casts_by_fly

We got enough of a chill to drop water temps 2-3 degrees over 2 days and its cold enough to make it unpleasant to get out. All exactly what I wanted since I was away for this current week and I'm away next week. At the rate we were going 2 weeks ago, we'd have had 60 degree water by the end of March. Our forsythia are blooming everywhere around here, daffodils are popping through, and all of the trees are budding. We're right on the cusp of spring and this cold is going to hold it back just a bit, but the next warm spell is going to explode it all out.

Access and availability. Not everywhere can support trout, musky, pike, walleye, etc. But just about any place has bass. And lots of public waters from small park ponds to the biggest rivers and impoundments all have them with good public access. Try that with trout streams.

It’s a fast action. Medium heavy power, fast action.

My dad got the next power up in that lineup after fishing crucial IM10s for the past ~10 years or whenever they came out. He likes the shorter handle length on the Curados (same as the crucials were). He said its super light in physical weight. He hasn't had a chance to fish it yet though, so can't say for sure how it fishes. He got his for topwater hardbaits. If you're also looking at other options, the Falcon Finesse jig/topwater is one to look at. 6'10", MH/F though its on the lighter side of MH. I fish mine for walking baits, jerkbaits, finesse jigs, and lighter spinnerbaits (3/8 and under). Also works good for smaller franks like a DT4, OG6, and smaller squarebills.

my extender is about 4” lower to the ground than the bed. I also load stern first.

Yeah, I forgot the charger question. Noco genius 5 is the answer for the size you want.

but are you ice free?

except silencers are illegal in California. Same as NJ where I am. I used to have them in the UK and most of my guns are threaded for them. I gave them away when I left. at that range I’d just use my bow. If you can get a picture like that you can shoot it with a bow.

no. If you’re going to throw 1/4-3/8 spinnerbaits all the time then get the finesse jig. A 3/8 will be okay, but you’ll struggle with a 1/4 oz spinnerbait.

Yeah, that’s about it. before you go too deep, wait for a calm day to dial in settings. A moving boat, moving fish, spotlock, and waves make it tough to know what’s real or not. Get a calm day, find some crappie, and sit with a spinning rod and a 2” jig. Get that dialed in so you know your settings. I have found my own method for using spotlock and ffs. Once I find what I’m casting at on the screen, as I cast I lock in that spot in my brain. Then if the boat moves I bump the fishing specialties handle to keep it on there. It’s a bit of a faff, but it’s the best I’ve found. Keep in mind a powerpole will still spin the boat with wind.

you’re going to want one. Lifting the boat into the bed means standing next to the bed, lifting the boat straight up, and twisting your body to get it onto the tailgate. It’s hard on your back. An extender means you stand between the tailgate and the extender, lift the back end, and take two steps to the side as you hold the boat up and over the extender. No twisting. It’s much easier on your back and arms. I’m only 43 and fairly fit and it’s an upgrade for $50 delivered from harbor freight. a new autopilot will do 4.0, maybe 4.1 mph. After 3 years of use and tackle collection, mine does 3.6-3.7 now.

Per garmin, typical power draw is 0.7 amps. Max is 1.25. Not sure what drives the difference in their numbers, but screen brightness is one for sure. If you run your screen bright then look to the top end. 1.25amp * 16 hours is 20 ah usable. With most lithiums, you get 90% of capacity so 22.5 Ah battery. 0.7 amp * 16 hours is ~12 ah usable and 14 ah battery. the above lead you to either a 30 ah for the first or 15-20 ah for the second. It depends how critical 16 hours is and if you use it at full brightness all the time. If you want to be sure, a 30 ah battery will do it. I run a 9” helix and mega live on a 30ah but not for 16 hours. It’s a single day for me. im running an amped outdoors battery and have been for 3 years now. It’s $200 right now. I don’t have experience with cheaper batteries but you can get more capacity for less $$ for sure.

@clemsondds to do it again, I’d get a 136. It’s 4# heavier which is nothing but 18” more space. It’s 12” in the cockpit and 6” rear well. I have a 5’7” bed but if you’re bed loading you’ll want an extender to lift it into anyway to make getting it in easier. A 136 would need the extender for support where the 120 doesnt. Supposedly it goes a little faster (0.2-0.3 mph) also since it sits higher in the water.

i am on board with all of this. Agree on the 3/8 lower limit. Personally I’d rate it 3/8-3/4 or 3/8-1 as a usable rating. A 3/8 spinnerbait is about 1/2 ounce total and fishes fine. A 3/8 chatterbait with a bigger trailer the same. If i was fishing 3/8 oz often then I’d grab the finesse jig first or the 6’8” MH.

that’s what I expected of it. Glad to hear that’s right.

