casts_by_fly

I don't know your boat, so grain of salt time. The Motorguide Xi3 Kayak was the only game in town forever. Basically an Xi3 with a short shaft designed for a kayak bow mount. Then Motorguide was discontinued as a brand. Minn Kota just released the kayak terrova and that is now the only factory option for a kayak based spotlock bowmount (36" shaft). That's $1500. Past that, you have the 54" shaft powerdrive at $1350. That's way too long of a shaft for a kayak, not sure about an inflatable SUP. You'd probably want to cut down the shaft, but that's a lot to cut down. There is a powerdrive upgrade kit that is $300. You buy the kit and replace the head unit with a GPS compatible one to get spotlock. If you bought a new powerdrive 45" shaft for $800 and then replaced the head that would be $1100. You could also look for a used powerdrive to do the same with. I haven't checked marketplace but I suspect you could find one a good bit cheaper than retail from someone who upgraded. There is also the autoboat system. But that's over $700 to start from and only compatible with transom mount motors which may or may not be able to mounted to the front of your SUP. Even then when you add a motor to it you're pushing up close to the powerdrive price with a hacked unit. Just get the PD at that point.

The head turner is a good choice, but for that weight range, the swim jig is probably the better rod. And they make it in the low rider.

I’m similar to Ajay here, except I would sway to the Met over the bantam. The both fish about the same. The bantam is a little heavier and a touch bigger, the met is lighter and is slightly chiseled around the edges. Very minor differences. I wouldn’t hate a full set of Zillions either. Across the three there are pluses and minuses but the Met would be my choice. My dad has similar preferences, except he’s on the chronarch. He’s converted over to them over the past 5 or 6 years entirely.

parlor gun and birdshot loads! We get a lot of mice when it gets cold as well. Our basement is unfinished and the house was empty for 2 years when it was foreclosed and flipped. So the mouse found a place to be safe and you can see the runs where they come through the insulation to onto the concrete foundation. There is a 3" lip that they can run the entire perimeter of the basement on top of the foundation but in front of the base plate. I started setting a standard victor trap there in the winter, but I'd have too many snap the trap and crawl crawl off with it after it hits the ground. I tied a piece of fishing line to a hook I had in a rafter and then to the trap. Now when they snap it, they go for a little ride and the whole thing hangs in the air. Much easier for me to see when there is one there when I pop down the basement. On a side note, I caught 15 in 18 days this past winter when I started setting them. I finished with 23 or 24 this winter. This trap is going on 4 years now and the plastic lip that holds the set arm is now worn out. Fast side, slow side, doesn't matter. I can't get it to hold a set anymore.

If you do it, something like 30 lb 832 braid and a 14# mono leader is what you want. For a baitcaster, that's about as light as you want to go on the braid side. You don't want a fluoro leader (though for a plopper it doesn't matter). But, just swapping from mono to braid on the same rod is going to take any and all give out of the total setup. If the rod is already light anyway then that's maybe not bad. If the rod is a touch on the stiff side already (which is my suspicion) then you're just going to have an unforgiving beast of a setup. With treble hook baits that can cause more problems that answers. With 14# line and a 90 or 110 sized plopper you should be able to cast them to the horizon with a 7'2" MH rod. Is that still the Curado 200K and have you been adjusting the reel settings with different lures? Even with the 200k on it, you should be be able to bomb a KVD 2.5 which weighs 5/8 oz. A 1.5 is only 3/8 but should cast fine. If only heavy lures are casting any distance for you, I there is a setup and techique mismatch that's the issue, not the line.

I would assume discontinued if you can't find them on arbogast's website. Back in the day when jitterbugs were popular they had a whole ton of sizes. The 1.5 was the smallest that I remember. They are super small, especially when you get a jointed musky jitterbug next to it. I think they are around 1/4 oz or so and tough to throw on a baitcaster because of the bill. You also have to work them slow or else they blow out. Should be a good pond bait for you though.

Jiggerbugs, ploppers, buzzbaits and wake baits/wakecranks all need a high rod tip and the line off the water. On top of that, jitterbugs need a slower retrieve. The smaller the jitterbug the slower the retrieve to keep it working. If the line tie is binding up (it will get stuck at an angle) you can put a split ring on it or use a loop knot and that will minimize the effect.

Hi all, I’ve not spent a ton of time reading about west coast angling. it mostly doesn’t match well with the lakes I have fished and my style. But, I have one or two lakes around that I think are pretty close in style such that I need to do some reading. I’m talking about rock based, clear and deep lakes where offshore is the theme of the day. I’m thinking more west coast finesse as the place I need to learn. Any recommended reading available online I could check out? thanks rick

That’s a good unit for live imaging and LVS34 is at the top of the bunch for imaging. I wouldn’t assume it comes with the side imaging transducer. That webpage doesn’t detail that so don’t assume it. That could just be a live imaging only bundle which would be a control head only unit plus the live imaging add ons. For the battery, you need to look up the max draw of the unit. I think all of those bits will add up around 5 amps at max draw. Then figure out how long you need it to work on the water. If you need 9 hours, then that’s 45 amp hours. A 50 amp lithium would be as small as you could go. You don’t draw a lithium below 10% (or some makers have the 10% already built into the stated capacity so a 50 is actually 50). I used a helix 9 and ML1 on a 30 AH battery and could fish the day. That screen is bigger and the black box has a draw too. Look at sniper marine, summit, or fishing specialties for a pole mount. I had FS. Koz on here did too I think but has gone sniper now. Fry dog had one or the other also. You’re only going to put the live imaging on it. You’ll have to mount side imaging separately.

