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If you have a Dicks Sporting Goods nearby, or you could order one of these combos online, take a look at a Pflueger Trion combo. They offer a 6'6" medium action rod with a 35 series reel for $60. It can be ordered as a one piece or two piece rod. Above that I would recommend the Pflueger President combo. I really like the President rod and reel better. It will cost $80 and is available in a 6 foot medium 1 piece and a 6'6" medium 2 piece rod. I fished with 2 piece rods all through my elementary school and high school times because I could handle it better while bicycling to my favorite fishing holes. If you ever read any of my other posts I have said I do not like to suggest buying "beginner gear". I understand cost is a major factor, but I will tell you this. My wife and I have fished for almost 40 years. To this day she fishes Pflueger President reels. We both do. Three of her 5 rods have President 30 or 35 sized reels. One other is a Pflueger Supreme 35 and she has one Shimano. So if you go for one of the President combos you will only spend $20 dollars more. Two of her Presidents are more than 10 years old. The other is less than 2 years old and the Supreme I just purchased for her this month. It is going on her new frog rod. She has landed bass up to 6 pounds, stripers up to 30 inches and catfish up to 8 pounds on these reels. Let's talk tackle, since you will want some to fish on your new combo Keep it simple and basic. I am going to share with you just a couple of lures that catch fish for us all over the country. I live in MD and fish in MD, VA, PA,DE, TN, and KY. So here are some of my best secrets. Tell mom and dad I said to get just one or two packs of any bait I am suggesting. Then get a couple of packs of each type of hooks. I am not saying you need thousands of dollars worth of gear, in fact the opposite. Most of these baits are available from Bass Pro Shops and Dicks. Look for Kalin 5 inch Lunker grubs. I like bluegill and watermelon/red flake. A pack or two of each to start maybe. Rig these on a special hook called a Bass Pro Shops Perfect Finesse worm jighead. In fact lots of worms can easily be fished on these. It is a hook with the weight attached. Rig any grub or worm texas rigged and texposed meaning the hook is buried a little in the top of the bait. Next this is a "big secret" do not tell anyone! Lots of fish fall prey to Senco worms. Gary Yamamoto makes very good ones but so do others and some of the others are less expensive. These can be fished weightless on a simple hook, stuck in the middle with a "wacky style jig head" and even on my Perfect finesse worm hooks texas style. Start with a pack or two of 4 or 5 inchers. The colors I would start with would be like a green with red flake, and perhaps peanut butter and jelly. Maybe something like a green pumpkin/ chartreuse tail even. The colors on these baits have a lotto do with the clarity and color of the water you fish. Lastly, look at a bait like a Reaction Innovations Skinny dipper. Dicks Sporting goods caries these. They are a minnow imitation. they can be rigged up differently, but I like to use a belly weighted swimbait hook. Throw these baits out, swim it back a bit then stop reeling letting the bait flutter a bit then twitch it and begin reeling again. I usually fish a houdini,sungill, blue pearl, white trash and even a money shot green sometimes. I would pick up one pack of white trash and one pack of sungil or blue pearl first. I also still enjoy a live minnow, a hook and a bobber sometimes. Nightcrawlers still catch fish well too. One nice thing about this first rod you are looking at is it will be fine for catching decent sized catfish from time to time. They too are fun to catch, along with some panfish.

I would ignore the following ones because they are built much more for paddling around and not designed to be seriously fished from: Sea Eagle 330, Sevylor Qwik Pak K1, 13 Pro Angler, it is more of a canoe to me, the Kwiq Pak coverless kayak ( it is no different from the other K1, The Outcast Commander Packable boat. That leaves only a few options. First if you do not weigh more than 250 pounds I think the Kiawa kayak is the nicest, it is also made the most durable, however there are a few things to consider. Do you weigh more than 250 pounds and did you ever consider adding a trolling motor? If the answer is yes to either question then I would go for the Sevylor Rio 1-Person Fishing Canoe. It offers support for 1 angler up to 350 pounds and does offer the ability to add a trolling motor. By the way during my research I found Walmart has both of those boats listed on their website. I know you can order some of these and pick them up at your local Walmart sometimes next day. They also sold them as cheap as anybody. The fishing pontoons look interesting but unless you are fishing very slow creeks, or a pond I do not think they are as versatile.

