Felix77

When fun fishing I have my moments when I am engrossed in thoughts or conversation outside of fishing. Sometimes just enjoying the moment ... you know. Nothing snaps me out of that faster than a hit on my line. Instant wake up call. LOL.

My Confidence box consists of 5 baits/rigs 1 - Senko - Green Pumpkin T-Rigged weightless 2 - Finesse Tube - Gitzit Leech/Gold 3 - Shakey Head/Finesse work - Strike King Fat Baby Finesse worm - Green Pump Purp/Gold 4 - Finesse swimbait - Keitech Swing Impact (Bluegill Flash), VMC Half Moon 5 - Drop shot - Roboworm - Aarons Magic FWIW - How I got to these 5 for me was the key. When I began tournament fishing as a co-angler 4 years ago I did a ton of research on finesse fishing. Over the years I found myself relying on these items for bites when nothing else was working. The order I put them in is the order in which I learned them. I also intentionally wanted to cover the water column. I can fish from top to bottom in as deep as 30 FOW confidently. They shakey head got me my PB 5.89 Smallmouth at that depth. In my fun fishing I dedicated time to learning each to gain confidence in them. For example ... Drop Shot was not in my "box" last year. Committed to learning it this year and as a result had a lot of success with it. Good luck. Good luck.

agree 100% here. His vid's are what got me started with this fun technique.

Sad .... just plain sad.

I have a 6' and 6'3" rod. When I have a heavy dock day I tend to use these. Works great for skipping docks for me from the back of the boat. Especially when power poles or talons are involved.

I love them both .... Fish don't care ... Especially when you throw a little JJ's or Megastrike on it.

Ride 115x, 3 anchor points setup on my yak ... Off the stern via the Scotty Anchor kit with a 3lb anchor port, starboard (via cleats) - 1-2lb anchor to stabilize me in a spot. Work off the stern first if I have to. Sides are only in those cases where it's pretty windy and I need a 2nd lockdown point after settled in with the starboard anchor. I tried anchor trolley setups and for some reason didn't like them. Felix

This ... the only difference is 15 lb braid for me.

Sadly I am far from owning a boat of my own but over the past few years I have seen 1 or 2 co-anglers turn to boaters in our club. Our club fishes tournaments on the same bodies of water generally. We also are in direct competition with one another. One pot for all anglers. Over a few years you get paired up with a bunch of different people. You also learn spots or types of water they like to fish. What is the proper etiquette when it comes to fishing these spots once you become a boater.

I bought all kinds of gear to keep going out on my kayak for as long as I can tolerate it. I will be back to this post when I am forced off the water.

The birds. Remember hiding under the bed with my little sister watching this with my mom. Lol.

I find myself at BPS to browse and catch an occasional sale. Occasional being operative because their sale prices still tend to be on the high side. I research there and then buy elsewhere more often than not. As for WalMart. They have all the essentials at good pricez. Take it from someone who travels for work ... they never disappoint for those essentials and local favorites. Case in point in LA I got Roboworms. In Texas the mag Ol Monsters. In NY craws, craws and more craws.

I can only speak as a co-angler. I have been on both boats and prefer the Skeeter. Better ride and better compartment layout but that is personal preference.

Wow. Went into this post all seroius. Now I can't stop laughing.

The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite!

Yes ... on a friggin' shakey head of all things ... Thought it was the biggest bass i ever hooked on to until ...

Was there this past weekend and it was all about the Chatterbait and Spinnerbait. I also caught a few on the Alabama Rig (Flash Mob Jr.) They were definitely in a chasing mood.

The Alabama Rig wears me out! LOL

I own a Ride 115x. I bought it when I was over 320 lbs. It was very stable then let alone now.

Nice ... I'm originally from the Bronx. Live in upstate NY now (Albany, NY) area.

Welcome ... where in NY are you from?

I love lunker smallies. Must have been quite a rush to land her.

I'm not local but I get to travel across the US often for work and fish all the time. For me a leader is a must. Have had too many experiences where fishing braid direct seemed to be the difference in terms of bites.

Essentially a reel and lift guy myself as well. With smallies sometimes I need to give it that extra pop when I lift. Not much of one .... If all else fails check the sharpness of the hook. Learned that the hard way a few times this year.

My absolute favorite this year has been the drop shot by far! I have been able to catch them deep, shallow and everything in between on that thing this year. 7'm spinning with 15lb braid and a 6-8lb leader. Favorite lure - Roboworm 4 incher