Generically, no. Falcon rods don’t go on sale like you see other rods go on sale. When TW does their site wide sales they are included, but not specifically called out otherwise. Search around, maybe someone is clearing them or having a sale, but don’t search for ‘falcon rod sale’ because you won’t find it.

I priced out a couple once. I was going to trade in 3 bucoo SRs that are in great shape. They are a $100 rod to begin with but they sell like hot cakes on ALF’s used page. Trading in three, I couldn’t have bought a new one. if they are only worth $25, then I’m better giving them to a kid than trading them in (which I would have done the other week when I saw a kid fishing a half broken Duckett, I just didn’t have the right rod to give him). Since then, I’ve thrown a spare reel on them and made them dedicated rods for stuff.

I’ve never considered the need because most of the lakes I’ve fished aren’t clear enough to warrant it. But I’ve got one now with 20’ visibility and I’m curious. I also have an older aquavue that i put away a couple years ago that might make a reappearance.

reviews aside (reviews can be bought and also the only people reviewing are those who have some particular drive to review the product either really good or really bad), A dakota is about 3-5 the price of the Litime. Will it last 3-5x as long? Doubtful. The Dakota warranty says that 11 years is the guaranteed maximum but then also says that 5-10 years is the normal lifespan with regular use. The difference in those two is that 5-10 years is the 'works like normal' and up to 11 years allows for up to 70% degradation in the battery. So practically speaking I have to think of them as 5-10 year batteries. That means the LiTime has to last 2-4 years to hit break even cost. I'm pretty confident it will do that. Also, if you do try to make a warranty claim on the Dakota, you have to ship it back yourself. They will reimburse the cost if something is wrong but actually getting someone that will ship it is the challenge. Most shippers won't take it from a consumer as it is dangerous goods. So all in, I'm with TB on this one. That's where I put my money when the time came to it.

I did the same as ajay, but with the Rapala scale. It comes with a hook, but I had a clip from something else. They might offer it with a clip now. $40 or so on TW and it's never given me a problem.

I was pretty sure it was based on how it was fighting. After setting the hook and that first run I knew it wasn't a bass. The other alternative is a lake trout. There are a bunch of lakers and big trout in this lake. The first flash of the fish I saw (15' deep) I saw a flash of white belly and a forked tail. I thought for sure that's what it was on the first look. I'd have never guessed catfish. The other cool thing that I didn't mention was that I was on the phone with my dad the whole time. When I go out, I'll send him a picture when I start fishing and of any notable fish. He'll usually give it a little bit and call. I've learned to take my airpods and I just keep fishing as we're talking. I told him what I was doing (scoping around) so he got to hear me talking right through the "there's one, that cast is on him, there he is, oh man that's big" conversation. I even called my shot on the bigger smallie- "there's an isolated pile. Don't see one, but there should be one there. There he is!".

The LiTime 165 AH with bluetooth monitoring for $350 would be a good starting point then. And it is still group 31 size so a standard shape if you want to put it in a box or a defined space. From there they jump to 200 AH but it is an odd profile. They have a 50 AH that is tiny. It's marketed for trolling motors but will do just fine on the FF. Also, if you're ready to buy now, they are having prime day deals that are ~30% off most of their batteries. Look on their website and also on Amazon.

Having moved from that approximate setup to the boat just this year, I’ve been there. I ran an 80 ah for the trolling motor and a 30 for the FF. I was running a 9” helix plus FFS and the 30 was enough for a full day and then some. If you’re only running a 7” SI unit, then a 10 ah Li will be close depending on how long you fish it (should get 6-8 hours). For the price difference, just get a 25-30. On the trolling motor, again, depends on how much you are running it and how hard. The 45 lb thrust I was running drew 40 amps at full draw so I could run 2 hours at 4 mph before it would die. Or, back the motor off a little, run at 3.8 mph where it was drawing around 25 A and run it for 3 hours. In practice, I could fish some of the larger lakes around here across an 8 hour day and still have enough juice to get home. Limit the time at full speed. Or, if you plan on making big runs all the time or are in a lot of current then up the capacity to a 100 or even a 160. I was using Amped outdoors in the kayak. I went with LiTime in the boat. The price on the LiTime was just too good. I think I paid $200 for the 100 ah that I used for the electronics and $240 for the 50 AH 24V for the trolling motor. That’s cheaper than AGM prices.

