elhoward622

Today was a pretty uneventful float on the Catawba River with Jackson Kayaks Pro Staffer Stewart Venable. By uneventful, I mean a ginormous bird of prey performed a Stukka-esque dive bomb on my trusty Bull Shad swimbait in the attempt to devour my precious. Not today bird! I have already lost one swimbait to a fowl foul this season and, By God, I would not stand for making it two. The perpetrator, a rangy looking raptor with an appetite for hard resin and steel, swooped in, claws blazing, on a well placed cast behind an exposed rock. Thank God for short strikes as both anglers swung and missed. The raptor, dubbed Most Interesting Bird In The World, was quoted "I don't often eat swimbaits, but when I do, I prefer Bull Shad."

Dobyns 795, Curado 301e, 25lb Trip Fish Camo line,

Nice one Speed. I need to try a Sissy bait soon.

I use a 6'9" St.Croix Mojo Bass Dropshot rod. It has a nice X-fast tip and really sticks them. Also, for just under $100 it is a great deal.

I just use a paddle leash and let the paddle drop or lie where it goes. I don't reccomend paddle clips.

Good advice here. I am glad to see that you are choosing to buy a big brand name; you truly get what you pay for here. If standing and fishing is a priority, then make sure to check out boats that are wide and your feet lie as far down in the water as possible. Wilderness Commanders are ultra stable because of the tri-hull design and your feet are below the water level. I had one for a couple of years and truly enjoyed it. I don't stand and fish anymore because the Jackson Coosa has the high seating option and eliminates the need for it. I am a huge fan of both Wilderness and Jackson, so either way is a win. I lean to Jackson these days because they are more creative with their factory rigging and their seats are far more comfortable that anything wilderness offers. I actually don't even modify my Coosa because it has 4 secure rod holders built in and built in tackle storage under the seat. I also overlook the Coosa's terrible wind handling because it is so functional. Find the boat that "fits" you best so you can spend the most hours in the seat.

I caught a red-eye shad while throwing a red-eye shad LOL. This summer I took my dad kayak fishing and he flipped his boat, losing his new rod and reel. I looked and swam for about an hour and finally saw a glimpse of cork and snagged it. It was a nice baitcaster setup some one must have lost in the same set of rapids. Dad still uses that thing!

I started fishing a lefty spinning reel and noticed I was getting much more solid hook sets with my dominant arm. Plus, I am have some sort of ligament/tendon inflamation issue that comes and goes in my left hand so I just made the switch and love it. The funny thing is that I can't do anything else with my left hand.

If you are throwing swimbaits try an 8" or 9" bait. The little guys will hit 6" baits all day long.

Tackle boxes go under the seat. I carry two rods in the built in holders. Extra stuff in the gear bag attached to the seat. Very spartan so I can just fish and not worry about gear. I don't like to carry much gear at all so I can just fish and forget about the rest of the stuff. I also try to focus on a technique when I got; pretty much always swimbait.

I agree with most from above. If possible, go to a kayak dealer on water who will let you test drive some. If you fish mostly open lakes and have to paddle long distances you want a longer boat, 12-14, with a very sharp keel so it tracks strait and true and is fast; ocean kayaks, wilderness sys. tarpon 120-140, jackson cuda. If you fish ponds or small rivers you want a shorter, rounded hull for manueverability; wilderness sys. tarpon 100-120, jackson coosa, wilderness ride series, wilderness commander series. It all depends on the water you use it in and most can do the rest in a pinch. For rivers or ponds, a longer, sharp keeled boat is harder to turn and runs deeper making for a tough day in the river. In lakes, round hull boats get blown around by wind and are slower to paddle. Find a happy medium. To me, the Tarpon 120 is a pretty good General purpose boat along with a Commander 120 which you can stand and fish in all day. I fish out of a Jackson Coosa simply because it has the most comfortable seat, I can go about 8 hours without a stretch in this seat vs. 4 hours in my Tarpon 100, and it has the best layout for minimalist, no rigging fishing.

Click on my blog in my profile and that might help a little, pm or email me if you have any kayak fishing questions. I fish all over GA and AL and can get you hooked up with some good organizations. Southern Kayak Anglers is a great start.

They are there and in great numbers. So much so, that they are displacing the fragile shoal bass population and hybrisizing with them: "smoalie"