Felix77

FWIW ... When I am looking to quickly uncover the "secrets" of an unfamiliar body of water I throw around a finesse swimbait (Havoc Beat Shad) on a VMC Mushroom or Darter head. Weight will vary but I try to cover as much water as I can. My #2 setup is a texas rigged senko. Weightless or weighted will depend on the conditions. With both on my YAK I can cover a ton of water and get in and around cover. Because those two lures have been a staple for me in my mind if they aren't biting it then they are not there. Now I know that may not be true BUT it keeps me moving until I get something figured out.

To me ... to be truly elite at the sport you have to work hard at all aspects of the sport both on and off the water. Off water research. Things like lake study, tournament trends, technique trends etc. Makes on the water time more efficient. On the water time - Mindful practices is exhausting. Practicing with a focus, a purpose, a plan. Constantly thinking on what is going on around them. Definitely not the same as a fun fishing day. These guys needs to do this more often than not to get as good as they are, Adaptability - Comes from mindfulness (sound so ZEN). All that work translates into lessons. Over time their ability to take those lessons and adjust better than others will set them apart. Attitude - I swear fish can sense attitude right through my line. The more positive I am the better I tend to be at catching them. Maybe more focus They have to do this better than most to be consistently earning their keep doing this.

Line curling is a very common thing ... especially with mono IMO. I don't bother replacing the mono unless the curl is quite ridiculous and either causes backlashes or curls to the point like it's a slinky. Since mono is so inexpensive I tend to err on the side of replacing it often.

I pitch from a seated position while kayaking quite often this time of year. As already mentioned if you can stand that would help with targeting pockets and such. FWIW I use a low side arm cast. I try to keep it as close to the water as possible to minimize the splash at the end. Keeping a active thumb helps with controlling the bait into the water. Good luck.

I just saw the new FC showcased at ICAST suspect its not on sale just yet. FWIW I use tatsu as leaders for finesse applications. I use InvizX for spooling on my baitcasters. Love both.

Condolences brother. In my thoughts man.

That ATAK 120 is calling my name. Loved the 140 but wanted something smaller. Got a new toy to hunt down next spring.

So ... it happend ... I got a hook lodged in me yesterday. Was using a Sexy Dawg and got into a good SMB with it. Got it to the kayak after playing it out. It had all 3 trebles in it. Since it was so tame I carefully lipped it on the side adjacent to the treble in it's mouth. Well ... guess it was waiting for me because as soon as it was out of the water it slapped it's tail and somehow unhooked from it's lip and into my hand. Worst part was getting the fish off while hooked so bad ... After that it was a cautious process to get it out and keep fishing. I get home and the first thing which pops up on BR is Glen's video on fishing these things ... How'd I do coach ... LMAO. Timely. Just had to laugh ... What's been your worst experience getting hooked?

Just curious. What is your methodology for going out and finding fish. Imagine you are on a new lake ... Do you start shallow and work out deeper? The other way around? Does that vary to you by season or based on weather or otherwise? Do you don't even bother and just fish patterns and depth is just a smaller variable in your equation? Thanks

Great collection of advice. Became introduced to them 4 years ago on a trip to Florida. One other way not mentioned is on a power shot. I use the VMC Powershot hooks flipping weed edges and such. The cool thing is that with its tail you can keep it "still" and it's action can draw a strike. In addition you can drag or slow-reel the drop shot and have it swim across the bottom. Fun way to fish.

Seaguar Tatsu 8#

Hard to believe that I am going into my 5th year and I still feel like a noob at times. FWIW here is my take on becoming better ... Take the time to learn the lake. Contour and structure. Pick techniques which maximize your chances under those specific circumstances and master those. You will quickly learn what techniques you love (or hate) and want to focus on those. If several will work begin with the fundamental one and work up from there. How this translates to being a better angler is as follows 1 - React to change quickly. As a co-angler I end up in situations which I was not rigged for from time to time. If I get to a spot I can quickly determine what will maximize my chances and change up if necessary. The lakes will vary but you will find circumstances can/will be similar across them. 2 - Find your "strengths". You will know what your preferences are and that will become your strengths. Once mastered you can almost replicate that no matter where you go fish with confidence. 3 - Discovery your weaknesses - You have 2 choices here ... you can 1 - build it into a strength OR 2 - Avoid those conditions altogether and fish other ways. Clearly depends on your personal preference. Good luck!

Clearly a catch 22. I suspect OKC would have wanted to keep him at more than 2 years or a max deal at the current cap. This vs. a 2 year deal with an option in year 2 with a strong contender looks sweet to me. Not to mention Wesbrook almost guaranteed to leave next year. I can understand the feelings against this but I suspect there is more on the OKC side that we are not hearing. Its business and this opportunity was too good to pass up. Should be interesting to see things unfold next season now. Now ... If Duane Wade goes to the Cavs it will make this more like a soap opera. Lol.

x2 on this ... I do most of my fishing from a kayak and there isn't a topwater that I can't use from the seated position. It's just your method of working which changes. Dawg baits are my favorite!

