Stoneroller

here's a tip, use a flourocarbon leader 12-17lbs is probably enough. toothy critters tend to bite through lighter line, which can cost you lures for a 2 day float you could float greer to riverton. camp at horseshoe bend or at the float camps near there (can't remember their names)

Interesting debate this brings up, is it the fish that is the record or the angler? Clearly it's meant to be the fish, but should that exclude the method/angler? What about a fish found dying/freshly dead? or a dad hands a record fish to his son and claims his son caught it? There has to be a very distinct set of rules that are verified by experts in order for the record to hold merit. What does IGFA do differently than a state dnr does to verify records?

make sure you tell people to use that grab handle when they sit down and not to PLOP down in the seat.

that's odd because all I see are fish weights, where it was caught, and an angler's name. So the record is both the fish AND the angler. Bottom line, illegally pursued and taken game is forfeit. Play by the well established rules (it's not like EVERYONE doesn't know you must have a fishing license BEFORE your line goes in the water) and you can reap the rewards, otherwise you are a thief and a criminal. what's that saying people love to use? "It is what it is"?

went to some strip mine lakes today in ILL Annoy, the bass were absolutely on fire! I caught 20 bass in 5 hrs, all quality fish. One of the guys I took out caught his personal best, a 20 inch 5 lb largemouth. Bluegill were also biting in some very shallow water. Water temps started at 51º around noon and peaked at 55º. Dirty water supposedly warms faster than clear water, so most Illinois farm ponds should be great.

I didn't post it because I was busy posting editing and posting videos to my youtube and facebook pages. I don't rush off the water to post video of whitewater runs up here. Next week I'll get you guys some better footage, it's supposed to rain. Anyone is welcome to join me if they want. It's a quick 2.5 mile float. You can even fish parts of it to. I plan on it. People run that section all the time in open boats. It's definately doable for anyone, I just happened to get footage.

I will say I think it's great to see that so many records, especially old ones, are falling (or at risk of falling). And it does suck for him, and for the sport of fishing, to have something like this happen. Hopefully someone, maybe him again, will catch another record fish.

it's 'ganja' brah.

I'm a firm believer of angler skill over dredging half a tacklebox of lures through the water. Not to mention the completely retarded rules governing what constitutes a 'hook'. 1 angler, 1 rod, 1 lure. If you need more than that are you really an angler, or just a fisherman? And isn't tournament angling supposed to be the pinnacle and the patrons of the sport? There is a new steroid too, it's worse than the a rig, it's called Hydrowave. Who really wants to be the Barry Bonds of fishing? <ahem KVD, looking in your direction>

http://www.bassmaste...-record-un-dunn From master angler to master criminal, just like that. I can't believe people are too cheap to shell out an entire $15-30 for a fishing or hunting license. MDC handed out 1,255 violations last year for fishing without a permit and 10 for not having a license in possession (I would guess at trout parks). Spend the money if you are going to utilize the resource.

both companies make good products, both products have their pros and cons as you stated with power vs pixels. in shallow water, you typically don't need as much power as in deeper water. If I were spending my money on a unit today, I'd have to lean really hard towards a hummingbird DI unit in which case you really don't need color. Look at the features that are available in the units at your price range and take into considerations any deals/rebates/sales and get the one that has the features that interest you. I will say, color is quicker to read, but not something you need. (hey that rhymes) things like dual beam, down imaging, gps, bigger screen(which typically means higher resolution but not always), availability of accessories ie charts, extra transducers, spare parts, etc. are all things to consider too.

You don't want to see the waiver then. full power of attorney and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd born children.

i'm not just a guy with a kayak. I'm 'The Dude' of kayak fishing. and I have 3 yaks, otherwise it would be really tough to guide.

ness, thanks for the pointers. when you start your own business, you can do things the way you want to do them. I started my own business so I can do things the way I see fit to do them. Nice observations, but who is the internet stalker? At any rate, Wayne has made numerous statements in other posts about the coosa and that is what I am refering too. and wayne, so every kayak that has a hard stern is based off the tarpon? might want to check on when the tarpon was released to the market. Ocena Kayak (the company) has been pioneering sit on tops since the early 70's. Wilderness Systems has only been around since 1985. So the Tarpon is actually a copy of an Ocean Kayak. As I've said, time and time again. the Tarpon is a fine flatwater boat, and works ok for flowing water. Hell one of my friends took his 16 foot tarpon down the Courtois last summer, didn't really have any problems. He fought the boat the entire time but made it down river with no real issues. Any of us could float a river on a raft of reeds or 2x4's but would that be the best way? I will say I really like the track system and the seat on the tarpon. the front hatch is really secure. it has probably the biggest tank well of any boat in it's size range. lots to like about it. I just don't prefer it as a river yak. Trout, I've not floated a diablo, but I do like their designs. two things that I see with their boats that might be of concern. first the width, great for stability but there is a limit to how wide you want your boat. It's not a deal breaker but they are wider than other yaks out there. second would be the amount of freeboard they have. I've not see one fully loaded on the water so i'm not sure how much they actually have, and when it's warm it's not a big deal but when it's not that might suck. but those are simply opinions based on what i've seen and partial speculation. the diablo boats kind of blur the line between a SUP and a SOT. which i think is pretty neat.

