Darren.

Hi James, and welcome to the forum. I just want to give you kudos on your direction of study. Marine biology is a great field, maybe not a big-money field, but rewarding in so many ways. Good on ya, lad.

I haven't done much frogging this year. Keep forgetting to bring the right box. But I agree with Stinky that they're hitting stick baits, Zoom Trick and Finesse worms... Haven't had a spinnerbait bite at all. And I rarely throw cranks. I've thrown flukes but haven't had any luck on them. Everything has been Senko/style and the Zoom baits mentioned. As well, all have been on weighted weedless wacky rigs.

H'wood's and NNPK are my two main fisheries. If you come down this way, you might also want to hit Waller Mill Park in Williamsburg (if you haven't already). No toothy critters there, and they stocked it with Stripers back in the 70s or 80s. Never caught one myself, but the bass there are good quality. Another place is Beaver Dam Res in Gloucester...don't get up there often myself, but a solid fishery.

Nice cat for Harwood's Mill... Lots of big'uns there.

Is that last picture brown lipstick from the brown bass your son must've Jimmy Houston'd?! LOL... Awesome time, man. Always remember.

Welcome back, Josh!

TW did a great review, fair from a perspective much broader than mine, considering I only fish a few BCs. But I can say the Lexa is my favorite. It is palmable, easily adjusted, can throw light weights, has more than enough drag, built like a tank, weighs less than a tank... Paired with a Premier M 6'6" rod, I do have a rod balancing kit on the butt end which brings me a slightly tip-lite combo, which I prefer. For me, personally, the Lexa was the answer I was looking for to get a quality BC w/o breaking the bank. These days I'd rather "break my bank" on a rod than a reel especially with Lexa BC and spinning reels out there. I'm sold. Have one of both now and am super happy.

Nice tip.

Only problem with a thru-hull mount is water temp. I made a retractable mount for mine with some square aluminum tubing. But I actually take the depth finder less and less these days... Usually doesn't matter what kind of shape transducer. There are plenty of DIY mounting links on the web. Get your finder, the. Worry about the mounting. And I agree with fly, and did it myself, using the yak for a while and then customizing it. In fact, I've done it a second time, even further simplifying my setup. It is a fun process all around.

Welcome aboard! Nice hawg in your pic...

Maybe try a TX rig, cast it out and reel it slowly back trying to determine the type of terrain, objects you are bumping into. Kind of a game to focus on bumps, logs, weeds... Tough for someone with Red Bull flowing thru the veins

Plenty of good recommendations. Shimano is hard to beat for quality spinning reels. I own two Stradic FI reels, they're excellent. But I've also become a HUGE fan of Daiwa's Lexa spinning (and casting) reels. For the money, they are incredibly smooth, and in your budget. Try to get your hands on one at a Bass Pro so you can compare reels side-by-side. As for rods, take your pick. Many available in your price range. St. Croix, Shimano, Abu, etc. I will probably buy Croix rods from here on, but I own Shimano Compre's and really like them. Hard to go wrong with Shimano's lifetime warranty on most of their rods. St. Croix Avid would be my choice, and if you buy a Lexa for $115 via ebay, your budget will allow you to buy a $180 Avid. Well worth the money, IMHO. A MXF 6'6" or 6'8" will be a formidably sensitive rod.

Well then, a belated welcome, Norm!

Welcome aboard, Preston!

Keep on posting. You make some beautiful jigs, man.

If you are young, definitely have an adult help you out with a cover letter. Difficult to understand what you are trying to say.

And as far as keeping position, you can use a chain anchor to "drag" the bottom to hold you in relative position. An anchor trolley will work, but if you go that route, consider one on both sides. I am going to install one on the other side of my yak. A trolling motor will help, but is not the end-all solution. And fly is right, check your state regulations. I had to register my kayak here in VA, about $16 for 2 years. I also use a stake-out pole, 7' long (Stick-It) and swear by it...well worth the money I spent on it. http://www.stickitanchorpins.com/

Well... If you need to get places, cover a lot of water, keep your arms from falling off, trolling motor. Depth finder second. I use my trolling motor on my kayak far more than I use my depth finder. 2 cents.

Sometimes you can throw your entire tackle box at spawning bass and they won't bite a single thing. Texas rigging is great, either weighted, or weightless, but also try wacky rigging the worms. Make sure you slow down on soft plastics. Not knowing how you fish them, you may be moving them too fast, not letting them sit long enough... 2 cents...

Awesome day! Well done, and a PB to boot!

I've gone back and forth from zip locks to zip lock BPS bags, and now back to 360-size tackle boxes. And I like BPS boxes because they're better for worms, IMO. I put my boxes inside a big box which I stick under the seat of my Native Ultimate 12. So far it works better than putting worm bags in bags....

Well said, Hanover!

Welcome to the forums, Lucas!

Loads of ticks. We've got dogs, we've got 4 boys who love the outdoors and take the dogs with them. So ticks are a part of life here. One of my boys has a reaction to the tick bites, bee bites, etc., but nothing too severe. We've caught any lyme (target-like red rings) quickly and all treated with antibiotics, nothing severe so far.

Good stuff. I went out today as well, the wind was awful. Stalked four beds, but the bass were supremely stubborn and refused any and everything I threw at them. Didn't fare as well as you, caught a smaller bass, maybe 3/4 pounder. But the wind just kept getting worse and changed directions at least three times making what were lovely still coves, frustrating....