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Awesome! Glad to hear it. Were you out on the Manta?

@@BarryP yes sir! I have part 1 posted. Try to get part 2 of the trip out at the end of the week

@@Ohio_Hobbies_Guy Excellent! I'll check it out this eve! I've got to get out to do some reviews!

Let's get out there, buddy!

@@BarryP Might have a day available this week.

While I mostly lean on finesse on rivers in the summer, there are several factors I consider. Water temp, current strength and depth of water tend to be the biggest factors. I'll actually regularly go to the Finesse TRD on 1/32 oz in stronger (but not necessarily heavy) flows, as they will drift a lot more naturally. In slack like this, I can cover a lot more water with the Big TRD and 1/16th oz without it falling too quickly. It's truly a case-by-case basis as to which I throw in a given area, but always have both at the ready. The general desire is to achieve the most natural presentation as lightly as possible without the bait getting overwhelmed by current or falling too quickly.

@@BarryP Appreciate the information. I seem to have more luck with the standard TRD myself.

Thanks for watching! This was a good representation of how my filming normally goes... minus them damn mosquitos that absolutely destroyed me.

I do... in fact, I got a couple up top in this vid. I tend to stick to a slower presentation in slack-ish water... unless the fish start nailing the slower stuff on the drop.

A little early this year, but I'll take it!

I'll start focusing on the monsters the next time out. LOL

It's purely a heat thing. My cameras stay in "hindsight" mode (IE: running all the time) and the cams simply overheat faster when close to darker surfaces.

Yes. Things are just starting to pick up again. Reach out to me and we will set something up.

@@BarryP ok will do. Is the email in your profile the best one?

@@DoubleDFishingAdventures Yessir!

Have you reached out to Lifetime? That kayak should have a 5 yr warranty.

Glad to hear it!

What exactly are you basing that on?

@@BarryP my opinion of observation.

@@friendlyfishingguy9556 Fair enough, I guess. But for the record, it does very well in swift current.

Thanks, man! No ecoflow stuff. It's a bit bigger than anything I would need in the field.

Lifetime replaced without even batting an eye.

Huh. I just can't see it happening now that I installed the new set. Does this apply to other Lifetime yaks as well, Angry?

@@BarryP watched another review, it basically saw the wheel skegs failing at some point.

Absolutely! This is a ridiculous amount of fishing kayak for the money.

I'll step in there and will say that I highly doubt you can do any damage to the yak in gnarly water if a skeg walks away. The mounts are essentially, drywall anchors in a pretty secure molded area. I can pretty much guarantee that they will sooner pull out than do any damage. Do you have any recommendations for keel strip protectors? Such protectors would certainly help those that will never remove the skegs.

@@BarryP If my plan was to use it primarily in creeks/rivers I would remove the skegs and use it. The wear points will be evident after a while and you'll know exactly what needs protection.

@@BarryP Try applying keelEazy or Keel Guard on the bottom of the kayak running over the tips of the "skeg attachments". You can only cover the front flatten portions of the attachments. But it should help with reinforcement. What to do with the remainder is up to you.

As a canoe guy, I was wondering about the skegs. You'll definitely hang on a lot less rock without them. I finally got back on the Potomac last week. Got some great smallmouth action and a bonus - my first Potomac walleye, a fat 18 incher on a paddle tail.

@@ri-jm5tn That's great to hear, ri! Walleye are a great bonus in our wonderful watershed. Watching your progress is like watching a replay of mine. Always fun, always awesome! Thank you for sharing!

I'm down! Pref upper Potomac but open to either.

@@BarryP PS: I would definitely be up for a Potomac trip.

I personally use a 6'-3" Cadence CR-7, Medium Light, Fast Action. I use a 1000 series spinning reel with 10lb braid and a short (4ft) 8lb mono leader, which is a perfect setup for this bait. If you go any lighter, you're likely to be missing out on a certain level of hook-setting power and will absolutely lose fish. You can launch this bait with a properly set up ML rig, so you can cover a lot of water, but that ML insures that needed hook-setting power on the long distance splash-down, which is where most of the hits come from. I hope that makes sense.

@@BarryP Okay, thanks for the tips I'll have to get one soon!

