Flywatersmallie

Oh I don't know, I fish split grips all the time out of the kayak with no issues. So do most of the people I go with and never heard of an issue. +1 on the Tatula. I have the 6'10" MH and actually just bought the 7' M today. They are nice sticks for sure. Others to look at... Fenwick ET Smallmouth as was previously mentioned, Fenwick HMG, Aetos. The Avids were great for the money some years ago, since then, a lot of manufacturers have caught and passed St Croix at that price point unless you can find a deal on a used one I would look elsewhere

My first kayak was a sit in, I never fell out or flipped it so I cant say for sure. Though the brother in law flipped my wife's and had to drag it onto shore to dump all the water out. Nowhere for it to go otherwise. Carry a pump just in case!

Team Daiwa T from TW for $59 and change I think. Great rods at their retail price, a steal at that. Free shipping and no tax unless you are in CA. They are IM7 blanks, I believe the same rods as the old Daiwa Tierra only with updated hardware Fenwick Eagle is another one worth looking at in your price range.

I generally use 10 on spinning reels with no leader. Bass aren't line shy generally and I fish a few lakes with 20' visibility. Go as thin as you can comfortably. The strength isn't an issue. Diameter is. You will be able to cast further with smaller braid as there is less friction both coming off the spool and through the guides.

Orvis Encounter combos... Come with everything but the flies for $159. http://www.orvis.com/encounter-fly-rods I've got a few of them, the reel is fine with a reasonable drag but the rod and line perform well beyond their price point

That battery should do you just fine! I've got something real similar in my kayak (also a 12' sot) and it powers the fish finder perfectly. Mine is for a trail camera or something but same basic plot. I've got the Elite 4 HDI. Only difference is the chart plotter. If GPS isn't important to you, that unit will do everything you ask of it. I dont use the GPS often but I figured better to get it and not use it than want it later and need a whole new unit. Duct seal works pretty good for mounting the transducer and it isn't permanent so its easily removed. I just mounted the head unit on the front of the yak just far enough up so I wouldn't kick it but can still lean forward to reach it. Built a battery box out of a sterilite container that was like a buck at Wal-Mart and stuck it inside the front hatch with industrial Velcro. Ran the transducer back and mounted under my seat and zip tied all the extra wires to one of the scuppers. Easy setup, looks nice and clean and works great. The salesman tried to tell me that down scan won't work through hull. It does just fine but gets a lot of clutter once I'm deeper than maybe 40'. If you're going to want to use it deeper than that you will want to mount the transducer on the outside. Standard sonar works perfectly as deep as I have paddled over (170'). I can see my bait and everything. Only drawback is temp takes a little while to get an accurate reading

I have a closet full of fly rods and fish them hard for bass. A 7 or 8 weight is about perfect to throw those bulky bass flies. Lately I have been experimenting with a switch rod. Smallies get most of my fly rod attention and there is often not a lot of room to make a back cast on some of these rivers up here. The switch rod is ideal, I am surprised more aren't doing this as well

I usually carry 4-6 rods. Really only because I can. My yak is my bass boat. I run a fish finder with down scan and so on. Being that the Vapor is a sit inside model yours will be a bit different than mine as far as rigging goes. A bit agreement on the anchor trolley. Boat control is a big deal in a kayak. The wind or current will push you all over. A stake out pole (think power pole for the yak) is a real asset out on the water whether river or lake. I like longer rods but have downsized them somewhat for kayak use. Mine are all 6'6" to 6'10". Long enough that I dont lose much of the benefit of longer rods but short enough that I can reach the tip while sitting if need be. Get a couple pool noodles! They're cheap and you will find tons of things to do with them. Part of the fun of kayak fishing is rigging how you want it

All it does in effect is keep the line from having to turn at a hard angle coming off the reel. The guide type should have no effect on what's going on at the reel

After playing with the rod/reel for a couple hours, I can honestly say, it works great! It works exactly as advertised. I had the reel dialed down in minutes. I realized later I had to set the brakes a bit higher to control my casts better. I was over shooting targets by 50' with the same effort as my other reels. I've now got the settings back down to where I like them and long casts are effortless. This thing is the longest reel in its price range, no question. And with the reduced friction from the line guide, it handles light baits very well. I spent the bulk of the time out throwing a 2 3/4" tube with 1/8th ounce head with no issues(my rod is the 6'10" MHF). And I was throwing it far! Retrieves were very smooth. And... the rod is impressive, as good or better than anything in that $150 price range. Unless you're asking what it does, it looks real similar to a normal levelwind line guide until you depress the switch. then the guide turns 90 degrees to open a wide hole, maybe 2/3 the way across the spool. The line doesn't touch the hole it goes through a whole lot. Definitely less than a conventional casting reel. Different for sure but a pretty effective setup to be sure

