HeavyDluxe

Pfluger's Trion or President spinning combos are both EXCELLENT... I had the 6'6M President Combo (bought at StuffMart) and I still think it's the most sensitive spinning rod I've used. People will poo-poo that, but I'm for reelz. http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-combos-spinning-combos/pflueger-president-spinning-combo/1280294.html http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-combos-spinning-combos/pflueger-trion-spinning-combo/1315408.html#start=4 EDIT: The bonus here is that, even if you outgrow the rod, the reel is a very solid performer.

350+ when I bought my first kayak (280ish now and losing)... I bought a Ride 115. At your size, you'll be fine in almost any of the 'major brand' fishing kayaks. That said, try to find an event where you can go and paddle as many boats as possible. You'll be surprised what insignificant-seeming design element in Brand X will drive you insane with frustration, while Brand Y's seemingly insignificant design element will make your heart sing. Always wear a PFD. Have fun.

This... Dead-sticking soft plastics in shaded areas and around grass flat-out produces all the time. But, it takes patience which makes it really hard.

Just piling on late, here... I fish 4lb increments of mono... 4# on my UL setup for panfish, trout. #8 on my M/F for soft plastics and the very rare occasion I'm cranking. 12# on my MH/F 'jig' rod.

There are days when fish will bite any rubber worm you throw in the water. There are other days where they seem to only bite Senkos. Then, there are terrible days when they only seem to want to bite Purple-Elephant-with-Tangerine-Flake Senkos... And, of course, those are the days when you just have Green Pumpkin Wack-e-stiks you bought on sale (like the rest of us). I think fishing line is similar. Each line makes the likelihood of a successful presentation/hookup slightly higher in certain situations. Clear water and skittish fish? Yeah, that invisible fluoro leader might just explain why you're getting bit and I'm not. But, I think that there are soooo many things going on when fish are considering whether to eat what you're casting (weather, pressure, current, clarity, temperature, mood, and on and on) it's unlikely that your choice of line is going to make the deciding difference very often. It could, and it almost certainly WILL. But not often. Use what you're comfortable with... If you look at your baits in the water and think, "Yeah that just doesn't look edible", then change something - even if that means changing your line. I fish in very, very, very clear New England waters... I think using leaderless braid there would lead to (a few) fewer bites. But mono is good enough for me.

Just to be clear, I hope the original poster does not take my message to imply that "braid is bad and mono is king". We've all had that repair job where it was a pain in the tookus until someone showed us the tool that some other poor sap thought up to make that job easy. All of a sudden, the terrible job became a snap. In the same way, every situation in fishing has a setup (rod/reel/line/lure) that is probably best for unlocking it... Braid is certainly 'best' in some of those situations. My point is that "I'm getting all kinds of birds nests with mono" isn't that kind of problem. That's all. Good luck.

I'll just chime in as someone who still, in spite of the outcry, still fishes nothing but mono on all my setups (4lbUL, 8lbM, 12lbMH/H). If you're having that many issues with mono, one of three things is at work: 1) You're using mono that was pre-strung on the reels (poorly) and has been on the spool a long time 2) Your mono was strung poorly resulting in a lot of line-twist 3) Your reel spool is either too full or not full enough Mono is still serviceable for almost every fishing application, though I won't argue that there are potential benefits to braid/fluoro in specific situations. If you'd like to give mono a fair shake, but a new pack of good line (Trilene XL is what I mainly use now) and freshly spool the reel correctly. Having said all that, you definitely need lighter braid on that UL setup. Using that heavy diameter, braided line on such a light setup will lead to spool issue (again) and other potential problems. Something like 10lb braid is more than enough for light tackle.

I haven't paddled both, but I would say that appearances alone seem to confirm what microotter said... The Cuda looks faster, more nimble/maneuverable, and a better tracker. The Lure looks like the more stable platform. Short of paddling the two, I'd watch a lot of videos and see how the boats are equipped. Which one's accessories, mounts, organizational style, etc seems like it would fit the way you fish the best? For example, I really always liked the way the Jackson boats handle rod storage...

