hoosierbass07

I've come to the conclusion bass fishing is 99% about location. Maybe 95%. Then weather/time of year, then time of day (the exact time they want to feed), then presentation. This year I've upped my catch rate because I think I found the real secret to bass fishing - finding different locations to fish at. Different parks, different ponds, and leaving the bank for different areas on my kayak.

I was watching a fishing show I recorded a few days ago. I don't remember the name, but the guy fishing pulled out a bass and saw a hook coming out its bottom end. He gently pulled it out and let the bass go. A few weeks ago I was bank fishing and caught my first bass ever with a hook in its mouth. I gently pulled it out and off it went. I know bass are tough animals but I'm starting to think they are tougher than I thought.

This is so funny because I'm new to kayak fishing too and I've been forgetting stuff like crazy. I bought mine over the winter but the last four weeks have been the first Iv'e gotten it out. I've forgot my life jacket twice already and my paddles once! I even made a list so I would not forget things but I forget to put Life Jacket on my list so when I checked my list all was OK. When I got to the pond - no life jacket! Now I remade the list and triple check it. I'm a bank fisherman so taking a seat, life vest, paddles plus my tackle bag and rods have been throwing me off.

This is the largest body of water I will probably kayak in. Besides this it's small ponds and small strip pit lakes. When I go kayak fishing on small ponds its very fun and relaxing. But when I go to this big lake I'm usually sore the next day and yeah - I'm very very sore! I felt like I got beat up by a football player. lol. I guess I'm a little out of shape. lol.

I'm not buying a second kayak until mid July. So I still have some time to consider other boats. Everybody seems to like those Jackson kayaks. Why are Jackson's considerd so great? If I was going to buy either the Tarpon 100 or Jackson Cruise 10, is the Cruise 10 a no brainer and the clear choice? The thing I don't get about those Jackson's is that I don't see any rails like the Wilderness System kayaks have. And I noticed on Jackson's site they say they only offer a one year warranty. Is that correct?

I'm on Google Earth trying to figure out how many miles I paddle when I go fishing. Most of my fishing is done at strip pit ponds/lakes. I would same my number one spot I do a round distance of .30 miles, that's round trip. My second fishing area would be .82 miles. Finally there is a longish strip pit lake and that would be 1.40 miles. Now at the state park with the big lake, I've been making a round trip of 1.19 miles. The Ride 115 is my first kayak but in my opinion I'm happy with the way it paddles and glides in the water. I think when I'm at the state park lake I make pretty good time. How much slower would that Tarpon 100 be compared to my Ride 115? I was at the lake this evening fishing from my Ride and had no bites. For a moment or two I wished I had a touring kayak so I could simply paddle long distances around that lake. lol. It is so relaxing being out on that water in a kayak.

I see Hook 1 has the Tarpon 100 for $600 and I think that comes with free shipping. Austin Kayak has it for $709 and free shipping and the angler package for $769. I'm not getting rid of my Ride 115. This second kayak would be used on small strip pit ponds for bass fishing. Is this ten foot kayak worth the money? I mean, does it paddle OK for a ten foot sit-on-top? And I love the Dusk color you can get this kayak in.

Hmm, I see the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100 is listed at 52 pounds on the Austin Kayak site. I read the Tarpon is the Wilderness Systems most popular fishing kayak. I chatted online with Austin Kayak and they said the Tarpon 100 was the little brother to the Ride 115. What's the word on the Tarpon 100? If it comes in at 52 pounds, heck even 60 pounds would be OK, and sold for $704 or so, that sounds good to me.

How sturdy/strong is the Commander? I found a message board for Native Watercraft owners and I discovered a number of posts dealing with cracks in their Ultimate hybrids. Now that makes me skeptical. I seen a couple of posts about people launching from concrete boat ramps and their hull starting to form cracks or something. If I pay $800 or $1400 I want something strong that can take abuse. How about the Wilderness Systems Commander? Being able to fold the chair down and sit up looks like it would enjoyable.