Despite its weight and odd shape, it's remarkably easy to paddle and tracks VERY WELL. I'm getting ready to shoot a video with the skeg wheels completely removed to see the difference. There are times I'd rather have them off (in heavier, shallow current) as the skeg wheel assemblies could get beat up pretty easily in such conditions.

Sorry for the delayed response, bud. I've been swamped. I actually kinda had the same issue, but thought it was likely a fluke. When I picked up my Manta from Tractor Supply, one of the skeg-wheels completely fell off as the TS employee and I were loading it up on the Jeep. I gathered up all the hardware off the ground and properly set everything when I got home. I really should have R&R'd the other, as it came off during my swift-water float. Lifetime subsequently sent me a whole new set under warranty. My recommendation to EVERYONE is to be home and fully inspect kayak deliveries (whether the Manta or any other kayak of any brand). Refuse delivery if it's jacked up. As far as Lifetime's skeg-wheel assemblies, before you go out, take them off, make sure the pressure fittings are properly in place and re-install.

@@BarryP Minor update. Wrote this on a Sunday, 8/18. On Monday, 8/19, TS put the Manta on sale for $150 off retail ($550). Took a printout of my order in to my local TS and they refunded me $150 to honor the sale price. So i ended up with a $300 Manta! Went through some BS for it but well worth it after all was done

I haven't had any issues with the slight differences in the plastics. That particular riser kit is AWESOME, as you can spin them and eliminate the rise on the rear, lowering your center of gravity for sketchy areas. If you have specific concerns about them not fitting perfectly, you could use a sander to get them in 100%, but polyethylene generally doesn't break in the way you're concerned with.

@@BarryP thanks for the reply Barry! I bought another set for my Teton and they fit fine, I'll trim these up a little to fit them and get them installed. Not sure I'm going to install the front risers, really just want my butt to sit higher. I had a very interesting purchase experience with my Manta. I'm going to jump forward to your latest availability update and comment about how it went down for me. Lifetime has really screwed up here.

Realized I was using an old account from my phone. I replied to availability using this account, my real one with some posted videos.

@@ri-jm5tn I've been on the struggle bus, myself, with the psoriatic variety for the past month or so. I literally feel your pain. We need better access to existing therapies. Some of them work like magic, but are upward of $10k/month. It's ridiculous.

@@BarryP Sorry to hear. I'm on a ton of pills $ aee $14k per injection therapy which fortunately is covered. They tell me that long covid is responsible for some chronic issues, but symptoms are very similar to RA, so who knows? Hope you're back on the river soon!

This is actually an area with a controlled flow from upstream reservoir discharge. It is on the low side, as the last couple of years have been pretty lean rain-wise.

It's remarkably easy to stay calm in this yak, but the rule applies in every yak. If you get hung up like that on the nose, let it settle into its upstream position and allow it to free (if it doesn't need any help). Be aware of downstream obstacles and turn accordingly, and get the heck out of there. The cool thing about the short, blunt and relatively heavy Manta is that it's super easy to turn, as you saw. This is definitely going to be my daily driver.

Hey , Barry, I thought you had purchased an orange paddle (???)

Walmart's policy insists that you be home when it's delivered, so the buyer can inspect shipped items like kayaks... but they have been known to just drop it and drive away. If that was the case and the kayak arrives damaged, you have a very strong case that THEY actually broke their own policy and owe you a replacement or refund. They need to allow you to inspect it and accept delivery. I haven't heard any horror stories about Manta deliveries from WM, but I suppose it's possible. If you decide to do so, pay close attention to the condition of the wheel skeg assemblies. Those seem to be the most vulnerable part in the shipping process. Another suggestion is to pick a zip code of a family member or friend and see if it's available at their local Tractor Supply. Bear in mind that the Blue colorway is a TSC exclusive, and that the GREY colorway is a WM exclusive. Let us know if you have any other questions. It's an awesome kayak, and is worth the hassle it takes to get one in your hands. My "Swift Water" video drops at 6pm ET this evening.