Is there any chance you could go up to Delaware tomorrow? Delaware Paddlesports has a big in water demo going on then. It is located in Lewes DE. They have several more scheduled in the next few months. Another great idea would be to go over to The Wharf on the Corsica River, 101 Water Way in Centreville MD 21617. This is part of CD Outdoors. Chris Dollar rents kayaks and guides kayak fishing trips. His number is 410-991-8468 Even if he does not use a kayak you are interested in, he can educate you, as well as rent you one to try out for a little as $20 an hour. He guides on all of the rivers on the eastern shore and the bay. A trip with him costs $325 for 4 hours. That might be a super fun way to be sure you and kayaking are meant for each other. I think he was one of the guys that gave talks at Anglers Express during the open house this spring. That should be pretty close to you. I would not want to invest thousands of dollars in a kayak and find I made a mistake. I know I am an angler that enjoys guided fishing trips and thankfully so does my wife. Most of the trips I have booked were done so to learn something new or get locked into the pattern of the fish during a vacation. To me this would be a great trip to learn from. Maybe the kayak is not one you are looking at, maybe it is, but you can get a good idea if it is for you, see how he organises his setups and what would you like in terms of rigging yours. You never know if something in a specific location is helpful or aggravating. I knew exactly how to rig my present bass boat because I had rigged and fished out of 10 previous boats.

There is no issue with the Diesel rods they are giving away. Powell upgraded from the Powell Diesel line to the Powell Nusance line of rods. They have stopped making them for awhile now. I bet American Legacy had some left over in their stock and just wants to clear old inventory. Remember Powell clearly made everyone aware these rods came with original manufacturer defect warranty only. If you broke it they would not do any type of partial cost replacement, like the warranty they offer on their normal rod lines. The rods were priced for less than say an Inferno costs to replace under its normal warranty. That makes them no less worth their original price and for free it is a no brainer. Go jump on it. The 702MLEF is definitely going to be a spinning rod. If you were to purchase a Nusance 702MLEF it would cost $90.

I tried, he never answered back. I learned from some good anglers and enjoy sharing that ability. It is fun to meet someone on an open green lawn, help them learn and then go hit the water. Somethings are far easier to learn in person. It is the worlds best guides do every day. By the way I like the bend in that flyrod

Well I fish 4 Daiwa Tatula Type R reels, these are the larger original body. I also fish 2 of the newer smaller version the Tatula CT reels. I am biased and I admit it. I have been fishing for 40 years and most recently sold off all of my Shimano and some of my Bass Pro vaitcasters in favor of the Tatulas line of reels. They are workhorses. They have super smooth drags and I prefer the braking system on them. They are equipped with an internal automatic centrifugal brake system attached to the inductor( part of the spool assembly) and an externally adjusted magnetic system. I find it super easy to dial them in correctly for backlash free casts. I know lots of guys like the Lews products, I personally know some long time Lews users that have been changing to the Tatulas as well. There are a few things to note on the Tatula CTs. The cast control needs to be adjusted differently than most reels for the system to work best. Normally you would tie on a lure and adjust the spool tension till the lure dropped slowly and as it stopped the spool did not over run. On the Tatula you loosen the spool up till there is a tiny bit of side play in the spool. That is the correct setting and it will look like the lure is falling to quickly, but this is okay because of the inner centrifugal system. The Daiwa Tatula CTs have Magforce Z braking. Here is a video to watch and the video maker explains 3 different brakes systems Daiwa uses. Check out this video. All this means is that the reels are smooth casting and easy to learn on. Before I am done all 12 of my baitcasters will have some form of a Tatula on them. The Tatula CT can be found for around $110 sometimes less online, they regularly sell for $129. In my opinion the best deal going.

