Turkey sandwich

Post a review on the Rod, if you can. I've seen a lot posted about them on Facebook in the PA smallmouth and kayak groups and they seem to be getting good reviews. As for line, even my microguides rods run braid to leader and good, slim connection knots remove most problems and provide tons of benefits. Quality braid will likely last 2-3 seasons, and sometimes you can find sales on 832 or Powerpro, making it crazy affordable. I'm also on board with using lines like Hybrid or CXX for leader around snaggy cover and rocks because they're nearly indestructible.

Carp are super finicky and corn, dough balls, berries, and flies are your best bet. They also get super line shy, so fishing light leaders can help a lot. That being said, hold on if you can coax a bite. They can run like crazy and can be a real challenge on 6-8lb line/leaders. They're one of few freshwater fish that can run 100+ yards off of a reel.

Pictures of the bait you're fishing and the fish you're throwing them at would make helping you much, much easier.

Amber lenses seem to be best in most conditions. Better lenses do make a difference, but you can find quality sunglasses on a budget. I wear Ray Ban aviators pretty much all the time and love them, but you can get quality glasses on sites like Sierra Trading Post without dropping $150+ on Ray Bans, Oakleys, Costa, etc..

Typically, I'll get my dad on the water for Father's Day and a few other times throughout the year. This year, I also bought him a decent spinning combo. A few years back I took him and my brother on a guided trip for sharks. To echo some of the suggestions listed above, he's enjoyed all of them, but he'll still bring up the shark trip years later. Sometimes the memories and new experiences mean the most, and if you can swing doing something that he would never spend the money on himself, do it.

The quality of the fish you've been catching is awesome!

Well, at least it's too hot for Sasquatch.

Welcome to the forum! A single Rod and reel is a start, but as time goes on, you'll see why most of us have a collection we keep on deck. I'll typically take 5 rods with me on the kayak, and with those five rods, I can cover a lot of presentations and can tie up the day before since I'll usually know the conditions I'll be fishing. If I'm wading, however, I'll likely have just one rod and a vest or backpack with tackle or flies packed in it. I'll typically tie when I get to the water and then whenever I need to make changes. With time and practice, you'll be able to tie Palomar, unit to uni and trilene/improved clinch knots very quickly.

I've heard horror stories about the crowds. Still, I'd love to make the trip for a shot at steelhead on the fly.

Check out www.kayaktheriver.com

d**n. That's awful. Keep an eye on Craigslist, pawn shops, etc and talk to any local tackle shops. Losing tackle like that sucks.

Dude, you've pretty much stumbled upon every musky fisherman's dream. Those are some great looking fish and rare to catch so many in one spot.

There's a kayak rental company right by the Falls bridge launch and they're awesome. I strongly suggest using them this weekend.

Yep - that's the beauty of lipless cranks. You can fish them at nearly any depth, and by changing weight or presentation, you can keep them in the strike zone a long time.

What will you be fishing out of?

Tubes and grubs are pretty universal, but I like fat Albert grubs (3.5") and either Zoom or Strike King Coffee tubes (3.5"). Keep the colors simple. I like the standard green pumpkin/pumpkinseed/watermelon colors 75% of the time. If it's sunny, especially, red and orange fleck can get you extra strikes. I fish the grubs on ball head jigs with 1-2/0 hooks and typically use VMC tube jigheads for the jigs. This is a from last weekend. I took a friend bass fishing for the first time and needless to say, he's now addicted. Also, you'll see some great scenery in that area and there are multiple nesting pairs of bald eagles that I see almost every time out.

@Nick Fowler I know that area very well! Where near Scranton will you be fishing the Susquehanna? With any luck, I'll be on the river from the Falls bridge launch to the Harding/Apple Tree Rd launch on Sunday. A kayak, jet boat, or drift boat are by far the best ways to fish that stretch, though there are some great areas to wade, too. Last Saturday, we caught a solid 30+ fish between the two of us, the largest being 18 1/2". It's summer and the water temp will be in the low to mid 80s this weekend, so fish heads and tails of pools, fast to moderate current seams and riffles. Most of the active fish will be in 2.5-5' of water near faster current, though you may find some larger fish in Boulder fields with moderate current, especially those with adjacent grass beds. As far as techniques, keep it simple. Tubes and grubs will catch you both, numbers and size, and 1/8 oz is pretty much the magic weight for most presentations. (Some stretches I'll go to 1/16oz, but no heavier than 1/4) if you see a dude wearing a St. Croix hat on an orange Lure 13.5, don't be afraid to say hello!

I'm not going to say it's right to tie on a 1 1/2 oz bell sinker and throw it at people on jet skis burning through the area you're fishing, but I'm not going to say I've never done it. The thing is, I respect pleasure boaters but I've had friends get hit by jet skis and days ruined by idiots not having any decency on the water. It's really not that hard to not be a jerk. Man, I thought I was bad for yelling and casting at jet skis, lol. The thing that kills me is that most people are cool so long as you're pleasant, don't cast on literally on top of them, and just fish your way around them, especially on a river. I'll typically stop and talk to catfish guys anchored up and they're always cool showing off their catch and sharing info. People parking on top of your lines totally ruins that.

I have similar stories with jet skis. I hate jet skis.

Zoom Fat Albert grubs. they catch virtually everything. And lots of them. And big ones, too.

I'm starting to feel better with the 6wt, but man, in less than 4' of water, the sinking line is a pain in the ass. I'm beginning to appreciate the ridiculousness of a line basket, lol.

Great evening! Shallow weed beds?

It's a really frustrating topic with the Susquehanna. Depending where you are, the river can be anything from clean, to blooming (despite current) thanks to agricultural runoff. Between the runoff/nutrients, pesticides (hormones and insect growth inhibiting chemicals) and Excelon owning the rights to one of the nation's dirtiest and most outdated dams, th River has some real problems. The DEP here is horrendous. And while scarring isn't abnormal in stressed summer time fish, the problems causing it range from from natural to inept DEP. The only way to make it better is to make a scene, tragically.

I'm a big fan of this technique, and it's been effective for both, largemouth and smallmouth. In fact, I very rarely run a crankbait that runs less than a foot deeper than where I'm fishing. If the bait is slowing or coming up off the bottom, I want to be able to be the one to trigger that.

if not, it's going to be a rough start to the season. I'm also terrified of how much damage two Ryan brothers can do to a ridiculously talented defense. By week 4, there's a good chance Jerry Hughes and Marcell Dareus will be covering slot receivers. Booze.