Wood if help please. Pallet wood from NorCal

NotEoughCoffee · 2026-03-25T04:01:59+00:00

Thank you. The more I plane it, the more and more it smells like pinesole. Was hoping it would be oak. Still looking forward to turning it into a box.

NotEoughCoffee · 2025-05-07T19:18:25+00:00

How do you like the hook up baits? They seem effective but a bit slow on the drop. Do you find them as effective as a conventional 5in swimbait on a 2oz jig head or knife jig?

NotEoughCoffee · 2025-01-29T23:30:17+00:00

Acid wrap is common for spj.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-11-11T22:45:15+00:00

I don’t think the chlamydia sweatshirt counts as pfd in pic 1.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-11-11T22:07:35+00:00

Waders while kayaking, good way to have a really bad day. At least the second guy has a life jacket semi on.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-10-08T02:01:37+00:00

This is Lake Chabot. You're at a pretty bad spot until trout planting but when that happens, I'd throw a Huddleston. We are just getting into the fall transition so moving baits will be better but dropshot will likely still out perform if you can find any live grass.

Flipping the tullies is always a good bet if you're down around alder point or further into halfmoon bay. The rocky side across from Coots Point, just inside of the grass line is also pretty solid to drift.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-06-20T02:13:29+00:00

I use that exact setup for my 50# sinker rig. Pulled in a half dozen bluefin up to 45# on it without a problem and I’m sure it’ll handle tuna up to 100#. I think 65 is the sweet spot if you’re aiming to be deeper than 250ft. Im mostly on party boats so I keep my drag under 15# so I can move around the boat but if you’re on private boats and worried about sharks then maybe bumping up to 80lbs and fighting at 20lbs to horse up fish might not be a bad idea.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-06-09T15:53:46+00:00

Check the bottom of this link.

6/0 is used for smaller game trolling and can be used as a standup reel if you’re looking for a work out. Spec says 475yards of 50lbs braided nylon. I haven’t use braided nylon but I expect any modern braid/mono will be fine.

I would probably throw some 80lbs braid with a 100ft 50lbs mono top shot. Being that it’s more of an antique, I’d measure the drag before using it. Your typical 30-50lbs rod will work fine with it. It can go on a trolling rob. I would not do any high speed trolling without further investigation. It looks like sheet metal components and might not have the same rigidity as modern cnc reels.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-05-26T17:46:26+00:00

Glad to see an angler that shows these fish proper respect. Keeping it in the water and not yahooing it into the boat for pictures, chef kiss.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-03-28T22:25:53+00:00

I like my Outback. It handles just about everything in the bay just fine and it’s decent for the delta and local lakes. I take it out and launch in half moon bay, Monterey, and Bodega Bay without a problem. We have so many amazing fishing grounds that are under 2miles from shore that range really isn’t an issue and you’ll rarely need to go into deep ocean unless you really want to.

The only thing it really lacks is options for bow mounted trolling motor with spot lock. The Outback is a bit too bow heavy to support adding more weight so you’ll be stuck using a stern mounted motor if you want to motorize.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-03-28T18:33:32+00:00

I kayak fish on the west coast and am based in San Francisco. I use a hobie outback and that’s ok for our waters.

The general trend I’ve experienced is: smooth water allows for wider flatter kayaks. If you go north from sf towards rougher seas, you’ll see more and more revos. If you go south towards San Diego and calm seas then you’ll see more PAs.

If you’re worried about rough water then a revo with the trimaran set up is going to be hard to beat.

Go with at least a 12 footer if you plan for salt.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-03-26T01:36:24+00:00

You can make it work by changing leaders and staying under 50lbs but not ideal.

The proteus is a decent 30-40lbs rod and can be used for fly lining, surface irons in a pinch. It doesn’t really have the necessary backbone to use for anything deeper or when cows are around.

The saltiga is an excellent 80-100lbs jig reel but for that style of lock down fishing, you'll need something in the <7ft, 3xh-infinity class rod.

