Hanover_Yakker

I have the lens treated with Rain-X, so when the wind started whipping around, it pushed the water right off the lens.

That would be a Blue Fox Super Vibrax inline spinner - I prefer Mepps, but the Rooster Tail does fine as well.

Here's the video from my trip this past Friday where I landed that fat 21.25" largemouth. You can see in the video and last frame how beat up her tail was from the spawn. Enjoy!

Joe is killer, and the power group he is in Black Country Communion is pretty darn good as well.

I know all about WM. I have a special lure just for that place.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is line choice. If you are using a line with little or no stretch, you might also be pulling the bait out of their mouths. Just a thought. I've always been told to fish it on the same rig as a topwater lure. Hasn't failed me yet. When I first started, I used braid because it floated and was easier to see. After several misses, I switched to PLine CXX and have never looked back.

No problem at all - the key to extended battery life is turning off all the default add-on features like the fish identification, backlight, any auto adjust features, etc. Also, when you reach your intended location, turn the FF off. I use mine to locate structure changes and submerged cover, then I circle back around for a stealthier approach and anchor off outside of the target area and turn off the FF unit. I used this approach on four separate trips over the last three weeks and the charge held right up until the last hour of my trip this past Friday on my 12v/5ah battery.

Anytime any of you are interested in hitting up the lakes in kayaks down there, shoot me a PM. I'm game for any of them and plan on hitting Harwood Mills, Lone Star and others throughout the year.

I have two types I use: 1. PowerTeam Lures Swingin' Hammer Shad rigged on a 4/0 weighted swimbait hook. 2. Mike Bucca's 6" Bull Shad For gear, 1. I use a 6'8-7'0" MH/F casting rod paired with an Abu Garcia Revo Inshore spooled with 12lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid 2. I use a 7'0" Hvy/Med Fast Shimano Compre Musky Rod paired to a Shimano Calcutta 200B spooled with 14-17lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid

Fishing journals - how many times have you tried to recall all the variables that accounted for your catches or lack there of in the past? If you had logged that information over the course of a few years, you would start to see a pattern of behaviors not only by you but also by the fish relative to the conditions at hand on a given day. We do it here in VA for the salt species where water temps and currents play a huge factor on when different species "turn on" and "off" like summer flounder, tautog, spadefish, sheepsheads, etc. I also do it for LMB but not as detailed which is my own downfall.

I personally love this one: Big 'Ol Bass by Brock Zeman It is the theme song for Kayak Bass Fishing/Knot Right Fishing that airs on NBCSports. You can here it here as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXyl7d8G5Ys Just wish it was a full song and not just an intro......

I can see a new order in my future! Awesome work!

In all honesty, it just depends on the type of mats and their depth. If its just surface mats, its no issue at all. If you have mats but they are spotty with periods of open water, its no big deal either. A key feature that many anti-Hobie folks forget is that you can still paddle any of their kayaks, including the Pro Angler. Granted you wouldn't want to paddle a Pro Angler all day. Then again, if you're in matted grass, just stand up and punch the mats and use your paddle like a SUP. I have pedaled my old Revolution 13 and my Pro Angler 14 in both heavy pads and matted grass and had no issues. If you get stuck, just yank the drive and paddle.

Thanks guys - it was rough out there but the ends justified the means!

Here's a shot from today's outing of my Pro Angler 14 rigged and ready for some fish stalking!

Launched right at dawn this morning and fought gusting winds to 20-25mph all morning. Tried stalking the shallows for bedding bass in multiple spots, but the wave chop made boat position challenging and alerted the fish more times than not. Finally found a nice spot that I could cast to without spooking the fish and was rewarded with a fat 21 1/4" LMB. I ended up landing 5 on the day and a fat bluegill. Great day on the water albeit cut short by the severe storm rolling through.

All valid points so far - only you can decide which vessel is right for you. All I can say is that I wanted a Hobie PA when I first started and opted for something else to save money. Three years later, I bought a Hobie Revolution 13 and loved it but still wanted the PA14. After all the money I spent between the two different kayaks I bought and all the rigging I did would have paid for the PA14 and still had plenty of money leftover to buy quality rods and reels and tackle. Its all a matter of what you want and how you plan on fishing. Once you have that narrowed down, go demo as many different kayaks as you can before you buy. Even though I own a PA14, I plan on getting a Commander Or Ultimate for quick trips after work for when the PA14 is not already loaded.

Yep and had the ill fated experience of full onset of Lymes Disease where my joints seized up while I was driving. I had to use my hands to push my leg down in order to brake. Not fun. Went through the full round of Doxycycline and now have a permanent marker for Lymes when my blood is drawn for my annual physical. It is no joke and should not be taken lightly.

Tell you what, let's meet at Bass Pro just to walk you through some things and get you accustomed to the tackle and then you can decide what you want to get. I can also piece together a starter kit for you on plastics. PM me your email and cell, and we'll get cracking.

Welcome aboard! Your gear is fine for our area. Keep your tackle simple to start with. I recommend a stick baits in sizes from 3-6", some curly tail grubs in white paired with a 1/4oz round ball head jig, some 1/2oz spinnerbaits in chartreuse/white and blue/white, some squarebill cranks and perhaps a few jig-n-craws. A small tackle bag that holds 3-4 3600 tackle trays should be more than enough. Don't be afraid to get an ultralight spinning rod and reel and throw some beetle spins, rooster tails/mepps inline spinners, and stump jumpers/road runners. If at all possible, stick with natural colors to start - greens, blacks, orange/browns, silver/blue, silver/black, gold/black. if you take this list with you to your local tackle store, you can have an attendant help you identify some of them. You can also google the same words and look for images ot help you associate them together. Oh yeah, the shad bite is on fire right now in downtown Richmond. Get a couple flutter spoons and start casting from the bank!! Keep us posted!!!

Thanks - all fish were caught on Medium/XF rods w/2500 series spinning reels and small flutter spoons or shad darts.

Thanks - I used iMovie on my Mac for all the editing and video project layouts then bundled it and uploaded to YouTube where I selected one of their songs in their database. The song is entitled "Very Nice" by Seven Nations from their 2002 release.

That's alright Nitro, when you guys get your boat stuck , I can tow you out with my Pro Angler

Once the water temps remain above 55 degrees, its all fair game in my opinion. Don't be afraid to work your frogs out in depper water either. You might be surprised at how far an agressive bass will travel to strike a frog. Remember, fan casting is not just to the 180 degree cone in front of you - turn around 1/4 turn and overlap your cones so that you work all sides of the boat in all depths.

My son and I participated in the annual Shad Shootout to benenfit Multiple Sclerosis here in Richmond this past weekend. It was his first chance to ride in my Hobie Pro Angler 14, so he took great pleasure in riding shotgun and standing for most of the trip. He was the shad whispere on the day and ended up catching 15 quality shad ranging in size from 12" up to the beast of the day, a 19 1/4" American Shad. He also landed a couple smallish white perch to boot. I made a few casts as well and landed several 15" Hickory Shad and a bunch of whiter perch including a chunky 11 1/2" one. Here's a quick video I made of the outing. Enjoy!