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That's happened to me several times. And a couple of times, I'm pretty sure it was on purpose. Sometimes those guys in the big bass boats don't like us kayakers fishing "their spots".

With most electronics, their rate of failure over time follows the bathtub curve. That means most electronics that make it past the initial 25% of their expected lifespan, are highly likely to make it past 75% of their expected lifespan. Most electronics either fail early or late in their expected lifecycle, with very few failing in the middle periods. And lithium batteries, with their BMS circuits, are a lot like electronics in this regard. So if you get a year or two out of a lithium battery without problems, you'll likely get 7 or 8 years, or even more, barring abuse or neglect. Of course, likely isn't a guarantee or even a warranty.

Think of it like this. If there's only one bar in the town, then everybody in town will go to the same bar. But if there are thousands of bars in the town, and thousands of people, then there are going to be a lot of empty bars, because most people will want to go to one of the best bars where everyone else is. So if you're looking for the most people, you either go to the best bars, or somewhere that doesn't have many bars to choose from. It's the same with structure and cover. It's not that a tree buried amongst 100 other trees won't have a bass. It's just less likely to than a single tree all by itself. And it's a lot easier to find the single tree, all by itself, than it is to find the handful of trees amongst the hundreds that might hold bass.

If size and weight are a concern, then lithium is your best bet. You probably won't find them at Walmart, and you'll pay a bit more up front. But they should last around 10 years or so, so I imagine you'd pay about the same or less in the long run, depending on which lithium battery you buy. One of the advantages to lithium, besides weighing about 1/3rd as much as a similarly sized lead acid, is that you can drain them to 10-20% of their max charge without doing significant damage. Lead acid batteries don't like to be drained more than 50%. So you can either run a lithium battery almost twice as long, or get a battery that's almost 1/2 the capacity and size, and use it the same amount. They're not great for starter batteries, but for deep cycle, they're really tough to beat these days. You can find some 100AH lithium batteries online for around $200-300.

Catfish are definitely the better eating fish. Though if the pond is muddy, that could cause the catfish to taste muddy. So I rarely eat the catfish I catch around here, for that reason. Some people like bass. Some do not. To me, bass are definitely edible, but they're not the best choice. It's not that bass taste bad. It's just that they're not particularly great. I'd choose to eat bass above a lot of freshwater fish, but not crappie, catfish, tilapia, walleye, etc. I've never had bream, so I can't compare. But I have heard they taste good but have a ton of bones, which sounds like you can confirm. Either way, with bass you don't have to worry about the bones, so long as you fillet them right. So I'd say it's worth a try next time you catch one. You might like it. And if you don't, well you'll learn something.

Probably not with your budget. At least not easily. To be able to fish while standing while using the trolling motor, you almost need a motor capable of running a pre-programmed path (or spot lock, if that's what you want). Some have remote controls, but it's hard to operate one with your hands while fishing. Others have foot controls, but with the limited space on the deck of a kayak, and the need to keep your balance, they're pretty difficult to use. Now I will do this from time to time in mine. I just have a regular trolling motor on the stern. But it's one of those, point it in a direction, stand, fish, and about the time I retrieve the lure, I have to make corrections. So it's a lot of work. Especially if you hook a fish. So I'll be constantly bending over to adjust my foot pedals or speed controller. Though, I must say that it's also always really windy here. So that ups the level of difficulty significantly. Other people in other parts of the world might find this a bit easier. It sounds to me like you'd be better off with a small jon boat and building a fishing deck onto that. It would probably be beyond your budget, but if you find a good deal on a used one, it might not be too terribly beyond your budget. Especially if you're willing to do a lot of the work yourself.

The best description I've heard, and I don't know who said it first, was something along the lines of "I only know what a bite doesn't feel like, so I assume everything else is a bite". And I'm envious of all of you spring fishers. This is the time of year I fish the least. The wind gusts typically stays up around 30mph from March to June around here, unless a cold front just passed through. There will be a couple of nice days each spring, but you've got to get lucky with one falling on a weekend or have a very understanding boss (like in the fairy tales from my childhood).

If I was running 70 mph, I'd do it buck naked, standing up, with my hair literally on fire. I fish from a kayak, so if you see me doing 70 in that thing, I have clearly lost my mind and you just need to stay off the water until the authorities arrive.

