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I think 4mph is a target speed for most pedal kayak manufacturers. My Jackson pedal drive will do 4mph with a token effort. 3mph without trying so I have to actually pedal pretty slow to hit my desired trolling speed of 2-2.5 mph. If I want to sweat I can get to 5mph. But yeah, being able to make adjustments and such without putting the rod down is so nice, I don't think I'll ever give up a pedal yak. I've thought getting something with a motor but the added complexity and weight just hasn't made sense to me yet.

I run all my setups braid to flouro, both casting and spinning. Mainly Suffix 832 to Seaquar blue label flouro leader anywhere from 20-40lb on casting setups that I'm throwing bigger / more expensive lures and 10-15lbs on spinners throwing jigs and such. I'll use an FG knot if I'm at home, but if I need to retie on the water it's an alberto. I normally throw bigger topwaters and crankbaits and haven't had an issue using braid. River smallies aren't leader shy, and running heavier flouro means you won't get bit off by pike/musky quite so often. You in the Metro area? Always looking for other folks to kayak fish with.

Unfortunately I didn't even think about that. I did give them the 'you guys know it's not bass season, right?' and one guy gave me a sheepish 'yeah..'. But I was also the only other truck at the launch and didn't want to risk any retaliation. I don't think an extra few weeks of fishing is worth living in Nodak 😁 I agree, and it's also why I went over to Wisconsin on Sunday.

I brought the kayak to a metro lake just to check things out and do some panfishing. Head out of the launch, and see two guys heading back to the launch on their bass boat, one with a big ole' spinnerbait and the other with a big swimbait dangling from their rods. I know.. watch your own bobber and all that, but if you're gonna target out of season fish wouldn't you at least be a bit sneaky and remove those big ass lures before you get back to the launch?

I actually started out with a 12T. It was ok for a starter yak, but I never really found it that stable. I upgraded to a Jackson Bite FD. Actually a bit shorter at 11'6", and a bit heavier at 90lbs for the bare kayak and 110 pounds if I leave the upper drive and seat on it. I do have a truck, but it often gets put on a bed rack for longer trips. I know the pedal drive is out of your budget, but they do make a paddle version with the same hull and seat, and that is the same weight as the 12T. Pros: Seat is worlds better. Seriously, it's so much better than what came with the Ascend. Overall fit and finish is better. Much more stable than the 12T. The deck drains much better than the 12T. Cons: Gear track setup isn't great, although if you're not afraid of drilling holes you can always add more track No in-hull storage. I think it paddles at least the same if not easier than the 12T, despite being 4" wider. I can't speak as much to tracking, as the pedal version has a rudder. Wind resistance.. well, they're kayaks. You'll get blown around no matter what.

Saw that you pulled the trigger already, but figured I'll throw in my $.02 anyways.. I've been fishing out of a Jackson Bite FD the last 3(4?) seasons, and it's been a great setup. I went with the Jackson due to the flex drive - I do a lot of river fishing and being able to tuck the drive up into the hull quickly without moving things around on the deck or opening up a hole in the kayak was a huge plus for me. Also the fact that if I'm not paying attention and run into a rock / shallow water it will just push the prop drive up (as long as I hit it going forward). I know there's been some issues with the older flex drives, but I beat the crap out of the original and it never skipped a beat. Would make some noise but that was a reminder to go around and tighten bolts and lube things. I upgraded to the Mark IV drive last season and that's also been solid so far. I thought for sure I would have at least busted a prop by now but haven't even damaged a shear pin. As for transport, for day trips it goes in the truck bed. With a 6'2" bed and the tailgate down, I don't worry with a bed extender. If I'm going for an extended trip and need the bed space, it goes up on the bed rack. Bit of a pain but when I first got the kayak I had an Xterra, so I had no choice but to throw it on the roof. I've also got a cheapy walmart kayak cart that works great after breaking the cheapy tie-down strap with plastic buckles and switching to one of those non-ratcheting straps. Better to have a cart and not need it.. Anyways, OT makes some great stuff as well. I think the 106 is a great size. Buddy of mine went with the biggest pedal drive they offer (132?) and has a bit of regret going that big.

Got this guy and a few others a couple seasons ago, super aggressive in 33* water. I'll be heading over to Wisconsin this weekend, and take advantage of their year-round catch and release for bass. Not planning on catching anything, mainly just want to get out there and try out my new 9wt fly rod setup.

