fishnkamp

That is true. It is a nice boat, I saw it just about a month ago when my wife and I looked at its twin sister, a dual console. I did not purchase the other boat but it had nothing to do with them, I needed to sell my boat first and it did not work out. I do trust these guys, so that is a plus. If you are discuss the boat with them, and become seriously interested in the boat, I am sure they will be happy to get you engine data like compression readings, hours off the computer etc. It is definitely worth the phone call. I would also discuss financing upfront. Talk to Bob. I just checked and it is still available.

If you could get a loan for this a larger loan would you consider going this high in price. Check out this boat, it is in PA and is being sold by a dealer I am very familiar with. It is a 2006 boat which means he can get you financing I am sure, or most banks will finance boat of this age. At least think about it .http://www.robbinsmarine.com/2006-stratos-285-pro-xl-inventory.htm?id=1379495&in-stock=1

How far are you willing to travel if the used boat was a great deal? Think about that carefully. Could you take a two or 3 day excursion?

Lets throw another rod to consider. In my arsenal I fish with one of the Irods I suggested earlier. I also fish with one Falcon Bucoo Micro rod. It is a rod called the Trap Caster. Falcon calls it a 7 foot MH MF and suggests using it for cranks,traps, and even larger spinnerbaits. It is a workhorse for me. Here is their listing. BMC-7MHTrap Caster MHMF 12-20 lb 1/4 to 3/4 oz 7’ split handle Suggested baits: Buzz baits, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits all fish well with this rod. Try pulling larger crankbaits or making long casts with 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits with this one. I fish everything from a wake bait or a baby 1 minus to Bomber Model 7A and spinnerbaits up to 5/8 ounces ( 1/2 oz with a swimbait trailer), I also am confident it can throw a chatterbait since it can throw a buzzbait and spinnerbait. This might be what you are looking for.

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to stay put on equipment for a while. In the last 18 months I have sold off 3 baitcasting rods, two spinning rods one spinning reel, a spincast reel and 6 baitcasting reels. After all of that, I own 4 new combos with very upgraded rods, 6 new reels and two new spinning combos for my wife. I think it is time to take a break for a while. I will sayI love all of the Daiwas and the rods from Powell, Irod, and Dobyns.

I am dying to try out one of those Daiwa Tatula SV but honestly I have replaced 6 reels in the last 12 months. I am trying to keep the Monkey away for a little while.

Let me ask a question first. How do you like fishing those rods over 7 foot long while fishing from a kayak? Most kayak anglers like rods 7 foot or less. Anyway, have you ever thought about a rod like an Irod IRG693CC “Stone Cold Square Bill”. If you are interested give Irod a call. They are all about customer service and were a big help when I was looking at a trap and crank rod. I purchased an Irod Genesis II IRG703CC and love it. If you are stuck on a 7 foot rod I would also suggest that Riprap Special like mine. The 693CC is like the little brother to my 703cc. IRG693CC “Stone Cold Square Bill” IRG693CC “Stone Cold Square Bill” IRG693CC “Stone Cold Square Bill”

First I have been fishing with baitcasters for over 30 years. If I buy one of the bottom priced lower quality reels on the market I can still get backlashes. Many times those reports of anglers always having casting issues begins with quality of the equipment and the caster trying to throw too light a bait for the rod. If you go pick up a Daiwa reel like a Tatula CT, or Fuego, or perhaps any Lews reel costing in the same range, around $100 to $150. This would also include a reel like a Shimano Curado or Casitas. Any of these will make it easy to learn and will give you years of service. I would expect anyone with any casting ability to learn with just a few practice sessions. Read and follow the directions on how to properly adjust the reel first. Good Luck today's quality equipment should not hinder your enjoyment at all

That is a good deal for sure. If you match the Diesel with a reel like the Pflueger President in a 6930 or 35 it will cost you about $60 from Dicks and other locations If you want a lighter reel look at an Okuma RTX30 or a Pflueger Supreme. They are all very reliable reels and none cost more $100. Check out a Daiwa Tatula CT for a nice reel to match the 723.

He has his opinions and is welcome to it. These are clearly his "favorites"! He scores the Diawa SS so high because the reel was built like a tank. I agree but it is a design from the 1980's, I know because I still own two of them. They were very reliable because they were designed with a manual roller wheel to flip the bail and it had some good bearings compared to its contemporaries. As I said, he rates it higher than I do. My wife and I fish a bunch of more modern reels. I would say the Pflueger Presidents, and Supreme reels we fish are much better reels. Those Daiwa SS reels are much older and are matched to two G Loomis rods we specifically use for river smallies and lightweight baits. They are decades older and have far less use than some of our Presidents. I much prefer the Pfluegers to the SS reels for comfort, quality and function. I believe there are many more quality reels available that he has not used, tested or evaluated, so I would say his lists have very little value.

