MediumMouthBass

I found the Outlaw and Tarpon to have felt like half step kayaks, no where near as bad as cheap $300 Lifetimes, but no where near $1000+ fishing kayaks. If you can get one of them around $500 they would be worth getting. But they lack many features.... Which in the modern day are now considered basic features, the one doesnt have a tank well just a cover that bungees down, the other has a seat right on the plastic itself😐 These are glorified Walmart specials Lifetimes/Pelicans, with an absurd price tag attached. If spending around $1000 for a new kayak that has all the bells and whistles theres only 2 options: #1. Old Town Sportsman 120, 85lbs (your price $1000). #2. Crescent Lite Tackle 2, 79lbs (MSRP $1200). Both kayaks have sit on top seats that are very nice and adjustable (high/low position). Both have a front and rear tankwell that has inside access, which IMO is the most important part. This will let you store rods inside the hull when transporting the kayak, you can also fit clothes, food, camping gear, and tackle storage inside of them too. Both have great reviews and are highly rated along with being loved by the kayak community, and have lots of aftermarket/oem parts for upgrades too. I have an Sportsman 120, Lite Tackle 1 (the 2 is more oriented for fishing), and a Shoalie. The Old Towns feel like boats, super stable although slow to paddle and takes longer to turn, whereas Crescents are still stable but no where near that much, however they are much faster and turn very sharp. I would highly suggest checking out the 2 kayaks i mentioned because they give you alot for the money, and go above and beyond for features. All the kayaks i own are within 10lbs of each other (75-77-85) but the Old Town requires 2 of us to move safely. Its significantly heavier feeling and looks gigantic too. If the 120's weight is an issue theres always the 106...

Id fish where i live, the largemouth lakes range from 20-120 acres and hold big ones. Not CA or FL/NC/TX/AL big, but 4-8lb bass get caught regularly during pre spawn, and theres also a chance (even though slim) of catching a 10 too. However these lakes are high pressured and numbers arent great, an average day thats good is 1-4 catches, and great would be around 10 catches. The smallmouth lakes are good for numbers though (even for largemouths), 10-20 is considered good. These 2 lakes grow big smallies too, the one i caught a 4lber at and the other (which is PA's largest lake in volume) has had a few 6lb+ smallies posted online, along with trout so big they could feed a few family's. The local reservoir is 400 acres, but only bank fishing allowed. Great smallmouth/largemouth population, but they are usually under 3lbs. However this place has a rock wall where numerous monster sized walleyes have been caught. Then theres a small pond, bass and panfishing is very crappie (see what i did there?) but theres very big pickerel in it. Sometimes i like to catch them! And within 5 minutes is the Susquehanna river, a great day is considered 50 smallies. Average between 5-20, they are often 1-2.5lbs but theres an occasional 3 mixed in, several walleyes here too. And theres also once again some monster walleyes in it.

I have an Edge, i bought on sale for around $20-30. I havent taken it on the water and its already warped😌. Its terrible for terminal storage, the containers are so small i can barely fit anything in them, and i also hate how they are enclosed. This will make rust happen very easily. It doesnt matter that they give 1 rust prevention whatever they call it, that does nothing if the containers are closed? But cheaper 3700's just dont keep stuff where you put them, swivels and smaller hooks end up everywhere.... The locking system is the worst part, its a pain to close it, and it can come apart very easily when on the water and dump everything. So i downsize and use these https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022356358?pid=365578 (the 3003 size). I have about 8-10 of them now, i can fit everything i need for the lake in one. I use one of them for panfish stuff and those hooks are very small, not 1 hook has ended up in a different area yet.

Tell that to the guys on Tiny Boat Nation, Decked Out Jon Boats, and any kayak FB or Reddit group. I cant even begin to count how many guys have side scan at the front and front only. They seem to have no issue with it. Again put your best tool where you will use it the most, if he fishes from the front all day side scan with be worthless and "wont work well" at the back, if he fishes from the back and spends most time behind the wheel then at the front it will also be worthless. The Garmin 7SV is very popular at the other groups and forums i visit, many guys are putting them on jon boats that are trolling motor powered, at best we are talking 1-3-5mph. Again they have no issues with those speeds. So ill be pickup one of these up to put on my jon boat, and maybe another for my kayak to test it myself. And most kayaks only go 1-5mph whether paddle or pedal, with the average speed 0-2.5mph. Why are so many people going out and buying side scan fish finders for these kayaks if it wont work? Ive heard from several people, even read it on here numerous times from guys who have experience with them that they get returns just fine going slightly under or over 1mph even.... Heres a link to this forum to read further into it.

