietly dunks it into the water below. You won't even know it's gone until you reach for it again. I don't use rod floats, but I do use rod leashes whenever I'm not holding the rod in my hands. The leash is strong enough to jerk my boat and make the rod bounce against my kayak or the water, giving me a heads up that something isn't right. I too learned the hard way, only it wasn't a $500 rod and reel, thank goodness. Either way, make plans for some kind of protection from this. In fact, that's good advice for everything in your kayak. If it isn't tied down, you better be prepared to lose it.

I think some of it has to do with sample variation. I don't believe, for the most part, that it's a brand thing. I have a few Booyah Pad Crashers. That's about all I use for frogs. No particular reason, other than they're cheap and easy to find near me. Most do alright. But this one in less than 10 seconds after hitting the water. It was useless right out of the box. It doesn't look any different from all of the others (other than being a different color, but I don't think that would effect it). It doesn't have any punctures or loose seams. I've tried sealing it up with RTV silicone around the hooks and nose, but that didn't help. So I've written it off as a lost cause. If I run into another that has this issue, I may switch brands, but for now, I'm just gonna chock it up to a bad sample that's bound to happen every once in a while.

A few months ago I found a Fenwick rod and a Penn Warfare 15LW in the dumpster at my work. It looked like someone had drove over it with a truck. The rod was beyond repair, but the reel just needed a good cleaning and the free spool lever bent back into place.

I'm with you. I rarely switch out hooks. Sometimes they need a bit of sharpening right out of the package, but I know how to do that properly (hint: Don't buy those "hook sharpeners" they sell at bait shops. They're junk. Buy a series of real whetstones and use the wide sides for knives and the thin sides for hooks.). A higher quality hook will hold a sharper point longer, but a cheap one can be made just as sharp.

It might. I've never conducted a scientific test on it. Though from what I've experienced, I wouldn't worry about it. I can't tell any difference in how it looks underwater to with my eyes. Fluorocarbon isn't invisible anyway. It's just less visible. And the thin layer of clear liquid won't change that much. Plus, it does wear off in the water fairly quickly. Also, fish don't see that well, and aren't very intelligent. I mean, they'll bite a plastic fish, with no fins, making weird sounds, with hooks falling off of it, holding a circuit board in it's mouth. So they're not looking too closely.

In my experience, when buying used, condition is the most important factor. And if you're buying a reel that's more than just a few years old, I'd probably stick with Shimano or Daiwa. As for age, the two most important advancements in the last 50 years in reel designs are adjustable brakes and infinite anti-reverse. And both of them have been pretty much standard issue for the last 20 years or so. If you can, buy locally so you can test it out first. Second choice would be buying from a site like this, where there's a bit of a community vibe and knowledgeable sellers, which should help cut down on the odds of buying a lemon, sight unseen.

I never fish in rivers. But I love using the drift sock in lakes and ponds. What I do is figure out the wind direction ahead of time. Then I plan on fishing the banks that run parallel to the wind direction, and a way to go upwind to where I want to fish. From there, I just let the wind blow me along the bank, back down wind, and cast towards the bank. That allows me to cover a lot of ground, fairly quickly, and without having to paddle much, which gives me more time for casting. The drift sock slows you down, allowing you more casts, and depending on where you connect it to your kayak, can help to orient your kayak so that you're facing the direction you want. It's especially useful if you stand up in your kayak, as you don't have to use your paddle or pedals near as much. It's really more of a tool to help you utilize the wind, rather than just leaving you to fight it. However if the pond is really small, the wind is out of a direction that you can't make use of, or there is no wind, then a drift sock won't do you much good.

Hold the end of the braid in your mouth with your teeth. Lean the rod with the braid back away from you to make the braided line tight. If need be, rest your foot or leg on it or something, but be careful not to apply too much pressure. You don't want to break your rod. It doesn't need to be super tight. You're just trying to take the slack out of it. Next, hold the leader line in your hands and tie it at about whatever distance is easiest for you to focus at. Tie the leader on with your dominant hand and use your off hand to hold the already tied portion together by pinching it with your fingers. That helps to keep it tight as you tie it. As you move along the knot, you'll want to reposition your pinch. That's the basic mechanics of how I do it. It's pretty similar to how the guy does it in GatorB's video. I've tried a bunch of different methods, and this one was the easiest for me to learn and produces the most reliable knots. The most common reason an FG comes undone is because you didn't cinch it down tight enough. By using this method, you tie it tighter, so cinching it down is easier. Also, it helps to wet the knot, and cinch it periodically while you're tying it. Maybe not a full strength cinch like what you'll do near the end, but a decent tug to keep it tight as you go.

I prefer a M/F for chatterbaits with braided line. But I'm not too picky about it. There are some lures that benefit from using a specialized rod. But I don't think chatterbaits are one of them. It's kind of like a crankbait, in that you don't need a super sensitive rod to use it effectively. But also kind of like a jig, in that you don't have those small treble hooks that you have to keep steady pressure on the line at all time to keep them from spitting the lure. I just feel that the fast action sets the hook a bit easier, while the medium power allows some give to keep them from throwing the hook. I would probably be just as happy using a MH/M as well. I would even be okay using a M/M with braid, or a MH/F with some stretchy mono or fluoro.

Was the Lightning Rod brown or orange? The orange one is the Shock version. They've been known to have the reel seat being a weak link, but are otherwise fairly highly regarded. The brown version with the cork grips also have a plastic real seat, but it's black instead of clear, and they tend to be a bit more durable. I have one of those, and it's a pretty decent rod for the money. Definitely one of the better options at around $50. I'm a big fan of cheap rods. Anything Lew's is going to be good. I also have a BPS Tourney Special, which is a really sensitive rod for the money. Better blank than anything Berkley or Shakespeare, but the guides are absolutely terrible. My favorite in that price range so far is the Kastking Perigee II. They're a two piece rod with two different power tips, good blanks, Fuji guides, and a decent reel seat. It'll hold its own with many rods twice it's price.

Perhaps you could build a jig to hold the rods straight when you lay down the back seats. It could just be a block of wood with some velcro, or perhaps something made of PVC pipe. Just something to keep them level. Maybe stick some small nails out of the bottom so they grip the carpet in the trunk. This is why I only fish two piece rods. I'd rather use one piece, as there's a lot more selection in one piece rods, but a one piece rod won't fit in my Miata without hanging them out the window or dropping the top and sticking them out the top. I can fit them in my Altima coupe, if drop the back seats, but then they're sticking up over my gear shifter. That, and they bisect my trunk, effectively take up a lot of precious trunk space, making it hard to pack much else.

I love my kayak. But if I had the choice between it or that Jon boat, I'd take the boat in a heartbeat. It'll be faster, more stable, have more room, etc. Plus, it would be hard to install a trolling motor that nice on a kayak. Unfortunately, I don't have a place to store a boat like that, nor a vehicle to pull it, so for me, the choices were kayak, inflatable, or canoe. Another downside to owning a boat like that is in Oklahoma, you have to have the boat and the trailer registered. It's not crazy expensive, but it is an extra cost that you wouldn't have to worry about if you had a kayak and transported it on the roof of your car or in your truck bed.