To answer your question both of the Mach 1 and Mach 2 combos come with a higher quality rod and reels that have more bearings. So the simple answer is yes, they are both better than the Blue Carbon series. Now the more important question is will you catch more fish because you chose one of the three over the other? Maybe. Personally I have seen some posters happy with the Mach 1 combo. The Mach 2 combo is even nicer. I have never read anyone review the Blue Carbon combo. That does not mean you will not catch fish with one. The Carbon fire is an IM6 graphite rod, the Mach 1 is an IM8 rod thus it should be more sensitive and lighter weight. The Mach 2 also has a IM8 rod with some nice upgrades like the Winn Grips, means little to fishing. The big difference is the reels. The Blue Carbon has a 6 ball bearing reel, The Mach one has a dual braking system and 10 ball bearings. The Mach 2 comes with an even more upgraded reel. If I was trying to get the best bang for the buck I would go for the Mach 1 due to the higher quality reel. and a good IM8 rod. I have to stress in baitcasting braking systems and ball bearings are important to success. The other question is what can you afford? If you can afford the Mach 1 then I would either go that way or go back to upgrading my spinning gear. I would add the baitcaster later. Sorry you are on your own with the wife! LOL

That rod will do its job well throwing the baits you mentioned it was designed for. The problem is you do not fish those style baits. Go pick the rod up and see if it the tip is soft enough that you think it would handle baits as light as 1/4 ounce, it says 3/8 to 3/4. What I am thinking is that maybe it would make a good rod to throw paddle tail swimbaits like keitech and Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers. First, if you think that rod will do that then I would get it. Those swimbaits are deadly and I do have a rod dedicated to fishing them. That of course is if that bait fits your fishing style and waters. I personally fish the little dippers and skinny dippers many way and in fresh clear water as well as off color tidal rivers like the Potomac and upper Chesapeake Bay. I fish them unweighted on a simple swimbait hook, lightly weighted with a Gamakatsu belly weighted swimbait hook and also a fish head style swimbait jighead. Picasso makes my favorites. I guess it will work for a spinnerbait as well, not sure. I would also see if the store has one of the 6'9" mh versions as it may be more useful to you.

I tell you what else that rod may do well and that is to fish swimjigs in like 3/8 or 1/2 with a paddle tail swimbait or 5 inch grub body. I love throwing the Dirty jigs swimjigs and a Keitech swimbait or a kalin 5 inch Lunker grub. Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers and a belly weighted Gamakatsu swimbait hook should be another bait in your arsenal. They have a cool deadly flutter when you swim them and kill it then twitch and swim it again. I use these in water as deep as 6 or 8 foot. In deeper water I put the Skinny Dippers on a Picasso fish head style swimbait jighead. I fish these baits rigged this way as deep as 30 feet for clear water smallies. I like the 3/8 and 1/2 ounce jigheads. If you have not used these baits try them on that rod. My favorite Dipper colors are sungil, houdini and white trash. In some clearer lakes I also use blue pearl.

Some love the faster tipped rods like ib_of_the_damned mentioned. However the rod he mentions is really a mof/fast not the typical fast tipped rod. Try you St Croix, I find them a little slower than they say anyway.

I m not sure what you call a complete tune up. If you mean replacing spark plugs. no I do not change mine each year unless I have idled a ton. I would still replace the lube in your lower unit. You may still have some left over from last year, if not perhaps you can get a tube of it instead of a bigger quantity. I would also replace the 4 stroke oil as that is the lifeblood of the engine.

Every one of my 9 bass boats has had them on ti. They are fantastic. It helps to occasionally spray some wd40 or something om the mechanism, but I use them in both fresh and tidal water. I doubt I would trailer a boat without them. You simply release the strap attach to the boat ratchet it down and you are done. Always hook the bow strap first so the boat is settled on the trailer, and then do the back. The longest I have had a set on a trailer was around 10 years.