I would not even bother. If you think about it the jig you will learn on can go catch you some fish. Bass Pro has their brand called Enticer I believe, Dicks has a house brand and even WalMart carries some. They are cheap like $3 or $4. Best of all, that would be a bait I would go catch fish on. I love throwing swim jigs with Kalin 5 inch Lunker grubs or Zoom Fat Albert grubs. Reaction Innovation and Keitech swimbaits also make great shad imitation bait when used on the back of a jig. If you want to probe water out from 2 to 30 feet a 3/4 jig ans a Pit Boss, a Strike King Rage Craw etc make great bottom bouncing baits. The jig is the most versatile bait an angler can carry in his boat. It is a bait you should include fishing with that new rod for sure.I know you were searching for a rod to throw big topwaters, and frogs, but when these baits are being ignored, go fish the water down below. Iam certain you can find some nice smallies that will eat a crawfish imitation.

Very nice setup! You will be pleased with it. Just make sure to adjust the tension on the reel's spool correctly. This reel is not like most. You do not just adjust the spool tension knob till the lure falls slowly. Since it has the Mag Force Z brake system it works differently. Spool your reel with your line. Zero the magnetic brakes. Now tighten down the spol tension knob till there id no side clearance between the spool and the body. Now loosen it till there is a small amount of side play, about a 1/16 or so. That is now set. This will look wrong if you do the "falling lure test". Now set the mag brakes to somewhere near 15 to begin with.As you get a little experience you can back off the mag brake setting.. I run about 5 to 7 most of the time.

Actually those are the correct directions for most reels, but not a Tatula CT or any of the Daiwa reels with Mag Force z brakes. Set the magnetic brake adjustment to 0. Next tie on the lure you are going to cast. Tighten down the spool tension knob until there is no side play with the spool. Now loosen it up till there is a small amount of side to side play with the spool. This is important and aids in casting when using the Mag Force Z braking system. It is actually in the manual. I would start to cast with the magnetic brake adjustment set to about 15 and as you get familiar with the reel back off. I usually run around 5 to 7 on my breaks. The spool tension should be set with the mag brakes set to zero. Also I find that once I set that, it never needs to be adjusted. I do have to tinker with the mag brakes a bit depending on the weight of my lure. For example if I am throwing a 3/8 ounce swimjig and trailer on my Powell 683 CEF rod and decide to throw a 3/4 ounce jig I may need to tick the magnetic setting up from 5 to maybe 8 or 9. If I do not make that small change then I would need to be more diligent with my thumb. For learning, I would go and get a 3/4 ounce jig. Add a cheap trailer like a 5 inch grub or craw as a trailer. This will help you learn, while handling much like what you will be throwing. I use some cheap house brands from Bass Pro, Dicks WalMart or other places. Another good cheap option is a 1/2 ounce worm weight, a worm hook and a 7 inch or larger worm. I want the lure to act on the reel the same way your lure will. It is hard to find a practice plug that weighs 3/4 of an ounce or more, I tell anyone learning a new reel and rod to practice with a bait that fall in the middle of the rods specs. That rod rates for baits weighing 1/2 to 2 ounces. A 3/4 ounce jig and a typical trailer like a pit boss will weigh close to 1 ounce. Iam not saying the rod will not cast a 1/2 ounce jig and the trailer. It will be more difficult to learn on that's all. Man enjoy that combo it will perform well for you I know. At The Bass College we had at least 6 guys order that rod in Genesis II series and love them.

If you are not purchasing a "combo', but instead are buying the reel and rod then you could consider the same rod but look at a Pflueger President in the 6935 size. My wife and I are using some of those and several are a decade old and they get lots of use. A president reel will cost about $60

My swim jig setup has a 6.3-1 tatula Type R on it. I could also run with a 7,3-1 if I had too.

Line is a personal preference thing for sure. However many will suggest fluorocarbon or braid lines. I fish those lines on many of my setups, but I do not recommend you learn with Fluoro. There are other lines I like to fish, like P Line CXX, a copolymer line I fish quite often. These are good lines for someone with lots of experience dealing with lines that hold memory. They will drive you nuts with backlashes. So I recommend simple inexpensive but quality mono like Stren Original or Berkley Big Game in say 12 pound test. We are talking $8 for a 300 yard spool. This is not a waste, once you get comfortable fishing your new rig I would pull off 1/2 the line on the reel and you can then add 1/2 a reel of like 30 pound braid, if you would like to. Suffix 832 and Power Pro Spectra are both very nice braids to fish with. Once you get a few weeks of fishing send me a pm and lets disacuss what you like and what you may think you would like to do. In the meantime, let me suggest a few things. First read the lure rating of the rod you get. If we are talking about the Fury FR734C then we are talking about a rod that can handle a bait as light as 1/4 and as heavy as 1 ounce. If I was standing in front of you helping you to learn to cast, I would tie on a bait that fell in the middle of that range. So maybe a 3/8 ounce or 1/2 ounce jig with a trailer like a 4 inch pit boss, or a Strike King Rage Craw. Then I would have throw a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait. Last I would have you throw both a 1/2 and 3/4 ounce Rattle Trap or whichever brand you prefer. Strike King Red Eye Shads work very well also. Here is what i am getting at, I want you to use a bait heavy enough to make the rod work for you. If you learn to throw different style baits and different weights of the same bait you will know exactly how to retune the reel a little and you will be able to fish baits over the entire range of the rod. Besides the lures I mentioned are all part of what I consider the basics of bass fishing. I never suggest buying tons of new gear to a anyone. I just suggest getting a few of each lure to cover top, middle and bottom. Baits like "swim jigs" can be fished like a fish imitation or like a bottom crawler depending on the trailer. If you add a 5 inch grub as the trailer it can represent a bluegill, sunfish, perch or minnow. Add a craw trailer, drag it on the bottom and it looks totally different.