Trailers stay on lures until I replace them. Texas rigs and similar that get taken off after a short use get dropped on the boat floor and lay in a pile. I’ll use them another time, pull from the pile for new jig trailers, or snip off a length and make it a Ned rig. Eventually I’ll sort through them and throw some away but for now I’m using the same plastics all the time so they are fine there. Anything elaztech is separate.

I mean, turbidity or a halocline would do that, but I doubt either are likely for him. A plankton/algal bloom would do that if it was on the bottom, but normally you see that higher in the column rather than lower. What else are you thinking?

Every post above is correct. That alone shows the wide range of opinions on this topic. For me, I fish for fun. I don't want the stress of dealing with other boats. That's why I don't fish tournaments in the first place. I keep bookmarks on all of the local clubs and trails and if I'm fishing on a weekend I just make sure I'm not on a lake they are. A couple times I've been on lakes with tournaments and it's always annoying at best, maddening at worst. The last time it was on my favorite 120 acre lake. I launched at 4 AM and had been on the water for about 2 hours when they started streaming into the lot. 12 boat in all for the tournament plus 2 others who had just come to fish there that day. That's 15 boats on 120 acres, all pounding the shoreline for bass. I was running down one bank headed for a grassbed, trolling motor on fairly high throwing a buzzbait. Very obvious what I was doing. When the tournament kicked off, all 12 boats fan out and make a beeline for their spot. This boat runs straight to the place I was fishing toward. Started fishing about 50 yards in front of me. I got heated, and decided that it wasn't worth my time or effort. I pulled a 180, fished some water I'd fished before on the way back to the ramp, chatted with another of the tourney guys who was fishing it with his 6 year old as his buddy and had a nice hour cool down before I left and went to another lake (which incidentally was having a kayak tournament and there were 11 kayaks on 50 acres. I didn't even launch). Neither of these clubs were in my bookmarks, nor do they make their tournament dates public. Net net- I don't mess with lakes where there is likely to be another boat, let alone a tournament. Last night I was on 2200 acres and there were 3 boat out, all trolling the deep for trout. Can't beat that with a stick.

I try to keep 1-2 granola or protein bars in the boat plus a small bag or two of beef jerky. All of those are long life items and sealed in case they get wet. Then on any given day I'll make a thermos of powdered ice tea mix or similar and maybe grab something on the way out the door like a banana that I can eat on the way for an evening trip. Morning trips require a big mug of coffee. And sometimes maybe a thermos also depending on the temperature that day. I'm not big on eating on the water and I'm usually good for a 5 hour trip without it. But every now and then your feel the heat set in or you feel your concentration waning. That's when I sit for a break and grab a quick snack.

Depending on the brand, that is basically pumpkinseed purple. PB&J is a common name for it. Dirty jigs has 'purple pond bug' for one.

County lake implies more than a few people fish it, potentially keeping some fish but at least adding pressure. A DNR survey turned up 1 fish over 14". Unless it is a deep lake like a strip mine and ALL of the fish over 14" were in 20 FOW when they shocked, that's pretty bad. Only shocking 10 bluegill is maybe even worse. Bluegill are easy to turn up in electro surveys. The lake I was fishing yesterday you could have dropped the probes in and shocked 30-40 at each site. Only getting 10 tells me there is a lack of forage. That would also explain the small bass. The lack of a feeder stream would imply low nutrient productivity. If there are no springs seeping in and it is just a runoff pond, then that's going to be a tough go. I'd have to weigh my options. If you can go and catch 20 bass 12-14" in an evening and it's only 20 minutes from your house then sure. I'd fish it every now and then as an easy to fish, close place. I have a couple of those lakes around that I'd hit in the kayak. Grab the light gear and have a ball. If you end up catching some that are bigger than 14" then maybe there is a chance they are in there and it is worth more time. Heavier pressured lakes and summer conditions mean going in the dark if you're looking for bigger fish. If you're comfortable night fishing, then I'd be throwing a small colorado blade spinnerbait over top of the grass that doesn't hit the surface, and a frog or toad across the grass that does. Basic night pond fishing 101. Maybe throw in a jitterbug or small wake bait in place of the spinnerbait. A plopper or buzzbait perhaps because I like them.

If you get the US2 based transducer, that's a dumbed down transducer that works across brands for basic 2D. It should work with your garmin with an adapter, but I don't know that head unit well enough. I also wouldn't base my decisions this way necessarily. The striker is a pretty basic fish finder, one that you're likely to upgrade in the future if you're actively using your electronics up front. If you're not actively using them up front, then why go through the effort. I'd say look hard at what you want it for before you make decisions about integrated units. For me, I find that the only things I need up front are FFS, a map, and current depth. If I'm on the trolling motor, I'm not watching side or down imaging. Without FFS, it would be maps and depth on a 2D. If that's what you're using, leave the striker mounted as is and get the trolling motor that fits your needs. If you have the transducer strapped onto your current TM, then think about putting it on the stern.