Bankc

I have a Lifetime Yukon. It's a really nice boat for the money. It tacks well, is moderately fast, and I can even stand up in it. Plus the seat is super comfortable. It's more stable than the Prescador Pro, but not as fast and a bit heavier. It's also a few hundred cheaper, so it's definitely another one worth considering.

I got a chatterbait stuck on some old fishing line a few months ago in a small lake about twenty feet from the bank. I was on shore and there were several bass raiders and jon boats out fishing the area. When I pulled on my line tightly, trying to free it, the lure would jump up out of the water and if I kept the line tight, I was able to suspend the lure in air just above the surface. I spent a good bit of time waiting for boats to pass by near it and then popping it up and down out of the water to startle and confuse the passers-by. The reactions were all pretty much the same. "Is that a fish jumping?" followed by I "Wait, is that thing just hovering over the water?" followed by, "Oh, it's that guy on the bank that is doing that! That was freaking me out for a minute!"

I had a similar experience with a BPS Pro Qualifier 2 the other day. I almost bought an SLX at the time, by the way. For me, the problem went away on it's own after an hour or so of casting. I don't know what the cause was, but I wouldn't be surprised if there just wasn't a tiny burr somewhere or maybe some lubricant migration that needed to be worked out first. Or maybe there was some sticky substance that got applied during manufacturing somewhere. Who knows. It seems every reel that I've bought recently needed a bit of breaking in to get going like it's supposed to. Some more than others. I even remember fussing with my Tatula CT a good bit when I first got it, which seems odd now, because it's so forgiving.

If the water is muddy or has a lot of small particulates in it, that can gum up a reel pretty quick.

This is my philosophy too. The old K.I.S.S. methodology is hard to argue against. There are a lot of potential failure points in an inflatable PFD. The valve could seize, the gas tank could leak, the bladder could have a hole in it. There's no way to inspect it without inflating it which wastes money and time, making it something most people will rarely, if ever do. With a Foam PFD, about the only potential problem is rot. And that's easy enough to check every time you wear it. I'm not saying that inflatable PFD's are a bad idea. The risk of failure on one is extremely low. I'm just saying that if your life is worth $250 on something that's 99% effective, then how could you argue against it being worth $50 on something that's 99.9%. So the difference between the two, let's be honest here, isn't really so much about safety, as it is about comfort. And that's okay. Either one will likely save your life if you need it to. My point being, you just don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a PFD to save your life unless you want to. That's all.

Look for a wheelchair battery. Something with Sealed Lead Acid technology at 12v. They're a lot smaller and usually cheaper than the deep cycle batteries made for boats. Size and weight, of course, are always an issue. You can buy lithium ion batteries too, and they're even smaller and lighter, but a good bit more expensive. They're not worth the extra money, in my opinion. The Garmin Striker 4CV runs at about 400mA. So with a 7Ah battery, that ought to get you over 14 hours of use on a full charge when the battery is new. No need to go higher than that, unless you plan on spending a weekend of fishing and camping without a way to charge the battery. Try to find one that comes with a battery charger, as they tend to be cheaper when sold as a pack versus buying separately (at least in my experience they were). If you want to buy a waterproof box for it, they make some waterproof ammo cans or other dry boxes that you can buy pretty cheap. Find one that's big enough to hold the battery. Then just pack the inside with foam or whatever, so the battery stays put (and finding an exact dimension will probably be impossible, so find a box that's a bit larger and pack it in to make it snug). Drill a hole in it and install a waterproof cable gland. You can get even more fancy with switches, USB outlets and battery meters, but I find them unnecessary on a kayak. They even sell premade ones, but they tend to be a lot more expensive than going the DIY route. And the DIY rout is easy. All you need is a drill to drill a hole for the cable gland, and some scissors and contact cement for the foam (I used some scrap EVA foam from some foam puzzle garage mats that I got at Harbor Freight years ago). Then maybe a bungee to strap it down or some industrial strength velcro. I think I paid about $30 for all the parts for mine. You'll also need a way to mount it all. Scotty and Yak Attack make some decent fish finder mounts that aren't too expensive. You can go the DIY route, but I don't think you'd save that much money, or come up with as elegant of a solution (unless you have a 3D printer). Plus they're easy to tear down and reinstall, which helps for transportation and storage. Just be sure not to try to shorten the transducer cable. You can cut the power cable down, but the transducer cable needs to be a certain length to work properly. If you need to, coil it up with some zip-ties to get it out of the way.

