DRH2O

Photo Ops and Photo Composition

I about soiled myself the first time an unseen beaver cruised up on me at dusk and fired a warning shot by slapping his tail on the water next to my kayak. I can't even imagine kayaking in the ocean and having a big bit of live shark bait on the end of my line. Kudos to those guys for doing what they love but making it back home is always high on my list of things to do. ~DR

For what it's worth I have an A10 and I love it. When I got it I was looking to get set up for my son and I to go out kayak fishing together so I was looking at the cost of a yak plus all of the additional required gear times two to get us out on the water. That being the case I had to do a lot of research to find economical, quality units. I really wanted the FS12 but at $200.00 over the A10 that was an additional $400+ on my total expense. The D10 SOTs hadn't been introduced at that time and the next model up was the D10 sit-in-side and for the extra $100 for it the ONLY difference was a better paint job and a small section of mesh canvasing you could put over the back hatch. I couldn't justify the cost of the "upgrade" to the D10 so we ended up going with the A10s. We got side-mount rod holders for less than $15 bucks a pair and they mounted and fit perfectly on the inside lip of the dash. We added some anchor trollies and we had full-on fishing yaks. It turns out I really really like the open cockpit design. It sort of feels like a tiny little canoe. I got mine out every weekend during the summer. I can load it up and be ready to hit the road in 15 min if I stay focused, man-handle it, drag it anywhere, paddle around the lake and fish for 7-10 hours all with no issues whatsoever. I would still like to get a SOT one day but that's really just becuase I've totally gotten the kayak fishing bug now and just one doesn't seem like quite enough, not becuase I have any sense that I need an upgrade of any sort to get the job done. ~DR

I was handed down a copy of this book from my grandpa as a kid. I lived and breathed this book for what must have been a couple of years. I read it over and over until the binding fell apart. I couldn't apply or understand much of it but I turned into one fastidious little nightcrawler keeper and the ONLY way I fished for some years after was with a #6 aberdeen hook. Those are some very fond memories. ~DR

To help answer one of OPs specific questions: Water density increases as water cools until it reaches maximum density at around 40 degrees. So in warm weather you have the warmest (lightest) water sitting on top and the cooler (heavier) water settling on the bottom. Below 40ish degrees however water density begins to reverse, and at <32 degrees ice is, as we all know, bouyant. So in the winter you have surface water meeting with sub-freezing air temps and freezing into a layer of ice. The water below becomes "insulated" from the outside air temps and at some depth (to the joy or dismay of our ice fishing brethren) stops freezing, creating a smooth gradiant of >32 degrees just under the ice increasing to around 40 degrees which is now the densest and heaviest water, at the bottom. In regards to the thermocline I might just add that where in the winter you get the above described smooth gradiant of increasing temps downward, in the summer you get distinct layers of stratification. The thermocline isn't just the name of this stratification of these layers but a distinct layer of rapidly transitioning temps between two larger layers of a very warm surface layer (Epilimnion) and the much cooler lower layer (Hypolimnion). The layer of cooler water under the thermocline can be confusing and can generate debate about whether it's fishable or not. Cold water has the potential to hold more oxygen than warm water, which would lead one to think that the deep, cooler water should be a fish oasis in the summer time. However, colder water doesn't necessarily hold more oxygen in reality. This layer gets seperated from the oxygenating process going on at the surface and if the sun's light can't permeate the water down to this layer then no photosynthesis occurs and the oxygen soon gets depleted and effectively becomes a dead zone. This is why on many lakes in the heat of the summer it helps to seek out good underwater structure that falls withing the thermocline itself. There are of course exceptions and caveats of increasing complexity but this might help you get a better basic picture of what's going on in the water column with regard to it's various temperature ranges. ~DR

