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Lithium Ion batteries are known to explode if they pass too much current. Unlike most other batteries (alkaline, lead-acid, NiCad, NiMH) they require software to constantly monitor the battery to make sure it's not being overdrawn. So it's a safety thing. Most other batteries will get hot if overdrawn, and some may get hot enough to catch fire if you pull too much too fast. But that's usually a slow process and they rarely ever explode (though I have had a few alkaline batteries explode over the years, though they give more of a loud pop than a giant fire bomb). Though, if properly managed with the software, lithium ion batteries do tend to be pretty safe, though I did have one catch fire on me once while charging. A word of advice: when buying a lithium ion battery, always buy one that comes with a charger, and only ever use that charger for it. They get really picky about their charging requirements, and even using a charger designed for a different but extremely similar lithium battery can be dangerous.

I hear what you're saying. And I do have a system. But my situation is a little different from most. First off, I drive a 2 door coupe. So I have to unload everything from the kayak, just to keep the weight and wind resistance down. That means the seat has to come off, battery, fish finder, etc. and I have to break down my fishing rods (all two piece), paddle, kayak cart, and anything else that I can to fit it all into my tiny trunk. I also can't use a roof rack, because my roof isn't long enough (It's about 2 feet long front to back) to properly support a kayak, so I have to use pool noodles and support it off the edge of my front and rear windshields. And I need to let them roll to help me load, which means I have to reposition them while loading. And I actually do need (or really want) a fish finder. Not just because this is my only boat and like seeing what's down there, but because the lakes I visit are all man-made and can quickly jump from 5 feet deep to over 100. And I don't have a rope long enough to anchor in 100 feet of water (nor do I want to carry or mess with that much rope). A depth finder lets me know where I can safely set my anchor (and hope to retrieve it), as well as where to fish. So I spend more time fishing, and less time paddling. I have a system where I flip the kayak cart upside down and strap it to my trunk lid to roll the kayak on and off using the cart's wheels. It takes more time, but since I slipped a disc, I can't risk putting unnecessary strain on my back anymore when I can otherwise avoid it.

Be wary of phishing scams. Where they send you an official looking email with some inane request, and ask you to log into the site through the link below. The link looks okay, and the website it takes you to looks legit, but it's not. And when you try to log in, you're basically giving them your password and email. It's very easy to mistake it for the real deal. As a precaution, never click a link in an email. If it's a company you do business with, open a new browser window and navigate to that site yourself to log in. Never download anything that you weren't expecting, no matter how good of a friend or close of a family member sent you the file or link, or how important it might seem. Basically, react to nothing, no matter how important they make it seem.

Yeah, it's definitely different than you think it will be. I don't like the 20 minutes it takes to load my kayak up onto the roof of my car, nor the 20 minutes to unload it into the lake. Then the additional 40 minutes loading and unloading, coming home. I was also surprised at how hard it is to paddle in even small winds and waves. Paddling a half mile in 15 MPH headwinds can take a real long time and make you pretty sore. Never mind trying to anchor your boat in those winds or in deep water. And in Oklahoma, there's always at least a 15 MPH wind if the temperature is above freezing or below 100, it seems. Though, you learn to adjust your expectations. I now plan my fishing based on the wind, rather than where I think the fish will be and at what time I think they will bite. It's not like a bass boat where the whole lake is yours and you can fish anywhere up until the point the water gets dangerous. In a kayak, the water gets too frustrating to continue, long before it gets dangerous. Small distances are big deals. And something as mindlessly simple as trolling becomes a physical and mental challenge. Though once you learn to adjust your expectations accordingly, it is a whole lot of fun! And even if you don't catch anything, sometimes just exploring small creeks that you never knew existed and no traditional boat can get near can be a whole lot of fun! It's a completely different perspective for sure!

