Bluebasser86

As long as the bass eat other fish where you live, then they'll eat big swimbaits. I catch them on big swimbaits here in NE KS all the time and our population of bass over 18" is terrible.

I like 10-12 pound Big Game

I've seen times where they wouldn't touch the heads but they'd eat chunks from the sides and vice versa. Obviously have to be around fish to catch them too.

Welcome! I would suggest posting your question on braid to fluoro, or searching past post to see if you can find the answer to your questions there. I don't think as many check the introductions forum to give advice as they do there. Your question could be posted, or answer may be found, here. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/12-fishing-rods-reels-line-and-knots/

Welcome!

The Whopper Plopper isn't going anywhere. Chris Lane just used it to take second at Toledo Bend.

Barlow's or Zeiner's are good places to find all the things you listed. Fishingskirts.com is where I get all my jig skirt material.

Welcome to the forum. I've owned several small boats along with an array of TM and gas motors. IMO, just stick with a TM for that boat. The added weight, expense, and hassle isn't worth the marginal gain (if any depending on the size TM you get). I had a 2.5hp Johnson on a pond hopper and couldn't tell the difference between the speed of that and my 50lb TM on top speed. The big difference was I had to carry extra gas with me if I was making a longer run with the gas motor.

There is no way possible for me to get the Stratos in this little lake, and by the time it was off the trailer the motor would almost be on the opposite bank. It's lakes, ponds, and streams with good fishing like this lake has that are the exact reason why I wanted to buy a kayak.

According to the MDC, it has the highest density of bass over 4 pounds in the state. I've been there twice. It's not a numbers lake and it's not easy to fish, which is probably why it produces so many quality fish, along with fact that it's 2 hours from any major cities.

I've said too much.

This year is my first full year of owning my kayak and I haven't done much from it until yesterday. I only had about 2 hours to fish in the cold rain, but it was my best day in the yak to date. I caught 35 bass in one hour and 45 minutes on one of my bladed jigs and a YUM beaver along the edges of the shoreline grass. My 3rd or 4th fish was the biggest of the day and my new PB bass from the kayak at 4lb 2oz. It ate the bladed jig in less than a foot of water and gave me a pretty good ride.

They make a 3" Pit Boss that would fit that jig a little better. 2/3 of a 5" senko makes a good trailer for those smaller jigs too.

Anybody who doesn't believe that KVD sells baits, check out TW stock of 10XD's, 8XD's, and 6XD's in the 2 colors that KVD used to win. I just checked, there's only 1 color of the 8XD's not sold out, both colors of the other two are on back-order and one of barfish color of the 8XD is on back-order also. Now maybe those colors are always hot sellers, but I'm going to venture a pretty safe guess that the fact that KVD used them has a lot to do with it.

We had cold and rain yesterday and I killed them on a bladed jig and a beaver along the emerging weedlines.

This Rick Clunn? The one who just won an Elite Series event at St. John's River at 69 years young? Yeah, probably should hang it up

Green gizzard shad and river minnow is where it's at.

I killed them in NE KS yesterday despite the cool temps and constant rain. Too bad I didn't even have 2 hours to spend on the water

Nice fish! I like the Lucky Craft Spazz jerkbait for trout. It has a really erratic action and doesn't run as deep.

Obviously not a bluegill or kahle hook, but this is what I'm talking about and a good illustration of how little hook should be inside the bait.

That sucks. I always put my rods in the truck cab before I had a boat with a rod locker to keep them from getting dirty or bouncing out. That's a tough lesson to learn.

I carry most of my rods with me in my locker, usually have about 10 on the deck. Casting rods 3 swimbait rods from H to XH 3 cranking rods for squarebills to deep divers jerkbait rod popper rod spinnerbait bladed jig frog C-rig toad/holly belly punching rod finesse jig jig T-rig football jig traps spinning rods shakyhead/tubes light cranks/jerks Ned rig dropshot wacky rig/senko Keitech/grub

Nice, wish I could get up there to fish more often. If I'm driving that far north I usually go to Paho instead though.

I don't have any Fat Impacts or I could take a comparison picture of the two but the Rage baits have ribs that face forward instead of backwards and the tail has the patented Rage flange on it. Like you mentioned they have the coffee scent instead of squid as well.