Bluebasser86

Your biggest issue up north is toothy fish. Your bass will 100% eat that rat, but so will pike and muskie. I'm not in big fish country by any means myself, but I've got 4 bait wraps full of big swimbaits that I use to catch little bass at a much slower rate than normal baits ?

I was expecting a picture of a smallmouth crossways in a 'skis maw.

Being a bank fisherman is going to make it difficult on you. I'm not sure I could catch many from the bank here unless I fished a pond that had a bunch or something. Most of them in our area in the summer months are offshore over deep brush, following creek channels where schools of shad like to travel along. Somewhere with deep water nearby and some form of cover (pole timber, docks, brushpiles), would be where I'd search with docks topping the list. Small soft plastics on a jighead is the best way to cover water and find biting fish in my experience. I like something like a Bobby Garland Baby Shad in Monkey Milk on a 1/16oz jighead and 4lb test. Just try to cast it around cover and swim and shake it slowly. Really need a sensitive rod and to be a line watcher for that kind of fishing.

I've got one of those pictures. Thought I'd tied it off but I was sweating, in a life or death struggle with my McDonald's breakfast that I was regretting eating at that point. Not sure I even parked the truck before I sprinted to the Johnny. Not another soul around to enjoy watching my boat do the slow drift across the lake in the gentle morning breeze. The recovery process was not an easy one either.

Welcome!

Just a little over 2oz because there's a 1/4oz bullet weight that is plugging up the bottom (weighted), portion of it. It's for drifting and slow trolling.

I found 2 of these on clearance at Academy for $1 each a couple years ago. Didn't really have a need for them, but I bought both thinking maybe something I could give to a kid in need of one or something. Ended up letting my youngest use one on a Dock Demon after the spinning reel burned up. It works really well and is super easy to use.

I would exchange it. No reason to deal with getting a brand new reel repaired. Who knows what else might be wrong with it that hasn't malfunctioned to the point that it's noticeable yet?

I use to just keep mine out when on the boat, thinking I was a good swimmer so I'd be fine if I ended up in the water. 2 years ago, a mutual friend of my wife and I, an avid outdoorsman who I'm sure probably thought the same way I did, ended up in the water and drown. Now I help organize his memorial tournament each year and fish with one of his 2 boys. I can still hear the pain in their voices when they talk about him. My wife and 2 boys asked me to never make them go through that, so I wear mine 100% of the time I'm on the water now, by myself or not. If you don't wear it for yourself, wear it for someone who cares about you so they don't have to read about you on the news. https://www.kake.com/story/40726396/boater-who-disappeared-at-marion-reservoir-found-dead

Mine changes year to year it seems like. If it was up to me, I'd never have to fish any topwater other than a buzzbait. In reality, I catch more topwater smallmouth on a 90 plopper than anything else and the last couple years, a popper has been the deal for largemouth.

Homemade bladed jig. I look forward to the spring jerkbait bite with great anticipation every winter too though.

IMO, you can be far more efficient with lures than live bait. Not having to take the time to catch/buy/haul them, rebaiting, and the much slower presentations, and fish will still ignore a live bait just like a lure. I watched a nice largemouth ignore a live crawdad again and again in a small creek last Sunday. I didn't have any real bass fishing baits, but I have a feeling a tube or ned could have caught that fish. It doesn't take a lot of baits. Some small tubes, Ned rigs, a few little finesse worms and shakyheads, a couple little cranks, topwaters, jerkbaits, a couple compact spinnerbaits, some soft jerkbaits and you'd be able to fit it all into a small tote.

If I had a place to clamp them onto, I'd go that route. Only way I could do it would be to open the back hatch and clamp it onto that with a piece of 1x4. Might be my only option until I get a more permanent solution.

I made a makeshift one before a trip this spring and drug it behind my kayak for 2 days through rocks and never lost it. These should be even better.

I've used both and found the 5 to be much easier on me if I was doing it for an extended period of time.

I had one that thought he was going to climb in with me Saturday. I just redirected him with the rod tip. Saw a few more but that one was the only one that thought he was getting a free ride with me. All my rods survived the day, only had one even touch a tree on the way by. Others weren't so lucky. Another guy broke a rod and another broke his rudder ?. I lost way too many good fish and ended up in 7th or 8th out of 20 something people. 1st was an amazing 98+ inch bag.

Had so much fun doing this from my kayak that I wanted to get a little more into it. Got the supplies to make some nicer weights than my first attempt and the first couple turned out nice. They've got 6" of 3/8 backer foam in the top and 6" (about 2oz), of 3/8" pencil lead in the bottom. They'll float at rest so no falling over into snags if my boat/yak comes to a stop, which helps a lot with preventing snags. Now I just have to figure out how to get rod holders on my boat without putting holes in it.

I didn't read it as condescending. I'm sure it's the same mentality that I share of wanting to protect people, even if it's from themselves at times, and a frustration when those attempts fail. I've also made the mistake of being young and invincible, so I can understand how the mistake was made. @Jonas Staggs you got lucky this time man, I'm sure you'll learn from it though. I flipped my last kayak in cold water in early March a few years ago. I'm a good swimmer and had my lifejacket on. The high 40/low 50 degree water still instantly took my breath away and it almost felt as though I blacked out for a second, breathing was the only thing I could think about until I caught my breath and got myself going. Had I not had my lifejacket on, I'm not positive what the outcome would have been as the cold water was quickly stiffening my joints and taking away my dexterity. I'd gone to an inflatable vest but recent rough rides had me second guessing even that decision. One of my Father's day gifts was a standard fishing lifejacket that I can wear and not worry about if it will inflate or not if it's needed. It's not quite as comfortable as the inflatable, but I'll sacrifice a little comfort for the piece of mind knowing that I'll float if I end up in the water. I'm also trying to get into the habit of having my whistle that I normally keep attached to the kayak, attached to my vest instead. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Body-Glove-Adult-Fishing-Vest-Size-L-XL-Green/998905647?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=184&&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-1025716567856:pla-51320962143&wl5=9023835&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=998905647&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw8cCGBhB6EiwAgORey_OhFxJdlIIjI4ToGHAJT1zwumTHW9_jPqmxqlSlXjnjhX5R9DPexBoCcrEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

3.5-3.75 is the sweet spot for smallmouth, 4.5" for largemouth. For smallies, I pour a stupid tube head on a 3/0 EWG hook with an 1/8oz lead. Largemouth I'll usually use a 1/4oz bullet weight and 4/0 EWG.

I don't believe I have one in my box. I've used one a little bit and couldn't really find a place for it. If we had more grass I could see how it would be useful.

Yes, it has not mattered either way and I no longer own any nor do I have any intentions to in the future.

The 2 boys that are the reason I get up in the morning. I hope they know how hard I try for them.

My oldest wanted to go fishing for Father's Day. His little brother decided he wanted to go when I got up and it was super hot and humid so we just went to a creek so we could hide in the shade and get in the water if we wanted. Hooked a few nice bass (for a tiny creek), and lost all of them. Also lost the only catfish bite we had. Lake did manage to land the biggest bluegill I've ever seen in a small creek though. I though it was a small white bass cruising around it was so much bigger than all the other bluegills we could see.

I use 10-15lb, but I use mono or copolymer, no need for flouro for squarebills IMO unless you jus feel like spending extra on your line.

Is Sally Sammies cousin or something? I'm in the 2 different rods boat also. Poppers I use a short 6' Falcon that long discontinued. WTD baits I use a 7' M/F Ethos Micro and 20lb straight braid. I'll reach out and touch a fish with that setup.