Hanover_Yakker

I can see a new order in my future! Awesome work!

In all honesty, it just depends on the type of mats and their depth. If its just surface mats, its no issue at all. If you have mats but they are spotty with periods of open water, its no big deal either. A key feature that many anti-Hobie folks forget is that you can still paddle any of their kayaks, including the Pro Angler. Granted you wouldn't want to paddle a Pro Angler all day. Then again, if you're in matted grass, just stand up and punch the mats and use your paddle like a SUP. I have pedaled my old Revolution 13 and my Pro Angler 14 in both heavy pads and matted grass and had no issues. If you get stuck, just yank the drive and paddle.

Thanks guys - it was rough out there but the ends justified the means!

Here's a shot from today's outing of my Pro Angler 14 rigged and ready for some fish stalking!

Launched right at dawn this morning and fought gusting winds to 20-25mph all morning. Tried stalking the shallows for bedding bass in multiple spots, but the wave chop made boat position challenging and alerted the fish more times than not. Finally found a nice spot that I could cast to without spooking the fish and was rewarded with a fat 21 1/4" LMB. I ended up landing 5 on the day and a fat bluegill. Great day on the water albeit cut short by the severe storm rolling through.

All valid points so far - only you can decide which vessel is right for you. All I can say is that I wanted a Hobie PA when I first started and opted for something else to save money. Three years later, I bought a Hobie Revolution 13 and loved it but still wanted the PA14. After all the money I spent between the two different kayaks I bought and all the rigging I did would have paid for the PA14 and still had plenty of money leftover to buy quality rods and reels and tackle. Its all a matter of what you want and how you plan on fishing. Once you have that narrowed down, go demo as many different kayaks as you can before you buy. Even though I own a PA14, I plan on getting a Commander Or Ultimate for quick trips after work for when the PA14 is not already loaded.

Yep and had the ill fated experience of full onset of Lymes Disease where my joints seized up while I was driving. I had to use my hands to push my leg down in order to brake. Not fun. Went through the full round of Doxycycline and now have a permanent marker for Lymes when my blood is drawn for my annual physical. It is no joke and should not be taken lightly.

Tell you what, let's meet at Bass Pro just to walk you through some things and get you accustomed to the tackle and then you can decide what you want to get. I can also piece together a starter kit for you on plastics. PM me your email and cell, and we'll get cracking.

Welcome aboard! Your gear is fine for our area. Keep your tackle simple to start with. I recommend a stick baits in sizes from 3-6", some curly tail grubs in white paired with a 1/4oz round ball head jig, some 1/2oz spinnerbaits in chartreuse/white and blue/white, some squarebill cranks and perhaps a few jig-n-craws. A small tackle bag that holds 3-4 3600 tackle trays should be more than enough. Don't be afraid to get an ultralight spinning rod and reel and throw some beetle spins, rooster tails/mepps inline spinners, and stump jumpers/road runners. If at all possible, stick with natural colors to start - greens, blacks, orange/browns, silver/blue, silver/black, gold/black. if you take this list with you to your local tackle store, you can have an attendant help you identify some of them. You can also google the same words and look for images ot help you associate them together. Oh yeah, the shad bite is on fire right now in downtown Richmond. Get a couple flutter spoons and start casting from the bank!! Keep us posted!!!

Thanks - all fish were caught on Medium/XF rods w/2500 series spinning reels and small flutter spoons or shad darts.

Thanks - I used iMovie on my Mac for all the editing and video project layouts then bundled it and uploaded to YouTube where I selected one of their songs in their database. The song is entitled "Very Nice" by Seven Nations from their 2002 release.

That's alright Nitro, when you guys get your boat stuck , I can tow you out with my Pro Angler

Once the water temps remain above 55 degrees, its all fair game in my opinion. Don't be afraid to work your frogs out in depper water either. You might be surprised at how far an agressive bass will travel to strike a frog. Remember, fan casting is not just to the 180 degree cone in front of you - turn around 1/4 turn and overlap your cones so that you work all sides of the boat in all depths.

My son and I participated in the annual Shad Shootout to benenfit Multiple Sclerosis here in Richmond this past weekend. It was his first chance to ride in my Hobie Pro Angler 14, so he took great pleasure in riding shotgun and standing for most of the trip. He was the shad whispere on the day and ended up catching 15 quality shad ranging in size from 12" up to the beast of the day, a 19 1/4" American Shad. He also landed a couple smallish white perch to boot. I made a few casts as well and landed several 15" Hickory Shad and a bunch of whiter perch including a chunky 11 1/2" one. Here's a quick video I made of the outing. Enjoy!

Rod: 7'2" Shimano Clarus Worm & Jig series spinning (M/XF) Reel: Shimano Stradic 3000FJ Main Line: PowerPro 30lb. braid (moss green) Leader: PLine 15lb. Flouroclear (6-8') Jighead: Confidence Baits 1/8oz Draggin' Head Lure: PowerTeam Lures 5" Finicky Tickler Straight up money!!!

So, you're saying you discounted each one $1.50? At first read, it looks like you said you marked them down $1.50 which I read as the price would be $1.50. my mistake. Placing an order soon!

I would recommend getting a few and trying them. Remember, the noise profile of the Rage baits is different than others. On certain days, the louder noise profile may be too aggressive, so you might consider adding a couple of different styles to your arsenal. The other thing to remember is bait profile. Some soft plastic frogs have a larger profile than others and do not work as well in thick pads. They will get hung up more than a slender profile like the Zoom Horny Toad or the Rage Shad. Stock your frog box with a variety to give yourself the best opportunity to get 'em. My frog box looks like this: I also have the Rage Frogs but somehow couldn't find the packs to include them in the photo.

The best options for your FF are basic ones just to identify bottom composition and depth changes. If you're sticking to the $100 price point, the Humminbird PMAX170 series is a proven winner, as is the Eagle Cuda 300, Lowrance x-4, Garmin Echo 100. If you want to bump up your price point, you can step up to the HB190 or Lowrance Elite 4 series for around $169 then you get into the DSI styles for $200 or more. Do your homework, but also keep in mind you need to budget for the additional costs of the power supply, cabling, charger, etc. Your budget of $100 can get maxxed out real quick.

There's several but here's one I refer to.

Me likey a lot!!!

The best one I ever used is unfortunately no longer available - the Marsh Works Ripple Shad. It had enough weight to it that it could be used weightless yet still suspend in the 1' sub-surface area. Just the slightes twitch and it darted from side to side. No need for excessive rod movement, just slack in the line and and a little twitch was all it took. They were pretty durable too. The Mann's Hard Nose is a decent one if you're looking for one with a larger profile. It is a little heavier, so you have to adjust your retrieve and awareness level if you're concerned about depth. It works real well for inshore species like speckled trout and summer flounder. Another favorite in the Chesapeake Bay area is BKD (Bass Kandy Delights).

You could always consider a kayak like the Native Ultimate 14.5 with twin seats.