HeavyDluxe

I can't wait to get a hand on these new reels and give them a try... It seems like Pflueger has had (at least on BR) a stranglehold on that segment of the market for reels. Great to see someone pushing in there with a nice product.

So, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm a fisherman on a budget. And, when it's working at least, I like the idea of a simple, quasi-minimalist loadout. I've got two, mostly-identical, main setups: 7' Tourney Special rods from BPS with Pflueger President spinning reels - one of which is MH/F and the other's a M/F. They were at a price I could live with and have performed pretty well. The trick is that one of my kids broke the tip (down to the second guide) off the MH rod over the winter last year. It's still functional, but I fish a lot of bottom contact (jigs, mainly) with that rod and feel like it's not as sensitive now. I thought about replacing it on a recent trip to BPS, but discovered that they'd changed that line of rods this year... A glance at the online reviews seemed to indicate that the new ones were breaking and not up to the standard of their predecessor. Has anyone here used any of that line and could shed some light on what's good or clownshoes? I came reeeeeaaaal close to replacing both rods when the Aetos special was running... But all they had were XF tipped rods by the time I talked myself into it, and I don't think that would work as well for my fishing.

Don't have a pic, sadly... 6lb+ largemouth and a 4lb smallie. Both caught within two months of each other in 2014. 6'6M/F Pflueger President spinning combo - 8lb mono. GYCB Fat Ikas (Black w/ Blue Flake) with 4/0 Eagle Claw EWG. Truly budget and BassResource specials...

First, this thread might be useful reading as a lot of what's said there could be repeated here: Having pointed you there, I'd just echo this: You're best served paddling as many different kayaks as possible before you make a decision to buy anything. You'll be surprised - as I was - just how different the experience paddling can be from one supposedly-comparable boat to another. You might find that, for your preferences, the cheapest boat in the race is fine. Then again, you may find out that you'll be MUCH happier saving a little more for a better boat. Watch Craigslist... There are all kinds of people selling yaks off all the time. You might find something that suits you there for less money. As far as etiquette goes: Be visible, give other fisherman their space. One of the benefits to being in a kayak is that you can get away from the crowds and get to places that others can't. Use that to your advantage.

For reelz? Color me skeptical, but the kinda skeptical that will try this the next time I have a box of Stik-Os.

Just add... I don't fish traditional tubes, but I fish the Ika-type baits (solid, plastic tube) all the time. They are seemingly irresistible for smallies and pressured largemouth up here.

Not sure about OP, but it's worth noting that's not an option everywhere... States in the northeast with Loon populations have outlawed lead sinkers smaller than a certain weight. I know that NH has come close to (if they haven't already) banning ANY lead-weighted hook - including jigheads, etc - below a certain size.

I keep three colors on of the Fat Ikas on hand at all times - Green Pumpkin, Dark Pumpkin (brown/orange), and Black & Blue. They all catch fish... I throw the black and blue in murky water all the time. I don't night fish, but I can't see why it wouldn't work then.

My personal philosophy: The number of days where the bass will bite a green pumpkin GYCB Senko and not bite a green pumpkin [copycat stickbait] are very few. But, there are those days. And, when you find them, it's beyond frustrating. Trick is that there are also days where the fish will/would bite the copycat and would bypass the 'real deal' for whatever reason. That's fishing... Same goes for color, etc etc.

Again, I'd suggest keeping an eye out for used kayaks as the fall starts and maybe even into the spring. If you find a jonboat that you like the looks of, by all means go for it! In the end, both will get you on the water and fishing. That said... Maybe it's just me, but you might find that you get skunked in a kayak, too. Especially in the summer. Summer fishing is just hard... Fish are deep and inactive, and locating them (without electronics or being able to cover _a lot_ of water) can be hard. I can tell you that my most productive day on the water was still from the bank in the fall here in VT. And the last time I was out on the kayak - a more-or-less all day affair - I was skunked. I bought a THICK beach towel and pool noodle. I drape the towel from the end for the roof over the rear window down over the trunk. Then, I put the pool noodle at the 'top' of the towel on the roof. I drag the kayak to the back of the car, and then lift/slide the boat up the back of the car until it's resting on the noodle. I then 'roll' it forward - eventually putting the standard foam blocks under as I center the boat and strap it down. Easy.

FWIW, I have car-topped a Ride 115 on a Toyota Corolla and, before that, a Hyundai Elantra... Neither's had roof racks. I wouldn't say it's easy, but it's totally doable... especially if you add a redneck hack or two to the process.

3/8oz Brush Heads for me... I have black/blue, PB&J, Brown/Orange, Sweet Craw, and the Bluegill/panfish color that I can never remember. The latter, paired with a green pumpkin craw, has been the confidence jig this summer.

Siebert's stuff is EXCELLENT... I only got into jig fishing at all a couple years ago, and I buy the bulk of my jigs from him. I can't say 'all' since I'm not above picking some booyah jig out of the bargain bin at StuffMart from time to time.