Same, although I think I made it out a whole 4 or 5 times. Really glad I didn't pull the trigger on any new ice fishing gear this season. Weather is looking ok this weekend, and my cheesehead license is still good until the 31st so I'll be sneaking over there to knock the rust off the bass gear.

Where's the setting on my livescope that apparently makes fish jump out of the hole? I haven't found it yet...

I've gotta be in St. Cloud for work tomorrow, so I'll be checking out a few spots I usually launch from. Depending on the river flow and amount of ice on the shore I just may be getting the kayak out this weekend.

Ya know, I never thought I'd be trying to decide whether to go ice fishing or get the kayak out in December..

Yup was planning on heading up early Friday and getting one last trip in, but seeing more reports of ice so may just go searching for some fishable ice instead.

Ugh I can't wait for some fishable ice. I can't believe next weekend is December and I'm thinking about getting the kayak on the river to chase some muskies..

It all depends on the area. I love low and clear conditions and often have some of the best fishing on those days. On the topic of barometric pressure - I think river fish buck any trend that may be there. They're more opportunistic feeders and as long as they can eat, they will. I've had just as good fishing on bluebird clear days as I have on pattern changes.

It seems like the last few years I've ended up focusing on a different area each season. Not even intentionally, but when I find a new area I tend to keep going back until I really figure it out.

I got a 28" walleye while trolling shallow for smallmouth a few springs ago on Mille Lacs. I've also had a walleye blow up a choppo on the Mississippi, right next to the bank. It actually had a decent fight, was really surprised it wasn't a smallmouth when I got it to the kayak.

The Bite has pockets in the side sized to hold 3600 boxes. My most used tackle goes in there. This is all loaded up for a weekend of camping on the river, so more stuff than I've been taking lately. I'd usually carry 5-6 3600 sized boxes, slimmed that down to 3. Goal for next year is to cut that down to just 1 box. The crates gonna stay, though. Need those rod holders for the fly rods.

With the season winding down (up here at least) I figure it's a good time to check back. Of course, even though both my goals were length related I ended up leaving the bump board at home more often than not. So I'm not sure on the 21" mark. I ended up with multiple 17"+ on the fly, including some 20" fish. All in all, a pretty good year for me with plenty of decent sized smallmouth.

Boring Boring Boring I've stopped bringing any spinning finesse tackle in favor of fly rods for river fishing.

Spent some time on the Mississippi about 2 weeks ago. They had the feedbag on, already moving deeper but still willing to come up to the surface and eat. Ended up using my fly rods most of the time and caught some nice fish. Swinging a streamer through a current seam was almost a guaranteed eat. And that big one smashed I hopper I was drifting with my 4wt, that was a hell of a fight. Headed up again this weekend, we'll see how it goes after the rain and colder weather.

Any examples you could provide? You must follow different meteorologists than I do, because I haven't seen anything like what you're claiming.

Sounds like you don't understand how weather forecasting works. I suggest reading the forecast discussions from the NWS. Novak weather is a good follow on facebook if you use it, he does a good job of explaining what's going on. Read up on forecast modeling and the different systems in use, how and why they can disagree on things. Just stating 'meteorologists lie' is lazy and uninformed. Also incorrect, it's an old and worn out trope.

I've been fishing out of a Bite FD for about 2.5 years now. Been an excellent setup. Plenty stable, no problem standing at all. The flex drive setup is nice for shallow river fishing, it just bumps into the hull when I don't see that rock. I've somehow never busted a shear pin even after thorough abuse. I've beat the crap out of the whole kayak and the only thing that's failed has been the seat straps. You will chase the occasional creak / click / squeak from the flex drive unit. Part of my semi-regular maintenance is to check that all the bolts are tight. Downsides - no internal storage. I wish there was one hatch on it, but it's not a deal breaker for me. The Coosa has a hatch, but I don't want to go that big. It doesn't have a direct power pole mount, you either have to buy the adaptor from Jackson or make one. I made one out of 3/16" steel I had laying around.

This past weekend, I was getting mostly 12-15" fish. Not bluebird skies, but slow fishing compared to the usual. Plenty of fun on my 4wt rod, and then found this guy. So yes, I keep fishing.

I picked up some used Fenwick Aetos spinning rods used a few years ago. Had no idea what they actually looked like, they were just a good deal so I bought them. Probably my favorite looking of all my rods, the blue swirl they have is great. Second place is probably my Mojo Bass Glass, I dig the green. I'm not really picky on the color, though. Just nothing bright. I've got a buddy who has some white rods, I couldn't stand having those in my vision all the time.