That is a haul... I'll just add two other little nuggets for thought: 1. You're spending a thousand bucks... If that dealer has inventory, the gas money and time invested to drive, test-paddle, and return home with your new kayak might be money well-spent. 2. While my own experience confirmed that each model of kayak feels different enough to warrant testing whenever it's possible, I think that there's enough similarity that purchasing a well-respected brand/model without demo would get you 75% of the way there. For example, I found the Coosa to be flippable (which I didn't like). But, if I'm honest, it was WAY more stable than the other kayak I had at the time. Had I bought the Coosa without a test paddle, I think I would've been able to adapt to it quite well and never had a second thought. And, even if I eventually did change my mind, I'd be more apt to get my $$ back out of a used name-brand boat... So, YMMV.... But keep us posted on what you do! Good luck.

Paddle before you buy, if at all possible. You'd be surprised how different the boats can feel and just how much (or little) you'll like about one as compared to the other. In the absence of that, I would personally recommend going for the Lure or Jackson for a couple reasons: 1) You don't want to buy a ton of outfitting gear at first, anyway, IMHO. You're much better served to fish the boat 'as is' for a little while to see what you think will work for you and then start assembling the accessories your want. 2) The better brand boat will hold its value a bit better in the long run than the knock-offs. There's nothing really wrong with the other boats, for the most part. But, if there's a chance you're going to look to upgrade later, you'll be happier with the JK, or Wilderness, or Moken or whatever label on the boat. 3) Buy once, cry once. Get the boat you think you'll be happy with so that you can, to the degree it's ever possible, be able to kill off any buyer's remorse. I bought a 'blemished' Ride 115 and I've never looked back.

A couple years ago, I was in the same boat as you... (Ha!) As a angler-of-girth, I wanted a dead-stable platform that would allow me to get into skinny water and fish while not worrying that I'd turtle the boat leaning over to lip a fish or while trying to get to my rods/tackle in the back. I found what Montanaro outlined earlier. Most kayaks rock a fair bit, but the chines on the hull will 'lock' in place before you can lean too far over. For example, I bought a Ride 115. I can throw that boat over so far to the side that I'll slide into the water but the boat won't tip. I can stand on one rail, and the boat holds. Not all boats are the same, though... I flipped a Coosa (twice) when I was demo'ing. Still embarrassed about that one. For my part, I think that the Ride was where I found the most security in stability... I never feel/felt like I was worried about the way the boat was moving/rocking. It felt controlled and, once up on a rail, dead steady. The downside is that the same boat is pretty flabby when paddling (I chased my son today and really had to work to keep up with his paddling of a pretty generic SINK). If you have other questions, please feel free to message me... I'd be glad to help if I could.

In the immortal words of LL Cool J, "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years." Thanks for the thoughtful reply...

All, Started being somewhat more serious about fishing a couple years ago and decided to take the simple approach. I began with a 7ft M/F spinning outfit that I used for fishing soft plastics (c- and t-rigged, but mostly weightless). Then I bought another 7ft MH/F spinning outfit for jigs last year. This year, I haven't hit the water much, but I'd like to get another setup (I'm guessing another 7' M/F spinning) and begin to explore throwing cranks and spinners. So, I'd love some suggestions on the one or two 'go to' brands/models you'd consider in both categories. I like to keep things simple and so I don't need a ton of variety in my tackle box if I think I have reasonably productive options. Thanks. Edit - To be clear, I'm looking for feedback about lures ("Hey, man... Rapala cranks are the bombdiggity and Strike King is teh lozer.") rather than for feedback about the rod/reel setup.

Used on CL in the winter/spring... Check with your local shop, as they may periodically get blemished models in that can be had at a significant discount. (I own a blem 2014 Ride 115 that I got for $300 less than the unblem'd. I just have a mangled sticker on the boat. Structurally, it's fine.) Otherwise, check the major retailers like Bass Pro, Cabelas, etc, and watch for sales/clearances. Smaller, boutique kayak shops don't hold tons of inventory and expect to be able to move what they have without needing to go all bargain-basement on prices.

Welcome, neighbor.

I'd just buy something in between the light and dark that you've seen in the environment and run with it. I don't think super-small variations are going to matter much in your catch rate. (Note: I know there are days where green pumpkin with purple flecks catches when green pumpkin with any other color doesn't. I'm simply saying that those circumstance, on the whole, are rare enough not to lose sleep over.)