I typically load my car up with 4-5 rods and a large tackle box, plus a cooler and a lot of other accessories. That way I can always walk back to my car if I need anything, or want to swap anything out. I usually carry just two rods and the tackle box to the bank, and leave the rest in the car. If it's going to be a mile long hike or longer, then I narrow it down to one rod and one 3700 box. I prefer to lug the giant tackle box around if possible, not only for the lure choices, but for all of the other stuff I have in there, like my lure retriever, pliers, knife, extra string, stringer, tape measure, etc. The lure retriever is especially useful from the bank. That alone makes lugging the whole tackle box worth it.

I use the pool noodle method on my kayak. I put some 3/4" PVC tubes through the middle for extra support. It works really well, actually. I have no problems driving 75mph on the interstate in the wind with it. It's just a wise idea to pull over after driving for about 5 minutes to check to make sure nothing has shifted or come loose. After that, it's good to go the long haul. Just make sure you don't strap it down too tight, or you'll cave in your roof.

Anywhere but Hefner and Overholser. Most of the other lakes have coves where you can find cover from the wind. It helps that you don't need a boat ramp to launch, so often you don't have to paddle far from your launch point for your spot. I also try to park down wind of where I want to fish, so I fight the wind and waves on my way out, and then let them carry me back to the car when I'm done. And I try to set up in water less than 20 ft. deep so I can anchor the kayak so I'm not fighting the wind while fishing.

I've fished in a lot of different types of boats in my life. I've never had an issue catching fish off any of them. Pontoon boats are great! I know a lot of older people who go the pontoon boat route once they start losing some mobility. The stability is the big selling point for them. But there's a lot more to like than just that. One thing I've found is that older pontoon boat owners tend to like them more and more, the longer they've owned them. And I can see why. They're the "jack of all trades" boat. You can fish from one. You can ski from one. You can lounge around in the sun. They have plenty of shade if there's too much sun. You can invite a bunch of family and friends to join you, and you're still not crowded. And everybody can get a chance to do what they love on the water, together. It's a great boat for people who are looking to maximize their enjoyment on the water, versus people looking to maximize their time on the water. If a bass boat is an office chair, then a pontoon boat is a recliner. I get the appeal of bass boats for pros. But I never understood the appeal with the general population. They're such a highly specialized boat. There's so much else you can do on the water, why spend that much money on limitations? But I guess if all you do is fish for freshwater game fish, then the question is, why waste money on features you'll never use? To each, their own, right? I mean, I never thought I'd be a kayak guy, but that's the style of boat that best fits my current lifestyle, and I'm loving it!

This seems to work best for me as well.

I've not heard good things about central OK lakes, as far as bass fishing is concerned. Thunderbird might be the best in the area, though it's still not that highly regarded of a lake. Konawa, Bell Cow and Ft. Cobb are supposed to be the best fishing lakes near OKC, but they are a bit of a drive (and hour or so). Most of the good lakes are in the east end of the State, like Grand, Eufaula, Hudson, Broken Bow, etc. There are also a few on the south end like Texoma and Arbuckle. All are probably worth the drive, but it's still a long drive. As for ponds, I can't give you much good advice there either. I've been to the ponds at Griffin and Lions Park a few times and I'll say they're not worth the drive for me. Kitchen Lake, off Sooner on the north side of Moore is pretty, and there are big bass in there, but I've never had any luck there (it's the lake I spend the most time at since it's close to home). It's always crowded too. Now I'm far from being an expert on fishing in the area, so I'm going to pay close attention to what anyone has to say. I'd love to learn of any good spots nearby as well. But all of the locals I've talked to are tight lipped on if they know of any good spots. And the few spots I have managed to hear about are all for catfish, crappie, or walleye.

