Alex from GA

Better sharks and alligators to not fishing all year.

You might look into having a custom rod built. There are a plethora of super premium blanks to build with.

Out yesterday afternoon to look for some bass. Went 1/4 mile and my locator lit up with fish. Dropped a spoon and caught a 2.49 Alabama Bass, dropped again and caught a smaller one. Third drop a 11" striper appeared on my spoon and the next one another small bass came up. The next drop the fish had moved on but I was jigging the bottom and the spoon stopped, thought I hooked the bottom when it moved. To make a long, 10 minute story short, I thought I had a big striper then a good catfish but when I brought it up it turned out to be a 5.55 lb carp hooked in the gill plate. Toughest fight since the last time I caught a decent, 5-10 lb striper.

I'm with MN on the DIY thing. If the washers aren't perfectly make it's not a big deal. I've been making my own for since before Penn had carbon drags and they've all worked much better than stock.

Can't have too many boats. It's still over 50 lbs but shorter and more manuverable. When I use my kayak I have a 15' rope with either 1 or 2 lengths of 3/8" chain for an anchor. I run the rope through the front handle with a clam cleat on a gunnel where I can reach to use it. You might have to paint the bottom so the fish won't get spooked by a bright orange boat. Good luck with it.

Original packages thrown in a milk crate under the console. I don't use many colors or sizes so they don't get too mixed up.

Have a good time not a money making endeavor.

I use 5 mm Minimas or SSRs for my running guides. Any smaller, for me, are harder to see and wrap.

There are live wells in kayaks. When we were tagging bass the leader has a big Jackson kayak with a live well in the center. BTW Drew designed the Jackson Coosa for the rivers he fishes.

Many many years ago I had a gear box on a saltwater reel that was 3x the speed of the basic reel and found I couldn't start a jig with it. The gear box was called a Real Deal and the reel I used was a 3:1 Penn 250. Now a days the reels are much different and do work with the higher speeds. BTW I still have the reel and gear box.

I'm primarily a worm fisherman and carry 3 T/R rods different weights and different length worms.

I have a couple of Symetres, which have 95% the same parts as a Stradic so I'd buy the Stradic. Very smooth, good drag and fairly light.

Walmart marked down a bunch of nice graphite IM7 rods for $7 each, bought them all. Bought 2 Shimano Symetre 2000 reels @ a garage sale for $15 for the pair. Still using them.

When I first moved to GA in '99 I was at my peak. Now, with health problems, it's all downhill. I was still going kayak fishing weekly after 80 but this year knocked the crap out of me.

I've never caught a tagged fish but I was part of a tagging program in places where shock boats couldn't go. We tagged, recorded and took fin clips of over 500 bass on the Chattahoochee River, mostly Shoal Bass. Interesting days.

My PB was caught on a spinnerbait a couple of years ago; the first and only 7 lber I've caught.

Thanks for sharing your adventures. I forsee a road trip south during one of those long winters visiting several of the all year fisher people. Me among them.

But the largest I've caught in several years. Been fishing several times a week with varying results. Today I fished this afternoon and went to a place I don't usually go, threw an Okachobee Craw trick worm at a dock and caught this Alabama Bass. 3.79 lbs.

You can repair it and probably won't notice any difference. I've done several. https://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html

My first and only instance of catching a pike was about 4 years ago on a road trip to Maine. I launched my kayak on a lake in hope of catching a smallmouth and ended up with a nice LM, a pike and a SM. Yes I have a picture somewhere. I found out not to lip them. BTW they all were caught on a finesse worm.

If the ramp is very busy I've been know to shoot my boat off the trailer, park the truck, walk back to the ramp and hitch a ride to my boat.

I just checked "bassresource.com" and it worked like old times with no red f and the menu in the upper left.

Jigging spoon or doodle and keep on doodling. If they're not bass the spoon will catch them.

Get on the cavitation plate of the motor and bounce. If the transom flexes pass. Also with soft floors. Like way says pay an expert to check out the prospective boat.

Blue.