AVGuy

I bought new your same Yak! I'm still planning my 1st outing, which will be this winter or spring here in AZ. I have all the accessories, including a Helix 5 G3 GPS DI. So, I am going out no rod/reels with just that on the lake I primarily will fish as I want to get lake knowledge in dealing with the big boats out there. I know I will encounter bass boats so close to metro PHX. Luckily, I can fish weekdays! I also have to relearn some casting techniques with all the new BC reels and 7' rods I got. I have 6 combos, one spinning, so I can cover all three depth ranges from top 1-3", middle depth flats down to 8-9', and some bottom huggin stuff around 12-18'. I plan on visiting a nearby urban park with lake there and basically casting out often to regain confidence as I have not really fished for 30 years! I had 2 BC sets, and 3 spinning sets, but that was in the era of 6' rods...LOL. Confidence and Knowledge in my boat will be achieved. I am an avid cyclist with big lungs and ripped legs, so peddling 5-10 miles on a lake will be easy. I was very good bassin in my youth. I would highly recommend the Navarre Kayak site and looking at their Ytube stuff for the PDL 106 and and the like. I have already beefed up/upgraded my rudder bolt, steering knob, and added spare prop, peddle spacers, floating prop nut, and better gear tracks on mine - as you may want. I have tethers, but I am not worried about kluts dropping gear having canoe fished solo w/o incidents way back. I am lefty but cast with righty BC. With that, I will orientate all my gear for that. I got a Nocqua 12v 10 power pack for my Hummingbird, and with Navarre assist, will go no drill cable run on my PDL 106. It will be fine, leave the cables in the boat, take out the battery and Ram Mounted Helix, along with the seat/drive. I coworker of mine ran our same PDL106 boat for a year on our lakes here b4 he upscaled into a power alum bass boat said his but got sore in the 106 seat. My strategy for that is dropping the sturdy but soft Crazy Creek chair I have inside of it. Your tolerances may vary!

That looks great for a tourney fisher! I’m new to kayak fishing, and still have no prior experience with fish finders or imaging of underwater at all! Your post gave me a light “on”. I’ve obtained a new Old Town PDL 106, and will be fishing a 1200 acre lake for bass, first time out in over 30 yrs! I was used to using a paper contour map, and found my structure/fish just fine following it back in the 70’s on a half that size lake in Minnesota, alum boat w/4 hp. So, you’re saying I can simply leave the transducer behind if I get a Hummer 5 GPS Helix and replicate my map-only fishing? I loved that possible less rigging (I’m a technical noob) and easier on the eyes way to possibly get that OT yak out soon. I was even planning to make several lake runs w/o fishing rods and only mapping to learn my boat and the lake. I hate the idea of relying on screens, I work still over 40 hrs/week and sit in front of over a dozen! As a tourney playa, u should use all this locater toolset. Maybe u can pre-run some water bodies sans rods and get a heads up to.

Smirak - Too Bad I'm terrible about screen shotting here! LOL..but from both Digitaka and JPL; the Shimanos of 22 Bantam, Currado DC, Scorpion DC, and 23 Metanium All are showing Handles under 50 mm. You know, I may not be affected as my Bass fishing with baitcasters is ancient history from the '80's! I have a Bantam (JP) and an ABU Garcia 5600 CA (SW) and their handles (I don't have in front of me - will dig them out,) could very well be a shorty on that Shimano as I recall and a big one on the AG. They both were ok to me.

Novice Nelly here - can somebody quickly enlighten me re: bc reel handles specs on JDM? I’m seeing many Shimano & some Daiwa models where handle length = 42 or 45mm. Is that half, i.e. center drag nut to end or are the JDM models really small compared to USDM handles on Shimano/Daiwa. Only factor holding me back on any buys now. We all know common size specs here are 90-100mm.

Ahhhhhh....I got caught on this forum! Hey, I'm really just a runner (quit 5 Y/O due to fading performance) who replaced it full bore for my Workouts Only with both Gravel Biking and MTB - which I always did. It's actually more fun with higher end bikes than I really needed, that higher reliability and smoother performance have eased me into the endeavor where I never would be confused as a real cyclist - maybe I look the part! Yep, All the Italian OEM stuff kicked but B4 JDM Shimano, what I call silly SRAM; and we can go on and on about Carbon frames - the most are made in Taiwan, alot are made by Giant, rebranded. I hope to not pit Daiwa vs. Shimano here at all. But those two vs. the rest; THAT sounds fun! Keep throwing their stuff on the wall here and see if it sticks. I think my eventual gear will resemble my golf bags that feature three OEMs with a couple stray lesser known lines not feeling or performing any lesser at all. I just can't imagine a $250 reel from 13 Fishing Concept, Ark, Ardent, Bates Hundo, Okuma or even Abu Garcia as being vastly inferior to similar priced Daiwa or Shimano. And in comparisons, I would spec compare the frame, side plates, gears, spools, drag washers, line guide and more in reviews - if all are similar.

Mr. Glenn - It's a lotta hoopla here also all about this topic of graphite-carbon-plastic in the reels and even rods build components. I would hate to have plastic parts in most of a reel than perhaps the handle could be fine as "carbon". In golf clubs, carbon driver heads are fine. Faces - not so great, but can be good. Shafts are called graphite, but they are way stiffer than fishing rods. There's titanium in drivers still and it has worked for over two decades. Both my latest bikes are carbon frames. They have great allowances for absorbing terrain, but crack one and your done. I had aluminum frame prior and titaniums still out there - heavier.

