SummertimeCarl

This whole post is cracking me up. I can't even think of how to contribute but just wanted to say I got a good kick out of this.

I think "productive" is an extreme word really but texas rigged 10" ribbon-tail worms flipped into grass edges.

Yea, I wasn't attesting to the durability of the kayak but more implying if the kayak gets damaged it is easily replaceable. A FeelFree Lure 10 for instance may very well be more durable but it costs over 4 times as much so I'd feel less comfortable abusing it. That cheap pelican sit-in kayak I had was super lightweight and had really thin plastic. Much thinner than the Tamarac, and I really abused the thing. I mean really abused it - dragging it across gravel (wet gravel when creeks became too shallow to float in) for long periods of time, not being careful. It's still running strong; I just wanted a sit-on-top for the stability and easy in/out access. I just know usually when people post "what's the best budget kayak/boat etc" on forums people usually reply "here's an option about 25% over your actual budget" or "wait a year and a half until you find a super rare craigslist deal." Figured it would be nice to suggest a cheaper option that still does the job instead.

I've been kayak fishing for about 3 years in a cheap $200 pelican from Academy. It wasn't stable at all but did the job and was super light. Recently I bought the Tamarack Angler 120 from Walmart (I know) and I really love it. It was $215 WITH a paddle. I bought that, use my upgraded paddle, and bought a stadium seat from Amazon that I put on it. The thing is super cheap and I really can't imagine a more expensive kayak being worth the extra money. I can't stand in it but it is plenty stable for long casts and hard hooksets. At $215 I don't mind dragging it across gravel etc. Still light enough to easily throw in the back of my truck and carry down to water access.

Yes, molds would be the best application probably because one print would lead to an unlimited amount of production. You could make molds for soft plastics and jigheads too I would imagine. Maybe one day I'll design a soft plastic mold that has tons and tons of little ligaments to be funky. I usually don't do the design stuff though, just the actual printing and repairs.

Ohhhh okay I didn't realize the water was that skinny. In that case I would opt for the kayak then. I was thinking of larger deeper rivers like the Ohio.

For small water on a budget I usually suggest a kayak as they require no maintenance, are easy to transport, and are still useful if someone decides to buy a big bass boat later on. However, with a $5k budget I'd probably go with a flat-bottomed jon with a newer low HP motor. In my opinion (I said IN MY OPINION) kayaks that require a trailer don't make sense. The advantage to my kayak is that I can throw it in the back of my truck, hop in the water for an hour and a half, throw it back in and be home for dinner. If I had a trailer in the mix I'd rather just buy a 16' jon I could stand up in and not have to worry about paddling (or pedaling even). Having said that, I am from KY and have absolute no idea what the susky river looks like.

When I first started 3D printing at work they asked me what I'd like to print for my first test and of course I chose a little crankbait design I found online. Just went through my phone and unfortunately don't have a picture of my exact one... Mine is this same design but is more of a tan color. I never added hooks or an eyelet to mine so am unsure how it swims in the water. Livetarget I believe uses 3D scans for their lure designs too. Using 3D scans are a great idea. 3D printing as an entire technology though is more suited for one-off custom things more-so than mass production. It'd be cool to start a custom lure shop taking special requests or making limited editions of say 200 fancy baits. Selling tens of thousands of them though seems impractical.

I think we're going to be unanimous on Tacklewarehouse.com

My creek-specific spinning rod has some 6lb Kastking braid I just had laying around. I don't use a leader. The line is super thin. Shoving that limp braid through the smaller panfish hooks can be more of a challenge because the eyelets are smaller than they are on my 3/0 worm hooks. Its a minor inconvenience. I like the feel of braid more than flouro/mono, though. In all honesty I am not a "serious" pan fisherman so that rod just gets whatever line I have laying around at the time.

I've been in your situation - it's good that you're not looking for a gas motor as "very used" gas motors may cost less than $1,000 originally but will cost you frequently for repairs. If you have a truck, I'd buy a 12' flat bottomed jon boat (Academy $649) and a $99 new trolling motor. Budget another $100 for a new deep cycled battery. Should come in at around $900 and last forever. Don't forget to budget for legally necessary items. HOWEVER, I honestly think a good sit on top kayak would be a better investment. Easier to put in the water, zero maintenance, and still very useful if you end up buying a bonafide bass boat three years from now. I learned that lesson the hard way - wanna travel to Louisville and buy my $500 v-hull that never gets used?

If I'm on a lake, I'm targeting bass only. However, I'll often fish creeks (glorified "ditches") and fish a 2" grub for sunfish or creek chubs or whatever is hungry that day. Love the colors of those little creek fish and like that they are easily tricked.

Yarn is a funny but great idea for a chatterbait trailer. I use 1/2oz for castability. Anything lighter with a trailer of any size stays too high up in the water column for me. I switched to using little grubs for the trailer but I may actually try the yarn trick.

Shore - 1, 2, or 3 rods. A backpack. Kayak - 2 or 3 rods. Same backpack. Boat - 5 rods. Same backpack. The main difference is if I'm fishing from the shore I only throw my cheapest lures. I lose 5 times as many lures from the shore as I do from a boat/kayak.

This thread is cracking me up. Mine makes me feel so bad about myself when I come home and say they weren't biting today. "Well, maybe you just need to watch a few more of those how-to videos so you can get better..." For all those wishing their wives would encourage them to fish and watch fishing videos more, it doesn't feel as good when they say you NEED to. hahaha