Standard

Usually, but I have had days on the river when they wouldn't look at a topwater, but would consistently hit a wake bait. Or wanted nothing but a ned rig drug along the bottom, even in the shallows. Of course, I've also had slow days where I said screw it and put on my 120 size Choppo and just hucked it until I found the hungry fish. Late summer and into the fall is my favorite time, usually the big ones will hit a top water no matter what.

Same, although my bass fishing trips far out number any trips for catfish. Got one on a chatterbait this past weekend.

Bed rack with a rod box is my preferred method. I'm usually camping, so security isn't as much of a concern. If I'm away from the truck for any amount of time it usually means I'm on the kayak with all the expensive stuff. Camping gear goes in storage totes in the truck bed. I do get nervous fishing when the truck bed is full of gear, but nothing has walked away yet. There are tonneau covers that have t-track, and you can get bed racks that mount to that. It would give some security to the bed, but they can get expensive quick. The ADARAC series is one of the lower cost options I've seen, been tempted to pull the trigger on one. https://shop.agricover.com/category/coverandrack

Ah, the weekly braid / leader thread.. I run braid on all my bait casters, if I do happen to bird-nest it I can pull it out without worrying about kinking the line. Plus, I just like braid more. I also run flouro leaders on my setups. Usually anywhere from 12"-36" of 20 or 30lb Seaguar blue label. Most of the spots I fish also have a good amount of pike or even musky, and losing a $8-15 lure sucks. I use an alberto knot and the only time it comes apart is if I've been sloppy tying it.

Even at $6k it's really not bad. I think a lot of folks are underestimating the cost of a 36v NMC battery. An Amped Outdoors 36V 50Ah battery is $1,150. Add that to the cost of an AP136 (I know it's 12v, but just for comparisons sake) and you're what, $50 shy of $6k? Plus, the big deal here is the pedal assist. You could probably run 5mph all day on assist and not run out of battery. And even with the battery, it's about 15lbs lighter than the AP136.

It's turned into my favorite time to fish up here in MN. As long as the timing works out, fishing while the storm is rolling in is often fantastic. Afterwards it's hit or miss.

Pretty much every kayak thread airshot has to pop in and say something about boats. Hopefully pricing comes down in a few years when I'm ready for something new. This would be a great setup for river fishing, using the assist to easily get upstream.

This past weekend I was fishing a shallow section of river - shallow enough that I was wading upstream pulling the kayak. I saw what I thought was a dead smallmouth upstream of me, looked at least 16-17". It was laying on it's side in some rocks, right on the bottom in about a foot of water. I took another step closer and it swam off, very fast. Didn't look injured or dying, although I know that's the most likely answer. Maybe just taking a little rest? I hadn't seen anyone fishing in the area, so I don't think it had been recently released. Just thought it was interesting.

Wake bait all day. I fished a shallower section of river this weekend, and while I was able to get bites on most lures I tried, nothing got crushed quite like the wake bait.

I've used a style similar to the bottom one on the river a few times and it would easily get hung up. That's why there's an eyelet on the bottom of the claw anchor - you tie another rope to that and pull that one if it's hung up. But that's a lot of ropes to have in the kayak, and it's not a guaranteed thing. For any moving or shallow water it's best to use a pole style or drag chain. They're expensive, but the micro power pole was one of the best upgrades I've made for river fishing.

I'm the same. Top water first, and work my way down the water column.

I generally despise a ned rig, but a standard ned got an 18.5" and a t-rig ned with a craw plastic got a 19" last sunday, the two big fish of the day on an otherwise slow trip.

That article is nothing but an opinion article. Fish seem more wary after being hammered on during a tournament? What a surprise. Could also be the factor that FFS is allowing them to find these 'wary' fish, and the simple fact of it is that those fish just aren't aggressive at the moment. I've watched bass on livescope in 5 feet of water smash my jig while ice fishing, multiple times. Didn't make them any less aggressive.

Year old thread, but I guess I'll chime in as I have one as well. I normally carry 6 rods in mine, and even that feels a bit tight. Couldn't imagine stuffing 10 rods in, unless you don't mind them getting a little beat up. Although mine are 4 bait casters and 2 spinning setups, so maybe that makes a difference. The box itself is a bit rattly, although I only notice it if I have the rear sliding window open. If you drive a lot of dirt roads, dust will get into the box but it's not bad. I haven't had any issues with the hinge springs or locking mechanism. It's not cheap, but neither are any of the other options. For me, it's way better than stuffing the rods inside the cab.

Hydraulic lift, you can see the cylinder rod under the nose.

Haven't had any birds come after flies yet. So far it's just been that owl, and a few years ago had a heron try to snatch up a top water as well.

This guy was almost an 'other catch'. Pulling a topwater in, saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Looked to see this owl swooping down, aiming right at my lure. I started reeling in as fast as I could.. he gave up about 10 feet away from the kayak and perched on this branch, looking pretty angry at me.

The perfect cast, to the perfect spot, that for sure holds your PB bass just looking for something to munch on.. and the lure lands on the one tiny weed floating in the water that you didn't see, and it totally kills the action of the lure and spooks the bass.

I've mainly used 832 in the past. Picked up a spool of X-5 and 2 spools of X-9 over the winter for some new setups. So far I'd say X-9 is tied with 832, with the X-5 being a bit behind but still good. I did get the X-5 to see if it was any better in the weeds and it's not weed season yet, so we'll see if that improves my opinion of it any.

Check out the Strike King Hybrid Hunter. Has a big rattle in there, and runs 2-5 feet down. Great for river fishing, I've caught some nice smallies on them. The junior size is great as well.

Was out this past Saturday in the kayak, 15-20mph sustained winds and close to 30mph gusts. Pedal kayak and a power pole helps with the position holding, but I even mentioned to my fishin' buddy that day that it was impossible to use plastics. Fish were plenty aggressive hitting jerkbaits though, so it was alright. One of the best things I did for my fishing was to stop being such a fair weather fisherman and start braving some rougher conditions, wind and rain. Obviously I'll get off the water if thunderstorms are rolling in, but some of the best fishing I had last year was right before the storms hit.

Dang, good to hear you're ok. With the values of those older Tacomas, I'd be surprised if it was totaled. And even if it is, I'd buy it back and fix it.

I think either one works well, but I do prefer the action the Choppo has over the WP. I don't have any ploppers in my tackle to compare to. Luckily, where I fish up here in MN they still love the prop baits and will smash them to the point of launching out of the water.

105 or 120 sized Choppos for me. I've had 12" and smaller fish hit the 120. Go big or go home! I don't really fish anything smaller than a 90.

I pulled the trigger on a Yakima rod box, nice not having to worry about having the rods in the cab. This is my road trip setup when I need the bed space. I just throw the kayak in the bed for day trips.