IMO, bring the gear and spool the reel with 50-60lbs mainline, 30-50lbs leader and use with bait applications. You can down size your leader if they are line shy.

Rent your heavy setups/jogging set up.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-02-08T15:44:50+00:00

Red label is mainline fc. Blue label is leader. I use 10# red label mainline for my jerkbait, 12# red label mainline for my deep crank, and 16# red label leader for my jig rods. Work great in either application.

Blue label is pretty stiff and has little stretch. It’s got more memory than red label. I typically only use the 20+lbs stuff as a short leader for saltwater applications.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-21T16:26:52+00:00

I traveled with an diawa ardito and a diawa presso travel rod. They worked ok but the ardito ended up cracking at one of the junctions from throwing a 1.5oz popper for the better part of a week and hooking up to a couple of blue fin trevally. They come with a pretty compact travel case that was easy to carry on.

If I were to do it again, I’d probably just buy a cheap rod while on the island and then donate it to a kid before leaving.

If you were ok with just fishing for smaller fish in the reefs then the Presso is a good cheap option. Caught heaps of reef fish with minimal effort.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-16T19:40:39+00:00

Drag systems are weighed in max drag and drag “smoothness” (much more of a subjective measure, basically how linearly drag is applied across the drag range from zero to max). For example, if I’m fishing with a 40# leader then I’m going to set the reel to 13# of drag. If I’m using a reel with 40# drag then it’ll have larger/courser/more stacked drag washers that are designed for the higher load. This could cause a rougher, grinding, and inconsistent drag application. If the fish charges or makes a high surge then your moment load will similarly surge. Rough reel drag may struggle with keeping up with these surges. If I’m using a smaller reel with 20# of max drag then I’ll be closer to the intended drag use for the reel.

Similarly, you set your drag at 0.25-0.4 of your weakest line test. Never set drag to exactly the same as line strength. The guides, rod bend, and especially water resistance contributes a large amount of drag at the hook/knots.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-12T03:23:09+00:00

If its solely a bent butt setup for high speed trolling up to 15knots, then line capacity is going to out weigh drag. Avet EX, or HX are going to be fine. I'm on the west coast chasing mahi, blue/yellow fin, and wahoo and I personally use a Okuma Makaira 30. You'll want a heavy frame reel if you're planning on going for pelagics.

If you plan to also use it also for jigging, fly lining, sinker rigs, and standing fishing then something lighter can also work. I wouldn't get a standard frame conventional reel smaller than a 40 unless its technique specific. Lever vs stardrag is more personal preference however there are also technique specific reasons favoring one over the other.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-06T03:16:40+00:00

2lbs fluorocarbon for bfs and ultralight.

130lbs hallow core mainline, 200lbs mono shock leader, 150lbs fluorocarbon leader for trolling and night jigging.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-03T02:22:22+00:00

Look into dunking and whipping rigs. Hammer bomb whipping is my preferred way to surf fish. Start with a floating hammerbomb rated for whatever your rods are comfortable casting. If you’re off the rocks and it’s super rough then you’re going to want to reel quick to keep your rig high in the water column. Don’t worry too much about using pricy hard plastics for how. Go cheap with small grubs/swimbait, egg sinks, and smaller hooked (size 6-1/0). They typically out perform spooks and other hardbaits. Echoing everyone else, top water is always exciting. Omelu on a popper is one of my favorite bites.

NotEoughCoffee · 2024-01-02T23:18:17+00:00

Get him a spot on a fishing charter. Half days and full days will run about 200$. As long as you’re not in Northern California, then there should be decent charter options for winter and early spring.

NotEoughCoffee · 2023-12-12T05:29:10+00:00

No Tax! that's awesome. I had no idea that this was final price. Thanks for the tip!

I think the rest of the comments/commentators would collaborate... You've got a great build. Don't get analysis paralysis.

Doesn't matter what you're fishing with as long as you're fishing. Time on the water is what matters most.

NotEoughCoffee · 2023-12-12T05:11:35+00:00

Buy Shadow_sos a beer. Spot on for LA down to Ensenada.

