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"

I really liked mine, but it did not do well fishing for river run striped bass. Graphite ended up cracking, so I returned it. Great rod, just seemed a little stiff and brittle to me.

The Chattahoochee River is an unbelieveable fishery. Big shoal bass, small mouth, spots and striper all in your back yard.

I agree with soft plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits, and topwater walking baits.

We should get together and fish man! I live in Marietta. I see Lake Rabun is your fav. I want to fish swimbaits on some of those North GA trout lakes! I always wear my PFD. You just never, ever know what could happen. Also, I paid like $150 for it, so why not wear it? I just dont get the guys who have PFDs, but dont wear them.

Thanks guys! This wasn't on the Hooch, but I fish the Hooch a ton with the Bull Shad! You in GA?

I floated a nice, cool Georgia river for some swimbait-kayaking fun! I kept it Spartan only carrying my brand new, un-slimed Dobyns 795 and my swimbait box. Nine hours of Bull Shad chucking later I ended up with a pair of nice Striper, a nice Large Head, and some pint-size spots. There is nothing more fun than the moment a nice sized striped bass crushes your lure and takes you on a kayak sleigh ride! All in all, it was a great day considering the heat and blue-bird skies.

I fish out of a Wilderness Systems Commander 140. Best boat I have ever fished out of. I can stand and fish, has multiple seating options, paddles well, and has a ton of room. Really nice lake and river boat. Hey, cool to see another Marietta guy. I moved here not that long ago, so I am just starting to find some decent places to fish. There are a ton of small lakes in our area to be seen on Google Earth, but I can't find, for the life of me, how to get permission to fish them. I mostly trek to some of the PFA's and bigger reservoirs that are around and hour, hour and a half away. elhoward622@gmail.com shoot me an email sometime and we will go fishing somewhere!

Weather: Mid 50s with 15-30 mph winds Water: 56-57 and heavily stained Lures and Techniques:lipless crankbaits in red craw and chartruese Today Maniyak, Stewart Vennable, and I hit up Lake X; a small body of water that shall remain nameless. This trip was set up for failure, but turned into one of the greatest outings of my fishing career. Our original plans were to launch at Varner or another big bass producer, however the weather service called for 15-25 mile per hour winds with 30 mile per hour gusts. This is unsafe on open water, much less un-fishable so we opted to launch in smaller venue in hopes of a reprieve from the wind. The wind still pummeled us like we offended the gods, but the fish did not seem to care. The water was a dank, chocolate, double duty from the merciless winds pounding the banks into a froth and killer storm band that ripped across the country the day before. Still, the fish did not care. The final burst of feeding before the Spawn was in full force. Stewart, a lipless crankbait aficionado, scored early and often, going up three to my paltry one including a 6lb 9oz kicker that looked as if it swallowed a stray cat. The same fish that smashed my crankbait, but somehow missed hookup. I was quite exasperated considering I had been hooking everything in sight, my shoes, pants, glove and kayak to mention a few. Heart of a Champion, I snapped some pictures, gave some high fives, and was truly happy for my brother in arms, but pulled my cap brim low over my brow and began chucking and winding with a sole purpose. It was but thirty minutes that an errant cast plopped a couple feet below an overhanging branch and was c-r-u-s-h-e-d. To myself,"Three pounder. Good way to get back into the game." Boy was I wrong. A massive head came flying out of the water, gyrating in the attempt to rid herself of the crank. I let out a series of guttural noises synonymous with the realization that a pig is on your line. This fish was a beast, pulling, running, and launching herself out of the muddy water. When she flipped over the net railing into the mesh I let loose a primeval whoop that surely comes from an ancestral hunter gatherer. Talk about a comeback. I'll see your 6.9 and raise you a 6.6. That is what kayak fishing is all about. In review, we boated between 25-30 bass that, put together, would have make a 20+ pound tournament bag. Not bad work for a crappy, post frontal, windy day. Good Fishing!

Hello Bass Resource nation! I am a dedicated kayak fisherman who shares your passion for chasing all species of bass. I have been fishing for most of my life, but it did not become an all consuming passion until I began fishing from kayaks. I fish across Alabama and Georgia in both lakes and rivers, but I prefer to fish small rivers for the serenity, seclusion, and the chance to tangle with large, unpressured fish in small waters. There is nothing like a close quarters fight with a river run Alabama Spotted Bass, Large Mouth, or epically river run Striped Bass! I am an active blogger who loves photography and writing about my adventures. I look forward to learning more about bass fishing from this community and, hopefully, sharing some accomplishments and adventures. Here are a few pictures of my latest adventures. Good fishing!