#1. Strike King Rage Swimmer, i buy the 42 piece kit from DSG when they run their buy 3 get 3 free sale, like they are running now. Its $20 each, so for $60 i get 252 swimbaits that are white, green pumpkin, and electric shad. Each color comes with a 3 1/4" and 3 3/4" size. Thats 0.23 cents per swimbait, versus Keitechs or the clam shell Rage Swimmers that are $.70-over a dollar each. I refuse to buy any more Keitech fats, too expensive and they dont last more than a bass or 2, the Rage Swimmer is softer, more durable, has a great scent, and still catches bass. #2. Berkley Grass Pigs 3"-5" because i love them for skipping or putting on a swim jig when i want a lesser action. #3. 3" Minnowz, 4"-5"-7" Diezel Minnowz. #4. Strike King Swim N Caffeine Shad or the #5. Keitech Easy Shiner for non ribbed swimbaits. #6. Netbait Spanky. #7. Missile Baits Shockwave. #8. Berkley Powerbait Ripple Shad. #9. Gambler EZ/Big EZ. I like having a wide variety of brands, sizes, colors, shapes, etc... Because i fish very small pressured lakes, and more than likely everyones throwing a Keitech or a knockoff that looks just like it, which is where a few of the odd ones i mentioned really shine.

Are we supposed to be swapping bearings? I keep hearing guys talking about it, but on modern day reels from $100-150 MSRP would they even do anything different to justify the cost? Or is this just switching them out for the sake of it because some guys love to go all in on their reels.

My 10lber wasnt a very memorable experience, it for sure was a life achievement for me. But there wasnt much of a fight and it was at the bank in under a minute.... My most memorable bass catch and most prized fishing story is this: Several years ago i only fished for trout and panfish, i decided i would like to learn how to bass fish, i bought a few combos meant just for them and some baits too. Even taught myself how to use a baitcaster! I spent many hours a week for several months and caught nothing😌 One day my mom took me to a very big local lake and we bank fished for about 8 hours, once again caught 0 bass.... I was upset and thought maybe bass fishing just isnt for me, so later on i was able to convince her to take me to another local lake to fish for bluegills off the public deck. I went to the car and removed all the bass gear and loaded it with light rods and a few panfish soft plastics. The area you can cast from this deck was 1-4' at most and only went out 20' and then there was nothing but weeds. It was now dark, and i was only going to cast my Walmart special broken off piece of plastic worm on a Trout Magnet jighead a few more times, and then i felt something! It pulled hard and my drag was screaming!!!! My light action Cherrywood was bending in every direction and this fish was dragging it all over, it finally got it within a few feet of us and i saw it was a bass, and just like that it buried itself in the weeds right in front of us.... We somehow were able to get it out and it was around 3lbs. Took it home and cleaned it up, and my parents enjoyed it. That one bass forged my love for bass fishing and set me on the path im on now.

Usually when a company moves production to Mexico (like most of the rods from St Croix now) they are doing it to cut costs, not make improvements on quality..... Which can easily explain the issues many guys are talking about now. However the American made rods like the Premier or Avid i havent heard a single bad thing about. They seem good to go from the quick research i just did on them, i would go down to your local shop and try handling each rod you are interested in. Only you will be able to feel which rod is right for you, and it might not even be one of the rods you asked about.

I have a $275 St Croix Legend Glass sitting in a corner collecting dust, no issues because i havent used it. After reading over 100 reports of issues with St Croixs, that even they acknowledged with the reel seats spinning. I dont want to get stuck paying $60 because it breaks on the first cast, to replace it with another dumpster fire. So i listed it on marketplace in hopes one of you St Croix fanboys buys it. "supposed quality issues" if you can read well enough to type a small paragraph calling me out for saying something you dont agree with than you are more than able to read the numerous pages Google has about St Croix rod issues. Are you okay?

I didnt personally experience cancer, i guess that means it doesnt exist! 5 minutes on Google shows the current state of St Croix, again its a 50/50 lottery. Some guys get some great rods without issues, others not so much. Myself and many others on here though might be wrong, and they still might be great rods. But that would mean every person on here, reddit, youtube, etc, talking about their rods breaking, and showing pictures of the new rods snapped probably broke their rods on purpose because Daiwa or Shimano slipped them a $20 bill. And the others just got together in the back room for their secret weekly meeting in an undisclosed location and came together to make up the reel seat issues rumors.