Sweet! I just bought a Tatula yesterday. I planned on having one a while ago too but other things I "needed" kept coming up. Cant wait to get out and play with it today

No experience with the Scout but... I paddled the Stryker, Its a barge. Its big and heavy. Its definitely stable, if that's your main concern, you may like it. The Pescador is popular and it is what it is... The old WS Tarpon. You cant go wrong but it may not fit what you want and leave you wanting more. My Tarpon honestly did that with me. I got it and wanted to be able to stand. What kind of water are you looking to fish? Another one to consider. The F&S Eagle Talon at Dick's. I ended up with one in the end and really like it. You would want to upgrade the seat so take that into consideration regarding price. Its a great platform though. Its definitely faster and tracks better than the Stryker and though much slower than the Tarpon/Pescador, it is much more stable. I can and do stand and fish in mine. Plus it comes pretty well rigged and ready to fish. Included rod holders, anchor trolley, anchor and the like. They are made by Moken for what that's worth.

When I go out, my 6 rods are... 4 spinning, 2 casting. I do that for a number of reasons, I actually fish worms on a spinning rod, they are easier to skip under things, baits fall straight down and can handle lighter or weightless plastics better. I throw very few cranks aside from a few parts of the season then its 3 and 3. Otherwise, casting rods get jig and spinnerbait duty. Everything else is spinning. Both my personal best largemouth (8lbs 3oz) and smallmouth (7lbs 5oz) were taken on spinning gear. You are doing yourself a real disservice by not using one.

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth

I started fishing out of a sink. It worked. Range of motion was somewhat limited compared to what you are used to. I tend to fidget around if I am stuck in one position too long. On my SOT I stand, move around, sit side saddle. None of which is a real feasible option in the sit in models. Though the hybrid designs are closer to a canoe. The Kilroy is a completely different animal. A sink but designed with fishing in mind. Not like most sinks you see where they are simply a rec boat with a rod holder or 2 attached. The Kilroy is a cool design. I would look there if I wanted a sink to fish from though I don't think it is much lighter than the Ride. Wife has an Old Town Vapor. Nice wide open cockpit and is pretty stable. Weighs something like 40lbs. Might be a direction to look, plus they are cheap

Though not under $50, these are close to your budget http://h3opolarized.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=H3O&Category_Code=H3OLITE and they aren't bad. Put on a pair of Costas and you will know why guys spend $$$ for sunglasses. You only have the one set of eyes, best to take care of them IMO but to each their own. The H3O guy lives a couple miles from me, he stands behind his product and I have used them in the past. Right up there with anything else in their price range.

Fenwick HMG 7' MHF. Pick one up and you will forget all about the mojo

Really any standard SOT kayak seat will fit in there. I have a Surf to Summit seat in my kayak, cant say enough good things about the seat. Its very comfortable with good support where it needs to be. I usually sit on a boat cushion though, not because of the seat but because I am a few inches higher then, it does make a difference fishing.

Me too! From Loomis to Dobyns to Legend Elites. I love what Fenwick is doing right now. Got a few of the Elite Tech Smallmouth rods and since my first one, I have been averaging one of the new HMG's a week and watching the other rods go away. That is the best $100 rod on the market right now!

Yup

I wear all Columbia stuff too. I don't wear a buff but everything else, long sleeves, long pants, shoes, hat and gloves. To answer your question about roasting out there, a lot of the high tech stuff out there is actually cooler than wearing nothing at all. Stay away from cotton! I have naturally dark skin anyway so I don't generally burn but I still would rather not tempt fate. That and the whole skin cancer thing. I will pass on that too.

While that's true on the seats, there are some great aftermarket seats available and OK uses the standard placement of seat hardware so one could throw in a nice comfy seat if they chose to. That said, good kayak seats are not cheap and that cost (If you aren't happy with the one in the boat) needs to be factored into the cost. Agree 100% with GADawgs about the test paddle to see if you like it if at all possible. I have learned the lesson the hard way. I have a cheap SOT now that I prefer hands down to a $1000 boat that's sitting in the garage. The Trident line is a proven, popular series of boats. I don't have any first hand experience with one though. The Mod Pod that OK does is slick

The Gander Mountain Vortex rods are really tough to beat in that price range. I have like a dozen of them for kayak rods. Every one set up exactly the same with a Quantum Accurist reel(that Gander has half off all the time too). Regular price is like $60 for the rod but they routinely go on sale for $20-30. And they carry GM's over the counter replacement warranty

They have been saying that since just after the Savvy series came out. Instead they released to Coalition and since a whole lot of new rods in existing lines but nothing else

Havoc Bottom Hopper in shady watermelon candy