Alex from GA

Give the palm swell seat a try you'll like it.

Read my post "Reel seat". It was uncomfortable to use so I changed it.

Figure out where you're going to use the kayak. Big lakes, small lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks or all of the above. All I use mine for are rivers and creeks so mine is shorter and lighter than a big water one.

I think you're going to dislike that reel seat but hope not. Sorry to be a pessimist.

If it's like a Merc it's a piece of cake. The hardest part is removing the nut that holds the gears in the lower unit. Remove the nut and jerk on the shaft to remove it from the housing, slip it off the gears and send it off or replace it. Replace the seals and o-rings while it's apart.

A few years ago I built a light spinning rod with a skeleton reel seat that I hated once I started using it. It had a cork butt and fighting butt. I have a couple of rods with the palm swell seat that I like so I cut the skeleton off and installed the palm swell from the butt end of the rod. I had to use eva for the grips to slip on the butt and it worked fine. I used drywall mesh for bushings which worked OK too. The rod is, to me, much more comfortable to use. I'm sure people have done this before me.

I've fished the forest several times in the past 5 years and always caught fish. I drag a kayak to some of the smaller ponds/lakes where not many people go to. It's an adventure. Only 1 time I had to poke a gator with my paddle to keep it away.

I have fished from Maine to CA and lots of places in between with a Zoom finesse worm. Lakes, rivers, creeks, canals, ponds, it works.

Spook, any size.

At a real busy ramp I'd do as Toxic said. Some one would always give you a ride out to your boat.

Not too much yearly but we moved to GA in '99 next to Lake Lanier and bought 2 vacation homes in FL so I could fish whenever I wanted.

I go fishing almost every weekday if it's not blowing 20mph or 100* outside. All winter I launch my boat somewhere close; I have a bunch of places less than 1/2 hour away. We also live on a pond so I usually throw a worm or frog before breakfast and sometimes catch a fish. In summer I fish Lake Lanier several times a week unless I'm fishing a river, in my kayak, for the GA Bass Slam. I use by buddy's dock on the lake about 1/4 mile from our house. BTW I'm 81.

It's a long video but all encompassing on bass.

While fishing a canal last winter I broke off on a fish. Fished the canal for about an hour came back and caught the same fish with my hook in it's face. If a worm fisherman was ahead of me I'll go elsewhere but if a moving bait guy is there I'll go right in.

151 for us and wifey is 12 years younger than me.

Scratch my last post. I went to the wrong place, senior moment.

Yesterday on a buzzbait hooked on the outside of the mouth through the mouth and into the head. Took a while to get the hook out and the fish released.

Yes it's the same article.

I just read an article about Butch Brown on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. It outlined how he goes about catching DD bass.

I've fished the Savannah River in a kayak from the Savannah Pavilion. Lots of bass, smallmouth, Bartrams and LM.

Cable clamps with pop rivets.

I came out of the grocery store one day to find my receiver 1/2 out of the mount. Someone wanted it more than I did but got scared off. I remove mine now.

You hear of people catching a boot, well I actually did. Yes I took a picture.

I have a 16' bassboat with a 45hp engine and changed props last year. Top speed is now 30 and before the $300 prop it was 28. Is it worth $300 for 2 mph; not to me.

You might look into desk grommet also.