I have the Angler Classic. No complaints. It might be worth going for the Ace, depending on how much time you spend in the water. I only spend about 4 hours at a time, so the extra few ounces don't matter to me. But if I were there 8+ hours, it might. I use a 260 cm paddle, and I'm 6'2" and 185 lbs. (I have narrow shoulders). My kayak is 30" wide. I was afraid the 260 cm would be too long, but it's actually about just right for me. I would rather go 270 cm (if they make such a thing) than go 250 cm, so I'm glad I got the bigger one. I use old sneakers for water shoes. I have like 30 pair, so I figured I'd ruin all of them fist. What I do is drill holes in the bottom to allow water to drain out. That way my shoes may be wet, but they won't be filled with water. It works well enough for me. And the price is right! It's not the best solution, but a solution that keeps me from worrying about the problem any further. I use ratchet straps. You do have to be careful with them, but it's not rocket science. Just when they get tight enough to hold the strap straight, go slowly and constantly check the tension. When you get close, slow it down to one click at a time. I pluck them and listen to the sound they make. A pitch somewhere around middle C on my setup is strong enough to hold without doing any damage. Then I wiggle the kayak to make sure everything's right. There are some good deals on cheap PFDs on Amazon. That's where I got mine (Onyx brand, I believe). I don't think you need anything fancy. It's all just Styrofoam that's strapped to your chest. It's not a highly technical item that requires precision engineering. A good fit is all you need. That way it's comfortable to wear, so you'll actually wear it. And like anything clothes related, everyone's body has a different shape, so what works well for one, may not work well for another. So either try before you buy, or buy from a place that will allow for returns if it doesn't fit. Though I would recommend finding a kayak specific PFD. That way it has open areas on the shoulders, so it doesn't hinder your paddling, and an open lower back, as you don't want the back of your PFD to rest against your kayak's seat.

I recently purchased a Lifetime Yukon. At around $500, it was the cheapest I could find that allowed me to stand up. I'm really impressed with it. It has an excellent seat, pretty stable, and tracks well. It's not super fast, but it's not slow either. So far, it seems solidly built. I haven't had any problems with it. Now, keep in mind this is the only Kayak I've ever owned, so I don't have much to compare it to. But I'm quite pleased with it, and the only think I feel it's missing is a cupholder and peddles. Also, remember that you're going to want a lot of accessories to go with whatever you choose. So budget for that. You'll probably want an anchor (or stake out pole), anchor trolley, kayak cart, some way to store the kayak, some what to transport the kayak, a paddle, and a PFD. Plus, there may be permits and such that you have to purchase. And there may be a few more accessories that you desire, like a fish finder, battery, rod holders, etc. My $500 kayak wound up running me over $1,200 all said and done.

The best way to repair plastic is to weld it. Some plastics don't adhere to glues or epoxies well. Others do okay if you're using the right kind of adhesive. It depends on what you're working with. Though, to properly weld plastic, you need to know what kind of plastic you are trying to repair first, and use the same type of plastic (same color if you can find it), so they'll adhere well together. That can be a tad difficult sometimes. I've had to go as far as to burn it and smell the burnt plastic to tell what kind it is. Not fun. There are websites out there that can give you a list of instructions on how to eliminate various plastics types to narrow down what kind you're working with, if you can't find it through more obvious means. Besides heat, sometimes the best way to weld plastic is with a solvent, such as acetone. You mix up the acetone (or whatever solvent you're using) and hardened plastic bits that you wish to use as the patch, and let it dissolve, sometimes for several hours. Then you can make a nice paste (assuming you don't let it soak too long). Then just fill in the holes/cracks, and let the solvent evaporate. It might take a day or two for it to fully harden, depending on how thick the patch is. If it's thick enough, you might need to poke holes in the skinned over parts to let the solvent evaporate out deep inside, and then refill the holes. Or better yet, apply the patch in multiple layers, letting each one dry fully before applying the next. It'll melt the plastic you're trying to repair a bit, giving you a solid, one-piece weld, instead of two pieced held by glue. Then you just have to sand it down smooth. It's kind of the same concept as PVC cement, which isn't actually a cement, glue, or epoxy. It's just a solvent with bits of PVC already dissolved into it. A lot of glues we're all familiar with employ this basic concept. Rubber cement is just rubber (or laytex) and solvent. Super glue is just acrylic plastic and solvent. Standard white school glue is just polyvinyl acetate and water (a solvent).

No. It's named after "Old Man Kitchen" who used to own it (Kitchen was his last name). He would charge people to fish there many years ago. Then he passed and his children couldn't keep up with the taxes on it (since they didn't use it for farming, the land was just a money sink to them), so the city bought it from them and turned it into a public park. I never met "Old Man Kitchen", but apparently those who did have very fond memories of him being really mean to them. It's kind of weird. Nice one!