Buy once, cry once... If $250 is all you can afford, you can make something in that price range workable. *BUT*, you'll be better served to save a little more (if you can) and get a better option. This is especially true if you're ambitious or have some physical issues (larger frame, mobility issues) that might make using a budget boat more bothersome. There's no shame in being unable to afford more... We all are in that spot from time to time. But, if it's impatience driving you to a low-end boat, discipline yourself to be patient. With new boats coming out and the season coming to an end, Craigslist and the like will have lots of kayaks at various price points.

I use a carwash sponge. The other option would be a small, battery-powered pump like people use to fill kerosene heaters: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kerosene-Pump-Battery-Operated/21804883?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=335&adid=22222222227025397276&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=44121665432&wl4=pla-84663321632&wl5=1021873&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=111830463&wl11=online&wl12=21804883&wl13=&veh=sem

If you're fishing rivers, the jighead and soft-plastic grub is an oft-overlooked producer... And, they're inexpensive (assuming you're somewhere that can use lead weights) enough to be a good option for your guests. If they get tree'd, it's not a huge deal. Beyond that, I still think that weightless senkos flat-out catch fish and do so at an affordable price - particularly if you're willing to use non-GYCB versions.

That's just it... I'm not dissatisfied at all. But, I figured it was worth asking what other people have experienced to see if there was anything special worth considering. In an ideal world, the nice little shop we used to have would still be open and I could just go try something out. But, instead, I have to rely on the intertubes. And, so far, everything I've read has either been advertising or paid-reviews. The Ride is just fine for what I need... But, the thing standing between me and more fish caught isn't the amount of tackle I have. And yet, I keep buying more stuff in that department... You know? Thanks for the reply... In hindsight, I wish I'd gotten a Ride 135. I think it would've ticked all the boxes I needed ticked. But, I got a steal on a blemished Ride 115 and didn't know enough to consider the bigger boat. I've learned the value of a bit longer hull since then. The idea of lower-to-the-water for less wind deflection is great... I get pushed around a fair bit on the mountain lakes here in VT.

I've waxed and, now, waned on my tackle carrying... I started minimalist, then went to a full-blown crate with multiple boxes in the well of my Ride 115. This year, I decided to get down to one tackle box that I could just grab and go with - whether hitting the water in the boat or the bank. This is what I currently carry...: "Column" 1: Swimbaits/Flukes, Small aberdeens, spinners (2), scent, split-shot "Column" 2: Worm hooks, worm/drop weights, swimbait hooks, topwater frogs (buzz and hollow), misc cranks, drop-shot hooks "Column" 3: Senkos and Ikas, both in 3 colors (Grn Pump, Drk Pump, Blck/Blue)... I keep backstock of all these and replenish the numbers in the tacklebox every so often. "Column" 4: Flappin' Hogs and one bag of Bugs, 3/8os Siebert brush jigs (Blck/Blue, Brown/Org & Sweet Craw, Bluegill) So far, this seems to be the right balance of having everything I could want with me while being minimalist enough to be portable and force me to fish what I have. I should add: I take 2-3 rods... 7'M and MH spinning (with 6 and 10lb mono, respectively) and 6'UL spinning (4lb). I either carry them laying in the footwells between my legs or in rodholders I mounted to the milkcrate. My plan now is to use the freed up space in the tankwell milkcrate for other stuff like food, water, camping gear, etc.

I just asked about jigs in grass the other day. The responses were very helpful... FWIW, I didn't find that the weedguard trim made a ton of difference, but YMMV.

Beautiful surroundings, great times enjoyed with friends/family, and the challenge of 'figuring out the fish'. As others have mentioned, that jolt of electricity when the line gets tight and the rod bends into a heavy-pullin' fish... Priceless. For example: Spent all day today until 5pm out with a couple buddies... Fishing in small streams in the woods for native brookies, kayak fishing for smallmouth and largemouth, then finishing with fishing a bigger river for any leftover stockie rainbows or browns. Wound up being thin on the catching today, but it was still exquisite.

Depending on the day, yes.

Keep that board for when you want to impress us with your posts. ;-)

I once saw a paper (though a quick search didn't turn it up) that was studying the relative amount of mass that fisherman would be able to catch in an angling period - say, three hours - targeting different levels of the pond food chain. It was clear from that paper that people targeting panfish and other small fish would produce more pounds per hour on average than people targeting larger, full-grown fish or species... And, of course, that makes sense. For every bass of any decent size in a pond, there are tons of smaller fry/juveniles of all species and mature panfish, perch, etc that make up the foundation of the fish-food pyramid. While any given 5lber would easily put a bass fisherman in the lead for the day, the number of days where the bass fisherman outweighs someone targeting smaller species (again, on average) is going to be very small, indeed.

If I'm fishing to survive, I'm targeting (bio)mass rather than bass. I'll take a small in-line spinner, as others have said, or small jighead tipped with an artificial grub or any number of readily available bugs from near the pond. With these, I'm confident I'll catch everything in the body of water from time to time. But, more importantly, I know I can catch ample panfish to feed myself and use to bait for bigger things if I'm so inclined.

Teva Originals or FI Lites. Fishing from a yak, so barefoot and feet in the water as often as possible during the summer.