WRB-2.0 "I wouldn’t go beyond 4 combos and focus more on soft plastics than hard bait with the exception of jigs and spinnerbaits." That above advice is music to my fishing ears! Lure pricing has gone totally Pear-Shaped with the hard baits of $20-45. I would like to have crankbaits, but now your advice gets my focus out of treble hook stuff - which I prefer! Jigs and Spinnerbaits became my faves for bass way back, and soft plastics I will learn better as they were so-so in natural lake MN. I gotta try those chatterbaits, which should be same rod as the spinnerbait. What consensus is there for the few US made-only rods...? Cashion, Cajun, or ALX? Pair those with Daiwa/Lews BC reels. Shimano/Lews Spinning.

I here the "break" part! I also have a great affinity towards JDM, where Daiwa/Shimano reside most. In fact, before researching fishing sites, here, tackle shops, and Ytube reviews - I googled the reels where made, trying to avoid the C place....well, turns out in pro lines of golf nowdays, much of it is made there and is superb! Of course, fishing reels moving parts, golf clubs are metal or graphite sticks.... Dang, even my last SUV buy/review I went deep diving and again realizing that Toyota and Honda are the kings of reliability compared to the many other brands from Japan, Korea, and US. I bought a Honda, but also own a Kia and there are some differences! I just had to look, but that Digitaka! site - can I actually get a Legit Daiwa Zillion there for $50-70 less than US sites? I did this with Honma irons back in 2018 straight from JP site and they were actually "forged in Japan" - highest level of manufacturing for irons around.

Bass casting friends...what a Godsend site! I have it pretty narrowed down on reel lineup. I always was gonna have a Shimano Spin, and a Lews in that area - on on a Med Fast Rod, the other a Med Lite XF Rod, respectively. For BC, will stick with my two Lews choices, their SS RX and the very similar KVD Elite. I'm gonna also be good with either Kast King, 13 Fishing Concept A2, Okuma, or Quantum in one or two most other categories. Then, with all the thread input here and around - I will splurge with Daiwa Tatula SV, probably a 150 & 100 for two other slots. I loved Daiwa spinning reels over 3 decades ago, using their mid to lower tiers then. Capping it with 5-6 Baitcasters, but not too invested in the alternate brands so I can always convert fully into one of the big two and maybe still go w/lotta Lews. FWIW - My 1978 original Lew's Speed Stick Glass Spin Rod was made in Japan - 1st new gear for me as a youth.

I could also reason the Shimano/Daiwa dominance as "JDM" coming back into fishing being a cyclist with the Shimano gear as superior and Golf. There are many gear whores whom only want Japan clubs, I have been one having forged iron set I ordered from Japan (Honma) that are gorgeous and high quality. But on price tiers - If brands C,D, and E only have 4-5 BC reels and I can afford there 2nd highest model, yet with both JDM, no way - I'm not gonna fish with a $500 reel with their top end likely over $700. I posted out of frustration with the big two pricing - each has at least a dozen reels out and the range in pricing from top to bottom is wide. Lews is my pick for two casting and one spinning and they also have many models. My Shimano XT groupset on my HT Carbon MTB is not their top end, it is second highest - but it absolutely is more durable and performs better than the top end of the few other bike OEMs in that world.

Hi; First time post, long time listener.....I am getting back into bass fishing later in '26 out of a Kayak in which I will drag around 6-7 rods ea. time. I really haven't fished for bass-only since my youth in the 70's on an natural lake in MN in a 15' alum. boat with 4hp - 4-5 rods/reels then. Nonetheless, I know how to attack the lake (Saguaro-AZ) when I get my 62 y/o azz out there in my comfy kayak. I'm starting out with 5 Baitcasters, and 2 Spinners. Basically, I have aligned my style faves and the success out there as much as possible. Here are the 5 slots of BC reel sets I will spend some bucks on to get that setup going, and I had marked No Shimano/Daiwa reels in it w/o any recent experiences. All the internet chatter and even here would say not to go outside that realm. I found via online shopping I want these - Lews SS RX, Lews KVD, (2)13 Fishing Concept A2, and Ardent Apex Tournament. Those aren't a Shimano or Daiwa, you Idiot. I get some of that. My Shimano Bantam reel from 1979 was smooth as silk way back. Both of my current carbon frame bikes (about $5k ea) have top line Shimano drivetrains and brakes. 5 Cats of lures/presentations in BC reels I will start with - 1.FOOTBALL JIGS/TEXAS RIG WORMS, 2.SPINNERBAITS/CHATTER BAITS, 3. SWIM JIGS/SOFT PLASTIC JERK BAITS, WTLSS SENKOS, 4.CRANKBAITS DEEP/MID, & 5. PUNCHING/FLIPPING/FROG. Spinning rod/reel will take several finesse setups and a little overlap of the above with soft jerkbaits, wtlss senkos. Please rip me why I should only go with the Shimano/Daiwa reels and avoid those lines listed above....Maybe the Lews can stay? Only change out the 13/Ardent stuff? Thanks for the space and I am same poster on Golf WRX if anybody is a crossover!