I would not even get near many of those with a fishing hook. If you are fishing near in a small pond or stream a pontoon like this might be better. I have seen some used near me. Check out Cabelas. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1907270&type=product&WT.ac=YMAL-1907270&WT.z_pg_ref=prd711406 Also check out this video. The poster says to contact him if you have any questions A kayak like this looks good also. It hac a special cover that your hook do not penetrate, is designed with rod holder and can even be setup with their special trolling motor. http://www.coleman.com/rio-1-person-fishing-kayak/2000014134.html?cgid=sevylor-kayaksandcanoes Check out the video from youtube, and their are lots of other videos of guy fishing from inflatable kayaks. I like these because they come all in one bag. Very simple to setup as well. Check out https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sevylor-Kiowa-Fishing-Kayak/dp/B00NFZUUO8

My wife and I fish with a bunch of rods and three of them are Lightning Shock rod. Her's is a 6'6" medium spinning and my two are 6'6" medium baitcasters. They are terrific for throwing rattle traps up to 3/4 ounce, and plenty of small to mid sized cranks. I would not use cranks that dove below say 8 foot. The 7 footer others have mentioned is better for those deeper divers. My 6'6" would also handle some square bill duty as well as any wakebaits. In my opinion these rod sorta fly under the radar but for the price they are decent rods. They are plenty sensitive and are very durable. For bass fishing I usually have my more expensive Irod Genesis II and my Falcon Bucoo Trap Caster on deck. When fall striper season hits you will find all four of my rods on deck. Each one will have a different trap tied on it. We catch stripers up to 30 inches, big blue and channel cats and bass all feeding on the same bait schools. The Shocks fish just as well as either of the other two.

DVT thanks for your support here on this site. Sometimes a set of eyeballs, a cleaning and a general service will keep those gremlins away. Far cheaper than risking a total failure of a favorite reel.

I have two of their rods now. I disagree with your assessment that the rod does not balance well. It requires the correct weight reel, something like a Lews is too light and you are quite correct. I have a BPS Extreme reel mounted on mine and it balances about 1/4 of an inch in front of the threads. I have never felt fatigue using that combo.

Both are terrific rods. I own rods from both companies and ironically Gary Dobyns helped design many of the Powell rods. I own and LOVE LOVE LOVE my Powell Max 683CEF. It is one of the original series, not a MAX 3D but I spoke with the owner of Powell and he assured me the new rod is just a slight upgrade and they would play the same. Go read the rod review that Tackletour did on this rod. It is the most versatile rod I own, and that includes 11 other baitcasters. Here is the review http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfastpg2.html The 723 is a very similar rod but since I have never fished one I have a harder time suggesting it plays like the 683. There is nothing wrong with choosing the Dobyns. I fish some of those and love them. I just know how versatile the Powell is. It just seems to always make it onto my deck no matter where I am fishing. By the way the rod monkey said yes you do need another new rod !!!

How big of an area is damaged on the console? Can you post some pics? Man I am sorry that happened.

Good Luck! If it works out that will be boat number 10 I have helped find for a member here. It is fun to do research and watch others find their next boat.

I learned back in the 70 how to back reel. If you ever fished with an Mitchell 300 or 308, as well a many other good reels of the day. you learned how to back reel. With today's reels it is far better to adjust the drag correctly ( a little less than the line would break at) and add a bit of extra drag by addibg some b pressure with your hand as needed. It is sort of the opposite of back reeling,, with back reeling you were the main line controller, now the reel is and you can add control as needed manually

I am going to guess a piece of unwanted metal shaving, dirt etc probably from manufacturing. I am guessing. I would take it apart and inspect, clean, and relube it. If you are concerned send it out to DVT. Personally I would have that done by someone and not just assume it will never come back. If it comes back the damage might be a set of gears next time. A clean and regrease is not that expensive. You could also check with a local tackle shop and see if they work on reels. I have a shop that will tear down, and if all is good, clean, reassemble and lube for around $20 to $30 or less, depending on the reel. You said it was not a cheap reel so I would have it done for peace of mind.