there is currently a thread in this forum with footage of me going down the St Francis river in my Coosa. Standing up in class 3, although it might be feasible to some extent, depending on the feature, would be ill advised. even with a helmet, a faceplant onto rocks or worse a log with pointy sticks on it, would spell the end of the 'hey ya'll! watch this!' moment. http://www.youtube.com/user/fishonkayakadventure?feature=mhee but here is the link if you don't want to look for the other thread.

wayne, please be specific as to what 'features' you are saying the coosa took from the tarpon. What's funny is that you are trying to compare a flatwater kayak to a river specific kayak. I'm not sure where this idea that the coosa borrowed design elements from the tarpon came from but it's flat false. the coosa was developed from a whitewater hull. The features that make it unique are just that, unique features. meaning they are not shared with any other boat. (outside of other jackson designs). neither smallie, nor I are saying it's the "only" SOT to buy. We are saying its the best river fishing kayak on the market. I wont argue that the tarpon is a fine kayak for open water, as is my trident.

I have a Coosa and an Ocean Kayak Trident anyone wanting to experience the difference between the two is welcome to look me up. Gone are the days of pulling a rec kayak off the shelf, sticking a couple of rod holders on it and calling it the 'angler' version. Today's yaks are purpose built for the kind of water you fish, and just like any other tool, there is a specific model for the type of fishing you like to do. It pays to do the research before you shell out $1000 on a yak that may not fit your needs.

it's on my youtube channel. I think it's in part 1, big drop is the one you are talking about, I believe. http://www.youtube.c...re?feature=mhee

the power of informed people at work. and i'm glad to see brian jones come looking for some facts and not simply opinions or 'reading something on the internet' the 'home of the unsubstantiated claim'. knowledge is power!

eric i was thinking more like the john rocker of disrespecters =) and i sure as hell hope everyone isn't running a guide service, that would suck.

eric, you'd be really suprised, the coosa is like a cavern inside. no, it does not have the capacity of a canoe, but it has far greater storarge space in the hull than any other 11foot SOT i've seen. Drawback is the bow volume catches the wind, badly. But as you can see in the video, really floats the bow well over drops. it's the butt end of the boat you have to be careful off in current. The rear keel, which helps it track really well, also catches currents, which is why I get hung up on fat man's squeeze in part 5. (still uploading)

bring your tarpon, we can run it next week. after the rain sunday the water level should be optimal for, what did you call it? class 2? the guy in the green kayak is a 20 year class V whitewater veteran, he's paddled all over the world, he's the al agnew of MWA. When we got to the take out his exact words, "I never thought you'd make it through most of that, really impressive boat." that's enough of a stamp of approval for me, as if olympian eric jackson's name on the front of the boat wasn't enough. I will be perfectly honest, I swam twice. Both times were on my fault and weren't anything more than what someone would encounter on any ozark stream. I got lazy the first time, stopped paddling which is not what you want to do when going through a drop or current feature. Second time I picked a really dumb line past some submerged rocks and ran up on the rock, dipping the rear tank well into some current. Videos on are my youtube channel.

mssg me your email address and I'll send the data to anyone who wants it. it's far to big of a file to post and it's formatted so i can't copy and paste it.

I have received the enforcement data from MDC for last year. LOTS of data on this thing, They have violations broken down to specifics. TONS of fishing violations too. And as I suspected, an alamring number of 'illegal' method and 'out of season' violations. There is zero excuse for those kinds of violations in my opinion. and Mark, I could not agree with you more. A slap on the wrist for poachers is a joke. I'm sure they have an even bigger network in place now.

pretty extensive criminal network that was very well established that was finally breached and busted. Makes you kind of wonder how something that clearly widespread was allowed to grow to such a proportion before something was done. Great job that they busted those scumbags though. Dissappointing to read that 97 cases were allowed to plea out. Weak sauce. let them plea out, but chop their hands off as punishment.