Not usually. Though, to be fair, I typically am there when I can, not when I want to be. So I'm often there after a cold front in the middle of the afternoon on a weekend. Also, all of those people are usually lined up right next to each other in one of two areas. The other areas worth fishing are a long, winding walk through the trees (you can't really go off the trails due to the thick brush), or only easily accessible by boat. So you can still be off by yourself if you want to. Though that will take you away from the deeper water. I know. But I've got a Captain Ahab thing going on with this lake. Plus, I figure if I can figure this one out, it'll make me a better fisherman for when I get the opportunity to hit up some of the better lakes, further away. Oklahoma has some great lakes. Oklahoma City does not.

The best knot is the one you can tie correctly. Any knot can fail if you tie it wrong. So it's best to stick with whatever you're comfortable with than go with something that is supposed to be better, but you're not confident in. I only use the FG for tying on leaders to braid. It's strong and it's thin, so it casts well. I'd say it's easy, but only because I've tied it a bunch, and I only ever attempt to tie it in my living room, usually while watching TV. I use both hands, one foot, and my teeth to keep the lines tight while tying it, which sounds more complicated than it is. I bite down on one end of the braid and keep the other end of the braid under tension with my foot. My hands do all of the tying. So if I were out on a boat or on the bank, I'd probably choose another knot. But I usually give myself about 7 feet of leader (just short of it reaching the spool), and then if I need to cut it off while out fishing, I just skip the leader and go straight braid until I get back to my house. In all honesty, I use a leader more as a shock absorber and line saver (I'll keep using a spool of braid for years) than a stealthy tool.

I'll definitely give the smaller baits a try. I've experimented some with them. But not all that much. And while I've tried a Ned rig, I haven't tried it that often, and I only have pumpkin green. So maybe a different color would help. I don't have anything like the Huddleston 68 special. So that might be worth a look at too. It certainly looks pretty to me! Thank you! This gives me something to try! And yes, finding another lake is probably the best option. But that extra hour or two of a drive time means I won't be able to get out there but just a few times a year. With a job and a family, it's hard to find time to get out. I can usually only get away for about 4 hours at time and even then, just on the weekends. And if I'm spending most of that time driving, well, then I'm not fishing. Can't anger the wife, or I'll lose what I got! There are a few other lakes around me, less than an hours drive, but they're all pretty much the same. Muddy and crowded. Though, most aren't as muddy, or as crowded (more people visit them, but there's much more lake to spread them out), but I haven't had much luck on them either. Of course, I haven't hit them up as hard, mainly because before I got my kayak, about the only places you could fish from are the fishing piers (which are usually crowded unless the weather is terrible). The forests surrounding the lakes are terribly overgrown and impossible to walk through, and boat docks are usually locked and dams and bridges forbidden to pedestrians. There's one lake without any trees around it, but there's no structure along the shore (it's just a man-made deep square dug into the ground) and the wind is crazy! You don't see many bank fishers out there, despite it being one of the most popular lakes around (tons of sail boats and restaurants). And that's the heart of the problem. Okies love fishing and hunting, and hate traffic. So any time the weather is nice (which isn't that often), they load up their trucks and head to the nearest lake. All of the good ones are about a two hour drive away. That's life though. It's not so much about learning how to get what you want, as it is about learning how to want what you get.