I can see here that the Senko/StickBait topic has been discussed ad nauseam.. http://http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12401-senko-faq-%C2%A0look-here-first/ After looking through a bit I found that I may have just a little bit more to offer regarding the Strike King Zeros that some out there may find helpful. There is a small thread on the Zeros but it's archived and locked so my only option is to start a new thread. Apologies if I'm breaking some unspoken "no more new senko threads" rule or if I'm re-opening a big ole' can of... senkos. Now with my disclaimer out of the way I can just get on with it. First off the Strike King Zeros is the same as the ZMan Zinkerz only rebranded. They are made out of the Elaz-Tech material which is unlike most any other plastic lure material out there being used. Whether or not you find that it is superior to other plastics for it's action (I do), it can be stated as a certainty that they are more durable and capable of catching far more fish before being rendered unusable. And not by a few fish but by dozens or even scores of fish. There are a couple of things that anyone new to using them should know however. 1. The material reacts chemically with other plastics and rubber. DO NOT throw them in the same compartment with other plastics or in a day or two when you open them up you'll find that they have "melted" together ruining them all. This goes for the little rubber o-rings as well. If you use them to fish with it doesn't seem to be an issue, but if you leave that o-ring on when you're done in a couple of days a deep crease will be burned into the worm which will significantly change it's action. 2. They sink. Until the salt in them all dissolves. Then they float. When I first discovered that my awesome new worms turned into floaters I was seriously disappointed. Then I got creative and suddenly they just became more versatile. Once they start floating they can still be used as normal by burying a small finish nail in both ends. I also find that if they're dry, before using them it helps to stick them in the water and squeeze them a bit, like a sponge. This helps get the trapped air out. With the nails in them I found that I actually think the action when they're falling is even better. Very subtle but very kinetic. There is one caveat to this however. Sometimes in certain situations I like to let the sticks fall then rip them up. I'm of the opinion that when they're ripped up quickly they pulse and vibrate mimicking a panicked/wounded baitfish. So there's a quick burst of activity to grab a nearby bass' attention, then the dying senko with it's trademark fall when they come to investigate. Once the Zero's start floating and have to be modified with the finish nails then they aren't as rigid and they don't pulse and flutter as well as new ones or other brands when they're ripped up through the water column. If I feel I have the need to use the rip and sink retrieve then I have another brand I use. For all other senko presentations the Zeros are my go to stick. It can take a little tweaking to get the fall just right when you have to start using weights/nails in the end but once you've got it right they ungulate and quiver as they fall in a way that is nothing short of spectacular. IMHO. The weightless aspect opens up more rigging options that I'll leave to your own imagination and creativity. I thought the points above might be helpful for folks to know in advance though, in case they were inclined to pick up a pack of the Zeros and give them a shot. ~DR

1. If this is the case then you're far better off using plastic worms and the like IMHO. You want to have fun and catch fish, you want numbers to keep it fun. Just when you're getting back into fishing probably isn't the best time to jump in to learning the jig. Once you're feeling a little "seasoned" might be a better time. When you can look at the water and have a solid feel for the most promising spot to fish, and you've had your fill of 1-2 lbers and are happy to give up 1 or 2 dozen bites for 1 or 2 bites but from bigger fish then it's probably time. Just my 2 cents. 2. I felt the same way for a long time. I tried them time and again with little success. This past season I was determined to learn to fish a jig effectively. First I bought a proper baitcasting rig instead of trying to just use a medium spinning combo and "make" it work (Huge difference). Then I read up as much as possible and went out with nothing but my jig and pig rig. Long story short I caught more bigger fish than ever this season and the jig is my #1 confidance bait now. It was absolutely worth the struggle to learn and worth the investment for the right equipment.

I was in the market last year to purchase a pair of kayaks for my son and I. Since I was purchasing 2 and still had to outfit them both I did a ton of research so I could get the most economical buy without sacraficing on quality. We ended up going with the Ascend A10 from Bass Pro Shops. This was the baseline, "non-fishing" version. I picked up a package of two side-mount removable rod holders that were a perfect fit (pics below) for like $15.00 more. There's room for the custom fishing crate behind the seat and a small cooler or something behind that. In short, this set-up is fantastic for $300.00 and change. Very stable and tracks pretty good. I really really like the open-cockpit design. I get out on the water (small lakes and reserviors with an occasional river) every weekend with it and have spent as much as 6-7 hours at a time in it with no complaints. http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-A10-SitIn-Kayak-Blue/product/11081905012220/ ~dr