SuperDuty Posted January 15, 2020 Posted January 15, 2020 Hey, new guy here from Indiana. I've been fishing for 40 years now, was real serious about it when I was a youngster but since then, it's just been a casual hobby enjoyed with the wifey and kids. Last summer we took the kids on a few kayak trips down various streams in the state where we rented kayaks. I always took a pole and now I'm absolutely hooked on smallmouth fishing and kayaking. So now, I've decided that this spring I'll be buying a nice kayak, still trying to decide on which model but have it narrower down to a hand full. I've also decided to get back into bass fishing in general. I haven't owned a baitcaster since I spent like $200 on a high end Shimano back in the 80's. I hated it due to the constant backlash but I was a kid who didn't know any better. I'm gonna invest in some good gear this spring, a couple of baitcasters and rods, probably limit my funds to $500 to outfit two rod/reels. And I plan to start doing a lot of SM & LM fishing on the lakes and streams. I'm sure my youngest son will have to have all the same gear as I do as he's 14 and fishing is his biggest passion. So in reality, it'll be two kayaks, and 4 rods/reels. I've been reading a lot about the new Vibe Shearwater 125 that's due to be released this spring. I'm thinking that may be the kayaks for us. Otherwise, I'm also considering the Bonafide ss127 and also the Moken 12 version 2. Anyways, glad to be here and brush up on all the new stuff. Quote
Super User Log Catcher Posted January 15, 2020 Super User Posted January 15, 2020 Hello and welcome to the forum. The bait monkey now has a new one to work on. 1 Quote
Super User Darren. Posted January 15, 2020 Super User Posted January 15, 2020 Welcome aboard! 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted January 15, 2020 Super User Posted January 15, 2020 Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay 1 Quote
Super User jimmyjoe Posted January 16, 2020 Super User Posted January 16, 2020 Glad to see you here. jj Quote
GTN-NY Posted January 16, 2020 Posted January 16, 2020 Welcome love everything I’ve read and seen about the Bonafide 127 There’s some great Bonafide groups on Facebook. I really wanted one but no one in my area had one to try out so I went with my 2nd choice a Jackson Big Rig. Both are very stable boats. Try before you buy! Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 16, 2020 Author Posted January 16, 2020 7 hours ago, GTN said: Welcome love everything I’ve read and seen about the Bonafide 127 There’s some great Bonafide groups on Facebook. I really wanted one but no one in my area had one to try out so I went with my 2nd choice a Jackson Big Rig. Both are very stable boats. Try before you buy! Kayak dealers are far and few in my area. But I'm gonna try my best to locate some and try what I can. My biggest issue is that I'll be doing a lot of paddling too so I want the best of both worlds and not sure if that's doable. Seems kayaks are either good to paddle or good to peddle. I may just end up going with a paddle yak. And thanks everyone for the kind welcome. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 18, 2020 Global Moderator Posted January 18, 2020 Welcome! Quote
GTN-NY Posted January 18, 2020 Posted January 18, 2020 On 1/16/2020 at 6:43 AM, SuperDuty said: Kayak dealers are far and few in my area. But I'm gonna try my best to locate some and try what I can. My biggest issue is that I'll be doing a lot of paddling too so I want the best of both worlds and not sure if that's doable. Seems kayaks are either good to paddle or good to peddle. I may just end up going with a paddle yak. And thanks everyone for the kind welcome. What area are you in? I’m finding kayak owners are more helpful than dealers. Put out a notice for your area and you will probably get lots of offers to try their kayaks. We like to show them off Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 18, 2020 Author Posted January 18, 2020 Yeah that's an idea for sure. Only problem is the yaks I'm looking at are so new to the market that it'll probably be difficult to find anyone that already owns one. It's such a hard decision because I want the best of both worlds - I want something that is so stable that I can walk all around it BUT I want it to paddle very well too. Those two wants don't jive together very well. The 3 waters big fish looks pretty darn decent too. But man I just love the looks of the kaku. I'm kinda down to trying to decide between the kaku zulu or wahoo. And I'd really rather support a company like kaku as opposed to the giants in the industry. Quote
GTN-NY Posted January 18, 2020 Posted January 18, 2020 33 minutes ago, SuperDuty said: Yeah that's an idea for sure. Only problem is the yaks I'm looking at are so new to the market that it'll probably be difficult to find anyone that already owns one. It's such a hard decision because I want the best of both worlds - I want something that is so stable that I can walk all around it BUT I want it to paddle very well too. Those two wants don't jive together very well. Well ok I can understand that. I wanted a Bonafide 127 but nobody sells or has one in my area. Closest I found was 5 hrs away. I could have just ordered a new one but I couldn’t afford to buy sight unseen again. I already did that once and had to sell it within a few months. My Big Rig wasn’t my first choice but at least it was a choice I got to make after a test drive good luck in your search. If you’re on Facebook look for groups for each of the kayaks you want Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 18, 2020 Author Posted January 18, 2020 Yeah I fell in love with the ss127 and was determined that was the yak I wanted. Then I realized it wouldn't be a good choice for small rivers and creeks. We have an 11k acre lake 15 mins away and will do a lot of fishing there but both my sons and I love fishing for smallies on the area creeks as well, plus some of the local quarries. So something that paddles well and gets into shallow water is very important. Whatever I get I'm gonna have to buy two of since the youngest needs one as well and he'll want whatever I have lol. The other criteria is I've gotta be able to mount a trolling motor on it for when we're on the lake. 1 Quote