St Croix isnt what it was, sure theres many guys on here and other places that love them. And had great experience with their rods and customer service. But theres just as many guys who St Croix burned, from rods breaking on the first cast, send in $60 or more for their "insurance" because its not a warranty. The new rod breaks too, or the reel nut spins into oblivion. Add on some of their expensive rods coming with dirt cheap guides (which i know made many walleye guys specifically upset). The general consensus now is St Croixs will either be great rods for you, or the most problematic fragile rod youll ever own. Head over to reddit for the best explanations of St Croixs downfall, customer service is again 50/50. Some people get taken care of quickly and have a $0 fee for replacement, others may take weeks or longer just to get in touch with someone and get hit with the fee. Havent heard much bad coming from Daiwa, except they to burned me on my 2 fishing shirts i paid for from a Tatula promo. Oh and they back their rods too and dont try to make you buy a new one because they made a mistake. ". Once the rod is received, our service technicians will inspect to identify the issue, and if it is determined to be a manufacturing defect, we will repair or replace the rod at no charge." The Tatula, and Tatula XT are very good rods, and like everyone else said they punch above their price. However with the new generations out or coming out now theres some good deals on the previous gens now. I found a few XT's around $75, Tatulas $100-120 and Elites $125-40. I plan to hopefully pick up one of each as im expanding my rod collection to start including some nicer stuff to fill some gaps.

Call me old fashioned, but i only buy from America, or our allies (like Japan). I dont participate in this "Temu" "Aliexpress" or "Tiktok" i keep hearing about on the news, all it is is brain rot, cheap knockoffs, scams, 0 buyer protection, along with sending all of your data to a certain government. No thanks! If you want to save money, stare at Midway, TW, Omnia, Academy, and DSG's websites every day along with Asian Fishing Portal, Japan Lure Shop, Digitaka just to name a few. Ive gotten a bunch of rods, reels, and combos over and over again for 25-35-50-75% off, some were even so good it would make the guys who bought from Japan think they got ripped off. And these rods and reels werent called some weird name, they were the actual item, actual name, from a company that has credibility, a customer support team, oh and a warranty too. (Some JDM stores offer a warranty too if thats where you like to order from, atleast thats what i heard this week). I know some guys use Temu or Aliexpress for parts, but if your reel needs significant upgrades out of the box, you probably shouldve bought a different reel... Just saying

I prefer to support my local shops when i can, the one everything is MSRP. The other has 30% of his inventory 20-50% cheaper than any big box store or online retailer. However both have a dismal rod and reel inventory, and the rest of the baits/lures are sold for MSRP. The one i prefer to go to is ran by a really great dude, and he runs some really good sales on certain rods, reels, and other lures throughout the years. But the rest of the time its MSRP, and i dont do MSRP. (oh and to add, most shops dont carry much of what i use and need, especially when it comes to terminal tackle) So i give most of my money to Midway, TW, Omnia, Academy, BPS (only in the spring), and DSG. I only buy something if i can get it for 30-90% off, and these places have done this for me over and over again for years. Their prices for certain sales/promos/deals cannot be beat by most local shops clinging to MSRP or even overcharging. I dislike shopping at private equity/corporation owned places that keep buying up much of the fishing industry and would much rather give all of my money to local shops, but if i did it would be financial suicide for how much more i would spend. I dont think the shops not having a website with inventory is the reason people arent buying from them.... TW right now has a 25% off page (that stacks on some already marked down sale/clearance items), there was another company giving 25% stacked on 25% for Dobyns rods the other week, DSG buy 3 get 3 free ZZman or Strike King, Academy is having clearance stacked on clearance prices where one guy just got a Magdraft for under $3. I also picked up a LFS for $22.50 and $660 worth of rods for $188 at one of the places i mentioned within the last few months, hard for any shop to beat these deals.... And most people (especially in this economy) want to save money.

Like others have already stated, if micro as in Flashback Mini, or the actual Micro bladed jig the Daimiki Armor Shads are #1. Followed by Berkleys Twitch Tail Minnow 3", and The Minnow 2". If you really want to increase your catches of bass, monster bluegill/crappie and trout too ad a scented Gulp Minnow, or Leech/Hellgrammite. And the Lake fork Tackle Baby Shad too. Yes and no. Depends on the rod, anytime i threw the 1/16-1/8oz versions i would barely feel it unless reeling it very fast to the point it was on the surface. However thrown on a stiffer L-ML rod with a piece of split shot added a few inches above makes a big improvement for me for vibration and it staying where its supposed to.

Agreed, the last gen being cleared out by BPS for $180 looks phenomal. This color looks like it belongs on their "Mach" series. Still a nice reel, but not my cup of tea.

To add on to this, you could also take the skirt off and put a tube on for a trailer. And then stroke it like a tube.

