WestBranch

And the fish did trembled in fear, knowing that the small lakes and streams hidden deep in the forest were no longer safe.Yes little fishies, be afraid, be very afraid.

morning dawn and nasty shad

IMO the biggest question when deciding is what's more important. Stability or weight. You give up one for the other. I have both the old town predator 13 & the predator MK (with motor). Both are very stable. You almost have to want to flip them, leaning over to pull up a big fish won't do it. But they are 85 - 90 pounds empty. You're not going to toss these onto a car top carrier by yourself. Next would be gadgets they come with. Old town has a paddleclip, storage area with bungee cords, rod holders and a tray shelf under the seat for 2 3600 tackle boxes, other makers probably have similar features. Finally I'd consider either a pedal version or built in trolling motor version. Either one allows hands free operation while your bringing the fish in or maneuvering without putting down your pole. Though the motor version will require you to register it as a motor boat in most states, the pedal version won't. As for the 2 predators I have, MSRP is between $1300 - $3000 depending on widgets you want. My MK has a fish finder, AGM battery and a 40W solar panel to keep a constant charge on the battery, if the suns out I'm charging the battery, even when I'm fishing from it.

$1,000

I have an old town predator mk kayak, with the minn kota motor, etc. Between the motor, battery, fish finder, solar panel and other doo dads, it's close to 200 pounds and no longer acceptable to just lift into truck. So I've been looking for a trailer I could use looks a boat trailer for when I want to go to other lakes / rivers in my area. I decided on one from Triton because it was all welded,not bolted together which makes it stronger for those long logging roads the best lakes are on, plus it has a longer tongue to accommodate the longer kayaks. The triton kayak trailer normally comes with T supports to hold between 2 - 6+ kayaks,but I was able to purchase the base model stripped of the supports and instead bolted on 2 3" conduits to support the kayak. After a couple more expeditions I'll probably add a J hook to mount 2 regular kayaks for my wife's kayak. But I want to see hoiw this works 1st. 2 more shots

If you're on a budget I'd look at the kast king stealth for about $50 That will give you more to spend on the rod. I personally like the st Croix avid x.

NJ ANG 108 CAM Sq 74 - 80 AFSC 32850 working on the F105B thunder chief

I looked inside the battery box and realized the wires could be routed different and come out a different opening. I'll have to put a cable tie where it connects to the kayak to keep it from pulling out. (I keep my tackle bag between the seat and battery, and have knocked it out before)

Too stiff, it's a thick wire. I've thought about splicing in a longer piece, but at that point I'd probably redo the entire thing with different connectors from either a auto or marine parts store. I've also sent these comments to old town's customer service

This model used to be called the xl minn kota, but they changed the name this year with some cosmetic upgrades. I use it almost everyday day and am really pleased with it as a fishing platform, once you get used to the rudders and speed control, you can easily control it to either drift, or remain stationery in the wind / current. You can steer clear of hazards while reeling in a fish, etc. It is very stable and you can stand and fish from it with out a problem. It takes A LOT to flip this kayak. That comes at a price, as this kayak is around 90 pounds empty, add 25 for the motor and fish finder, and another 80 to 100 for the battery and wiring. It does have some design flaws thou. The worst (IMO) is the back electrical connection to the battery. 1 the wire comes out of the box at the wrong angle and makes that side rod holder unusable. (Pic 1) This wire could also be a little longer. The area that they put the connection is a very wet area (pic 2) and promotes corrosion on the terminals. Dielectric grease is a must here. The seat has a built in shelf underneath that will hold 2 3600 boxes. They put 3 grommets in the back for drainage ( pic 3) but they are too high and water still collects there. I put a 4th grommet in to correct this. The foot pedals are the rudder controls but they don't really have the adjustment range ( pic 4) (unless your 8 feet tall) I'm 5' 8" with a 30" inseam and have them adjusted almost at the near limit. If you were less then 5' 6" you'd probably have to sit on a phone book to reach the pedals. I put a 40W solar panel on the back ( pic 5) and it will bring the battery from 50% to 100% in a day. It has the added benefit to also charge the battery as I use it. EDIT Pics added

Same here, just fast enough to wag it's tail. I also use the morning dawn.

I've been doing real good in the evenings using topwaters like the BBZ rat. Unfortunately a pickerel bit thru the line and swam off with one.

I used to live in the log house up the hill. I've since moved so I should probably change my username to west branch, or something, since I'm now on the west branch of the penobscot river. DONE

Old town sells an mk battery box, that has all of that plus an in line fuse

I have an old town predator and have hit submerged rocks with ramming speed velocity and haven't done any damage to it besides the occasional new "battle scar". One of my favorite places to hang out is to wedge my kayak onto a rock pile in fast water just before a calm pool and fish it. Always have the best luck there.