NYWayfarer

Great looking reel. I know you are sold on the orange colors but I find the Lew's Speed Spool LFS to be the better choice. For $99 you get an aluminum frame as opposed to $139 graphite frame on the Crush. I assume the higher cost is for the Winn grip knobs as the other specs are similar.

No one said he has a free pass to throw gasoline on people. I said he sounds like he has dementia, which means he needs treatment not a bullet. As far as legally fishing a dock. Sure it's legal and we have a lot of respectful anglers on this forum. But for every respectful angler here there are dozens that don't give a flying fig about what they hit when they fish a dock. Those anglers give dock owners all the ammunition they need to fuel their stereotypes of us.

I can see the news now. 64 year old man shot dead after pouring gasoline on angler near his dock. Consequently the angler burned to death as the muzzle flash from his gun discharge set the gasoline on fire. Darwinism at it's best.

NO! Vanish is not a good line for learning baitcasting, or anything else for that matter. Try Trilene XL, XT or Big Game instead. 12# or higher.

The blades do take some getting used to. They are on a different angle than the Gillette blades that most cartridge shavers are accustomed to. It's harder to shave my chin with Harry's blades. I actually like the Dollar Shave Club blades better. The problem is their crummy handles, they break easy. Having to buy a new handle every few months negates any savings you might get. The cheapest way to save on shaving I have found is to wait for a wholesale club (BJ's, Costco, etc) to have a coupon on razors and then buy them in bulk. I just prefer the convenience of the subscription service.

Sounds like Dementia to me. Harassment on the water is no joke. I had two boats tailing my kayak this weekend. They would anchor less then 20' away from me every time I stopped anywhere. I am one of those rare folks that do not target docks anymore. My aim is not the greatest and I do not want to damage anyone's property. I tend to avoid populated fishing areas for more rural ones. My shadows could clearly see I was casting away from shore, looking for deeper pockets yet they continued stalking me until I moved to where there was no shoreline property. I have had issues in the same areas from boaters mad that I am in their spot. I rarely if ever anchor. Most of the time I stay less than 20 minutes in one spot. It's quite frustrating.

I have the Pelican Tracker 100 (DSG exclusive) which is basically the Pelican Trailblazer with 2 rod holders added behind the seat. They replaced my model with the Pelican Mustang $279 right now at DSG. It's better than the Tracker as it has a front storage compartment now as well as a removable pod in the rear. This would be a great starter angling kayak. I find the Pelicans to be stable and fast. They track reasonably well. The downside is they are thermoformed 2 piece hulls which some do not like. They are also sit-in kayaks which I prefer. Seems like anglers like the sit-on ones better. If you are going to go the non-angler kayak route make sure you find a kayak that has a rear storage compartment big enough to fit a milk crate. A DYI crate with rod holders can make any kayak into an angling one.

Just thought I would point out, the 2 kayaks you mentioned are not angling kayaks. Of the 2 I noticed the Blade appears to have a recessed circle in the back that you can probably fit a 5 gallon bucket in. That might be good for some tackle storage.

4 beautiful fish right there. The Gill especially. I love seeing the updates in this thread. I lost what would have been my 8th species of the year at the Yak this weekend. It was the biggest Redbreast Sunfish I every seen as well. It was big enough to take a 4" wacky rigged Senko. What a heartbreaker.

So far so good. I have logged close to half as many catches as I had last year and it is still spring. If this keeps up I will crush last years numbers. 7 different species of fish, over half of the total species I had last year. I have tried a few new baits and caught fish on 3 of them. I have revisited some classic lures and caught fish on all but 2 of them (Jitterbug and Buzz Plug)

This sums it up for me. The anxiety of losing it will destroy the peace I seek from fishing. It's a personality thing with me not a money issue.

At the moment, could change tomorrow, my top 5 favorite brands are: Reels: Daiwa, Shimano, Kastking, ***, Lews Rods: Powell, Denali, Kastking, Lews, Abu Garcia

I use reel oil on the spool shaft of my baitcasters, not grease. I open them up every two or three trips, wipe off the old oil and put some fresh oil on. I can't imagine it would affect the longevity of the reel as long as it routinely maintained.

You need potassium to combat those cramps. I recommend coconut water, like Vita Coco. One of those before or during fishing will eliminate cramping.

What is with Abu lately? DSG has a similar promotion, buy a Revo SX baitcaster or spinning and get a free Vendetta rod. The bonus was the Revo SX are on sale for $99.99 right now

I highly recommend the Under Armour Undeniable sackpack. It's a drawstring back pack with a few pockets and a large main compartment. I use it for bank fishing and it is perfect for carrying a few baits, tools and necessities. You don't even feel it on your back while casting.

I fish at a neighborhood pond every year for over a decade. It has LMB, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Pickerel, Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiners, Perch, Carp and it is stocked once a year with Brook Trout. It is extremely pressured. If I fish a wacky rigged stickbait, chances are I will catch. You would think with the amount of Bass I have caught there over the years on this bait, they would be wary of it. I usually bring a few different baits with me to cover the water column top, middle, bottom. That also increases the chances of getting a bank bite.

Message sent.

True. I was thinking more of a Ned rig type bait which is what the grub body and jighead sort of resemble.

They get snagged as much as any exposed hook bait does. Thank goodness they only cost 82 cents at Walmart!

Leaving line in the lake should be the last resort solution. On a boat or kayak I maneuver around until I am on the other side of the snag and get it loose. On the bank I walk to the right or left and shake to work it free or use the bowstring method in hopes of freeing my snagged lure. Good advice. I use my fish grippers the same way you use the broom stick. I wrap my line around the handle and pull the line until it breaks. 9 out of 10 times it breaks at the knot leaving very little of any line in the water.

3" Yum Dinger rigged wacky style with a size 1 finesse wide gap hook and O rings. Catches everything, Sunfish, Pickerel, Rock Bass, Perch, SMB and LMB. Easiest way to a double digit catch day.

How long should a reel last? In my case I want it to last until the bait monkey entices me into buying another one. So I would say two weeks, three tops...

Big ole Perch I caught while kayaking this Sunday. First time fishing a Ned rig on straight 20# braided line this weekend as I was too lazy to tie a leader. I felt every tick, bump and nibble. I was getting a lot of bites but came up short on the hooksets. Not at all like a Smallmouth Bass which was what I was targeting. It wasn't until I landed this big guy that I realized it was Perch that were messing around with my rig. Most were small and unable to take the bait in fully to get them hooked.

Set the centrifugal brakes to 4, Mag brakes to 7 is a good place to start. Use 12lb mono line and set you spool tension knob so the bait you are using falls Sloooooowly to the ground. Keep your thumb at the ready when the lure hits the water on a cast to stop the spool. You should have no issues at that point.