There's an old African proverb that says "I takes a village to raise a child". So your actions may have had a temporary effect on your local and isolated bass population. But they may have also had a long term effect on these kids. You showed them to be helpful of strangers and taught them a bit about being a good conservationist. If this is the kind of thing their dad often does to other people, then it's only a matter of time before those kids realize that their dad is a jerk (if they don't already). And whether or not they turn out to be jerks themselves will probably be determined by how many good people that cross their paths take the time to show some positive influence on their lives. You did a good thing. And the initial consequences may not look good, but the long term effects of your actions might have a much better outcome.

I think you'll be happy with that. The screen is small, but with that comes the fact that it doesn't take up a lot of space, and space is kind of a premium on a kayak. And if you're not one of those people who complains that they can't see the text on their phone, then you'll probably be alright. If you have trouble seeing what's going on, just lean over a bit to get a closer look. When the screen is split, you'll just be looking for general information anyway. You don't need specifics and details. When you need to see the details, you won't be using the split screen. And since the display will always be within arm's reach, switching back and forth won't be an issue. I don't really use the side imaging as much as I thought I would. 9 times out of 10, what's going on to the side is pretty much the same as what's going on right below me. And if there is a difference, like rocks or brush, I can usually see signs of that on the surface. So it rarely tells me something that I didn't already know. It's nice to have, but it's probably the least important feature on a fish finder. The only real downside I see is the lack of mapping. It does have the Quickdraw mapping ability, which allows you to create your own maps. And they have a website where you can download the maps other user's have uploaded. But they don't have the capability to run some of the nicer mapping programs that other fish finders have. It's probably not a deal breaker for you though. At worst, you could always look up some depth cart maps on your phone for the lake you're visiting. A minor inconvenience to save a bunch of money.

A lot of PFD's these days come with a whistle attached. I think that's important too. It's a good way to call for help if you fall over and need assistance. It travels far and doesn't require as much energy as yelling. Plus, it's unmistakable. If you don't have a whistle with you, you should probably consider getting one.

True. And a Type III life vest is a bit safer, and a whole lot more comfortable. But you can still drown with one on, because they're not designed to prevent your head from leaning forward in the water. The only PFD designed to keep you alive while unconscious in the water is a type I PFD. And they're expensive and very uncomfortable to wear. So no one uses them except the Coast Guard and Cruise Ships. The best you can hope for if you go unconscious is to either get lucky and have your head tilted backwards, or hope someone can rescue you quickly that knows CPR. The purpose of type III PFD's is more to keep your body visible and accessible so someone else can save your life, rather than the rely only on the PFD to save your life.

I have a Lowrance Hook2 5. It has GPS with CMAPs, down imaging, and side imaging. The 5" screen is pretty small for a boat, but plenty big for a kayak. It's probably the cheapest fish finder with side imaging. However, the transducer is like a foot long, so it won't fit in the scupper holes, like some other transducers will. I mount mine over the side on a Scotty transducer arm mount. I have the display attached to the same mount, so it's not a big issue, other than when it's lowered into the water, it creates asymmetrical drag which pulls the kayak off to one side a bit as you paddle. You could mount it into the rear, but that might make loading and unloading harder, if you can't easily remove it. You'll want the check some videos and websites on what features are available to see how they work and to see which ones you might actually use. Like side scan and down scan don't easily show you fish. They just show you structure. The sonar is for fish (and they all have sonar). The GPS is pretty useless without a good map. Your phone does that. What you want from the GPS napping in a fish finder is details on depths of the lakes you visit. Different companies have different default mapping programs, and different mapping companies have different lakes mapped out. So you might want to check around to see which mapping companies have the maps for the lakes you visit preloaded. You can usually go to their websites and see what their maps of individual lakes look like. You can buy the maps afterwards, but their expensive. So it's best to get the right ones when you buy the fish finder, if you plan on using them.

