the reel ess

And Academy for me.

On my lower end kayak (Pescador 12) I put: One flush mount rod holder (it came with only one) A zig-zag cleat. It's great for a stringer or anchor line. You don't need to tie, just run the rope through the cleat. I zip-tied some PVC rod holders into a free milk crate. It only cost the rod holders, but you could use some PVC pipe even cheaper. I used a stadium cushion for the old behind. You might notice your butt going to sleep or getting soggy. That cushion helped out a lot with that. That's it. But I bought a Lure Feelfree 13.5 that already had a fish finder/GPS unit, solar charger and battery. I could take that off and keep if I ever sell that kayak or I could sell that stuff separately.

My wife's aunt had a pest control contract on her house with a warranty from a particular pest control company. That company would pay to fix termite damage while under their treatment. The company was bought out by Terminix and they continued to service the contract. The aunt died and my wife put the house up for sale. We found out there was termite damage and also discovered the warranty was void. Terminix basically billed her aunt the same money as before, but ended the warranty. They were only coming and treating. We asked the realtor if she thought we should pursue the matter and she said it was no use. Terminix had already gone to court to clear the way to do it. I know this is not exactly the same thing, but when a company gets bought out, it's not the same company.

I talk about luck vs. skill with my buddy. I've been fishing most of my life and you can see my PB in my profile pic. He told me about a guy he works with who hardly ever fishes who has caught a 10 pounder. He admits it was pure luck. He said it was winter and the bass was dead weight on his line and hardly fought a bit. He got it mounted and his friends all hate it because he didn't put in the time, but he got the payoff. When it comes to catching a PB, luck and skill both come into play along with time on the water. You'll get lucky more often if you fish more often. My last PB bit my spinnerbait as soon as it hit the water. I may have made two cranks. I put that bait right in her mouth by sheer luck. But I knew where and when I should be fishing and what I should be throwing because of knowledge gained by time on the water.

My bro-in-law was feeling me out about fishing tackle once. There was an infomercial on TV about a telescoping fishing combo. I made sure to tell him it was junk. I got a pocket knife that I didn't need.

But did you buy it before the merger? If so, I would be insistent that they honor the warranty. If not, then I guess that's that. I hate it because Cabela's was, to me, an upscale BPS. BPS was like WalMart with more stuff.

I have done it with a fluke and it gives the fluke a lot more action. But that was warm water in the spring.

I got one of these kayaks about a month ago and I love it. Does anyone use a rod holder that fits in the rail assemblies left and right of the deck? I'm sure it can be done but I don't want to order two by trial and error. Can you recommend one? I'd be using it for crappie "trolling" or tightlining jigs. Thanks in advance.

Any $100 spinning reel will handle braid. I use 2 $40 Pflueger Trions with it.

I am not retired, but my wife, who is a teacher, will be eligible for full retirement in a little more than 2 years. She says she may retire after three or she may hang on for 5 because that will be when my daughter graduates HS. I'm not going to work much longer than she works. Money shouldn't be an issue. My wife's aunt was really generous with us in her will. We cared for her in her last years. I'd really love to retire while I'm young enough to enjoy myself. And the way I do that is to go fishing, among other things. My dad retired at 56 and had 18 pretty good years left. He passed rather unexpectedly. My mom didn't have as many good years. Life is short and you really never know how it's going to play out for you. As for adjusting to not going to work everyday...I work from home now. I go into the office, which is an 80 minute drive away, about once every two months. I'm used to not seeing the people I work with face-to-face.

Welcome. You have chosen wisely. Joining this board has probably been the single most helpful factor for my fishing success besides actual time spent fishing.

Wristbands with hand warmers in them.

The Trion and President are good reels. I own 2 Trions. One of them is a few years old with zero issues. It's a 40 size and is a little heavy. I also own a newer (less than one season) size 30. I bought it for $20 in a pawn shop, still in the original sealed plastic packaging. It seems just right on a 7' long rod. If They're strong reels with good smooth drag and I've only ever used them with braid. I was going to replace the 40, I'd get the President due to lower weight. Hope that helps.

