flyfisher

lol that is funny, superior propulsion system. 15 years ago you probably had a case but that was as much because you can't compete against anyone when there is only one competitor. Now though, lots of different pedal drives out there and they are all mostly solid. Personally unless there is a specific reason to get a pedal kayak, i'd rather have a motor. I can get a better paddling boat than a Hobie and throw a motor on it and save a bunch of cash in the process.

quick i guess is relative but the kayak is over 150lbs once everything is in it. How you are loading and unloading is probably a major consideration as well. You get it on a trailer that you can back into the water and it is pretty quick I am sure.

this is so true. Jeff Little an east coast smallie and kayak guru did a whole writeup on his tarpon ultralight and he beat the crap out of it and it was still ticking with no issues. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/kayak-fishing.html He talks about the boat here, granted a long time ago but it is still valid.

I didn't think I would like them but they are entertaining and I would rather see one than sit in a movie theater. I just picked up some outrageously expensive tickets to see Hamilton on the Broadway in Richmond tour. We have seen a few other ones and they are always a good evening. We also try and hit at least one of the Christmas ones each year with the kids, last one we saw was frosty.

That makes sense. I try and keep that angle as steep as possible so I limit those long casts unless i am swimming a jig and dropping it into holes. I guess that is the fun part of fishing....figuring it all out and seeing what works on any given day.

Like has been mentioned, high water means new flooded areas. Somewhat hard to do from the bank though as you have to be extra cautious on spooking them. My preferred bait is a fluke rigged weightless and weedless but i don't think it matters as much as it does getting it to them. One of the best days I had on a lake that is notoriously finicky was in conditions like you have, high muddy water. I was chucking my fluke as far up into the shallows as I could and I was amazed at the size and quantity of fish up so shallow.

I use both but a jig is more often tied on and used for me. I used to hate using jigs in vegetation but over time, I have learned how to finesse it through and that seems to do better for me than a T-rig. I think the bulk of a jig helps it flutter through grass rather than slipping past it all if that makes sense. On the river for smallies I am 75% of the time using a confidence baits draggin head with a craw over a jig. The jig is either a football head as they seem to not get snagged in rocks as often or the confidence baits finesse jig. Like has already been said a bunch on here, try both and see what is working that particular day.

You mentioned you are going to your jeep, is it a gladiator or are you cartopping it or have a trailer? For that short length I would get whatever is cheapest because like you said, the use of it is minimal. For me, I have a few spots I like that have a decent distance to the ramp so I went with the Wilderness Systems cart and couldn't be happier. Used to have a c-tug which was solid and more compact but it isn't as easy to load or handle the rougher terrain. For a heavier kayak a wilderness cart seems to be one of the better options out there albeit pricey.

Wacky rig and weedles rigs are different actions for me. I hate throwing a wacky as it is a do-nothing kind of approach. Yes I know it catches fish but so do spinnerbaits and I am not a fan of fishing those either. I always have a weedless weightles soft plastic on a rod as they are super versatile and can be used a ton of different ways. Wacky, not so much.

killer on the small streams i fish around here.

Go with the highest thrust your bnoat and budget can handle. Yes it will burn more battery at full throttle but you also won't have to use as much throttle to maintain the same speed as you would with a lower thrust version. the basic formula to figure out approximately what you will want/need is AH/amp draw=hours run time. The other thing to consider is if you are going lithium you will have a longer run time as they will hold voltage for more of hte battery capacity than a standard battery will. You'll pay for that added run time and massive weight savings though. i currently run a newport NK180s and have had it about a year and i run 30ah and it has only burned out when I was intentionally trying to burn it down to see how far it would go. A little less throttle goes a long ways with battery life and the speed decrease is pretty minimal.

jitterbug

There is a reason tandem bikes and tandem kayaks are called divorce makers.....

It is funny you mention the whole wind assisted speed. One time in higher water conditions i turned my motor up to full throttle and going downriver i hit 10.2mph. In a kayak that was pretty d**n fast lol

I'll take that over an 8 hour in person meeting any day of the week.

