Darren.

Welcome aboard, Austin! You'll want to ask a Moderator to move this to "Tackle Making" forum. You can also make a post in "Introductions" and tell us a little about yourself.

LOL...sorry, I LOL because I feel your pain. My dog did pretty much the same thing to me.... It is also scary when getting ready the night before fishing, tying leaders, and your cat(s) sneak up silently and start pawing, then clawing then biting the line you're trying to tie. I've had to retie a few leaders from that...Not nearly as painful as the dog breaking your rod tho.

Do you usually tie a Palomar with fluorocarbon? That's one of those knots that has to be tied perfectly or else it cuts in to the FC and will snap. If I use FC leader, I'll tie a clinch knot with about 6 wraps, or a 6-7 wrap uni knot. If I'm fishing a non-weedless hook, I sometimes tie a snell.

Welcome aboard! When waters are high here, I've done like Jeff, throw to the bank and go from shallow to deep. TX rigging was highly successful for me during this particular time. Haven't had too many days with swollen conditions like that of recent.

Welcome aboard, JJ!

Seaguar Red Label

Welcome aboard, Rich!

If I had to do it again, I'd look for the DIY that uses retractible golf ball retrievers. You can get them in in various lengths, and it is much cheaper than buying one outright. Though the one I have is the same material as a Power Pole - so it is really tough. Here:

As for other tips, if you have laydowns and docks, they make great targets for wacky, drop shotting and TX rigging - jigs, too. If your lake has shallows (6' and less), you could think about carrying an anchor pole either DIY or you can buy one online. I find mine indispensable on the waters I fish.

Nice report. I can't agree more with @A-Jay, wear a PFD 100% of the time. I know it can get hot and sweaty, but that's a tiny irritant compared to capsizing and hitting your head on something that knocks you out and you drown. I see too many kayakers and canoeists on the water w/o a PFD on. Of course you only need to have one with you, not *on* you. But it will only work if it is *on* you...

I can only say "maybe" if they also have products for boaters...which some do around lakes and such. @Choporoz gave you a link, so that might take care of your attempt to find some.

Welcome aboard, James!

I can't speak for him, but my kayak is a hybrid, sits really low to the water and I have a bunch of holes in it. In fact, I even changed where my foot tracks are. I simply patched the holes and I'm good to go. Drilling into a kayak is not something to be afraid of It hurts when you first do it tho. Just use the proper marine goop and you're all set. There are a lot of different trolleys out there, including DIY. If you have a West Marine or store like that, you can piece the kit together, or use the Harmony, Yakattack, or visit some online stores like austinkayak.com and paddleva.com and check theirs out.

Wow. Sorry you feel that way. But don't buzz a kayaker, please. Think of a kayaker like a motorcyclist on the road...or better yet, a cyclist. They can be super irritating, but a close buzz to one can do some real damage. I know you're ranting, and I'm not taking any offense. But a couple things to consider. First of all, pretending to fish is not what we do. Just because you have a boat does not make you better than kayakers. Yes, there are plenty of newbie kayak fishermen that have no clue what they are doing. But that is not all of us. Those people irritate me, too. It's a craze, yes, but it'll pass eventually.

Welcome aboard! Yup, the Flea Market is what yer looking for.

Ditto. I still haven't stopped modding my yak after years of owning it. I'm always looking to streamline and simplify the outfitting. Less is more in many cases.

agree with flyfisher, what specifically do you want to do with your new yak? modify it with a crate, rod holders, anchor trolleys, a trolling motor, etc.? kind of yak would also be helpful as not all are very easy to mod.

I'm having a real problem with your picture If it is in your gallery, you have the option to change it's orientation from upside down to rightside up.

Welcome aboard, Bucky! I think a MF will be fine, although Croix rods tend to be a tad stiffer than their rating. I had a MXF Avid thinking it would be great for what I used it for, didn't like it. Granted a MF might have been better, but the rod broke and I ended up trading up to a MLXF Legend Tourney. That rod is *awesome*. I did find the Avid to be more tip-heavy than I like, have not tried the X series as @Steveo-1969 mentions, but he's right. It (and the Avid) get a lot of love here. As for braid, you'll be fine with either. I use 10# PP which has a 2# diameter, and 15# PPSS8 which has a 4# diameter. I always use a leader to keep from cutting and retying my braid during a trip too often. Plus I have 100% confidence in using a leader...

Awesome, Tim! Zander is like our Walleye?

Very difficult to qualify "most sensitive", as it is a subjective thing. I find my Carbonlites "sensitive", but not as much as my Legend Tournament. My Avid was somewhere in between, and my Premiere below the CL... This is just me and the way these rods feel in my hands. I also think braid mainline *really* helps the sensitivity issue.

Daiwa's reputation is pretty great. There are a lot of Daiwa fans on the board here. I'm sure some will chime in soon. If it were me, I'd pick a Shimano. I've got a Chronarch 50e and it's a stellar reel. I've also got a Daiwa Lexa which is an excellent reel, as well, tho not in the Chronarch's class. That said, I'm not in the market for casting reels any time soon. I've been concentrating more on my spinning setups these days. I don't have experience with Ardent reels.

Welcome aboard! If the choice is between those two, I'd pick the Tatula.

Welcome aboard, Mike! Beautiful brownies!

Welcome aboard!