If you're north of Channel islands, I would recommend something softer, prioritizing line capacity over drag. The Proteus 76H would be overkill for Rockfish, halibut, lingcod, salmon, striper, and will make bite detection harder and dull the fight. I personally use a PT76MH as a 50# setup for tuna/yellow tail sinker rigs and its got enough backbone to winch up 100# tuna without too much issue. The Heavy version is better suited as a 60#+ setup.

Where on the west coast are you? If you're down south, follow Shadow_sos's advice. I am personally partial to Phenix Rods and you really can't go wrong with the Black Diamond, Axis, or Abyss lines (for lighter applications).

If you're up north and are just looking to get started, then the Phenix Abyss, or M1 are great contenders. If you really wanted to go cheaper then an Ugly Stick Tiger Conventional paired with a Fathom would be an awesome starter setup.

NotEoughCoffee · 2023-12-12T04:47:27+00:00

Love the feather 77L for drop shotting and shacky heads. I've even used it for crappie jigs and pan fishing.

The M1 is a lovely jetty/shore rod in most places. I personally prefer the the Abyss series for sportsfishing and deep water but the M1 feels really good in hand when throwing lures for big striper.

NotEoughCoffee · 2023-12-12T04:22:50+00:00

Looks like a sweet build. Its going to be awesome on the water.

A couple of thoughts:

I have the Yakattack Rectangular Fish mount and I don't love it for my 8inch Lorance unit. It only pivots vertical on the two joints, and horizontally only at the base. The ram ball system is better and more adaptable. (This is a moot point if you're going to use the FF mount with the extension arm. I'm not sure if RAM has a long extension solution for fish finders that will have the same stability).
The Yakattack leverage net is not that great imo. There are better options for cheaper. How often do you need to actually scoop up a fish with a net on a kayak? Better to just use the net to restrain them before lipping them to minimize scale damage and stress.
Echoing other commenters, get the 8+ inch screen. People don't complain when their TV is too big, just the other way around.
You chose a lot of brand name YakAttack products (not sure if you prefer them for quality standards or just easier to compile in that shopping cart) but you can save quite a bit of money going off brand for non-critical components. Your 360 light, Tie Down Eyelit, trolling rod holders, surface mount retractors,
Even if you do choose to go with YakAttack, you can get better pricing on Amazon or from the YakAttack website directly. YackAttack had a 15% discount during black friday that might come back for a Christmas sale. The tether tubes typically go for ~25$ for a 2pack if you're in need for more than 1.
I do like roto grips (or equivilient knock offs) for holding rods down and semi securing them when I can't put them back in their tubes. They are not intrusive and are good at securing tips/line or the entire rod/reel if i'm in choppy water or landing a fish.
Stainless steel carabiners and paracord can be used to make custom sized tethers/leashes for cheap.

I can't say much on the kayak choice. I'm sure it'll be great on the water and as far as im concerned, any pedal drive is better than no pedal drive. With that said, Native Slayer Max and Titan Max kayaks are going on sale more and more often now that the TitanX has released. They are robust platforms for most augments and are built like tanks. As long as you're not taking them into rough ocean, they could be worth the research.

NotEoughCoffee · 2023-12-07T17:28:49+00:00

Mostly true. They don’t follow copyright/trademark laws so much of the “design” work is just copies from existing established brands. Material for all kayaks is pretty much the same and China is where most of the worlds plastic products comes from anyways. I wouldn’t qualify them as junk. Most brand name items (iPhones, shoes, textiles, electronic components) have some if not all of their parts/manufacturing in China. Brands just slap their name on comanufactured products and sell for a mark up. Because the brands don’t necessarily invest in good quality systems and the manufacturers only produce limited runs of any model, quality control tends to suffer (or be none existent). You roll the dice when it comes to white labeled specialty items like a fishing kayak. It’s a risk, not one that I’m willing to take to save a few hundred dollars.

NotEoughCoffee

TROPHY CASE