JimT

that's awesome, enjoy!!!

this is interesting that you say this, I have had this vague sense with my reels so far--good distance on 1/2 ouncers but hard to throw the lighter ones. I'll try to round up a Super Duty at some point to compare them. Decided to add one more rod today using the suggestions above (roughly) for guidance. Pickings are a bit slim at the three major retailers near me, but I picked up another St Croix Mojo MF 7'0". Basically following the t-rig idea above. No mod, mod fast, or XF actions to be found, each store is waiting on new arrivals in July. But I have plenty to play with right now. What do you guys think of Phenix rods? the manager at the shop today was very high on Phenix rods and compared them favorably to Dobyns and St. Croix. Just curious if anyone has any experience with them. I might have tried one but all they had were heavy rods.

Just wondering if I'm missing anything really obvious, I've managed to put together four rods with five reels. The rods so far: Lew's TP1 black speed stick TP1B73MH, medium heavy, fast action 7'3" Dobyns Fury 705cb medium heavy, mod fast 7'0" Dobyns Fury 734c heavy, fast 7'3" St Croix MJC71MHM, medium heavy, moderate 7'0" for reels it's all Lew's so far: Tournament MP 5.3:1 Tournament MP 7.5:1 (have 2 of these) Tournament Pro 6.8:1 Tournament Pro 7.5:1 Mostly interested in hearing about rod suggestions beyond what I have. It's been a bit of a challenge given the inventory situation with most local retailers. I'm a tall guy but will be mostly kayak fishing. If anyone has strong thoughts about pairing any of the reels to rods, I'd love to hear it. fwiw I've got 14lb mono in the 5.3:1 MP and 12lb Yo-Zuri in the rest. thanks. Jim

I bought a rod on amazon just as an experiment and was shocked at how poorly packaged it was--as in NO packaging, no padding, no bubble wrap, nothing. Thrown in a taped-together cardboard sleeve cut from a larger box and shipped. It was a miracle the rod arrived in one piece. Won't be doing that again. And some wit in the amazon warehouse threw a "HEAVY" sticker on the package just for the sheer irony of it. ? I have to give them credit for that one.

pretty timely thread, just reworked a trailer to carry kayaks and the tires are from 2003. ? I know what I'm buying next . . . .

welcome!!

just caught this video on youtube and thought of this thread. maybe something like this guy's rod mount, he describes it at 8:45

great to hear from you. The back kayak on the trailer is their Bigwater PDL which is the updated Predator. I got it through Appomattox River Company after looking all over nearby for a month or so. Needed camo especially for hunting, that's what made it more hard to find. Now I guess they're sold out of everything so I feel pretty fortunate to have pulled the trigger when I did. The dealer in Old Forge said he couldn't get anything in until fall at the earliest. My wife has had the two dogs on hers already both paddling and standing up. My balance is not nearly as good as hers so I have yet to take one of the dogs on board yet. Have to start practicing soon though.

welcome! nice pics!

here's a pic of the finished trailer with the kayaks, spent some time yesterday troubleshooting the lights. Almost there

not at all, I think that should work fine. being along the grass line should help to blend it in a bit

I'm envisioning this more as a decoy setup for puddlers, and hiding the kayak (and the dog) in the weeds along the shore or in the shallows. I know a lot of guys will use kayaks as layout blinds for divers, I've never been big on diver hunting and usually prefer to goose hunt fields in the late season when others are diver hunting on the big water. It will all be a big learning experience this fall!!

always manage to camp around Gaylord or Grayling the first night of every trip. Bought a truck camper a couple of years ago and it's really changed the way I operate (for the better). Took three+ weeks last year and looking to do the same again this fall. Only reason I came home is it got awfully cold and snowy around October 25 or so. ?

thanks! where in northern Michigan are you? I hunt Michigan for grouse nearly every year, both the lower peninsula and across the U.P. One of my setters came from Alpena and the other is from Crystal Falls. Love the UP.

bought an Old Town Bigwater recently primarily with the idea of hunting ducks from it. we have a couple of GSPs that I use for upland hunting, and either of them will probably make good duck dogs as they both love to swim. Trying to figure out how to configure the kayak for the fall to include decoys plus the dog. I know some folks will tow a jet sled behind them for decoys, I may play with that a bit. Would love to hear more about what folks do equipment-wise and technique-wise.

Lived on the south shore for several years when I was younger--Weymouth, Hingham, also Sharon briefly. on topic, I'm a college professor, getting near the end though, I'm almost 60. Have way too many hobbies and not enough time!

Nice to meet you all. Feel fortunate to have been able to locate two kayaks, one for me and one for my wife, it took a bit of online searching for sure. We also have a camp in the Adirondacks near Old Forge and Eagle Bay, eager to get out on the Stillwater Reservoir this summer.

surprised nobody mentioned Porta-Botes. They make a 10', a 12', and a 14'. Certainly the 10' would be easy to handle by someone alone. We've got a 12' and have enjoyed fishing from it, you can put up to a 6hp motor on it.

Hi folks, joined today after a couple months's worth of lurking. Getting into kayak fishing after buying an Old Town PDL kayak primarily for duck hunting. So far have put together some baitcast combos and am slowly picking up tackle. We've got good bass fishing in Cayuga Lake, so eager to learn more. Spent the week putting together a kayak trailer, will try to post a pic when I get enough posts under my belt to share photos. Looking forward to meeting folks here. Jim