casts_by_fly

We butt up against woods so have tons of deer and plenty of wildlife. I don’t mind most of it. Mosquitos and deer flies are the worse and receive no quarter. Everything else is safe. I’m not allowed to shoot the yard deer (we see them enough that we recognize individuals) but interloping bucks during the rut are fair game. Did a quick trim on the back yard today. It’s just about where I want it to be this year. I’ve been cutting it at 1-1.5” to see if reel mowing is for me. If so, all of this gets burned off in august and fully refurbished in the fall. I think I’m going to do it but let’s see.

can you even fit a crate in it? The rear looks like a dry hatch that sits above the well. It could be the photo angle and it actually sits down in (in which case you're good for a small crate). I think you're going to be using 3500 planos and soft bags. The KVD speed bag for worms is a great kayak choice. $10, mostly waterproof, fits 20 bags of soft plastics or more depending on the plastics. I used to keep soft plastics in hard boxes (but still in the bags) but that was a waste of space. Two speed bags (if you need two) under the front mesh and a couple 3500s in the rear. Then use the center hatch well like a day box.

When we redid out front landscaping a couple years ago we found out really quick just what 'resistant' means. It means they will still eat it if they are hungry enough. We have 3 plants in the front that look kinda like parsley when they grow in. They get grazed to the ground every winter and come back strong in May.

sounds like you know how to set up and cast a baitcaster in various conditions with various lures. If you know that, then you don't need a DC.

good luck and report back.

Left lane drivers, constant lane changers, and no turn signal drivers all do it for me. Some of the other things in this thread too and other things not mentioned. For me, it all comes down to inconsiderate actions. A little bit of consideration and politeness doesn't cost a thing and goes such a long way. I'm a pretty cool head nearly all of the time, but every now and then if you really push my buttons oh man.

we used to shoot a few in early small game season when we were hunting rabbits or squirrels. Heck, we even got one in the middle of january in freezing conditions. Thought it was a rabbit when it kicked out of the briar patch. that was a heavy mile and a half walk back to the truck with a big winter fed groundhog in your gamebag.

yes, the grass was right under the boat there, but it looks the same when its off to the side The same left right streaks and general fuzziness. Post your pictures up later and we can have a look. I'm also going out this evening and will try to take a picture on the Helix 9 which shows the detail better.

With paddletails and swim jigs, I have the same philosophy. I'm fishing for aggressive and feeding fish. If he's hit it, its because he wants it so there is no need to wait. Hooksets are free. I'm also usually around grass or cover so I want the hook set and the fish turned to me right now.

they are tasty (dark and gamy like a squirrel), but can be pretty tough. They are also a bugger to skin

Don't tempt me with a good time! seriously though, I'd like to see how that gets handled. Throw a disposable and heavy blanket over the trap?

If you're where you were last year, then you're going to strike out with Navionics or other online maps. There is no boating on that lake so no one will have created a depth map like that. I don't see one published on NJFW either. You could use Catt's method and keep paper maps from the 1960's but I don't think that will help you either since the lake was first made in 1901 and improved in 1923. Electronically, I think you're only option is google aerial. The current google maps for the lake shows it from last summer and it looks like it is about 6' low. USGS says it varied but was about 6-8' different last summer to now. That's more than enough to pick out a few things. You can see that the south east side of the lake where the shoreline is largely gravel has steep banks as there is no real anything coming out away from the bank and you can't even see anything in the water. The norther half of the lake has a lot more flats coming out off the shoreline points about what you'd expect from looking at the shoreline. I can also see more trees down from the bank into the water than any other lake I'm aware of in NJ. Lots of them are still in the water with the lake 8' low so that's a TON of water around them. When you get to the upper quarter of the lake you can see it looks shallower and flatter based on the color of the water. Above the bridge where the brook comes in was dried up in the summer however there is a pretty defined creek channel (two in fact) that I would have focused on back in April if you were around. There are also a couple other creek/drainage channels that come in on the west side of the lake (where I think you might be fishing) around the brush. If it were me, that's where I'd spend all of my effort- that west side. Map study over, now go drag a jig or texas rig on some braid. It looks like its a mud/gravel/rock bottom in a lot of places so you should get a decent feel for what's down there

I always have a pair if pliers on me whether I'm in a boat or on shore. Wrap around the pliers and start pulling. Most of the time with 50 lb braid you'll straighten the hook, move the rock you're stuck under, or pull in a tree branch. 30 lb braid normally snaps at the knot or does the above things.

I guess they all pay the same no matter what size.

there are lots of things you can do to kit out a kayak and you can do most of them to any kayak. Different boats require different adaptation for each modification. The original kayak you posted would have been tough to add a shallow water anchor. There was no flat place on the back to do it so you'd have needed to fab a mount for it. Some boats have predrilled holes with brass thread inserts for SWA. Same goes for any other mod. It sounds like this might be your first kayak. My advice is to fish it a couple times and see what you need from there. My layout and style doesn't work for everyone, so you have to find what works for you. Also, there are cheap way and there are expensive ways to make the modifications. A milk crate with some walmart rod holders bolted to it and held in with a couple bungees was the standard for a long time. Now you could have something like a Yakattack blackpack that runs $130. The world is your oyster and you could spend thousands in mods (not counting any electronics!) before you realize that it isn't what you like or need. So my recommendation for anyone just starting to fish from a kayak is to keep it cheap and simple to start. Add on things when you find the need, and figure out what you're preferred setup is. Below is a picture of your boat (I think). Looks like some decent dry storage, but only a small front well so a crate isn't in your future. I agree on the handles, but see how you get on with the T-handles first and how you like to launch and load. A paddle holder would be high on my list as would an anchor setup. That's a small and lighter boat so any kind of wind and you're going to slide around a bit. And both can be moved to a new boat in the future if you need.

that's a tiny one. it only counts half...

