Togue

I have the Alphas SV and use it for jerkbaits and small jigs. It's a sweet little reel. Like others have said, I adjusted spool tension one time out of the box. I like it a little looser than others to make the brakes do more of the work. I generally leave the mag brake dial at around 6-8. Sometimes adjusting in the wind or for lighter lures. I also got a Roro BFS spool and have had a ton of fun with it.

I only build casting rods with size 4 and 4.5 Fuji K guides. For me they pass the braid to leader knot no problem. The only downside for my use is icing up. As the rod gets heavier, the weight saving becomes less important. I think it's a necessity for medium power rods and still valuable for medium heavy. With my really light trout rods I am size 3 and smaller.

Definitely been there too. My goals for a trolling motor on the kayak were the opposite of yours. I am strictly in it for the spot lock and ability to cruise shorelines while standing and fishing. For context of my use, I have a 60ah lithium and can get 3 full days of pond fishing out of it. When I fish bigger bodies of water I leave the motor at home and use the pedals. From what you've said it seems like an aluminum boat with small outboard might suite your needs best. It is all about keeping the rod in your hand the longest. If you are starting each trip with 2-3 miles, a kayak is wasting your time.

I have a Pro Angler 14 and recently put an xi3 on the front. Without any experience with your particular kayak, I'd say a concern would be the weight of the motor itself. I think it's about 35 lbs and I was inpressed how much it weighed down the front of mine even with the battery all the way in the back. If I lean forward I get water on deck through the scuppers. From the pics it looks like the kayak you have is pretty low to the water. Depends on your weight and gear but I'd personally hesitate to put the xi3 on kayaks that aren't the biggest barges available. Otherwise, I am very happy with my 60 ah LiFePo and xi3. I put the battery in a small pelican case and it only weighs 15 lbs. I plan to get a 14-16' jon boat to bring friends out and will run the motor on that as well. I like the versatility to still use the pedals or throw the motor on something else.

I vote for a cheaper utility trailer over a specialized kayak trailer or jet ski type. A Carry-On 3x5 trailer can be found used for ~$500 and with extended tongue fits the kayak and gives you space for storing junk underneath. It's higher than other trailers but still lower than a truck bed. Fits two fishing kayaks nicely with horizontal 2x4 bunks attached to the top rail. With a utility trailer, you give up the ability to back into the water at a ramp (without quickly ruining lights and bearings anyways). Most of my local fishing access is walking paths to the water, not developed ramps, so it wasn't a loss for me. Even at a ramp I park and walk the kayak down to the water with the c-tug. I tend to get on the water quicker that way.

My PA14 goes in the truck bed with a bed extender. I use a C-tug cart and am pretty happy. I can leave it fully rigged with rods and tackle and fit under the tonneau cover.

Good looking set up. My primary purchasing decision when buying my Pro Angler 14 was the horizontal rod holders. I had a few other yaks before that and was not responsible enough with vertical rods - I was always getting caught in trees, smacking low bridges, trying to fly fish etc. Also got into rod building so the rods were getting nicer and numerous. I love having them down out of the way in front of me. Easy to get to, tips protected, stay in place if (when) I flip. To the point of the thread, I don't need rod holders so my current crate is a chopped down farm crate that goes under my seat and slides out. Fits up to 10 3600s, though I've never brought more than 6. Also, have this tool box laying around and it happens to fit 8 3600s nicely. I wouldn't bring it on the kayak because I like easy access but might be helpful for packing for trips.

Glad to hear everyone made it back to shore. I got a pro angler 14 and immediately practiced flipping it back in warm water (with no pfd and basically nothing in the yak) and got it quick each time. I knew that was dumb to be confident in those conditons so that winter I tried with dry top, pfd, gear strapped down, in windy conditions and it was a different ballgame. In perfect conditions, I climbed right up the side and grabbed the far rail and leaned back. In the dry gear, I was able to do that once, but it was easier to climb on the back and crawl to the middle. No matter how much practice the surprise factor makes everything tougher when it actually happens. After a few too many times doing dumb things and getting lucky, I take more precautions now: - never take off pfd, even in warm weather - dress for immersion - bring dry clothes and towel in dry bag - hand pump in hatch near seat - extra foam in hull - remove ropes and leashes (got leg wrapped up in a leash once, didn't like it) - leave one side clear of holders and fish finder - healthy fear of cold water

The original floating Rapala or jointed Rapala will always be my favorite (along with a mepps spinner). They just work. I don't always have them with me and sometimes the grass is too thick to fish them so my other common choice is a bladed jig. Last week I caught a bunch on a southern Maine lake trolling a bladed jig behind my kayak while moving between spots.