Posting here because I trust all you all to give good, meaningful feedback if you can. Bought a 2012 Corolla to replace my old beater... Love the car, but the only downside is it didn't come with roof racks. I have a Wilderness Systems Ride 115 that I car topped on my old car. Would prefer not to beat up the roof on this one if I can. A Thule rack kit is at least $400, which is more than I want to spend. Does anyone have any meaningful experience with other aftermarket roof rack vendors (Rhino, Sportrack, etc) and could offer me any advice re: how to save a buck if I can? Thanks.

Grew up using Stren... Dad was a duPont employee, and his plant was one of the ones where the mono was made. When we fished salt water in the Delaware Bay, we used 14lb *yellow* Stren. ("If it breaks 14lb Stren, I don't want it in our boat.") Now use Trilene XL after a couple of bad run-ins with Stren when I started fishing again as an adult. Admittedly, the bad stuff was probably just due to line that had sat on the shelf for too long, but... I'm still one of those traditionalists... I fish spinning tackle only, all strung with mono. 2lb for my UL trout/panfish setup, 6lb for my M soft plastics rod, and 12lb for my MH jig rod.

Small aberdeen hook with a split shot of reasonable size (for casting) looped on 12-to-whatever inches above the hook. Add chunk of worm, bug, bologna, or whatever. Cast, let sink on a semi-slack line. Set the hook when you feel the serious tap(s).

Great fish and story, sir... I've been so thrilled with the fishing up here. The high-side of Vermont fish isn't going to stagger you the way some lunkers in the south will, but the quality of the fish, the scenery, and the overall health of the fisheries more than make up for it. What's your boat in the pic?

Greetings from Windsor, VT... The lakes around Plymouth, VT (Amherst, Echo, Rescue, Ninevah) have all produced good catches of smallies for me. I'm a bit of a two-technique-fisher... I mainly dead-stick soft plastics or throw jigs. I just dont get the time on the water to work on developing a lot of skills with various baits. That said, I consistently catch fish so I think it works ok. Good luck!

If I'm fishing to survive - especially if from the bank - I'm targeting panfish. In an hour of fishing, I can almost assure that I'll catch enough for a meal on any healthy body of water. So, bare hooks for bugs, a very small jig, and something like a beetle/mepps spinner or small crank.

The way I figure it's "nothing ventured, nothing gained" at this point. Shimano publishes a simple service guide that I think might be a place to start (http://goo.gl/VqsReJ). I just figured I'd see if anyone else has something to say helpful on here before I get home this weekend and take a shot at it on Sunday.

Hi, everyone. I've got two spinning outfits, both outfitted with '35' class Pflueger President reels... The one I use the most is that reel on a M/F rod for soft plastics, etc. The reel has two seasons of light use, and, until now, I hadn't done any reel maintenance on it. Well, this week, we've been enjoying our annual trip to a house on a lake... At one inspired moment, I decided to talk a walk off the end of a dock while holding my rod/reel. I managed to catch myself before I went in the drink, but the rod went in without me. It was shallow and easily retrieved, but it was submerged. Anyway, afterwards, the reel has shown some symptoms of the trip into the briny deep - namely, the handle cranks rather stiffly, particularly when you try to start reeling from a stop. If I spin it from the bail, things seem smooth but the handle bearing/area is seizing up a bit. It's not a high-dollar reel, obviously, but it's more than enough for me. I'd think of shipping it to DVT for service, as they're highly recommended on here. But, once you add in shipping to a basic service, I'm up to the point of buying a replacement reel (especially since I could do it with a Trion or something, now). Does anyone have a quick/dirty method for servicing spinning reels that might help here? I searched the forums before posting, and most of the spinning threads seem to talk about big, annual breakdowns - which everyone seems to agree are close to being too difficult for the novice. FWIW, I own some firearms, so I have things like CLP on hand that might serve as a light oil to be shot inside. Thanks in advance.

FWIW, those screws are most likely for attaching a factory-approved rudder assembly. It is highly unlikely that the screws even go all the way 'through' the plastic hull into the the hollow of the boat.