Maybe I should have asked - are there any good sit-on-top fishing kayaks that weigh less than my Ride 115 (78 pounds) and are well made from a good company around $1,400 or less? Lets say in the mid sixty pounds range with the seat out? Yeah, I think I would be willing to go up to $1,400 for another sit-on-top if it's lighter than my Ride 115 and built well and will last many years with a good warranty. I keep seeing Jackson and Hobbie mentioned on TV whenever an outdoor show talks about kayak fishing. Actually, it was ticking me off a little because those have been the only two I hear them talk about. Are those two the two largest kayak companies in the U.S.? Whenever I watch kayking fishign videos and there's a Jackson Cuda or something in the background I seem to find at least one comment saying "Hey, is that a Jackson Cuda?" like they are famous kayaks. The kayak I will buy, whatever one I buy, is for small pond fishing.

I weighed my Ride 115 this afternoon without the seat and it came in around 78 pounds. I do like my Ride 115 but the next kayak I get will definitely be lighter because 78 pounds seems a little too much considering most of my fishing is done on small ponds. So, is the Ultimate 12 very durable? I mean, I don't do any whitewater or any creeks/streams where I could ram into rocks, only ponds and maybe a state park lake. Being a hybrid at 55 or so, can it hold up to good solid use? Also, does it hold up well to being stored in cold conditions? It got down to -15 here in Indiana over the winter. I would of course keep it in a shed. One of the things about the Ride 115 are the hatches. I don't think I will have much use for all the storage inside the front hatches. I think I would use it more if it were open like an Ultimate or other sit-in-side hybrid. I think I like the seat in my Ride 115. It's not a a LazBoy chair but it's good enough to comfortably paddle and fish from. But I think I would really enjoy those larger camp chairs that the Ultimate and others have. I have to admit I really like the look of this FX 12 -

What's the weight of your Commander with the seat out?

Nice! Any personal best bass is something to brag about! Now you will probably start considering every 2 3/4 lb bass small. lol.

OK, I've fished from my Ride 115 (Wilderness Systems) four times now and love it! I absolutely love being out on a kayak and fishing. But a new problem has popped up - I need another kayak so I can take family members with me! So here is what I'm thinking - I'll put a family member in my Ride 115 and by another kayak only for my use. I guess if there is one dislike I have with the Ride 115 is that it is heavy at 76 or so pounds. Even with the seat out its heavy. When I started looking up lighter weighing fishing kayaks I found Native Watercraft and read they are one of the most popular fishing kayaks/canoes in the market. So, for those of you that have fished from them and used them - are they a well made kayak? Is the company a good company? The kayaks I'm looking at are the basic Ultimate 12, the Ultimate 12 Angler, and the Ultimate FX 12. I would be using this for bass fishing in small ponds/strip pit lakes and maybe state park lakes but not open water oceans. I notice the Ultimate FX 12 has anchor trolleys on both sides. And the Ultimate 12 Angler has rails on the sides. Are the rails on the sides important/useful? Out of those three, which one would you recommend? To be honest, I want any new kayak I buy to be light and strong. That's what I'm looking for, light and strong. Those Ultimate look like they might be what I'm after. Also, since there are no scupper holes and it has low sides, is it easy to swamp this kayak/canoe? How is the seat? Those kayaks with raised seats that look like camp chairs or lawn chairs look real comfortable. I think the Ultimate FX 12 has a low/hi seat. Is that option really useful? Finally, is it easy to keep things organized in those Ultimate 12's? In my Ride, there are two big hatches. But so far, when I'm out on the water I don't want to mess with trying to dig around inside those hatches. I think I would love the openness of the Angler 12. Anyway, I'm having a blast kayaking and I mean a blast! I wished I would have gotten into this hobby many years ago. It is fun!!!!

Thanks for the info.

After being out in my kayak three times this weekend I know now sunscreen is a must. Also I've been getting bit by mosquitoes.

Well bass sure are more hardy than trout. In the early spring I went trout fishing and caught my first ever trout. Cool I thought. But it fell out of my hands and flopped on the ground a few times. I then grab it again and released it in the water. It turned upside down and sank. I picked it up and set right side up again. It swam a foot out, turned upside down, and sank again. Thank goodness I've never seen a bass do that.

Why be careful? Anchoring in heavy current can be cause problems like getting swamped and such? I've seen some kayaks with those trolley anchors and they look pretty cool. I wouldn't mind having one on my kayak.