My autopilot is remote only. There are times when a foot pedal would be better. At times I’d like to be able to move the boat mid cast and right now I have to stop reeling and grab the remote. Not a problem fishing a Texas rig (probably a good thing!). A little different if it’s a spinnerbait through brush piles. that said, having the remote around my neck with all the capabilities available with just a touch is really nice. Spotlock you can just stomp with a foot pedal but things like navigation and cruise control are really handy and I believe a bit tougher to do with just a foot pedal. since you have the remote, use it and see how you get on. If you feel you’re missing something, then pick up the foot pedal.

same. I’ve considered buying the Cara to have a second.

how do you connect the tube to the drill? Just fit over the chuck? I use a 1/2” drill bit inserted backwards into the drill. As long as you don’t put much tension on it, the line slides off the end of the bit when you’re done. But it does take a bit with a half inch bit.

I kicked off my spring routine this past week. The boxwoods are trimmed. The pool grass got its first cutting already. Pre-emergent on just about everywhere. The pool grass above didn’t get it because I’m going to overseed it a bit in the spots the dogs mucked up. I am going to level it again and overseed next week. We’re getting the same drop in temps here so I’ll wait. I also have a 6’x4’ patch out front that got salt burned from the plow trucks dumping the snow there. That’s going to take some work to fix and get right. There are some trees that are going to get a good pruning to let a little more light onto the grass. Otherwise, my input level is going to be a lot lower this year. Things are in pretty good shape so nothing I need to transform this time around.

after they got tired or messing with uncle Josh pork rinds that dried out on a jig. Or jigs that rusted because you stored them in the pork rind jar. Or dealing with the lure wraps that you wrapped around your rod and kept the rinds wet during the day. Yeah, those were all annoying.

not strange at all. When you can see them on the screen and you know they are just right there it’s addictive to fish while you watch instead of focusing on the bait itself. I find myself doing it at times with mega live. I generally don’t use it to video fish. For the most part I use it to find the grass lines and cover around me. It’s also really useful for understanding where your bait is running in the water. Throwing a 1/2 oz original chatterbait I could see it was only running at 4’ on a normal retrieve. Swapped for a 1/2 oz tremor the same retrieve was down around 8’ where I’d expect it. It was a good learning.

wait what? You’re getting livescope?

if you’re getting more than a could loops here or there on any baitcast reel then you need a little more practice and understanding. If a reel is backlashing at the start of the cast, turn up the brakes. If it’s backlashing at the end of the cast, turn up the spool tension or use your thumb at the end more. Each reel is a little different in the specific settings, but once you get tuned to your own reel you’ll figure out when you can add more or less on each setting. Also, this is general advice , not dc specific.

my motor is 25 lb. A quick latch and pull the plug to get it loose. It has a handle to throw it in the back seat of the truck. It’s super simple and compact. Some guys have issues with the plugs but I’ve not had one in 3 years. Most of my lakes have ramps so I back down the ramp and stop 5’ short of the water. My kayak is in the truck bed so I slide it out, drop the nose on the ground, and lift the back end off the tailgate/extender. After you do it a dozen times you get the distance right to just pivot on the nose as you lift the back end in or out. bunk style carts are the only way to go with the catamaran style hull. Everyone who has tried different ones has moved to a bunk cart like the wilderness systems or similar. I have a cheaper cart of that style and it works fine but I just don’t need it much. Maybe two lakes. So I don’t carry it in the truck. I’ve not done research on the Bonafide or adding a motor to a hobbie or other. That said, if I could go back I would get a 136 over the 120. The extra 18” gets you more space for only 4#. And it seems to run a little faster (0.1-0.2 mph). My reservation at the time was truck bed vs bed extender. I already have the extender to make it easier for the 120. So it’s a no brained to get the 136 over 120. I’ve kicked around a trailer. Since most of my lakes have ramps a trailer means not lifting it on or off. I’d probably also leave my tackle bag in the boat, the net holder in place, and maybe more that I load from the truck now. Maybe. That said, I can back down the ramp and have the kayak into the water and onto a dock or pulled aside in 2 minutes. Then if there is no one there (most of my time) I’ll take my time to load rods, motor, humminbird, and tackle bag. That’s two trips from the truck to the boat, which if the trucks still on the ramp means I can have the boat loaded in 5-7 minutes. 10” is a lot of graph in a kayak. I have a 9 and came from a 7. When you get to that size you need to have thought out mounting and position a lot. If you have a boat already, I’d suggest just getting a set of mounts and transducer for what you have now. Then swap a head unit back and forth until you decide what you want on the kayak.