I always keep a snap on the combo I use for crank/trebles lure and I never remove a split ring. That kind of snap you're talking about is the one to use. I've had a speed clip fail before. I won't use them anymore. A snap can also add to the action of a lure if you don't remove the split ring. Using a snap on that rod is much quicker to change lures, which I usually do on a summer day. I'll start out with a couple topwaters, then change over to a lipless crank most days on that same rod. I just weigh the added time casting against the removal of a split ring. You can check your line after catching fish just as well with a snap as without. The snap gives topwaters like the Pop R a more erratic walking action than a direct line tie with mono.

Pure Fishing was owned by Newell Brands, which was also a holding company. So hopefully nothing changes. I hope not because it's corporate HQ is right here in Columbia, SC.

Don't worry if some never look great. Fish won't care. I used to work with a guy that hung his hardbaits on the clothesline a few days before using them so they'd look "weathered".

Welcome (from SC)

There is a place where we vacation at the beach that will rent kayaks or paddle boards and drop you at the ramp and pick you back up at an appointed time. That sounds pretty cool. I usually just take my own though.

If you know you'll fish tournaments, you'll have to have one. But who says you have to use it when you're not tournament fishing?

I was employing the venerable Texas rigged crawfish. I had previously been using a frog on that same rod and never reset the drag. The great beast engulfed my offering and blasted from the shallows directly toward my vessel then dove under my portside hull. I had to bury the rod halfway into the murky water in a vain attempt to appease her while I fumbled to loosen the drag. I was not quick enough and she was too mighty for my spindly wire hook. Alas, she straightened my hook while my mate waited to boat her. I never glimpsed the great beast, but my mate said he saw her shadow and she was mighty, indeed. Perhaps she was a 9 pounder or greater, which would have shattered my previous personal best effort. I'm being dramatic of course, but I'll never forget it. It was probably 4 years ago and my buddy still talks about it. We'll stop and take extra casts at the spot every trip. It's what keeps me returning to that small lake for bigger bass because I know they're in there.

I seem to recall they had an association with Pflueger about a decade ago. One of the Pfleuger reps, Mark Davis (not the BASS pro, but the guy with the saltwater show), was traveling around giving Pinnacle combos away at shows and tourneys. A guy I know who fished tourneys got a couple for free as door prize or something and gave them to people at work. I think he told me at the time they were essentially Pflueger. So they must have been phased out or absorbed.

An Arky head jig is a good one to cover most of the bases other than football and swim. If you find one with a vertical line tie it makes a good grass jig as well. The Seibert Dockrocker looks like a good one for that. I use a grass jig in brush, mostly because it's so weedy a few places I fish. It's a very weedless jig. One made by a guy on here. He makes all kinds of custom jigs to order. If you want his info, send me a PM.

Not the Dick's nearest to me. It's a good place to go through the clearance because they don't know what to purchase. I call it Fishing Big Lots. You can't count on finding what you need, but there will be something available at a discount. Then, when fall rolls around they cut their fishing department in half. The nearby Academy destroys them. That store is 3X the size of Dick's.

If you do that, they'll warm the blood going into your hands enough to keep you from freezing. I know it won't help tomorrow, but I bought these. They work well enough, but wouldn't be much good if tems got much below freezing. To tell you the truth, the only time I wore them, I took them off because I wanted to feel bites. I'm just not used to gloves https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/cabelas-guidewear-glomitts-for-men?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&affcode_c=&gclid=CjwKCAiArK_fBRABEiwA0gOOc2egX1D4ZOhrTjKSMtBrXvIFd31nSNefVvrez4ijxOI-XvXXNrMF3RoC_GgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you never said that it would be too soon. cLaSsY