I fish with 12 baitcasters in the rod locker. Many are dedicated duty setups. The most versatile rod of all of them is my Powell max3d 683CEF. You can look iis review up on Tackletour. They have changed the rod series a bit, but that rod is available in the Inferno series for $100 and the Max3d series for $160. I have spoken with the owner of Powell and he has told me they are virtually the same rod as I own. If you would prefer a longer rod the the Max3d 723CEF would be a great rod to consider. The next rod I would suggest is a Dobyns Fury FR 734C for $110 or a Sierra SA 734C for $180. I have owned 3 Veritas rods, I have sold two off. Be careful these rods fish heavier than they rate. St Croix's are popular and I have owned a few. I have sold them off as well, as I began using the Dobyns, Powells and Irods. I have heard good things about the Daiwas but never fished one. Between my wife and I we fish several Powells, 3 Irods and 3 Dobyns.

No, just remember to hose off the trailer, boat and engine after use. A garden hose is fine. I am not so good at doing that myself. I would run the motor in fresh water soon after, or throw it on a garden hose and some earmuffs. Your electronics will not even notice. By the way when we are talking brackish water, it is a constant mix of tidal bay water and fresh river water. It is not as corrosive as ocean salt water. Also the further upriver you are the more the fresh water has a bigger influence. By the time you get up to Seaford I am sure the fresh water has a great deal of influence. By the way there are few rivers in our area as beautiful t boat on then the Pocomoke River up near Shad Landing State Park. Those cypress trees, the tannin colored water, the tree lined banks and I realize you are chasing bass, but the colors on the sunfish/ bluegills are just bright and on fire. There are plenty of tasty crappie there as well.

There are many anglers that prefer to modify and custom build a reel to do that. My normal jerkbait rod is an Abu Garcia Ike delay series 6'4" jerkbait rod. Think of a typical 6'8" rod with a shorter butt to avoid smacking your arm. It fishes baits really well down to about1/4 ot 5/16 ounce baits. When I want to throw a Rapala floating minnow or those really light baits I customized an Okuma Reflexions spinning rod. It had a great power/action to the rod, but it had a really long handle. I had my custom rod builder do some magic on it and now it is perfect to cast and work those light baits. For most anglers the spinning is an easier answer, however the super finesse baitcasting option is getting very popular. I did mis-speak, I wrote "best fished on a spinning rod". I should have typed "easiest fished", now that I reflect on it.

I have learned a little over 40+ years, and 11 boats. Many were purchased to fill specific needs in order to fish the conditions that my fishing waters required. I met Andy just as I have met you, on one of the fishing boards I belong to. It was The Bass College, which is a tiny bit of what it once was. He actually met me over near Denton and purchased a depth finder I was selling. Anyway he purchased a used Nitro, in very nice shape, and has been fishing out of it ever since. He has also been busting on me to come over and fish the Nanticoke River, which he lives about 5 minutes from. I believe we will be doing that this fall. I am considering spending a week of vacation in Seaford ("tent camping at the local Motel 6 LOL) and will launch and dock my boat at the local marina. There is no reason your boat will not work launching in the same marina. You could launch there and head upriver. There is an entrance that takes you into Williams Pond. He really likes that area. Keep in touch. Around the fall I will invite you to come to Baltimore and tear up some light tackle stripers. Be ready for stripers, big blue cats and maybe a snakehead or two. By the way you built a very nice rig. That will fish so many lakes ponds ands smaller river sections, the areas on the rivers big bass boats can not safely go.

Great deal. Of course we expect pictures. We need to feed our addiction for boat porn<<<

The small Rapalas are best fished on a spinning rod.

When it comes to small or compact reels I consider Lews the king in that department. As for a rod check out two rids made by Irod, They are both Genesis II series. One is the IRG693CC The Stone Cold Square Bill. It was designed by Marty Stone. It is a composite rod. The other is an IRG693C it is called the Harold's Lone Star Special. Take time to read about both. I have become a fan of the Irods since I started fishing some of them. I also fish a Powell Max 693CEF which I love. They now make that rod in both an Inferno and Max3D, series. It does not meet your M Mod idea but it is by far the most versatile rod I own. Take a moment and read the tackletour review of it. After fishing it for over 3 years I agree with their report completely. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfast.html

The last I saw they were offering three rods, i spinning, one baitcaster for cranks and one more baitcaster. I would cal and check. There was another thread on here about this deal. Check it out. Just for your info I like the Inferno rods a lot. In fact I am a fan of the Max's and Max3ds.

I see the rod you are using. I rates for 3/8 to 1 1/4. So try casting a 3/4 ounce jig with a trailer like a pit boss. That would be a bait I might cast and pitch. It also should be about in the middle of the rod's specs.