DomQ Posted January 18, 2020 Posted January 18, 2020 Hey, welcome. I gotta ask dude, what up with the profile pic Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 18, 2020 Author Posted January 18, 2020 1 hour ago, DomQ said: Hey, welcome. I gotta ask dude, what up with the profile pic Just a pic of my sweet wife. 1 Quote
DomQ Posted January 19, 2020 Posted January 19, 2020 2 hours ago, SuperDuty said: Just a pic of my sweet wife. Right on buddy!! Quote
Super User Sam Posted January 22, 2020 Super User Posted January 22, 2020 Super, welcome to the Forum. Glad you are with us. Do you know the secret to eliminating backlashes? If not, here it is from Ike as he presented it at one of the old Bassmaster Universities. Over a hardwood floor, out in the grass, or in your boat, rig up your baitcaster with the bait you want to throw. Do not do this on carpet inside your house as the hooks will get stuck in the carpet. Loosen spool and set your drag to where you want it. Point rod tip to 11 o'clock and release the spool, controlling the fall with your thumb. Tighten spool to slow down the bait's fall speed. Do it again. And again. Your goal is to have the spool stop when the bait hits the floor or ground. It may take you three or four tries to successfully achieve the spool stopping when the bait hits the floor/ground so be ready to make adjustments. After you have the spool stop when the bait hits the ground/floor you are now ready to cast away without any worry about a backlash. You do this every time you change a bait. It will become natural and you can do it in 10 seconds. You can then adjust the spool tension to make it tighter or looser, depending on where you want to cast your bait. Good luck and keep posting. 1 1 Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 22, 2020 Author Posted January 22, 2020 Hey Sam, thanks very much for taking the time to share all of this information!! It all makes great sense and I will most definitely apply this when we get our new BC reels. Quote
Super User Boomstick Posted January 25, 2020 Super User Posted January 25, 2020 Hello and welcome to the forums. Be warned, you say you will limit your purchases to $500 but once the bait monkey hits, it can't be stopped. It's more addictive than drugs but much better for your health. I too plan to buy a kayak this summer and get off shore. I'm going with a Bonafide SS127 myself. You're going to have a blast. 1 Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 25, 2020 Author Posted January 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, Boomstick said: Hello and welcome to the forums. Be warned, you say you will limit your purchases to $500 but once the bait monkey hits, it can't be stopped. It's more addictive than drugs but much better for your health. I too plan to buy a kayak this summer and get off shore. I'm going with a Bonafide SS127 myself. You're going to have a blast. Thanks! I really like the ss127 but no way would my 47 year old body manage to paddle around that big boat. I've read they're like paddling a full size boat around. Lol After all of the research I've done lately, it's steered me in another direction. I'm probably gonna go with the Kaku wahoo. Plenty stable to stand up in and a dream to paddle. I wanted a really super stable kayak but finally realized that you don't get super stability AND a yak that is enjoyable to paddle. Has got to be a tradeoff somewhere whether it be stability or capability. I would hate to spend big bucks on a yak for massive stability only to discover I hated to paddle it and rarely ever take it out. I've fished a bunch out of kayaks that are 30" wide and felt more than comfortable so the wahoo will be amazing I think. But hey good luck with whatever you choose! Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted January 25, 2020 Super User Posted January 25, 2020 Welcome to the forum 1 Quote
Super User Boomstick Posted January 25, 2020 Super User Posted January 25, 2020 Just now, SuperDuty said: Thanks! I really like the ss127 but no way would my 47 year old body manage to paddle around that big boat. I've read they're like paddling a full size boat around. Lol I'm probably gonna go with the Kaku wahoo. Plenty stable to stand up in and a dream to paddle. You are right, they aren't the fastest and are work to paddle, but I fish primarily lakes and the exercise will do my fat ass good! The biggest thing for me is I have bad ankles that can act up time to time and I'm a big guy myself, so it's pretty much impossible to be too stable for my liking. Quote
SuperDuty Posted January 25, 2020 Author Posted January 25, 2020 1 minute ago, Boomstick said: You are right, they aren't the fastest and are work to paddle, but I fish primarily lakes and the exercise will do my fat ass good! The biggest thing for me is I have bad ankles that can act up time to time and I'm a big guy myself, so it's pretty much impossible to be too stable for my liking. You can always put a trolling motor if it's too much! I agree, I want a paddle yak for the exercise and the quietness. 1 Quote
Super User Boomstick Posted January 25, 2020 Super User Posted January 25, 2020 Just now, SuperDuty said: You can always put a trolling motor if it's too much! I agree, I want a paddle yak for the exercise and the quietness. One thing I do not want to do is add a trolling motor, I actually want to get myself in better shape, which is one of the reasons I'm not using the same money as a downpayment on a bass boat. Quote
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