casts_by_fly

bottom contact would be better with a more sensitive rod. The one you’re casting and retrieving all day would benefit from a lighter rod. The more extreme techniques (super light and super heavy) benefit from specialist rods. I wouldn’t necessarily call one or the other ‘best’ rods. my solution is to stick with a particular line from a manufacturer. Then you never have to think about whether you’re using the rod you consider your best rod.

This the property? A quick look on spartan forge shows the whole lake owned by the same guy. Two big rectangles and two long skinny ones on the opposite side. The map shows the property lines encompass the left side of the lake but left of that is county land.

Also helpful to others in this situation all over the country are the various apps which show property lines and ownership. OnX and spartan forge are two of them. Spartan forge’s free version shows property lines for sure, not sure about onx free version. They aren’t perfect everywhere and in some places out west they aren’t even very good because property boundaries are poorly defined. Mostly they use public tax maps. At a minimum it will show the property definitions for you.

have you tried launching the boat with a rope? This is how my dad solo launches. 50’ rope tied to the winch post and hooked to the bow hook. Back the boat in until it starts to float the rear, then give it a little pop and hard stop in reverse. The boat slides backwards off the trailer and he pulls up until the winch post is not over the water. Grab the rope and pull the boat to the dock or shore.

growing up, my dad molded tons of spinnerbaits and buzzbaits among other things. He would do a tiny ~1/8 oz size that is dynamite on smallmouth in the rivers. A tied bucktail skirt is the ticket. You had to use a spinning rod (bfs would be an option now) and the wind resistance of the blade limits casting distance a bit. Using a plastic trailer would add weight without resistance. When we get home Wednesday I’ll pull one out for a quick pic.

I used an 8.1 in the SX. The STX is a 7.1. Both are what I had and not bought specifically for the rod. I might use a 6.2 now that capt phil reminded me of a reel I have. Thanks for the reminder. I have a bantam 100 sitting in the basement I need to pull out. It sits a little higher off the rod than I prefer but it’s a heck of a tough reel and might be a nice option to throw on this rod this year.

last season it was a revo SX with a couple trips using an STX. When I bought the rod I didn’t expect it to become a mainstay almost every trip. I thought it would be more situational. This year I’ll probably swap it and put the STX on it for good.

Falcon expert amistad for me. 7’3”, 3/8-2oz, heavy fast. 50 lb 832 braid. This is my vegetation pitching rig. I don’t like braid around wood but we don’t have much wood.

I agree with that but the OP wants to add live imaging and humminbirds version isn’t good enough yet.

I have the ap120 with a helix 7. My thoughts based on what you’re talking about. i would go 9”. I have the 7 and it’s fine. It’s great for using a single imaging at a time. If I’m scanning for structure on side scan with just side scan on you get great clarity and overall image quality. If I split screen to add one or two other types there isn’t enough space to really work well. A 9” would be a huge difference. i stand to fish so I’ve put my 7” on a double long arm so that it’s about thigh height when I stand up. If I were running live scope I would want it up there and not down on the floor. The complication is that a 9” unit needs a heavier duty arm and mount setup. Factor that into your decisions. i use the standard mount for my transducer and it’s just fine. You need to flip the mount from the transducer upside down and it ticks right up. That said, ask on the autopilot fb group about the specific transducers. Lots of guys will suggest the Navarre mount. I wouldn’t bother with a sidearm for the transducer. Just mount it and be done. It will be cleaner and once you get livescope you’ll want the livescope pole on the rail.

you may want to watch the reports or ask someone on the fb group about the Valley when you’re ready to go. It takes a lot to freeze but It’s not going to be above freezing the whole next week and we are starting at 3 degrees Saturday. I suspect there will be enough ice at the shoreline to stop fishing.

I’m not sure I see the problem here. He triple clamped it. That has to be up to code.

Everything noted above is all true. I’m on the kayak side (autopilot) and would swap to a boat if situations allowed. Things like gear and raingear storage, not having to load and unload everything every trip, and the ability to move around spots on the lake are all nice. The kayak is smaller and easy to handle for sure. big question- what size lakes are you fishing? If all are under 1000 acres then a kayak isn’t a bad choice at all. If you’re fishing bigger than that then a kayak might be a bit too limiting.

I’d never use PXX for a spinning reel. Too stiff for me and coily, especially for a small diameter trout reel. 4 lb trilene xl is a good trout line.

maybe at one time it was famous people. Maybe I’m just out of the loop and don’t know famous from infamous. It’s about an hour from the city once you factor traffic but that’s just the point. It’s within an hour of 20 million people and it’s basically the only freshwater option around. this is about half of the lake but it’s all the same.

