casts_by_fly

Hybrids are great when you get on them. The first half of the fight is like a smallmouth. The second half like a big tired largemouth. I’d go either zillion or bantam depending on your preferences. The extra weight of the bantam won’t matter on a rod that weight and length. I have the zillion on that rod now but a 2oz heavier reel wouldn’t be bad either.

the JDM Met has the MGL spool, but it isn't called an MGL. The Bantam has both options available so if you order it be mindful of what you're ordering. For the size you're talking, any bass reel will get it done. Hybrids are fast and pull hard, but they aren't so big that they break gear. This one was on a 7' MH/MF with 12 lb p-line and was landed in about 3 minutes. It was 26" and around the 7-8 lb mark. We have a couple lakes with them up here. If your primary use is bass with the occasional stripers, I wouldn't worry about any of the reels mentioned in this thread.

How much line capacity are you looking for? If you're throwing 30 lb braid, you'll get over 100 yards on a JDM bantam. They are listed at 130m of 12 lb. That's 140 yards. 30 lb 832 Suffix is 0.011" or 0.29mm. 40 lb is 0.013"/0.33mm. 13 lb Shooter Armilo is a japanese monofilament and among the thinner mono for its breaking strength. It comes in at 0.0118"/0.30mm which is the same as 30 lb braid, thus you get 140 yards of it. If the reel was rated for a larger diameter mono then you'll get even more. If that's not enough for what you're doing then so be it, but I'd be surprised if you're bombing a jig 75 yards and then having fish run another 50 to put you in trouble. FWIW, I put my zillion SV TW on the same Cara rod and its a nice setup. I also fished it with an Abu STX gen 4 and it was really nice too. Its a great jig rod.

If a curado 150 MGL is big enough for you, then you'd be hard pressed to do better than ordering a JDM Bantam or Metanium from digitaka. Both are around $200-225 and a real step up in reel. I'm pretty sure both are the same size and capacity (the bantam being a little heavier) but check the specs yourself.

yes, kinda. I went last Wednesday for one last Hurrah and I think I'm done for the year. I know I could fish through most of the winter here, but the temps are dropping and the fish are slowing down. Its funny how high 50's water temp in the fall isn't as exciting as high 50's in the spring. And with bowhunting starting up, you have to pick and choose where to spend your time.

Sounds great. Keep us posted and I'll pop an order in when they are up.