I personally wouldn't go more than 15lb braid on a spinning outfit. That includes for this whopper plopper. FWIW I throw it on a baitcaster and I basically use 15 mono or co-poly as long as it floats.

FWIW ... I can walk the sunfish much easier than any other frog-ish bait I have thrown. I like it.

It's become blatantly clear to me that I just truly suck in these conditions. Had a day to forget yesterday which compelled me to come here to find out more about fishing in these conditions. My one and only bite came on a 3/8oz flipping setup with a Green Pumpkin Power Worm. It was very shallow, shady and on the inside weed edge. It dropped like a ton and got hit hard. Seems to make sense after reading these posts. Any new words of wisdom since this post is about a year old.

FWIW I always like to provide feedback back to the post. Some observations from my trek out heeding this advice ... 1 - I am impatient. Flipping and pitching takes time. It wasn't until I slowed down on potential spots that I got some catches. It wasn't until I slowed down that I actually got bit on weeds close to a dropoff. 2 - Fishing in the weeds is a PIA but worth it. I decided to frog out a spot which was a little different. It looked to be a milfoil and something else blend with numerous small pockets scattered throughout. It was a challenge to even keep the frog from getting snagged on some of the junk but it paid off in 3 of my biggest fish on this lake. 3 - This catches nice ones! In doing this for a few trips now I have yet to catch something less than 14". Maybe I am lucky thus far BUT this is paying off for me! Flipping: 3/8oz+ bullet pegged with a black/blue tip senko. Frog: Strike King Frog - Black

I found a lake which is extremely weedy. Seems like there is weeds for miles. With that said I am familiar with fishing weeds in terms of techniques. The big question I have is where do I start? Looking for suggestions on how I should go about exploring all these weeds. How do you do it?

Try the campgrounds right next to the launch. I have also known anglers who park in the lot there and sleep in their trucks. Reach out to the state grounds either way to start.

I am still doing simple styles and colors however I think I got the hang of it. Below are some videos I used to help me perfect my tying skills along with some new hooks I have done since I last posted. How to start ... https://youtu.be/l6HizyCnr8o?list=PL6giZjzGYAmjNzZHO29mnyAyqijmDF1Ng How to tie ... https://youtu.be/crXQ6mYYaB4?list=PL6giZjzGYAmjNzZHO29mnyAyqijmDF1Ng How to finish ... https://youtu.be/kI0Hl-jRQd0?list=PL6giZjzGYAmjNzZHO29mnyAyqijmDF1Ng

I travel all the time with my gear ... here are some suggestions ... 1 - 3 Piece Carry On - I have 3 BassPro Extreme Rods which they let me carry on with no issues. 2 - 2 Piece rods. I have a rod case which holds 2 2-piece rods nicely. It's small enough that it does not incur a surcharge. 3 - Because of the additional cost for oversize stuff if I had to bring my 1 pieces I would just ship in advance Reels go on with me. Tackle is in my suitcase and as long as it's a small amount works just fine as carry on as well. Between #1 and #2 I am able to get 4-5 setups with me anywhere I go.

Yesterday I had a very frustrating day on the water. I was out at my "zen" lake and after several different baits I found that the fish were striking a Sexy Dawg and nothing else. The only problem is that each strike seems to be either before the bait or after it. Almost like their radar was WAY off all over the lake. Each time I missed a strike I would follow it up with either a t-rigged craw OR a finesse swimbait but to no avail. Ended the night with about a dozen strikes and zero catches. Led me to think ... what's your follow up technique to a missed topwater strike? What do you use?

1/4 oz weight T-Rigged Chigger Craw or Yum Craw Papi. Go up/down from there based on conditions.

Thanks for all the input. I have been out this week several times and all the feedback has definitely made a difference ... FWIW here are my observations since the change ... 1 - Length - Based on my height and kayak (Ride 115x) I upgraded to a 240 from a 220 in terms of length. 2 - J Francho's suggestion of locking my butt and feet when paddling was huge. Combined that with an intentional avoidance of tension in my arms and things starting tracking smoother and my major muscles were paddling vs my arms. Elbow stress was diminished significantly focusing on this. 3 - Positioning - Did play a factor for me. Paddling with the paddle just behind the handles of my Ride 115x seemed to level me out a bit better for when I really want to move. Too far back and I seem to drag so to speak. 4 - Lastly ... that video of high vs low was awesome. In hindsight I vary between the two but when moving with intent to another spot I tend to be more on the high side. The solid frame of my lower body + the longer paddle optimized my stroke. As always ... thanks a TON to you all!