- For me, MD law requires that you have a PFD onboard for each person onboard during the warmer months in the Potomac watershed (wear requirements kick in in the colder months). They just have to be on the boat... at least here. I don't generally wear on my smaller-water rivers, but I ALWAYS do on lakes and ponds. If I can't have half of my body standing above water, I wear. That is my rule. Make sure you're within the law where you are. I, personally, don't bother fishing rivers that are in a particularly "high" stage. The fishing tends to suck and it's a LOT of work in a yak. - I don't worry about tethers too much, as I've been doing this a while now, but had a fairly expensive loss, here (the paddle retails $150). Lesson learned, and I will absolutely tether the paddle in water like that, from now on, every time. - If the paddle is tethered to the yak, there's no need for an emergency paddle (save someone else in your party losing theirs). - This yak is an on-top and self-drains via it's scuppers. No need for a pump... ever. The Manta drains very quickly, too. If you were to get this yak, for your small lake/pond purpose, most of the possible problems you mentioned are eliminated by it's design and stability. As long as you have a PFD on and your paddle leashed, everything else is replaceable in the highly unlikely scenario that you're even able to flip this remarkably agile, wide monster of a kayak. I have a swift water video dropping today (at 6pm ET) that should alleviate any concerns about this yak's stability. I beat the absolute crap out of the Manta in the swift stuff, and was never concerned about it tipping (even with my seat risers that raise the center of gravity). Its primary stability is outstanding, yet is very easy to move in current. This is the only yak of its kind, and I absolutely love it, so far.

Hook ups, perhaps. Link?

I would remind everyone that Tractor Supply and Walmart are THE ONLY authorized dealers for the Manta Angler, and would strongly advise to not buy "new" from anyone else, in order to avoid warranty issues on an otherwise awesome 5 year warranty that only kicks in if you buy from an authorized dealer. Sorry, Ryan. Facts!

Links are in the description.

Agreed. I don't think you can really go wrong with either kit.

@@BarryP so far do you like the manta? I really wanna upgrade to a more stable kayak than my tamarack. Unlike the yukon it has 2 seat adjustments and it's longer but not as wide

@@codysiow2516 So far, it's performing wonderfully!

That is great, Nicholas! My email is on my home page if you want to send me a couple of photos of what you built! Thanks for the kind words!

Yeah, was hurtin' for a few seconds. That's why we hung around to make sure he didn't show any signs of concussion. I clipped out about 15 minutes of him talking about the fishing before we left.

It's tough water, and the bite can turn on and off like a switch in there, but can be VERY rewarding. This is up near Keyser, WV.

Indeed!

That's great, brother! Let us know when it's out!

Yep. People have been reporting that they are able to get ahold of them. Walmart's availability seems a lot better than TSC's, but things will improve over time. Thank you for the compliment! I truly appreciate it!

Everything you said is wrong. What you proposed would be a 24v presentation, not a 12v presentation , as required in this project. I'm not going to argue with someone that doesn't understand parallel vs series or how voltage and charging works. I've been doing low volt stuff for 30 years (as a professional). Go fry your own stuff and start fires, but don't profess to me and my viewers your complete lack of understanding about how electricity works. Folks, ignore this know-nothing know-it-all. He'd present a 600v "array" to a 120v system, and try to blame the equipment mfgs for him burning down his own house. And before you say it, I'm not angry, I'm just protecting my viewers from your lack of knowledge and the bravado that accompanied said lack of knowledge. You are the epitome of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Thanks for watching!

Just out of curiosity, what did you get?

You'd be surprised how easy it is.

Do you have one on the way?

@@BarryP not yet, soon tho

@@emarmy00 I finally got the Manta onto a long, swift stretch yesterday. It's a great kayak!

That's great to hear, man! Thanks for keeping us posted through the difficulties!

Not as they are. The four holders, themselves, are identical. They fit into a bump-out that is part of the actual kayak mold. So any one of the four holders is going to orient the exact same way in any one of the four spots. Also, that doesn't solve the high, vertical, tree-grabbing angle. They could be modified, and that may be okay for some, but not for me (with the camera setup).

I'm happy to hear it was helpful! Be sure to check out my video from today that expands upon why this is an even better riser kit than I originally thought (link won't work until 08-02-24 at 5pm ET... 10 min from now): ruclips.net/video/LydX7Vt9zXs/видео.html

@@BarryP Yes Sir!!

I do not.

Nothing to do with the video, eh? Context doesn't matter? Sorry i wasted your time. LOL

For?