I'm having trouble catching anything. I've been fishing in my local lake (man made) close to 30 times since October, and haven't gotten a single bite. I refuse to give up on this lake though. It's too convenient, and it's a rather pretty puddle of water to spend time on. So I enjoy my constant failure anyway. It's 33 acres in size, and most of it is around 3-5 feet deep, with about a third of it near the dam that runs about 10-20 feet deep. It's muddy as can be (Oklahoma red mud). This time of year especially. Visibility is usually less than a foot. That would lead me to believe that noisy lures are the way to go. And I've tried that. Extensively. Rat-L-Traps, Chatterbaits, beaded jigs, a bunch of different spinnerbaits, poppers, torpedoes, pretty much anything that makes a click, thump, or buzz, I've thrown. Nothing seems to work. The reason, I believe, is there are always 10-30 people fishing on that lake at any given moment, so it's quite heavily pressured. That would lead me to try silent baits, And I've tried a few, though not as many as the noisy ones. And they still don't get a sniff. My guess is, they probably can't find them. And it's not just me. I've never seen anyone pull a decent fish from that lake. And the few dinks that I have seen, were all caught on minnows or stinkbait. I'm trying to avoid live bait. I've heard stories, however, of people catching bass, but you never know about stories. This lake does have some big bass in it though. I've seen them swimming by me, and I've seen them break the water. It's a common enough sight that I know it has quite a few. Plus, it's stocked with Largemouth, catfish, and crappie by the city. Most of the people that fish there fish in two areas, one is the bank along the dam, and the other is a bank that runs up to the dam (there's a heavily visited fishing pier there as well). There are some fish attractants sunk around those areas, with buoys to mark them. No gasoline engines are allowed and there's no boat ramp, so it doesn't see a lot of boats, outside of a few kayaks and canoes. I have a kayak to get out on it, but that hasn't helped. So, that's the background. It's been a tough nut to crack, but I'm determined to get it done. Any suggestions of what direction I should try? Keep with the noisy baits and try different areas (I just the kayak so I haven't had much time to put it to use)? Should I try scented lures? I haven't tried applying any scent yet (though some of the plastics I've used are supposed to be impregnated). Should I concentrate more on finesse presentations? I haven't given them much of a try due to the visibility issues. Any help would be appreciated!

I just bought a Lifetime Yukon to get off the bank. I wanted something small and light enough to be able to fit on the roof of my tiny car, plus stable enough to stand in. I'm really liking it a lot, at only 75lbs and 11.6 feet long. It's well made, tracks really well (when I don't have the fish finder boom lowered), and pretty stable. The only time it feels unstable is when I'm standing and try to turn around to face the rear. It's secondary stability is great, but the primary stability is a very narrow zone. My only serious complaint is a lack of cup holders. The seat is great! I have a Lowrance Hook2 5 Tripleshot hooked up to it. It's easy enough to use, though it's hard to get the sensitivity right in these muddy, central Oklahoma lakes. It's either too sensitive where I'm picking up junk everywhere, or not sensitive enough to pick up fish. I'm betting that would be the case with any fish finder though. These lakes usually run from about 6" to 1' of visibility this time of year. The worst part is the loading and unloading. It takes about 20 minutes to get it all set up or broken down. Maybe I'll get quicker at that, but that's the price you pay for towing it on the roof of a coupe. I turn the kayak cart upside down and strap it to the trunk to make (un)loading by myself easier. That way I can just lean the front on top of the wheels and roll it up there, pushing from the rear. I've noticed turtles see me as a preditor and move if I get near, but water snakes just see me as a log and pay no mind. They're neither aggressive nor fearful of me. I don't know how I feel about that.

Thanks!

Hello all! I fished a bunch up until about 25 years ago, then got caught up in other things and lost the time to get out and fish. Recently, I've decided to get back into it. Man, have things changed in 25 years! Shimano is now good. Ugly Stiks are bad. Uncle Josh is gone. Fluorocarbon is a thing. Bass are under pressure. Ned's got his very own rig. and Alabama is illegal in some states. I've got a lot to learn, for sure! Now I'm living in OKC and rarely have the time to make a long trip, so I usually just fish the lakes closest by whenever I get a spare few hours. I enjoy it, but these metro area lakes are highly pressured, muddy, and often hard to reach the banks (our forests are dense and not properly managed with controlled burns in this area). I got a kayak to get off the banks, but even then, fishing is tough out here. The only time I ever see anyone catch anything is on live bait. And even then, it's usually just a single dink. Yet I know they're in there, because the lakes are stocked, and I've seen quite a few large ones swimming around and splashing about. I just need to crack their code... Anyway, happy to be here!