Adding a trolling motor to a kayak isn't too hard. It's certainly in the DIY realm, and many of us have done it. But it will be a bit of work and might cost you more than you'd think going into it. There are lots of hidden costs you don't often consider when first pricing it out. But the plus side to doing it that way is you can buy the kayak now, and then start fishing right away. And then in a few months or years, you can add the motor later, spreading out the costs. The experience will also tell you a bit about what you want out of the motor, such as control vs. speed. Also, stability in a kayak comes with some tradeoffs. The more stable a kayak is, the slow it will be through the water, generally speaking. And kayaks typically aren't stabile like a boat. In other words, you typically have to force them over into their secondary stability point, which almost feels like it's on edge, and keep it there to keep it stable. And that's a bit awkward at first, trying to almost tip it over to keep it from tipping over, but you get used to it. And no matter how stable the kayak is, it's still a small platform, so your own stability will mater. If you lean over too much, it's hard to take a step to regain your stability sometimes. All things you get used to in time. I'm only pointing this out in case you test out a kayak and get scared about how unstable it feels the first time you try to stand up in one. They feel a lot worse at first. But once you get the balance and muscle memory down, they're not too bad. But if maximum stability is your desire, then you'll want a big kayak (especially wide, but also long), which also means a heavy kayak. And then transportation becomes something to think about. Which might add to the costs. So what I'm saying is, there are lots of great kayaks out there on the market right now. If you can find a place that does demos, try some out to get a feel for what you like and don't like. For $2k, you're going to have to make some compromises, so figure out where you're willing to compromise. But also, for $2k, you should be able to get a kayak that you're really happy with. It might not be perfect or ideal, but it can still be great.

Look up Will Prowse's YouTube channel, DIY Solar. He tears down and reviews tons of LiFePo4 batteries. Between all of the brands he's reviewed, you'll surely find something that's decent and at a decent price. He's more geared towards solar powered backup batteries, but it's the same batteries we use for trolling motors and such. So all of his information transfers over nicely. As the idea of "cheap Chinese" LiFePo4 batteries... well they're all Chinese. China is the only one making the cells for these batteries. Technically, there are a few US companies that make lithium battery cells, but they specialize in custom installs for industrial applications. So a regular deep cycle would be a one-off custom job for them, which would be insanely expensive! The brands that say "Made in the USA" are actually just assembled in the US with Chinese parts. However, the US made brands probably have better quality control and customer support, so you're not paying more for nothing. There is an advantage to them. Whether it's worth the extra money for quality control and customer service, is up to you. Lots of people are happy with their cheap, Chinese brand LiFePo4 batteries. Lots of people are happy with their USA assembled LiFePo4 batteries. It's up to you which direction you want to go. But if you do go with the Chinese assembled ones, do your research. Some brands have been known to reuse old cells and resell them as new batteries. And some brands are made better than others. They're definitely not all made in the same factory from the same parts and rebranded with different labels (though many are). So a bit of research on your part is well worth the time. And if you can't find any information on the brand, there are plenty of others out there that do have information available, so go with one of them.

You can make a tourniquet out of a t-shirt and stick. No reason to buy something like that. Especially, since you should almost never use one. Doctors typically recommend against their use because they usually do more damage than good. People often wind up getting things amputated because of the tourniquet, not because of the injury. In most cases, proper pressure applied directly to the wound will be sufficient to stop the bleeding. I'm not saying never use a tourniquet, because there are rare times when it can save a person's life. But it should only be used in exceedingly rare circumstances, as a last resort. And in a fishing/boating environment, I can't imagine too many scenarios where one of those would ever pop up.

I've got a good carp recipe if anyone is interested. Take a carp, whole, and season it with salt, pepper, and oregano. Then bast the skin in a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and butter. Use some twine to sandwich it between two cedar planks, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. Put on a spit and rotate constantly over an open fire for 18 minutes. Cut the twine, toss the carp, and serve the cedar planks with horseradish sauce. Good for nothing fish...

Whatever line you want. We all have our own preferences, and most of them are going to be different. And for each of us, there can be a definite right and wrong answer. It's just that we're all a little different and fish differently, so what's right for us might be wrong for someone else. Like if it were me, the answer would be simple. I'd use the same line I use for just about everything else. 30# Sufix 832 braid. But you're not me. So that might be a bad idea for you.

I wouldn't worry about it. The weight would be minimal and the weight applied would be nearly equal all over, so the balance would remain pretty much the same. And while fish would definitely be able to smell and taste epoxy, especially if not fully cured, most of us use crankbaits that smell and taste like whatever plastic box they were stored in and whatever we had on our hands when we tied it on, and they still catch fish.

If you're going to be coating the cork in a varnish anyway, you can tint the varnish. Woodworkers do this all of the time. It's different from applying the stain or dye directly to the cork, and you don't have to rely on the cork absorbing the colors or not. I can't find an MSDS for U-40, which is odd, but since it cleans up with just water, I'm betting its water based. That means a waterbased dye will probably work with it. You might also get away with a waterbased paint, like watercolor. Run some test samples on something before attempting this on your rod. Since I can't find what's U-40 is made of, I can't be confident in any specific recommendation.