I think for accessibility the kayak of course can't cover more water but doesnt require a boat ramp. For some people that opens up new water based on where they live and others it doesn't. One of the ways to overcome the lack of the outboard is to find "creative" launching spots. We have found amazing smallmouth fishing on lakes up in the woods that don't have any access, let alone ramps. We launch from the closest logging road with some bushwhacking, which I guess is part of the fun.

For me the kayak is about versatility. I can do very big water, very small water, and everything in between. I've trolled for salmon on the great lakes, fished the salt for stripers across New England, floated creeks for trout, camped out of it, and duck hunted out of it. The price is high - I paid $3500 for my Hobie PA14, and then added fish finder/battery/rod holders etc. I think a small boat in the same price range would be better in many situations but not able to do them all for me. If your fishing is limited to lakes and ponds with ramps, a boat is the better tool. Smaller or bigger than that and I like the kayak. Also, I think a simple, cheap kayak (where I started at $175 used) is the best way for someone to get off the bank. I've tried small aluminum boats with trolling motors and always found it brutal getting to the water if there is no ramp, which is most of my local water. I also have a canoe for river tripping and when I need to hike way back in to a trout pond. I'm looking to add a 16' aluminum soon so I can have the benefits of each.

I often fish a deep, rocky reservoir that only allows shore fishing. I normally slow drag football jigs but sometimes like to move faster and cover water in the 20-40' range. For getting that deep and staying on the bottom, I use a tungsten swing head jig with blade. There is the Z-man Freedom Cfl chatterbait but I prefer a swing head jig with a Queen blade. Poor picture but this is a strike king tungsten football head with a 4/0 hook. This doesn't solve the speed problem (although it's pretty good at slow speeds) but let's you go fast enough to keep the blade thumping at much deeper depths. Also, thinner skirts, trailers, and line help me get deeper.

I would be lying to say launching a ~130 lb barge of a kayak is fun. It stinks but I live near a lot of smaller ponds and rivers with car top only access so it will have to do for now. Luckily I can keep my rods and other gear loaded and slide it in the pickup under the tonneau cover, but tackle boxes have to come out because they aren't secure enough. Always looking to make it easier to get on the water.

I've played with Queen blades on a variety of jigs and have a few favorites. On the right head they start immediately and hunt well. The G-Money Swimbait heads are 4/0 hooks with room for a skirt but thinner wire than a jackhammer hook They are nice for the pond fishing I do with lighter gear. I also like the Dirty Jigs Matt Allen heads because they also have room for a skirt and a wire keeper. I singled both of these out because they have a 30 degree hook and slightly bigger eye openings. I've also tried out tungsten swing head footballs with a flipping hook and skirt (bottom row). They run well and are can be fished deep easily. The other two are the Phenix Swim Jig Original Vibrator Jig Without Blade (top row) and D&M Custom Baits Piranha Swim Jig (middle row). Both of these have eyes that can be opened with pliers to place on a normal blade with no split ring (which each company also sells). Both are fine but I'm not crazy about them. The Phenix hooks are not great and the D&M eye wire is so thick the blade has less freedom and requires some startup force. I'm sure there is a better head out there.

This is funny, I had the same exact thought today as I pack for this weekend's trip. I have a Pro Angler 14 so I have all the space I could ever need and slowly filling it which is bugging me. My kayak currently: 1. Three 3600 Planos under the seat 2. Two 3600 Planos attached to seat back 3. Container of soft plastics under the seat (size of a shoebox, matches height of 3 Planos) 4. Paddle tail clamshells, tools, and car keys/wallet/phone in hatch bucket right in front of the seat 5. C-tug behind the seat in tankwell 6. Paddle in tankwell 7. Fish finder battery in the hull 8. Dry bag with warm clothes and towel in front hatch 9. Pelican manual pump in hull, tied to hatch cover near seat 10. Spare rope/tow strap/anchor in front hatch 11. Life jacket 12. Five to six rods in the horizontal rod holders beside the seat 13. Pedal drive I hate having things behind the seat or sticking up in the air and that's the main reason I upgraded to the pro angler. I use a milk crate for storing the Planos and plastics between trips and empty it into the kayak at the launch, which is a bit of a waste of time. I rarely use most of the stuff I bring - if I'm not catching on any of the 6 rods I have rigged it's probably where I'm casting rather than what I'm throwing. I think my plan is to get two 3700 Planos that I pack for each trip to go under the seat. That should be more than enough.

Thanks all for the welcome! bwillis - I just moved to Concord area and very excited to explore new waters. We will have to get out together.

Glad to finally be joining the forum after years and years of reading. Here to learn and hopefully contribute where I can. I primarily fish for largemouth in local ponds but am always thinking about smallmouth and trout. I build several rods a year and just getting started in tackle making. Unfortunately turning into a gear junkie and buying bigger and more expensive baits. Fish out of my kayak and canoe, likely to change now that I have a house and don't have to store it in the truck bed. Find me fishing any time I'm not working or doing schoolwork for my grad program.