Moto, Congrats on the purchase. I can't wait to see how you evolve your boat over time. I've been fishing mine for 2 full seasons now (first trip last year had ice on 95% of the lake) and I've done a lot of little things to make it work for me. I've about got it where I want it but I've always got an eye out for something to improve anything. My first suggestion is to join the old town autopilot and old town sportsman Facebook groups. Lots of knowledgeable guys on there who have had autopilots since they were launched. Second suggestion is to just fish it first. There are a couple things you need to get on the water like a PFD and battery. You'll need to decide how you're hauling it (I'm going to guess a trailer given the quadruple bypass comment). After that, would say start fishing it and decide what works for you. Lots of options when it comes to adding fish finders or not (and size/capability), how to store rods (build ins, crates, racks, vertical, horizontal, etc), other storage and add-ons, etc. Since you have time, look at other people's rigs on FB groups and see what you might like, but hold off buying too much to start. Its easy to think you'll want something and then realized you based your decision on something that isn't quite right. For me, I'm a stand up angler. I sit to motor long distances, tie hooks, or land fish. That's about it. The boat is so stable that you can do that pretty well if you have any semblance of balance and mobility. I fish and cast to and from any direction on the boat including casting out of the back (especially when spot locked and fishing downwind). All of that means that for me, horizontal rod holders were a mandatory element from the start. I started with a pair of Omega's tilted down and mounted on mighty mounts by the seat. I quickly moved to a 4-rod holder from mariner sails. I also learned that the mighty mount /omega by the seat works great for holding the handle of the net. I wouldn't buy one for this purpose, but since I have it... I also knew I wanted side imaging and I'm still using the first Humminbird I started with on the boat (Helix 7 G3 MSI). How much you use a fish finder and what you use it for will determine what to go with. Looking back, I grabbed the G3 because it was still mega imaging and they were clearing them out. I wish I had gone with a M360 or MLive compatible one. Had I done that, I think I'd have 360 by now. As it is, I have to upgrade my head unit AND buy the 360 or MLive transducer. If you fish like my dad, then a Humminbird Piranha would be plenty and you'd only use it half of the time and only to check the water temp. I know you just got a new prop kit, but if you fish weedy lakes, the weedless wedge prop is a must have. You lose about 0.4-0.5mph top speed, but you can chop through a lot of stuff that will stop you dead in the standard prop. A ninja blade also keeps the prop clear of most things. The front of the motor will still build up weeds, but the prop will keep spinning. Lights are a whole 'nother ballgame. There are some really high end light setups available. I went DIY and Amazon cheap (and they have worked for almost two years now). Just remember that you're a full boat, not just a kayak so all of the lighting rules apply if you're on the water after sunset. Batteries- Lithium 100AH is the starting point. The end point might be a little bigger or smaller depending on your budget and needs but given the weight capacities of these boats, I can't afford to have 100lb of capacity tied up in a battery. If you are trailering then it might be okay for you, but I truck bed my boat and I could never lift it with a lead acid battery in place (I do with a lithium). I have an 80 AH because I cheapened out. They were also more expensive when I bought mine. It works fine for up to 2500 acres and running around a bit which is about what this boat is designed for. If you're covering more water trolling then you will need more battery and if you're fishing flowing water you might need more battery. If you're fishing 500 acre lakes and fishing down the bank, then 80-100 will be enough. A 250 acre lake that I fish might show me coming home with 90% charge since I start at the ramp and just keep making circles around the lake. Keep us posted and if you have any questions just ask. Rick

OOOH! With the standard blade and hook (just a bigger head)? Coming before spring?

unfortunately that’s not far off the going rate for that much lithium capacity. that’s basically 24v and 23 AH. You can get there with a pair of 12x20 lithiums in series. That would be about $260 for a pair and you’d need two pairs plus some wiring hardware. Check the max amperage draw vs the battery specs but I can’t imagine the boat is pulling high amperage. https://ampedoutdoors.com/collections/lifepo4-battery

Ill play. squarebill- pre-spawn spring. We have too much grass after that. crankbait- fall after the grass has died and the fish are gorging lipless- early spring as a reaction bait spinnerbait- on a grey windy day blade- if you’re talking a sonar or vibx I don’t fish them. chatterbait- late spring prespawn buzzbait- late summer early mornings swimjig- mid summer when the fish retreat into the grass

i didn’t realize the torqueedo motors were 24V. In my head I pictured an ulterra on the front of a kayak…

cool as it is, if you go with a lithium the battery meter won’t work on it. Just know that going in. my kayak is the autopilot with minn kota iPilot and not much smaller than your bathtub (I’m 12’ and 40” wide). Having now had it I will not own a boat that doesn’t have it. The motor on mine is equivalent to a power drive ipilot. It is strictly remote controlled. Spot lock is very nice. If you fish offshore or if you’re fishing in wind or current and trying to hold a location (like pitching a dock or similar) it’s great. Also nice for tying lures on and not moving. In the kayak I also use it when I hook a fish since a 3lb bass will pull the boat towards the cover as fast as I’m pulling him to the boat. cruise control and heading are probably even better. Set a direction and speed and the motor will keep the boat on it. Nice for long runs but even better for beating down a bank. If I’m fishing a buzzbait and trying to cover water, I’ll set it to 1-1.2 and just start casting. Different lures, different speeds.

you run a 24v motor on a kayak? What setup is that?

The tremor is great. I don't fish as much pure rock, rather I have a bunch of grass here. The tremor is my choice to get through it better. great thump and startup. The hooks are the best I've seen on any single hook moving bait.

You can also sight them guides up in the wrapper if they are completely disappearing under the blank. I check mine that they are perpendicular to the blank first, then do the guides underneath sighting to judge how much sticks out either side. If I can't see the guide, it must be pretty close...