After fishing in my Ride 115 only three times this weekend I have to say I'm addicted to this hobby now and I love fishing kayaks. It is so freaking fun to easily paddle around and be able to paddle over deep water and shallow water too. I'm already thinking of buying a second kayak so I can take another person with me kayak fishing. Anyway, I have some questions I need answered. The first thing - I noticed I was getting blown around even with light wind. I realize the most important thing to have a life vest and paddle is an anchor. What anchor do you all recommend for fishing out of a kayak? Can I simply take some cloths line and find something heavy to throw over and tie the other end on? Since there is not a great amount of space on the kayak I would like to find an anchor/weight that is sort of compact with no sharp edges and easy to use. What do you all use? Now - scupper holes. Is it OK/safe to use scupper plugs? I didn't get too wet when I was fishing but I did have to move forward to open up the front hatch when I was on the water and a little bit of water did pop up, not much though. Still, if I could safely plug up the scupper holes where I sit, that would be very nice. Does plugging up scupper holes lower the performance of kayaks? Coolers - what kind of coolers do you take to take along drinks and keep them cool? Now - car keys. Yeah, I had my car keys in my pocket but I kept checking if they were still there all the time. What do you all do with your vehicle keys when you are out on the water? Thanks much!

What about crushing down the barbs on treble hooks? I've been doing that with regular worm hooks this season and I've not lost a bass yet. But those treble hooks, each little hook is not that long. Will crushing down the barbs make it easier for the bass to throw the hook? Whenever I reel in a bass with a worm hook, I always have a good deep hook set through the mouth/jaw. But those little treble hooks seem so small it looks like a bass could throw them. To be honest, those little treble hooks are a pain. But I guess I have to use them if I want to use crankbaits more. I'm asking these questions because I'm going into kayak fishing for the rest of the spring/summer and I just found out I can catch big bass on them. I just caught my first bass on a crankbait yesterday and I was not sure how to pull it up out of the water. You can see in the video I was a little hesitant on what to do. http://youtu.be/7Dc8f3TKroc

I caught my first bass with a crankbait yesterday and I was not sure how to pull it out of the water. I know how to lip bass but when it comes to treble hooks I'm not so sure. I was in my kayak and ended up pulling the bass up on my lap with the line and going from there. Is there a good way to grab a hold of bass with treble hooks in their mouths so the chances of getting a hook in a finger is minimal? What's the safest way to do it?

Yesterday was the day I have been waiting for all year - fishing my the kayak I bought over the winter. I used it once about a month ago but didn't fish from it. I got it back then to try it out on the water and paddle around. I also had the help of one of my brothers and he helped me unload it. So yesterday was my first official time to fish from it solo. My kayak is a Wilderness Systems Ride 115. I took two rods with me and to be honest - yesterday was really about me seeing what it's like to paddle around with two rods and a tackle bag and how to manage everything. I really wasn't planning on catching any fish. So what happens? I catch a small bass on a Zoom trick worm. Fun. Now get this - I've never caught a bass on a crankbait before. I had one tied on because I figured I was not going to catch anything anyway. So I figured I would throw it around just to play with more than anything. Guess what happens? I find a spot and on the first cast into that spot with a cranbait a big big bass grabs a hold and it pulls me to the shore! I didn't weigh it but it is without a doubt the largest bass I have caught in my one and a half years of bass fishing. Amazing!

I took my kayak out fishing for the first time yesterday. It was a nice sunny day. I had a hat on but I didn't have any sunscreen on. I didn't get sunburned as I tried to stay in the shade mostly. Also I didn't spend too long on the water. Anyway, I bought some sunscreen and I'm going to use it but I'm wondering - does putting on sunscreen and having it on your hands have any effect on bass fishing, say getting sunscreen on your hand and then putting a plastic worm on a hook, if a little sunscreen rubs off on the worm, will that keep the bass away? Thanks

2 to 3 years? Wow. I think that's a long time. As for Roboworms and best selling color. I will guess Aaron's Magic Red/Black Flake?

I'm not saying it is scripted. I'm simply saying you should not 100% trust that it is a real competition. It might be 100% fair and honest. I assume it is. I sort of enjoy the program myself and probably enjoy it more than Bass Master Elite tournaments on TV. Right now TV is full of cheap crappy reality TV and none of it is real reality. So when you get a made for TV fishing competition don't blindly trust that it is 100% fair.