casts_by_fly

As noted, only 2D works in a through hull. For $500 new, you can get a Helix 7 SI. That comes with the small humminbird transducer (not much bigger than a golf ball) which is quite compact. Image quality is great in it. I'd probably be inclined to get the reveal 9 triple shot you noted. You're getting 2" more screen real estate and touchscreen. Image quality is good, almost as good as the small helix.

I would call it more of a blessing than a curse. Growing up in PA we had a pretty standard schedule. we fished until October. Early small game (squirrel and grouse) opened the first week of October. Rabbit and pheasant was the 3rd weekend. We'd hunt small game until the saturday after thanksgiving. Monday after was the first day of buck (only) season. We'd hunt at the cabin for 2 days, maybe the two saturdays after if we hadn't tagged out. Monday-Wednesday after that was 3-day doe season. Then small game opened up after Christmas for a month or so. I guess since I was in school and my dad worked a M-F we had saturday so everthing was focused on saturdays only (there was no Sunday hunting then). Around age 14 we started archery hunting (my dad did it for a long time before) which cut back the early small game but we still got out for rabbits and grouse some times. Fast forward to now, I work a M-F job, but its from home and I set a lot of my own hours. A lot of what I do can be handled from a stand or a boat. We can hunt sundays here on state WMAs and private property so it means I can pick and choose my days a lot. At first I was in @JackstrawIII's camp as a big distraction. If the season is open I want to be out there hunting! And if I was sitting at home then why couldn't I get out there. Now I've come around to picking and choosing better. I still have a goal to shoot 3 deer each year (a buck and two does) but I'm not maniacal about it. I try to get an early one under my belt to relieve some of the mental pressure but its a long season. I've shot deer as early as mid September and as late as Christmas. After Christmas gets harder and more weather dependent, but there are still deer around. Also, its not all of NJ with this long season. I just happen to be in a zone which includes a lot of 'fringe' area- that mix of housing, unhuntable green spaces, public lands, and other places where there are lots of opportunities for deer to disappear into unhuntable locations when pressured but also grow big populations without any control. The nice thing is that I start fishing in early march usually (that's normal ice out). I can hunt until the middle of Feb, take three weeks to tackle up and get the boat ready. Maybe do some house chores. Then start early season fishing. In the fall I normally stop end sept/early October. This year I went much later since I shot an early buck and didn't have another buck tag until Nov 1. That Sept/Oct overlap of seasons can be tough to pick hunting or fishing but that's a good problem to have. Sometimes I think I should go fishing and put the bow in the rear well.

The lowrider is also backordered. Then again, are you going to fish it in the next 3 weeks where that matters? I doubt it. Pick the one that fits your needs and go with it.

7’ 4 power medium. Ec 4-17. Currently backordered Also, I see falcons are about 20% off which is the first sale I’ve ever seen with them.

not to mention we start the middle of September. It’s about 6 months we can shoot them here in my zone.

I’ve got two months left. Bow winter season runs until about Valentine’s Day here. We have friends here this week or I’d be out right now. Next time I’m out will be the first week of Jan when the holidays are done. both Wednesday and Thursday I saw deer, but the only ones that came into shooting range were small bucks and I was hunting for does.

I’ve never seen this graphic before and it explains why shimano has so many overlapping price point reels. Where did you find this?

yeah, there’s a lot of posts to follow. He doesn’t have the M/M yet. I think a head turner and a Mansfield would be a good set to round out what he’s actually trying to do.

funny enough, I laid on the couch yesterday watching ice fishing on tv because I was feeling like I was getting sick and needed to lay down and rest. Put me right to sleep.

the low rider vs the bucoo gets you a mild upgrade on the blank, cork over eva, and fazlite guides. I would say worth the upgrade. expert for another $70 is a big jump in the blank. Much lighter and more responsive. Better feel. Ignore the rating on falcons website that the Mansfield is a fast action. It’s moderate fast at best.