I keep $35 in the truck usually (one each 5, 10, 20 dollar bills). I have about $10 in my fishing bibs for a random launch fee I forget about after I park the truck or if there is an on-lake store to grab a drink and a snack. My wallet varies from 0-$200 but mostly its in the $20-$30 range. We never pay with cash and I pretty much only use it for tipping or small vendors to save them a couple percent. Anything more than that though its straight onto the card and keep the points.

Its okay, it was only a sheepshead. ?

I didn’t loose a noteworthy bass this year (one or two little ones flipped off at the boat). I did however lose the biggest pike I’ve seen in a long time this spring. Throwing a red craw OG6 in pre-spawn along a rocky weed edge, the pike came up and hammered it right at the boat. I saw and felt the hooks stick right in the corner of the mouth. When the fish turned I didn’t have enough give in my setup (locked down drag with braid but only a MF/MH rod) and the snap straightened. The fish was definitely over 40” and I think it would have pushed 48”.

This is really interesting. We have three garage doors and the middle one has all kinda of problems with the remote not working. My truck overhead console button usually works but almost never on the native remote. i have two led bulbs in each opener but also three of the winged mega led bulbs on the ceiling. The one in the middle is different style though and I wonder if that’s the problem… experiment time this weekend.

they have discontinued mesquite so if you see it and think you should try it- don’t. i keep peach, vanilla, and apple in the house most of the time. Some nights I just want something like whisky but not straight whisky. So flavored crown on the rocks is simple and easy. I have plenty of other whisky if I want the real stuff.

you sold me with a picture and then said lambic. Lambic, gose, and saison are the three main beers that I don’t drink. I want to like them. I love oud brun Flemish ales and various other tart beers. I love light beers. For some reason though i can’t get into those three. sipping brown around the campfire after a hard day of redfish fishing? Now you have my attention. Got a beginners cigar recco for someone who isn’t a smoker? I love the smell but have never gotten into them. Lots of good rum in the modest price bracket (especially compared to scotch and bourbon). For a n easy sipper, look at dominican and Barbados rums in the 10-20 year bracket. Plantation 20 for $50 is a good shout. The aged cruzan rums are also my preferred flavor profile. An interesting one if you can get it is Barcelo Imperial. Aged dominican. have you tried crown Texas mesquite? I have a 2.5 year old bottle that I’m still working through. The liquid smoke flavor is just a bit much in this one. I love most of the other crown though .

Nope. I throw on a jig of the right weight and head to the yard.

couple things: - yes you should adjust your chart speed with the vessel's speed. How much is up to you and what looks good to your eyes. On my Helix, I will run chart speed 6 when I am motoring spot to spot which is about 3.5-4 mph (I'm also in a kayak). That's a pretty quick scroll speed, and it might elongate some things a little, but its pretty close most of the time. I normally also just leave it on this scroll speed. - I leave it on the fastest speed so I don't have to adjust it as often. When you're sitting still or moving < 0.5 mph, you're not getting a good reading anyway so I'm not using it for anything other than current depth (or GPS map position if offshore). - when I'm motoring down a bank powerfishing, I'm usually around 1 mph. That's the case where I'll slow it down to a speed 3 or so. That's enough to keep the side imaging clean without stretching things out too far. - at those depths, your view of the bottom in any down scan is pretty limited, so side scan is what I would optimize for.

Other likely small battery options include cordless drills and lawnmowers. The lithiums for cordless drills are popular because a lot of guys already have them and most fishfinder units can handle voltage inputs up to 20V. Check your own's specs. At the higher voltage you need even less amperage and the smaller batteries work. A 3D printed adapter is enough to get you the connections. If you do open up a lead acid wet cell battery, be very careful with the liquid. It is sulfuric acid in them which will burn you or eat clothes if you spill it.

In the past couple months I’ve picked up a zillion and a metanium. Both were about $225 or so. Basically pick your price point in dollars and upgrade two or three models in a given manufacturer.