For awesome guy the next time he hits a fishing rut...

[Major Kong]

[awesome guy]

yeah, seen it before a couple of times, but thanks for the link. I'm shocked they can land reds on a zebco 404. Shocked it stands up the sand and saltwater. Before I went full tackle ho, I had a couple quantum reels. They're the "upscale" zebcos. And they're still pieces of crap. They last just 2 or 3 trips before the cheap plastic feel apart. So I did the math of buying a new $40 reel every 4 trips vs. $150 dollar reels that last a decade and so went with the $210 dollar reels that last decades plus have more fighting power Even then though, I learned another lesson that level winds absolutely suck. The worm gear gets a little sand in it and turns to crap in a year or 2. So only non-level wind bait casters for me or high end spinning reels. The exception is on the kayak where the risk of loss is high. But I have found a very good compromise there with the Daiwa Laguna reels. They're "value reels". But it's really a mostly metal $40 spinning reel. I love them, I've got 2 4000s for trolling for striper and 2 2000s on my and my daughter's ultra-lites. Now I can definitely feel the extra weight vs. my $150 Shimano Stradic FI, but not so much as to not use it, especially since they're mostly for trolling. I still take the Stradic out on my primary lure casting rod because it is noticeably smoother, lighter, and with better drag. And the retrieve is faster so I can burn chatter baits in the summer for reds, but not so fast that I can also slow retrieve for speckled trout in the winter. And I have all of these on blemished blanks that I got for $10 a pop. I can't even find the blemishes and they're normally $100 dollar blanks. So winning! But I did go ahead and put a birch bark grip on my primary rod. That's an additional $40 just in bark. I could sell just the grip for $80. Used K frame Fuji guides on all of them. My ultra lite and trolling rods have Fugi VSS Eva grips on them. The daughter also got birch bark She's the only 4 year old I know with a $200 custom fishing rod

Any who, all that said, if I get a Native Slayer Propel kayak this spring, I'll start all over and make a couple bait casting rods for that. I made my current ones spinning just because it's a pain in the rear to work a casting rod while keeping the boat in position with the paddles. So I went with the more forgiving spinning gear. I won't have that issue with the propel foot drive because I'll then be peddling instead of paddling. So I won't be doing two things at the same time with my hands, letting me go back to casting rods. That'll work better for reds because 90% of the success with them at high tide is not only long casts, but targeted casts. You want to be able to throw 30-40 yards from the kayak and have it land exactly on the edge of the marsh grass, ideally right on it and then a gentle nudge to plunk it into the water. At high tide, they are literally in the grass with their nose on the shore eating snails and crabs. So I want the lure as far up into the grass as I can get it. I'm good enough to do this with my spinning rod, but it's much easier and more consistent with casting gear. I'll be able to crush them with the propel drive too. With my current kayak, I spend a lot of time just keeping the kayak in position. My buddy has the Native Mariner. It's the first propel system from Native. The Slayer is a newer version with what seems to be a better boat with a better fit for the foot drive. Anyway, he can absolutely tear them up because he isn't working the boat so much. He can get in twice the casts I can because he's using the peddles to keep in position where as I'm retrieving and working the paddle at the same time, anchoring, or bumming his stakeout pole, provided we're in shallow enough water which we normally are. He can also use the peddles as a trolling anchor by just turning them enough to keep up with the current, staying in position without having to anchor up.

I'll likely still keep my Ride 135 because that's better for the James River with the rocks which can tear up the peddle drive and anchoring up to catfish or striper fish with cut or live baits. Plus it doesn't make that much of a difference when trolling. I kind of like the physical act of paddling too, it's comforting and gets you closer to the water. But when boat control is the name of the game, I want the peddle drive. I can keep up with my buddy too paddling vs. him peddling, but he can go longer since it's a more efficient use of energy with the larger leg muscles vs back and arms.

In a couple weeks, my game will be taken to the next level by also making my own lures. I think that's going to change my desire to bottom fish this spring. Instead of throwing cut herein off the bridge, I'll like troll with my custom soft plastic lures. By making themselves, I can build stuff tailored exactly for where I'm fishing. For example on the James near downtown Richmond. There I want 6-8 inch paddle tails and squiggly tails, but with just a half once of weight. They're most all an ounce at that size. But I want to fish higher in the water column and make something that looks like a herein, but with more black in it so it'll contrast with the light line. I could use lead heads, but even then the half ounce heads typically have a hook more inline with small 2-4 inch soft bodies. That'll never work with a 40 pound striper. So I need to make something! Plus I have some ideas for making them with sponges or cavities to load up with gulp attractant or menhaden milk. That'll give me a scent trail with the larger, vibrating tails. The fish will know it's around and that's what I'm looking for at night. Plus I can add some rattlers. I want the loudest and most obnoxious thing in the water, as if VoR was out there. Fish will tear'm up.