In my city, it's hit and miss. BPS is stocked on lures and line, low on rods, and really low on reels. The big Academy near me is down to maybe 5 rods versus their normal stock of 300-500. They're also really, really low on lures and line. The smaller Academy near me is pretty well stocked. It looks like normal. Same thing with the Walmarts. Some are stocked pretty well. Others are pretty bare. I can't say anything about the Cabela's. I haven't been out that way in a while. All of the Dick's are empty... though they all got rid of their fishing departments a few months back. My point is, it seems to be location dependent. At least around here.

I have a B-100 Mag that I still use. I upgraded the spool bushings to ceramic bearings and upgraded the drag to carbontex. Since then, it's actually a really nice reel! It's a lot better reel than what I could find brand new for the price of the upgrades, that's for sure. It casts really far and is easy to manage. The only thing that truly bothers me about it is the lack of instant anti-reverse and the small handles. When it comes to old reels, I think the condition of the individual specimen is as important as anything else. I'd be more inclined to buy an old reel locally than online, sight unseen. If it was a newish reel, the pics look clean, and the seller says he took good care of it or didn't use it much, then I'd be okay buying online. But buying an older reel, I'd be too afraid of it technically working, but not for much longer due to massive amounts of wear.

I take back my "best advice". They have fishing tournaments there Wednesday nights, I think. I bet those guys would know more about that lake. Most of the people I've talked to say it's a pretty hard lake to fish. My experience backs that up. I can catch sand bass off the points and some of the steeper ledges. And I can catch crappie off the fishing piers, where the PVC condos are sunk. That's about it. There's lots of shallowish vegetation in the coves on the north end that look good for Largemouth. And there's some areas south east near the dam that also look promising. But I've never had much luck there myself, not have I seen anyone pull in more than a dink or two. Anyway, if you find out anything, or figure anything out yourself, I'd be grateful for any help. The only reason I frequent that lake is because it's close by. That, and none of the other lakes close by are much, if any, better. If you want to drive for an hour or two, there are a lot better lakes to drop a line in.

Stanley Draper is the lake I probably hit up the most! Either that, or Kitchen, the tiny lake right next to it. Here's the best advice I can give you... Give up on black bass. Black bass are few and far between. If you want to have fun on that lake, target sand bass, crappie, or catfish. In fact, most of the lakes in the OKC area are pretty similar in that respect.

They make two-handed casting easier. Plus, some people like to brace the longer butt against their forearm or under their arm pit for added stability. And on top of that, most newer rod holders are designed for them. Not to mention they make palming the reel easier because you have more of a counter balance behind it.

How do you paddle now? Do you paddle with a low or high angle most of the time? The difference between them isn't huge and you can paddle either way with either paddle pretty fairly efficiently (though the right paddle with be slightly more efficient). But if you already have your preferred technique down, might as well go with a paddle designed for that technique. Paddle length makes more of a difference than angle. Personally, with a wide, SOT, fishing kayak with a high seat, I'd go with a low angle paddle. That's what I do most of the time on mine. That being said, I will paddle with a high angle when trying to pick up speed. And when I do, it's not the angle of the blades that bother me as much as the length of the shaft. But, for most of my paddling, I like the low angle approach. It's less powerful than the high angle, but with such a wide kayak and seat that sits so high up, I prefer not to have to lean my body over side to side to meet that high angle. That saves me some energy. However, if I were in a narrow, sit-inside, kayak with a low seat, the low angle blades and long shaft wouldn't ever do me any good. I wouldn't have to lean over, but rather just twist my body, and the high angle approach would probably be the only technique I'd use.

I don't disagree with anything you said here, except for the "don't think you're gonna beat the value" part. I've got a Kastking Perigree II rod that's equal to my Pro Qualifier 2 in quality and feel, only it's ever-so slightly heavier, half the list price, and comes with two tips (I only fish two piece rods because I drive a coupe). I still love my PQ2 though, and still believe it's an awesome value.

I like the Trilene knot for FC and mono. But I would definitely try a different knot, because it sounds like you're having a knot problem. You may be doing something funky with your Palomar knots and if you want to stick with it, try tying it a different way. Sometimes we get into bad habits and don't even realize where we are making the mistakes because our brains are on autopilot.

