Shadow Cliffs received another plant of Lassen trout this week. I will most likely go again on Saturday.

Mark, if I can get my "Honey Do" list done this afternoon, I'll join you Saturday.
Kevin

Thanks, itchin' to break the ePDL's cherry with blood on the deck!

Quote from: Weimarian on October 24, 2024, 11:47:58 AM

Get the Jumbo minnows and Squid! Love fishing out there. When it's good it's good...

why squid? is there white sea bass in there? 

Ron, I'm planning to cast Topwater Plugs, Paddle Tails and Jerk Baits depending on what I see and mark on the FF.  Do you use the squid and minnows to bait fish or drift them?
Kevin

Wolf94 and I are hitting the forebay this Sunday 10/27. Planning to launch 7am. Received word that the Striper are hitting big time with frequent boils on and off all day. Lots of small ones but if you put in your time, keepers can be had.
Kevin

You wouldn't necessarily even need a down rigger. Just use a sliding sinker rig that so many of us use for Kokes.
Kevin.

10/12/24, Got it on the water at Sugar Pine Res. It's a nice quiet lake near Forrest Hill. 5 mph, so I didn't have watch for lake lice while getting the feel of things on the new kayak.
First impressions:
Setting Up - Score- 9/10.
Very easy. The drive unit about 25-30lbs but is super simple to install and remove. Just drop in the groves and rotate three clamps that securely lock it in. The unit has a clamp that keeps the drive up in a stowed position so the prop is out of the water. That makes things simple when landing on a bank, beach or dock. The battery, a Amped 36v 40AH is super tiny and lives in a sealed locking hatch just behind the seat. It has a bracket to sit in and a strap to secure it. The large hatch in the bow allows plenty of space to store gear, rods...and it seemed to seal well as I didn't get any water inside the hull. The seat is very comfortable and easy to adjust. Plenty of room underneath for tackle trays too! I like the way the built in rod holders are aimed more toward the stern as opposed to outward. The rear tank well is huge. I had a full size milk crate and ice chest back there and there was still room left. Need to add some pad eyes and straps to secure the milk crate though. The rudder is easy to deploy with a handle on the right side. It folds all the way back and has a bungee to secure it for transport. The cockpit is super roomy, plenty of room to move around and nothing that bulges out on the sides or floor. The only thing I an complain about is the rail tracks. They are 1/2" thick and beefy but the tracks themselves kinda suck for me. I use dual clamp Ram Mounts for my rod holders. The track groves don't run the full length of the plates. Instead, they have two 3-4" tracks on each end. They are not long enough for my dual clamp mounts. I may buy aftermarket tracks or bust out my Router to extend the rail grooves. If you're just using single clamp products like YakAttack or Scotty, you'll have no issues.
Performance Score 10/10.
Although a reported weight of 143lbs with drive installed, this kayak handles very well. It's way more stable than my Moken. I was easily able to step from the dock into the cockpit and stand there without it wanting to roll on me. With the Moken, I have to plop my butt down pretty quick or I'm going swimin. Started off paddling. This is a big, wide, heavy kayak so it takes a bit to get going. Once moving it's not to bad to keep up momentum. It tracks good too. The rudder is nice and long and does an excellent job of keeping you going in the direction you want. It's set up just like a Hobie with the steering on the left side of the cockpit. Easy to use and very responsive. Funny, while out on the water, I found myself pushing the floor hard with my feet wondering why the hell I wasn't turning! The Moken has toe steering on the foot rests! HA HA. Ok, time to check out the peddle drive. Pedaling was quite easy. The bicycle motion did not bother my old man knees at all during the time I actually peddled. If you're willing to put in the effort, this thing will get up and go! Now for the fun stuff, The peddle assist. All it takes to engage the peddle assist is the push of an easily reached button on the drive unit and one crank of the peddles and you can feel the drive kick in. There are 5 levels of assist. Once it's on and you're peddling at a nice leisurely pace, just push the + button and it will add additional boost. Easily getting up to 4+mph while still pedaling at the same leisurely pace that you started at. To stop it just reverse peddle. Then if you want it again, just peddle and it will automatically resume the speed it was before. Super cool! The Cruise mode. Just like any trolling motor. Just push the Cruise button, turn the crank and it's off and running with the same speed adjustments as when in the assist mode. Just kick back, relax and enjoy the ride!
Over all Score 9.9/10
Just to make sure you understand by now, I love this thing. For me, going from the Feelfree Moken 12.5V2 to the Old Town 132 ePDL is like going from a Toyota Corolla to a Mercedes Benz E-Class sedan! Is this the kayak for you? Demo one and find out. I don't see anyone cartopping this thing. But if you have a truck or a trailer loading/unloading is no problem.
Note: Haven't had this in any sort of rough water yet. Sugar Pine was flat, calm with no wind. Cant wait to get it out on big water to see what she can really do!

Kevin.

Congrats on the new boat Mark. Nice job on the FF install. Looks professionally done. See you on the water soon.
Kevin

No Problem Al, the going rate is 3 Barley Pops per hour!