I trapped a bunch in box traps growing up. My girlfriend‘s mom had a garden backing up against a patch of briars/woods and would have a dozen there every year. Apples and carrots were the usual bait. Every now and then you’d come up with a possum or skunk. if it comes to it with this one, that’s what I’ll do. I can relocate him to the WMA at the bottom of the hill.

Sure, come sort him out. Just make sure you bring a rod and some spinnerbaits.

If you're in open water then the MKP2 will give you a higher speed overall or a higher speed for a given motor setting. If you're slow trolling I don't think you'll see much difference. If anything you'll have finer control over speed with the weedless wedge. I do find spotlock to be better with the MKP2. I think the programming for spotlock must have a lookup charts that says "if I need to move X distance to hit my spot and I'm moving Y speed away from it, then set the motor at N". For instance, if you're offshore and locked into a spot and the wind suddenly kicks up a gust, spotlock with the power prop hits the right speed setting to get you back onto your spot and then maintains it there. The wedge feels like it gets overpowered some times and the motors first guess of a speed setting is underpowered. So you drift just a little further off your spot than with the MKP2 before it kicks in and bumps the setting up more. Its a subtle thing and only noticeable in gusty conditions. Maybe too since I'm in a light kayak the wind affects it faster than in a bigger boat. It doesn't hurt to try it though and for $20 it doesn't hurt to have another spare.

Flatheads are invasive on the susky and delaware. I'm pretty sure on the delaware you are advised to kill all that you catch the same as snakeheads. It won't change anything, but I think that's the policy. Yes they are an apex predator, but they're an apex predator that's taking over. No need to feel bad for someone taking one out of the pool.

The other prop that fits is the MKP-2 power prop. Probably not relevant for you, but for me that's my main prop for motoring distance. Between the two, the mkp2 is 0.3-0.5mph faster in my autopilot. I can top out nearly at 4 mph with it. The MKP6 in the same conditions is 3.5 at best. Then as the battery drops a little or any wind picks up I might be as low as 3 mph with the MKP6. It makes no difference if you're just using it as a trolling motor, but in my case I am using it as my getting around motor too and that 0.5 mph makes a difference some times. On a couple bigger lakes that also have grass I have started from the launch with the power prop, motored for a half hour, and swapped props to fish. Its a faff and I don't like doing it, but sometimes needs must.

I too had a groundhog situation. We don't have many but last year's litter must have done well because this year we have more than a couple around. A small one from this year's young has decided to dig in my front grass. I caught him out there Friday and he ran into some landscape rocks to hide and wouldn't come out. I tried poking him with a stick to get him moving but still no. If he keeps digging I will have to poke him with a very sharp pointy stick moving quickly. Count it! My buddy in Atlanta just did/has been doing his deck for a couple weeks. He replaced some boards/beams and then stained it all to match. He works himself so that's slow. Then atlanta weather...

I feel for you. I lost a PB earlier this spring right at the boat. More recently, I've had a lot of topwater fish blow up and not get anything. That's rare for me on a buzzbait to have some many not hook themselves. Its been a weird spring here with suddenly hot water back in april, and then steadily cooling water the past month. I just saw bass on beds last week in the same lake that had bass on the beds a month ago. I think some of them they were just swiping at it to get it out of the area but not actually hungry. I'd have said fry guarders, but I didn't see any fry. I fish choppos, not ploppers, but I find the hooks pretty sharp on them. If you still want to change them out, the gamakatsu g-finesse trebles are scary sharp. Definitely the sharpest hook I've ever handled and the thin wire makes them perfect for topwaters. I like the gamakatsu round bend trebles with the magic eye for subsurface lures.

Where does she go to/from? There are tons of horse facilities around here (I'm 30 miles west of NYC). I just looked up the USDA facility and had no idea it was there. I used to hunt at Stewart State forest all the time when we lived here the first go round. I-95 goes right up the jersey side of the Hudson river, right through the meadowlands until you hit the George washington bridge. Then you cross the river into NYC at the Bronx before it swings you across the top of long island sound and into Connecticut. The whole area from where I95 hits the ocean south of Newark Airport all the way to Connecticut can be awful. The strip through the Bronx goes to a standstill most days and is a section of road I avoid pretty much at all costs. There are alternatives depending where you're going (and what time of day) that are much better for traffic purposes.

next big project finished- fresh mulch out front. We've converted all of the mulch in the back to river rock. Now we just have the front landscaping in black mulch. It took 2 full yards (1 ton in weight terms) and I could have used another half yard. the bit not covered though is out of sight so I'm not that worried. Next up is a couple tons of topsoil and sand to start leveling out the yard in places. I think if I tried to do it all it would take ~10 tons but I'm not going that far. Small bites...