Bluebasser86

I don't fish them in really stained water often but a large, loud jerkbait in bright or flashy colors will work at times. I've done well in some pretty dirty ponds with a pink Xrap.

6' 10" ML/XF St. Croix LTB/ Pfluegar Supreme XT 25 10lb PP super slick/8lb Red Label or C21.

I have owned a 6' 8" M/F Mojo for several years now and it's one of the most versatile spinning rods I've ever owned, so something similar to that would get my pick.

A 3 or 4 inch Gulp minnow on a jighead swam slowly along the bottom or vertical jigged has accounted for dozens of channels, blues, and a few flatheads, and I don't even fish them that often.

Jerkbait and bladed jig has been the deal for me this past week with water temps in the high 50's.

Which Bantam are you talking about? The old black Bantam? Bantam Citica? Bantam Curado?

I like nice stuff but I'd put my $40 H20 Mettle up against most any stock reel I've handled and it could hold it's own if not outdistance even some of the high dollar stuff. Casting distance is way down the list of important features in a reel for me anyways.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Because Melvern>Lake Shawnee. They're in there but certainly not common. I was there to try to trout but I fish for big trout with jerkbaits and ended up with a big smallie instead. Fished for 2 days and the next biggest smallmouth was 2.25, after that was maybe 1.5.

I was born 6 months and 2 days after Game 7 in 1985. It's been a long wait.

Any of the Gulp! brand baits fished slowly along the bottom will catch catfish I promise. A deep diving crankbait ticking through the rocks will get their attention also.

I broke a 4/0 VMC HD straight shank flipping hook this summer on the hookset, sometimes I don't know my own strength

This. A snap is fine, without the split ring.

Welcome!

What lake? Bourbon? Crawford? Ft. Scott? It's a spot no doubt.

What options do you want in your kayak? What type/size waters are you going to fish? What's your price range? I'm nowhere near an expert on the topic but those are some important questions that I had to answer before I found mine.

Not that I have a lot of experience with them, but the few times I've ever fished in Florida, the only ones that I was nervous around were the ones that people had been feeding. Those one's were not afraid at all and would actively try to follow anywhere I went. They never acted aggressively towards me, but I certainly had their attention. All the rest were kind of a "you mind your business, I'll mind mine", relationship.

You can, but I don't think it would be as effective.

I fish walking baits because I can fish them fast and cast them a long ways. A grub/swimbait on a jighead or a spoon is a good option once the school sounds.

I'm guessing those screams sound something like this.

That's awesome! Don't think I would have gotten that close though, even with the fence there.

I would like to try and think I could keep it close, especially if all he had was spin-casting gear. I've had the chance to fish against a pro on his home lake once before, I'd like the chance to defend my perfect record

I use 10-20 pound braid on my spinning reels.