Traumabrew

Which rod you talking about the dx795? What 2 rods would you suggest? Also, what speed reels would you use on them?

I am looking for something up to 3 oz. I don't plan on throwing huge swim or crank baits. I do want the option to toss out some 2+ oz punching rigs as here in Florida we have some really thick cover. I prefer to keep my rods between 100 to 175 and reels about the same. I honestly don't believe as a recreational angler, paying more for a rod has any benefits besides lining someone elses pocket. And as a pro, you usually have sponsors that give your rods, reels and tackle or you can justify the cost as a job expense and deduct it from the taxes. The only way I can explain pros having 10 rods and reel set ups that cost around 1000 each just on their boat. I have seen videos where some pros garages or barns look more like a high end tackle shops than a home garage. LOL My current flip/pitch rod is the Fitzgerald Vursa 7'6" heavy but it only handles up to 1 1/2 oz lures.

I am looking for a rod that I can use to effectively punch, flip, and use for crank and swim baits. It seems like they have a specific rod for every technique. But I was wondering what 1 rod and reel set up I could use for these techniques. I am trying to get myself a 4 rod set up for kayak fishing. Currently have a 7 MHF, 7" MLF spinning, 7'6" HMF (only rated up to 1 1/4oz lure); so I am looking for something that can handle heavier crank baits, swim baits and punching. I think this would give me the best rounded rod/reel arsenal for kayak fishing. What rod and reel would you recommend. If anyone has a different suggestion, please let me know.

This is the one I just got from TW while they had their 1% July 4th sale. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gambler_Digital_Culling_Scale/descpage-GDCS.html Waterproof and highly accurate. I figured spend 50 dollars now than buy multiple cheap ones.

I have been using fluro leader tied to braid using a double uni knot and had issues with the knot getting hung up on the guides. I then switched to a blood knot and am still having issues. I am not using micro guides. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful.

I just got him out of the water here. My daughter took the picture so it is not a great shot.

I am new to bass fishing and I have not been successful to date. But, today was my day. I caught my first bass. And it was the big one. I know, I know, the first one always seems bigger than it was, but I weighed it and it was 7 lb and my daughters were with me to verify it. It was heavy enough that when I lifted my life to pick him out of the water, the weight of the fish caused the line to cut into my skin. Unfortunately, I had to cut the day short. 95 degrees with 70-80% humidity and no wind will wear you quickly. I got to say that catching your first bass is just like having sex for the first time. It seems like it took forever to happen, was over too quickly and leaves you wanting more. And you also will never forget the first time. And to top it all off, my noisy, stomping, partying, squeaky mattress neighbors above me moved....it was a good weekend.

I have a car top rack and can put a yak up to 100 lbs on it. Thankfully, the pedal drive systems on these yaks are removable which lightens the weight that has to be loaded. The seat is pretty important to me as I have had back surgery and I know if the seat is not comfortable I wont use the yak no matter how easy it is to transport. I am looking for the sweet spot that is the perfect balance of portability, ease of use and comfort. Each yak has their own unique feature that makes them different than the others and wading through them and determining what is actually useful and beneficial vs a gimmick or something that will be of minimal or no use is like trying to wade through a pond full of muck up to your waist. That is why I am here and asking my fellow bass fisher people what they find useful or not and getting input from experienced yakers.