I think you may be missing the biggest item. What rod are you using? Is the tip forgiving enough, many times a more moderate tipped rod will handle spinnerbaits, traps and such. A good example of that is the Falcon Buccoo Micro Trap Caster. It is a 7 foot rod with plenty of backbone, but a very forgiving tip to keep a bait from getting tossed. Try tossing those baits on a softer tipped rod. I use the same rod as I use for traps and jerkbaits.

First off I have never fished in a kayak but I have fished off several canoes. Almost every time I read a kayak angler's posting I see them mention how longer rods are more difficult to deal with. I know from my own experience fishing in a canoe has made me feel that way. In both cases we sit almost in the water. I would suggest you stay with a spinning rod around 6'6" to 6'9" just to handle better. None of the baits you mentioned weighs over 5/8 or so. A rod like a Veritas 6'6" medium will work well for you. All of the Veritas rods handle lures a little heavier than they say, so I think that rod would work really nicely. Another great option would be a Powell Inferno 6103, that is a 6'10 inch medium power rod that has an extra fast tip. You would spend $100 for that rod compared to roughly $80 for the Veritas. I would stick to the 6'6 Veritas instead of the 7 foot medium Veritas only because you mentioned throwing really light baits, the 7 footer will handle the heavier baits better but if you decided to throw a 5 inch grub on a 1/8 ounce jighead the shorter rod will cast it better. I can tell you from experience the Pflueger reels are terrific. I fish with several 35 series Presidents. My wife fishes with 6 rods and four have Presidents( 2 are 30's and the other 2 are 35s) one Pflueger Supreme 35 and one SHimano Symmetre. She has caught bass up to 6 pounds, several stripers up to 30 inches, and many big 6 to 8 pound catfish using only those reels. I would match the 6'6" Veritas medium or the Powell Inferno 6103 with a President 30 series reel, add some good line and go fish. By the way we have tested many lines over the years and have settled on Berkley Fused FireLine in 14 pound test ( same diameter as 6 pound mono) for all of our spinning gear. It feels really wiry when you first touch it, but softens immediately once it gets wet. It lays very nicely on the reel and has no memory issues. I always load half of the reel with Stren Original Clear Blue 12 or 14 pound test as backing then fill the rest with the FireLine. This saves money. Most of the time I run a short 4 foot leader made of 8 pound copolymer, fluoro or mono. Once you own this combo I would look at a Berkley Lightning Shock rods in a 6'6 medium. This rod has the perfect medium moderate action to throw crankbaits, traps, some topwaters, etc. economically. Both my wife and I fish these rods along with many much more expensive combos. These rods usually cost $49. If you check your local Walmart you may find one marked $32 or $49, take it to the register and have it scanned. Several members here have purchased them for less than $15. Match it up with one of your current reels till you can afford another President. Even if you go spend another $60 for a second President you would have a very inexpensive cranking combo.

Take a serious look at this boat. It will be plenty stable I think, it is a good starting platform, and allows you to do some upgrades while staying in your budget. Here is the link https://knoxville.craigslist.org/boa/6091962631.html This is not fancy, but will safely get you off the bank.

First I live in Baltimore MD but spend as much of my time in your area as possible. I love love love that area, my favorites are Dale Hollow and Center Hill ( west of you of course). Now for a boat to fish that area. Please answer some basic questions. Do you have a vehicle to tow a boat with? What is your budget? I will help more when I have these two pieces of the puzzle. Also are you handy with wood working because this boat could work out for you. Check this out. https://knoxville.craigslist.org/boa/6090447480.html also https://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/6093979708.html