Probably due to the lower drag. But you're right. It can still be done. You might not be able to horse a big one in with something like 7lbs of drag, but you could still land her if you're patient.

You're probably right. Though, to be fair, this was on the other side of the plant, where the water was stored before being released back into the creek. And it was pretty clear, didn't stink, and had lots of vegetation growing in it. We didn't know it was a sewage lagoon until we brought some home to cook up and mortified our parents. We did a lot of that back then. My mother will never let me forget bringing the "leaches" home that we found in the creek that ran near it. I wanted to keep them in an aquarium. I tried to explain that they were lampreys, and not leaches, but my arguments were counterproductive.

Yeah, in a small pond, the bass probably aren't used to seeing large baitfish. And especially post cold front, the bass tend to get lethargic and hang tight to cover. So in both of those situations, something slowish and small would be good, in my mind. A Ned rig or drop shot might also be a good idea. But really, the fish do what they want to do, not what they're "supposed" to do. So it's hard to say anything for sure until after you've tried it.

The paint job catches more fisherpeople than fish. More than half of my crankbaits don't even look like real fish. But the bass seem to love them anyway.

I'm not proud to admit this, but when I was a kid, we used to fish a sewage lagoon and catch blueback herring and brook trout. I think. I was really young, and this was pre-internet days, so I probably wasn't good at identifying fish. They could have been mutated minnows for all I know.

Polarized lenses work by filtering polarized light. Sunlight, by itself, is not polarized. But as it bounces off a flat, reflective surface, it can become polarized. So polarized lenses can help to reduce the glare that you get on the surface of the water. And this can help you see deeper into the water. HOWEVER, it really only works if the sun is behind or in front of you. If the sun is off to the side, they won't really work (well sometimes if you tilt your head at the right angle they can). And if the water is stained or muddy, it won't help you to see through it any better, as polarized lenses do nothing to help that. So the sun's got to be at the right angle and you've got to have somewhat clear water for it to work better than regular sunglasses. So it's not just a marketing gimmick. It actually works. To see a better example, look at an LCD screen through polarized lenses. The light coming off an LCD screen is polarized. So usually, if you look straight on, you can see clearly through the lens. But if you spin the lens around, the screen will go dark and then lighten back up depending on the angle. Usually, they're set up so that the screen darkens when the lens is turned 90°. But sometimes, like on my fish finder, it's less. My fish finder darkens at about 50° clockwise, so I sometimes have to tilt my head to the left to see it better with my polarized lenses on. That's a design flaw Lowrance should have anticipated and corrected, but whatever. Polarized lenses don't block UV light by their nature. They need a special coating to block UV light. So while some polarized lenses will block UV light, not all will. And since it's just a coating (or sometimes the material of the lens itself), it's not uncommon to find non polarized lenses that also block UV light. They even make regular glasses that aren't sunglasses that block UV light. You have to look for that feature separately and not just assume that they always go together.

I believe their Tulsa location is just a headquarters now. They closed down the old factory and moved to a small building about the size of a large house. I wouldn't think they have more than 20 employees there, if that. They still have a large distribution center in Claremore, OK, I believe. But I think it's just a shipping and recieving hub.

What's the model number on your rod? That doesn't sound like a bass fishing rod, so the weight listing could be way off and cause problems. Or maybe not. It's hard to tell without more information. Though really, you could catch bass with a senko tied to a fence post. It just might not be ideal.

I say, just fish with what you have. I don't own a specific jerkbait rod. I've not felt the need to. But if you fish with what you have now, you'll learn a little bit about what you might want in a jerkbait specific rod, if you decide to go that route in the future. As noted, there's a wide variation of preferences when it comes to jerkbaits. So the only way to know what YOU prefer is gain some experience and learn from that. Figure out what your current rods do well and don't do so well. Then you'll know which direction you need to go.

I've never used a Kast King or Pascifun reel. But I do have a Kast King rod that's quite nice. Not top-of-the-line, but better than its price point would suggest. I also have a Pascifun bag that's pretty good quality. Honestly, I would put them both on the same tier, as good value for your money, but not high-end products. I'd get either before I got something from a brand I didn't know. My guess is either reel would last you at least several years of use. And by the time they needed to be replaced, you'll probably be ready to upgrade to something more expensive anyway. Also, don't listen to all of this talk about plastic versus aluminum reel frames. My sturdiest reel has a plastic frame (Abu Zata), and my wimpiest reel has an aluminum frame (Bass Pro Qualifier 2). There's a lot more to what makes a reel durable than just the raw materials that go into it. Of course, the Zata costs nearly double the PQ2, and even the PQ2 has lasted me 5 years now without fail. It's just starting to feel a little geary if I don't use a thicker grease on the gears. But I've abused that Zata and it's never given up so much as a whimper.