I say this every time glass is brought up. Fiberglass is an inferior material for rod blanks unless extreme durablity is necessary. Fiberglass is great for saltwater rigs where you're not casting all day and where a big fish could snatch your trolled lure and you need the resiliency of glass. They are great for solit rod tips where you want extreme flex more than sensitivity. For standard bass rods though, you can do everything with graphite that you can do with fiberglass just based on the layup of the graphite and you'll end up with a lighter and more responsive rod. If you want something medium and moderate to moderate fast for lighter cranks down to a true 1/4 oz, then something like the Falcon Bucoo SR mansfield (cranker) is a great choice. 7', 1/4-1/2. listed as moderate but i'd rate it closer to a moderate fast. The lighter power means that it feels like it has more flex than moderate fast. For crankbaits in the 1/4-3/8 region on a baitcaster it's a great rod. I don't through down to 1/4 very often so I've stuck with the 5-power version of the same rod (the trapcaster) which is 1/4-3/4 MH/MF. For 3/8-1/2 oz crankbaits that's a great rod. You can throw a 1/4 oz bomber A with a good reel and light line, but the mansfield would be better.

The rapala OG6 is one to consider. The square circuit board bill will get it to 6' pretty consistently and its pretty good about popping through cover. I swapped hooks to a little lighter and shorter shank (the originals were meathooks) and if I were in your shoes I'd swap the front to the next smaller size for added security. Its a tighter wiggle flatside crank. There is a brand new OG7 designed for 7' that I suspect will be similar but haven't fished myself.

There are a lot of great values out there at each price point so you can’t just compare a price point per se. That said, higher price generally will get you a lighter and more sensitive rod but depends on the manufacturer and what price points and choices they have made. For instance, I know falcon well. At $100 they have the bucoo sr. Great rod for the price. For $130 the low rider features cork grips and a little better blank. For this difference I’d suggest most of the difference is a preference between foam and cork. Pushing up to $199 and the expert series is a big jump. The blank is much lighter, more responsive, and more sensitive. Twice the rod of the bucoo? Probably close. Other makers will vary. Pick what you want to do, pick your price point, then ask here what the best options are. same goes for reels. The $175+/- price point is a real sweet spot, especially with the yen where it is and jdm options. An slx shimano is a great price point reel. A curado gets you a bit more refinement. Another $50 ($215 total) gets you a jdm bantam or metanium. Those are big jumps.

Any of the ipilot motors have a remote control option. I don’t know which come with one or not. that said, they are all fairly long shaft so the xi3 is the only good option.

grab a spool of D thread to practice wrapping with on a dowel or practice blank. Get it in the same color you're planning to do the main wraps with and you can see what the finish will look like with and without color preserver (unless you've made a decision one way on that). You can get practice with wrapping techniques. Then when you build the rod for real, use A. Aside from a couple specific really thick saltwater guides, I've not found a guide where proper sanding on the foot can't be wrapped up over with A. Heck, I've used 00 on a bunch of rods before too and while its tricker and I wouldn't want to do it all the time you can still get it smooth up over a guide foot if you taper the foot nicely. if you want to build a rod for practice before you do your 'good' rod, I'd pick up an MHX with the specs you want for your BFS rod or another lower priority rod for you. You can get one for $50 and with grips and guides you'll be around $100 for a 'starter' rod. rick

I'm kinda similar. I'll mark on SI and then motor back to it manually. I've got 50' casting rings set up on my Nav screen and I'll stop downwind roughly on the line to lock in. Then fire up Mega live. Which 'target lock' turret are you using and how well do you like it? I'd love to add target lock, but its $1500 last I checked and I don't need it that bad. thanks rick

im skeptical.

The zillion is a great option. I picked one up from digitaka this last year. I like shimano form factor better so the bantam is my preference (or metanium if you want lighter). You have a daiwa and a shimano. Pick which one feels better on the new rod and order that brands high end model.