The question I'd ask myself is, do I want an application specific rod, or another general purpose rod? If you want the application specific rod that won't get used as often (most likely), get the heavy. If you want a second general purpose rod so you can switch between baits or lines quickly, then get another medium-heavy. Being a bank and kayak angler myself, I'd rather have the second medium-heavy. In fact, I'd probably get a second medium before getting a heavy rod.

Did you have to cut some line out? Did you get any bits of line stuck between the spool and the inside of the reel's frame? I've had that happen before. It cause all kinds of weirdness until you open it up and clean it out. Can you unscrew the cast control? Maybe there's some debris around the threads that are preventing it from tightening. If you can unscrew it off, you might try cleaning the threads to make sure there's nothing in there to jam them up. I could be any number of things, but those are the first two that come to my mind.

They're good enough for me. But then again, I'm that guy who's not really convinced that super expensive rods actually translate to more fish or a better fishing experience. There's a level of quality you want to pass. A bad rod can hold you back. But after you pass that threshold, I think you tend to pay for things that matter more in the store than on the water. That's my opinion anyway, and I bet I'm in the minority here. Having said that, I don't think that BPS and Cabela's house brands are leading the race in value anymore. There are so many good other house brands and companies online that specialize in value that they kind of blend in with the rest of the pack out there. The one good thing about them is, you can try them out in the store before you buy. And when buying value priced stuff, it's always good to inspect them before you buy them. Plus, their return policy is great. And that's also important for value priced merchandise, as your return rate will probably be higher than with premium goods.

I doubt you'll do much better with a drive system than with either an anchor or stakeout pole. Make sure you're using the correct type of anchor for the ground that you're anchoring into, and if necessary, set up two. Also, if you don't have an anchor trolley, they come in really handy for positioning your kayak so that it the waves and wind hold you in position against your anchor or pole. And lastly, I prefer not to use much scope when anchoring my kayak. I hear people talk of 7:1 scope ratios (seven times the depth of the water for how long your rode needs to be let out). But to me, that's ridiculous for a kayak. I can get away with scope as low as 1.5:1 in most cases without any issue. And the shorter scope holds my kayak tighter.

I think it's like shooting a basketball or swinging a golf club. There's a "proper" way to do it , but if you watch the pros in just about any sport, you'll see they're more likely to develop their own style that they're comfortable with, and master that. It's more about figuring out how you can be the best you can be, rather than figuring out how it's "supposed" to be done. There are some bad habits that are best to be avoided. But they're usually only worth addressing if they're preventing you from being your best. There's a lot more to casting that just your thumb. There's the amount of shoulder, elbow, and wrist involved. There's your release point. There's the angle you hold the rod, the way you accelerate through the cast, and the follow through. There's even which hand you cast with! What works best for you in regards to your thumb will likely be determined both by your gear and the rest of your casting mechanics, as well as what makes you comfortable (habit). My guess is, a lot of the older guys and gals use a lot more thumb than the younger crowd who grew up with reels with good braking systems. The reasons being simply that it's how they learned, and what their comfortable with. Why switch methods if you won't gain anything other than the frustration of learning a new method?

yeah, it was braid. My thumb was fine. I've been fishing with baitcasters for 30 years. Like I said, I went from full breaks and heavy spool tension with lots of thumb, to less than half breaks, light spool tension and little thumb after an hour of use. That's where I ended the day. 3 centrifugal, about 3 on the magnetic, light spool tension, and just thumbing the spool right as the lure touched down. That's how I like to set up my gear. No thumb until the end, unless something went wrong. Of course, some of my vintage reels need lots of thumb, and there's no way around that. And I'm okay with that. But all of my reels made after the late 80's don't need much thumb, so I was expecting the same from this new one. There could have been an issue with the spool tension knob. Maybe it needed to develop a bit of a groove or had a rough spot? I don't know. But thinking back, I do seem to remember it stopping and starting a lot, even when I was setting it to the lure's weight. Anyway, the problem is solved. It was just a weird first hour, which is why I was so perplexed.