LargeChuckles

River fishermen (especially for rivers with riffle areas) want a boat that turns quickly. Lots of kayaks are made with strong keels that keep the boat going straight even with sloppy paddling technique. However in a river, not only do you need to turn faster (to avoid rocks in the rapid areas), but the current piles against the keel which tends to keep the kayak sideways, making it even harder to turn. A strong keel (or pontoon design) also gives the kayak more initial stability, however it makes it slower to start moving/turning (a disadvantage for river fishing). Both types usually have plenty of secondary stability (ie keeps you from falling all the way over). River kayaks tend have more rocker (bend from bow to stern) as this allows them to slip over bouncy water better (bob like a cork) rather than spear through the water. A design between the two usually is never a "fun" boat to paddle, as they mostly always feel like they are lacking in one aspect or another. If you ignore the branding, this is a decent description of a kayak attributes (from a sea kayak perspective, but it mostly holds true for other types of kayaks): http://www.cdkayak.c...sign_basics.php

Small smallies live in different areas than big ones. Big ones are also more spooky, especially with low and dropping water.

You have good advice so far.... I would also go with a wrist snap or sweep hook set, rather than cross their eyes jig hook set. You could very well be ripping it out of there mouth. Hint thinner trebles penetrate better.

I would not bother for elkhorn creek. If you want to "probe" deep holes a heavy jig or dropshot will work well. Good thing about both of those it will transmit bottom type (bedrock, gravel, mud, etc) Been awhile since fishing there, but I don't recall anything over 12-15 ft feet deep.

MAD, You might want to check out the Jackson Cuda and Big Tuna. Both of which should be faster than the commander and have the self-bailing feature, plus have a taller seating position (which makes it easier to stand from), and larger flat deck area to stand on. I posted video on another thread. As far as the Coosa tracking goes, it tracks great if you have good technique. It doesn't have a strong keel, to rob you of power, but to "automatically" keep you going straight. For small lakes (under 500 acres) it works well and for rivers it is the bomb. Regardless of brand, you should try them out before purchasing.

You can quasi-pitch from the Jackson Coosa while still sitting (from the high seat position), yet easily stand up (unlike some kayaks which force you to stand from a very low position=difficult). I would assume the soon to be released Jackson Cuda and Big Tuna will also have the extra large standing area and the super comfortable high seating position. The large standing area also allows you to easy turn sideways, something most other kayaks don't allow. Check this out: