Great set up.... best advise I can give you is make your kayak your own and do what works best for you. I have a lot to do on mine but I started out with just a kayak and a fish finder. Now I have finders,LED lights, trolling motors ....the works.

Finally got to go on my fishing trip in Florida and it was a blast. I was going to go to Lake Okeechobee but instead I got a charter and went on lake butler in Orlando and it was worth every penny. Ended up with 17 total bass biggest one being 3 1/4 pounds and 2 crappie that were much bigger than my hand ( and I have gorilla size hands). If you get the chance to fish lake butler I would highly recommend doing it.

Oh I will plumbob. Mabey I will even catch a fish and show a picture of that Lol!

Yeah Plumbob I did purchase my kayak almost 2 years ago to the day actually. That was me who was going to take a trip but I never ended up going. This year I am going for sure. In fact my wife and kids are encouraging me to go.

Hey all. I am thinking of taking a very small sabbatical from life, loading up my kayak and doing a little bass fishing in Florida. It has been a dream of mine to fish lake Okeechobee for many years now. From what I ha e seen bass seem to be much bigger in the south and being from Ohio I need to get away and get a line in the water badly. My question for everyone is has anyone fished Okeechobee on here or can they put me on a good lake in Florida. Just remember I am doing this on a kayak.

Thanks J. I might have to look into that here soon. Once I get a new rod, reel and bait. Now at least I have a valid excuse to go to Bass Pro Shop and spend more money on another rod and reel. My wife is going to be so happy ( said no husband ever) Lol. Also J whe I am thinking about it I am sorry I never got that chance to hook up and fish with you this su.mer. I got extremely busy with my job and people not showing up. Would you you be interested in going out this year?

Beardman...... you grew up in Leipsic? Yeah that is my neck of the woods coming from Arlington. I know steelhead are running right now because a buddy of mine has a few people he knows who have gone. I thought about going to Cleveland so that might help confirm my wondering if that is a good place to start.

Hey all you beautiful people in the fishing world. I am going to try steelhead fishing for the first time. I need to know what I need to get. I am talking everything Rod, reel, line, bait, the whole nine yards. Also for any of my fellow fisherman who live in ohio on this page and might have gone fishing ( Ben Bragg cough cough) where the good areas in ohio to catch steelhead are. Any advise would be helpful.

I personally use s 7"3 med heavy lews Mach 2 or Mach crush. I works for everything and the whole combo was less that $200. I have not had a single problem with it and have put it through the ringer as far as abuse goes. That's just my 2 cents worth, good luck on your search.

Tracker....I use senkos a lot. How much do you sell them for and where are they shipping from. I may be interested in a big order from you.

Not to long ago I was in the same boat ( no pun intended). After doing some research and lots of working and saving money I purchased a.Field and Stream Shadow caster 123. It's 12 feet long , 36 inches wide and stable as you can get. I am a big guy at 6"2 almost 300 pounds and I feel very comfortable standing in mine. The kayak cost me $850 dollars so it's pretty close to your budget. The only down side is it's is a slightly heavier kayak weighing in at 95 pounds. But it is very durable and we'll made. Not sure if it helps any but that's my two cents worth. Good luck on your search, looking forward to hearing what you end up with.

They are a little more expensive ($120 I believe) but my wife found me a great pair of adidas water shoes that look like sneakers. I can't say enough good things about them and are well worth the price. I almost never go in my kayak without them.

I will have to agree with OJ and recommend a Lew's product. I am a die hard Lew's guy at heart but also have st croix and shimano rods as well. We can all give you our personal preference but when the dust settles it's all about what's comfortable to you. Weather it's St Croix or ugly stick or some brand none of us have heard of, it's all a matter of what fits best for you. Good luck and tight line's

Your welcome. I go fishing a lot in columbus, we should get together sometime and fish together. If you're interested that is.

I am from the indian lake area. Well I live 50 minutes away but I know the area very well. The bass are infact biting. The fishing is kinda slow but they are biting.