buzzed bait

I'm going up to NY to visit my wife's grandmother Sep 12-15 and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a fishing spot in that area? I would love to find a small lake or pond or something to hit from the bank if you have any suggestions. Otherwise, I may just walk over to the bay and try my hand at some saltwater fishing (though i'm a total newbie in the salt)... She lives in Bayside on 212th Street around the Bay Terrace area if that helps any further. Thanks for any suggestions you have, even if they relate to the saltwater!

nice fish man! you can tell that spot is hit hard by the trail that is worn down in the background...

not for me... i was on lake norman in NC and the boat/drunkard traffic was near an all time high.... my friend and I were looking at 2-4 ft whitecap waves out there at times which is a scary sight fishing from the kayak.... glad you found some solitude! i have one lake in western NC near my brother's place that i frequent. I've never seen more than 1 person out there at a time.... i can relate though that having the water to yourself and quiet can be as weird as it is awesome!

yeah, that's cool!

i mean i hear you, that's obviously the norm, but i'm pretty sure that's just a flawed theory.... let's face it, anytime we encounter one we are in their territory.... kind of like trespassing on somebody's land and then sueing them because you hurt yourself kind of idiocracy....

nice fish man, but it's too hot around here for that jacket....

cool video man!

ok. sentence #1 of OP, "location is over rated". i'm saying that all variables mentioned play an equal importance in consistently catching big bass. to say that any one is more important than the other for catching them consistently is really just false. now to matt's point, one could argue that a particular one of those variables was more important in catching that "one" big one in 100. But again to his point, consistently catching the big ones requires fishing with the right lure, right place, blah blah blah. So all I was saying is that downplaying one of those essential ingredients in the consistency formula or saying one is more important than the other, is really just contradicting his otherwise very valid points. side note, another word that is over used here and every where else in the world: OBVIOUSLY

hang on, so is location important or isn't it? matt, agree with most of what you're saying but i think the main takeaway from this thread are that there are a number of variables that play into catching big fish (be it consistently or not). Now why you decided to isolate location as one of those variable and then essentially downplay its importance i do not fully follow. your hardgill bait for example (which i would still like to get my hands on) will be far more effective near the bluegill beds during the spawn (location/timing) than say in 50 feet of water far from said beds. Not to be in one camp or the other, because my point is that there are many camps and they are all right, all the time.....

sit on top, hands down. just sold my sit in last week after buying a slightly used wilderness ride 135. i've taken it out 3 times so far and am thrilled with the change. if you're serious about fishing, a sit on top is the only way to go IMO

just picked up a lowrance 4x HDI for $199, but haven't had it on the water yet. literally just got done hooking it up last night. It's installed on my kayak so it may be a little different for a boat, but i'm please so far. I had a Garmin echo previously and would not recommend that one. it was user friendly, but not very clear or detailed. very easy installation with the lowrance last night

navionics online is awesome, really helps pass some miserably boring time at work for me some days

net, net and some more net.... i'll take some fish in by hand sometimes, but if i have a big one on, i'm getting the net... honestly i'm not a big fan of tiring them out, i don't speed slap them in like the pros by any means, but i don't really tire them out all that much either. i just don't care to stress the fish too very much if you don't have to.

Welcome man. My wife is a KSU graduate.

Never fished either of them so my opinion is just that.... but having felt them both in my hands in store, the zillion seemed so much more comfortable and a little lighter. Those 2 things for me ulitmately make for a better sensitivity rod. so i'd be leaning toward the zillion, plus that sale price is tempting!

i have both LH and RH baitcasters that i use on every trip

Nice fish! you need to see this siebert guy ^^^^^ if you want some quality/affordable jigs his customer service cannot be beat

I live in Marietta and actually work just south of the cumberland mall exit on 285... the drive is not terrible, but traffic can really make it horrible. Basically aside from Allatoona, you could live like up near alpharetta area and fish lake lanier, but that drive to and from work could be as miserable as any in Atlanta.... One thing to note is allatoona is not putting up big bass and mostly only spotted bass. evidently stripers are abundant in both allatoona and lanier, but i'm not going after those too hard. either way good luck!

nice fishing and even better display of humanity! good sponsors on this site!

If you ask me, the most realistic and wisest first move would be to simply find out if the store has it's own buying capacity or if the products offered are all driven at a corporate level. A lot of these big box retailers use planograms that are somewhat "generic" created from a buyer in the corporate office for say a particular geograpic region. You should just work with either the Fishing Department Manager or perhaps even a manager in the Receiving area if there is one and ask if the items they receive are ones they select or the corporate office selects. If they say the store has the selection power, then I suggest going with flyfisher's advice and laying back and taking very insightful notes on the habits of the customers. You may see that the majority of them are just buying a gift or perhaps just looking for the most cost effective options. However, you may find that with limited offerings in your area, you receive a lot more traffic from avid anglers than the store estimates. Either way, listen first, observe second, lastly offer your feedback. Best of luck and buy as much quality gear as you can with that discount. More importantly, I would check the clearance section EVERYTIME I started a shift and try to score a mega deal + your 25% discount!

if i were fishing with the lady, she would certainly be using the live bait as it's just easier for her to manage she says. for me, i like to use live bait for catching some bluegill with my dad and brother, it's just too much fun sometimes. also for targeting some trout, but not really if ever for bass. oh, catfish on nightcrawlers too, that's mainly for eating purposes though....

don't be sorry man! i appreciate the suggestion, i was just trying to picture it in my head and the only picture i have is me wrapping my line around my paddle around my waste which just was a funny mental picture i had playing out! in terms of easy access to the paddle, i can't really think of a better solution than the belt.... i'm just still trying to get the hang of standing and fishing so i'm thinking that it may get in my way, but it really might not. I seriously appreciate the input

wow, i'm surprised with the belt suggestion.... that kind of seems like it would get in the way though or be one more thing to worry about fighting with when you have a fish hooked.... any of you guys know if the native trax are similar to wilderness trax systems in that they will take the same accessories?

i'm in the wilderness ride 135. my buddy's coosa has those little notches you speak of and those are sweet. I just found this past weekend that i was constantly battling with keeping my paddle in place, yet still handy enough to reach if i needed to paddle on or make a course correction or anything. i would just love to find something handy to rig up front on the slide trax, something that would grip the paddle, but be available to just bend down slightly to grab it.... maybe wishful thinking? maybe the next yak attack item to hit the streets?

nice! kayak fishing is great if you're stuck on the bank. good luck and really as roadwarrior said, be careful always.