Most guys I know only do that if it is super short distances, otherwise they are gonna paddle. It is amazing at how much seat technology has changed over the last 15-20 years. People always talk about hull design and kayak layout and they neglect one of if not the most important aspect of a kayak......the seat.

The other thing people are forgetting or not mentioning on this thread is the confidence factor. We all have baits/techniques we are confident in for whatever reason that may be and those will always be productive for us. For me when I am flyfishing i always have some sort of topwater popper on, a Gamechanger and a bottom fly of some sort ready to go. How I fish them changes based on my experiences and confidence in said flies. All it takes is one or two decent outings on a new technique and your confidence will go up and you will begin to use those techniques more often and all of the sudden your fishing toolbox has grown. Oh and I HATE fishing spinnerbaits when going conventional but I like throwing cranks and chatterbaits so go figure....

Do prop drives need more depth? When I was looking at them a few years back they were pretty much the same as pedal drives. As far as ergonomics go, I am not sure you can say Hobie has the best ergonomics either as it is a preference. I personally hated the Hobie push pedal systems and much preferred the recumbent bicycle style pedal drives. Really it is all about the seat set up as well and I do agree the pedal drives are more efficient as you get more forward motion on a pedal stroke than a push/push method. Of course for me, I just went with a motor instead....less money and faster

I moved to Richmond almost 20 years ago now and first trip was on the James river. I was wading a popular spot and something hit my clouser. It was fighting i na way I knew it wasn't a bass and when i got it close, it was a gar. I had never seen one before or even knew what it was but I saw all those teeth and said nah, you can keep my clouser. Since then I have caught many more and they are a blast to target when feeding on top. A guy at the fly shop here showed me the nylon rope fly which is basically a nylon rope picked out and you let them take it and it gets caught in their teeth and you bring them in, easier than trying to hook them and their bony mouths. I always keep a couple of those flies handy when on the river in case I see them cruising and feeding, same goes for carp flies

Why would anyone write any book on how someone else fishes unless they were writing it for them? KVD is one of the most accomplished fisherman ever and his style is fast and it works for him. I've heard him talk about how he is looking for those reaction strikes almost exclusively and to cover water when conditions dictate that will work and for him, it has worked a good amount. I don't think I have read any fishing books in a long time and the ones I have read in the past were more geared towards bass behavior as to me, that is more beneficial than techniques per se. That is the fun part I guess, seeing what works for you and going for it.

Very nice. I always wondered what max speed was when pedaling, mainly because of social media chatter around pedaling being as efficient and as fast as a motor. In my ATAK 140 i have gotten to 6.3 paddling before just to see what I could do but I know I couldn't maintain that speed as the hull speed was below that mark and I was no longer gliding between paddle strokes. Now with my motor I put it at about 80% and can cruise at right around 5 while I drink my coffee or change flies etc....much easier

but taking weight off rotational mass will make a huge difference and dare I say even more than 5lbs off the gut

Under $100 is gonan be tough for quality gear. The reel in 99% of freshwater fish is just to balance the rod really. A quality line and rod will make a huge difference. I would go to your local fly shop and talk to them. They will help you out and get you set up and many offer a free initial casting lesson as well which will shorten the learning curve considerably. I would bump up the budget if at all possible as well as you will be happier in the long run. As far as flies go, cheap ones work but the hook quality is usually garbage and they are not as durable. For panfish flies if i don't feel like tying them myself I always keep an eye at www.sierra.com as they have closeouts of good brands like umpqua for cheap or I go to www.breambugs.com. Have fun with it and I don't think there is a better way to chase panfish than on a fly rod. I was out this morning with my 6 year old daughter and was using my glass 3wt and it was a lot of fun.

It is a 1/0 and a #1 hook so maybe 4" or so. Yo ucan basically tie them as large or small as you want. Smaller ones I usually don't put legs on. The idea of the deer hair packed loosley is to create bubbles and provide a little flotation as you work the fly as it fights against the lead eyes. I've made them with laser dub heads too and that works but not quite the same action. I've checked out the faux bucktail and it seemd strange to me so I never went back to it again lol

My version of the Galloup Sex Dungeon. Instead of basically making a wooly bugger underneath, i just use a tarantula brush which saves considerable time on the entire process.