So, I have it narrowed down to Native Titan 12, Old Town Predator MK, Feelfree Dorado, Wilderness Systems ATAK 140 and Jackson BigRig. They run between 34 to 39 inches wide. The Predator has the included MK motor for 2999, ATAK 140 has a motor upgrade but the total cost is about 4000, Titan (2799) has the ability with a special bracket to attach a trolling motor to it (so, a motor and everything is about another 1000), Feelfree Dorado is 2999 plus the motor is another 1500 (but that boat is like the Cadillac of fishing yaks) and the I was eyeing the BigRig from Bassyaks which is 2999 rigged with a motor. I am looking for boats that have an easy way to add a motor as I have a bad back and knee. I can pedal fine but somedays I cant and the motor option would be great for those days. The Dorado is cool because the pedal propulsion system stays in the boat and you attach the motor to the pedal drive which means you could have the motor drive on the boat and use it when needed or if you run the battery dead, you can still pedal it. I have sat in the Titan, ATAK and a Hobie. The Titan and ATAK are comfy and I don't like the pedal drive on the Hobie. I like what I have seen of the BigRig but have not researched the Jackson yaks much. Most of them are similar in layout. The Predator has the highest capacity at 600 lbs. The Titan is widest at 39 inches. I am mostly going to be on lakes and rivers and ponds here in Florida but would also like the ability to possibly go to the ocean too. My price point is 3000. I do not want to buy a cheap yak first then upgrade as that is a waste of money plus I have sat in many of the yaks sold at Walmart, Dicks, etc and they are most uncomfortable and I know that if I have an uncomfortable yak, I am not going to use it.

I am looking to buy my first kayak. I have done a lot of research on different yaks and I have narrowed my choices down to 3 or 4. One of the big questions I have is how important is size (ok, stop laughing and thinking up all the jokes and puns that come to mind). Obviously, bigger means you can carry more gear, but how does length and width relate in terms of stability, speed, ease of use, turning, etc. The yaks I am looking at range between 11-13 feet long and 34 to 39 inches wide. I know wider means more stable, but does 3 or 4 inches really have a big impact on stability. I am a big guy at 6 foot and 300 lbs. I am also going to have to car top transport my kayak. I am also looking for a pedal drive and have even seen several yaks now have electrical motors as options (vs installing a separate trolling motor). Finally, what options or features on a kayak do you find highly beneficial or as a necessity? Some of the yaks have them set up for fish finders with transducer mounts and I am thinking this might be a really useful feature.

I was looking at these yaks today. Does anyone own one? How are they on the water? How do they compare to Hobie or Old Town or any of the otehrs?

I am going to buy my first yak in the next month and am a "husky" guy. I don't want to use a orange general "horse collar" PFD and instead would like to use a PFD designed for fishing. Does anyone know of any brands that have big & tall sizes? OR a PFD that would work well for a fat guy in a kayak?

I am in the same boat as you here in Florida. The BPS stores here seem to have more saltwater stuff than bass. And the problem I had was that there was sort of a delineation of saltwater and freshwater but the terminal tackle was comingled. The fishing rods and reels were all mixed up and the only high end reels they had were saltwater. I actually had a guy there keep showing me Penn reels (which were obviously for large saltwater game fish) when I was trying to find a new spinning reel. He obviously had no clue about bass fishing. And trying to look for a new rod was impossible. My initial post was about the irony of a huge outdoor sports store being named "Bass Pro Shops" but really sucking at selling gear for actual bass fishing. It is sad that the days of mom and pop tackle shops are gone. I have known some shops that are specialized, like fly fishing or are set up in a prime location that are able to survive and even thrive. The nice thing about the local tackle shops are that they usually stock items that are specific to that area or body of water. There are some really good tackle shops near Lake Okeechobee that I got to visit on my trip and sell baits specific to the lake (I took the long, I mean scenic, way home back from Miami which just by chance took me along the western part of the lake and amazingly I "forgot" to take my rods and tackle bag out of the car before leaving home).

I'll give an example. I was looking for some 1/2 oz football and shakey head jigs and I could not find them. Not even the guy who works in the department could find them. I had to travel for a funeral in South Florida, so I threw my rods in the car so I could fish some lakes down there afterwards. I needed some jig heads.

This might be hard to believe but I went to BPS for the first time to buy tackle. I've been in them for hunting and shooting supplies but not fishing. I decided to stop in as I was traveling and it made a good rest stop. So I went to the fishing area to look for some tackle and was lost. It seems they try to separate the different types of fishing but it is so confusing. Also, it was too busy so I couldn't find an employee to help. I was also dismayed that there was mostly BPS branded gear and the lure sizes were limited. Also, not a good selection of higher end rods and reels. It is sad that a store named "Bass Pro Shops" is difficult to shop for bass fishing in. I'm going to stick with online tackle stores. Better selection, easier to search and I can get my stuff in a day or 2.