Ponds and lakes have been getting skim ice overnight. With this weekends weather they are going to ice up solid I expect. If it stays that cold for another 2 or 3 days there will be 2” of ice and that won’t go anywhere before you go back to school. You might get lucky and get a day on the river before it’s locked up but this would be cold enough to do it. It’s that time of year for us northerners to clean out the tackle bags, strip line off reels, and inventory baits.

This isn't a bad option at all. A brand new Tioga Angler is $250 at tractor supply. The other $250 will get a paddle, PFD, and anchor system and you're in a brand new kayak with money to spare. I've fished out of similar kayaks and while it isn't the most stable it gets you on the water for a pretty manageable price and size. There are used options that will come in around the same price so its still worth looking around, but you could walk in and have this immediately and know its new.

we have an answer now. It will freeze this weekend.

it happens to me about once a year. Wet hands, not paying attention, hard sidearm cast with one hand and always something that messes up the flow. Either an imbedded line wrap on the spool, catching the side of the boat, or something like that. I normally have a second hand on the butt of the rod anyway, but there's always that one time... I've not lost a rig yet though.

I don't think the passaic will freeze in most places. It will be very cold though. You'll want a drysuit this time of year on moving water in case you dump, and always wear a PFD. Last I checked, all of the streams around were about 38-42 and the lakes were almost there.

I'm the same as Toxic. There are only 2 of us in the house, so we don't need the big oven for much anymore. As noted its great for frozen things. You can also do roast potatoes just as well as you can in a big oven. Olive oil, cut up potatoes, and some seasoning. Put it on convection cook and its great. I imagine you could toast a bagel pretty well in it too like in a toaster oven.

At that budget, I would suggest prioritizing the platform. You're not going to get a pedal drive at that price point. A PFD and paddle is going to eat about $150 or so unless you find a good deal. Figure out what parameters of the boat you're limited to. How are you going to haul it? There is a big difference between a 10' and a 14' boat, so figure out what is manageable for your vehicle and storage space. Then, pick a boat in that length range that is as stable as you can find. marketplace is a good shout. I just had a quick look and see a couple fishing kayaks under $400. There is an ascend 10T in Connecticut that wouldn't be far for you and another Yak Attack in PA that has a fish finder on it. I don't know anything else about them, but at that price point either would be a good improvement for you. Once you've settled on one, you're going to want an anchor system. You can DIY one or buy a setup. In a paddle kayak, wind is the trickiest thing to deal with and anchors are a cheap and easy solution. However, once you have the paddle/PFD/kayak/anchor you're in good shape. A rod holder and some rope leashes (paracord is cheap and easy), maybe a cheap seat cushion.

berkley gilly comes in a realistic crappie pattern and looks great. Haven't fished one though.

definitely a party lake. The picture above is a place called Byram cove. Its known as a party location. That particular day there were probably 200-300 boats anchored and rafted there. The state police post up at the entrance to the cove and often have people pulled over. Based on where I launch the kayak, I either have to cross the mouth of that cove or another part of the main lake to get back to the truck after daylight (in the dark I can go anywhere). I choose the mouth of the cove since its the narrowest spot to cross. I don't fish offshore structure here because the waves and boats will blow you around, even spotlocked in. And you never know when someone just won't see you. The summer bass tournaments are won with deep weedlines and offshore structure.

The source of the data makes a big difference. NJ publishes pdf files of depth maps for most of the lakes around here. They are broadly accurate, but the level of detail is missing a lot of the time. Some of the lakes would have been surveyed with plumbs on a rope 50 years ago. A lot of siltation can happen in 50 years. And, how many data points were taken and how the area in between was calculated is a big thing. If you take 4 points along a shoreline in a square pattern, the two near shore might be 3' and the two further out 12'. How you get from 3-12 might be a steep drop or it might be a smooth slope. Between the 3' marks, you might have a 6' ditch. This exact scenario is true at one of the lakes here. It shows a drop from 3' flat to 12' flat pretty steeply. but in a couple hundred yards of bank there are 4 different ditches that cut up. I've mapped it myself and I can tell you that the fish hold on those cuts in the spring. You'd never know they were there by looking at shore or a map. I tend to trust navionics. State made maps are a snapshot in time. Navionics is updated by real users over time and while there is variation in lake level and quality of the person running the unit, that should average out over a number of users. But, its still just a starting point for areas of the lake to scout.