Put the fish finder that will benefit you the most where you will be seeing/using it the most. The majority if not all, will put side scan at the front and back, the rest will be side scan at the wheel, and down scan for the front. If you spend alot of time at the wheel using the engine (maybe youve got lakes that are over 1,000 acres) the masses thinking would make the most sense, but if you spend most if not all of your time at the front using the trolling motor how would that help you? It wouldnt, in this case put the side scan where youve already thought about putting it. If slow speeds made side scan obsolete why are so many guys putting it on there kayaks that arent motorized? I know it wont be getting the most out of it, but it will work.

How do you like these for bass? I bought a bunch of the smaller ones for crappie and walleye, but unsure if i should get some big ones.

Lews high end reels cant be compared with Zillions and Metaniums, as they are more on Par with the Tatula/SLX/Curado lines. (Lews works like this, take every reel they make and take away 25-40%, thats what it is worth and goes on sale for) And im a big Lews fan. I think the Gen 3 designs across the board is much better, from fit, finish, and looks. I also love how they went all in on giving every reel (even the cheap LFS) BB1 Pro handles and grips. By far my favorite ones out of every reel, and brand i own. Hate to be this guy, but if you had waited 12 days you couldve bought a clearance rod at Walmart for $5-7 and got $50 off this reel at Bass Pro per their Spring Classic trade in program. You do know Daiwa is the most popular Temu reel?🙂

I remember right when Tula steel cased changed from $200-300-then upwards of $500 per 1000 round case. (Everything else went to hell too though during those years) Before doing anything look up what a squib round is and what to do if you only hear a click. These rounds were very uncommon, only really happened with hot loads from your neighborhood garage based "reloader". During and after Covid ammo quality skyrocketed, just in the wrong direction. Theres been many incidents of people getting injured and guns getting destroyed the past few years, not saying this to scare you but to make sure you know what to look for so it can be prevented if it happens.

For higher end rods it would be more difficult no doubt, especially when manufacturers today want you to completely replace instead of fixing. But if someone joined a FB group for that brand and asked theres probably someone out there with the same rod broken near the bottom that would be willing to let go of their now useless top piece. And then theres Marketplace, auction sites, etc.... Ive also heard of a few companies sending replacement pieces too, although it wont be any of the big 4. Atleast there is a chance, whereas a 1 piece broken in the middle is completely useless if it doesnt have a "insurance plan" that costs $60 for a new one (Dobyns, St Croix, etc).

Ollies Bargain Outlet, a store across the country. In PA every store ive been to had Zooms on sale, the remaining stock of 13 Fishing cranks $5, and one had a couple hundred bags of Googan for $2. Along with the usual $8 Lucky Craf jerkbaits and the occasional $8-10 Jaack Hammer

Whats hilarious is that most Americans love 2 piece rods for trout, panfish, catfish, especially Ugly Stiks. Most fly rods are 3 or 4 piece too and no one complains about that either. But as soon as we get into bass fishing that switch gets flipped, hence the distaste or plain hatred for them. I love every 2 piece rod i have for trout and panfish, nor do i have any issues with my fly rods, but the 2 pieces i have several of for bass fishing feel awful, not much sensitivity, feels dull and weaker too, they are all usually more parabolic than the stiff stout 1 piece rods im used to and just dont feel right to me. (talking about the middle of rod, not near the handle for 2 piece ones) Most likely all 2 piece rods arent this way, but i havent found any i like yet. But i will say that they are probably the better way price wise in the long run, since its cheaper to replace a top piece than a whole rod if it were to ever break. For OP if shopping JDM more than likely most rods will be more than one piece, atleast from what ive heard. And after checking Japan Lure Shop just now the majority of Daiwa rods i looked at were "2 Joints". If you do go this route make sure you buy from one that has a very good reputation for handling any issues, because new rods can and do break from time to time whether from being stored a certain way or the modern day shipping disasters, even though its a very small % if it happened theres no manufacturer warranty. Having a good shop will still be costly with shipping but it wouldnt be a total loss.

FishUSA buy one get one Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap

I always heard the most popular rod for jerkbaits was a fast-extra fast? I dont know about that rod specifically but i got a Lews Custom Pro thats 7' M MF i plan on using for crankbaits. Its rated 1/8-1/2. I plan on throwing most of my smaller cranks or bigger ones that are light/non areodynamic, i have a few moderate cranking rods but find them too stiff towards the middle and bottom to throw most lighter cranks i own. The MF really suites my needs for cranks. With the Expride B rated 1/4-3/4 i think this would be really good for 2.5 KVD's, some shallow RKCrawlers, and stuff in that area of weight and size.