I debated 360 vs live imaging and settled on live imaging. Here were my thoughts before and since. - I went HBird on my kayak from the start. The head unit I started with was not compatible with either, so an upgrade was required as a starter. I wanted to stick with HBird as I think their sonar imaging is the best. It also fits better with my autopilot. - I primarily am a down the bank fisherman. Offshore wasn't a thing for me before this year and mostly wasn't this year. Most of the lakes I'm fishing here are shallow and weedy. - I chose live imaging because I think it gives much of the functionality of 360 plus the actual live imaging portion. With 360 you are getting a snapshot in time. I think it takes a minute for the snapshot to refresh a given position. With live imaging, you can do the same sweep of an area to see what structure and cover is down there. You can sweep the area over and over if you want as quick as you can turn the transducer. You don't get the static picture on the screen, so you have to build that up in your head. In both cases, the boat's movement will change the picture. With live imaging you can keep sweeping more quickly than 360 takes to rotate the transducer picture. - live imaging gives you the ability to also 'scope' fish if you desire. I bought mega live to have a better picture of what's on the bottom, not necessarily to scope fish. To that extent I'm happy with it. I've largely figured it out for that purpose. When I'm going down the bank I'll point it ahead of me and towards the bank (maybe 30 degrees off directly in front of me) so that I can get a preview of what's subsurface that I can't see. If there is a stump or brushpile that I can't see with the eye, I might stop the boat and work the area from further out before I run it over. I might make a few more casts in that area. - You are correct that you have to flip the transducer for the different perspectives. I'm running mega live but I think they are all largely the same in that regard. I've used perspective mode to immitate 360 and it works. you have a smaller cone than 360 degrees but you also can turn it to scan otherwise. - In your case, you're on a garmin system currently. If you want to add 360 then you're adding a non networked unit from a different manufacturer with a different style and set of controls. Of course that's the onyl way you can add 360 to your setup so that's a consideration. - You can mount live imaging on a separate pole that is hand controlled if you want. That's how mine is on my kayak. Humminbird offers target lock also for their system. I think there is an aftermarket company with a similar setup that is not unit specific. - after having used it for a year or so now, I feel like I'm comfortable with the basics. There is a learning curve. I think being in a kayak makes it tougher still as the boat twists and turns a lot more with the wind and I have to manage the pole with one hand while fishing with the other two... I might play with my FF placement a little more and pole depth for a little better usablity. In either case, if you're going to use either the way you're describing, then spotlock and/or SWA are definitely required.

the lowrider at $129 would be a good choice. The Expert series comes in at $199 and is a great rod also. I fish the Expert myself. I have the pitching stick downstairs and use it for a few things a couple times a year.

What price are you looking at? the Head turner comes in at $99 in the bucoo line (called the pitching stick) all the way up to $250 in the Cara lineup. In between the lowrider at $129 is the value pick for me (i like cork). rick

Have a look at the head turner then. Its labeled a heavy, but falcon has two levels of heavvy and the HT is similar to a lot of MH in other rods.

yeah, something in the faster action area for bottom contact is where you're missing something. You've got a lot of medium heavies. I'd still look for a 'heavy'- something that will throw 3/8-1/2 oz plus a chunk of plastic or a similar jig. I know the falcon lineup and that would be a 6 (lighter heavy) or 7 (true heavy) power rod. The head turner would be a good choice for you. Its a heavy, but only rated 1/4-3/4, and with a fast action. Its only 6'10" but makes a great pitching rod around docks. It also throws moving baits and topwaters well.

I'm well aware of the 'dog rules'. Last night I froze my butt of in bed because the 12 year old SRHP didn't want to move from 'my' spot and at 85 lb I couldn't pull blankets out from under her. let's talk in the spring. he's definitely right. We have tons of pads here and the pad stems are the only aquatic vegetation for a while in the spring so bass congregate there. Roll a spinnerbait through them or a vibrating jig as soon as the water starts to heat up, like as early in the year as you're willing to be on the water.

Do you fish heavy cover? No sense having a flipping stick if you don’t fish heavy cover. Use what you fish and how you fish to guide you. all that said, if you do fish around grass or wood then a ‘big rod’ is useful and you don’t have anything covering it. Something 3/8-2 oz range rating with a fast action. I love my Amistad for a lot of things in that realm.