SwimJiggin

I can definitely understand you wanting to try out kayak fishing before making large investments into it. Like many have said, you should consider where and how you want to fish. Trying to fish and maneuver in an unstable and uncomfortable kayak is not fun or safe imo. Here’s are somethings you might be able to do: 1.Some local shops will have demo days or may even let you try one out. 2. Borrow a friend’s kayak. You can bye an inflatable cushion for your seat. I used one for a while and it helped. When I first started I used an 8# downrigger ball on a 16’ rope. I tied it off to my chair or lifting handles. It worked fine. However, be very careful with anchor in current.

I have 13.5 yak with a pedal drive. Add to it the gear that I only use 10% of and it’s heavy. I use an old Jon boat trailer and load it like a boat. My legs get wet, and if it’s cold I throw a pair of waders on when I load it back on. I was thinking that some ramps have chunk rock on the banks. So, I can see where you got to put in on concrete. Hopefully, you can get some suggestions, and won’t have to touch your hull. I’d like to read some more suggestions too.

I recently got the Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 13. It's been great so far. I've been mostly fishing rivers. It's cool bc the pedal drive you can pedal right with the current. Plus you can back a big fish away from cover. I have an old Sears 11' aluminum boat but I took it off the trailer for this yak. Tight lines guys.

Hi everyone. Lately I've noticed that the spools don't appear to be fully machined on President spinning reels. I could be wrong.Pflueger Presidents are one my favorite spinning reels. I was wanting to get a couple more. Specifically a 3000 size that I would fill with 8#FC for dropshotting. Then put on my noodle rod for steelhead. So the drag has to be good. In my search and inspection I noticed a prominent lip/edge where the flat comes together with the round lip on the front of the spool. It feels sharp. Every new reel I looked at has this. The only time where it would affect the line is casting I think. During a fight the pressure would be on the bail. Admittedly, I don't use an eggbeater too much. But I do know that steelhead and salmon will exploit a reel's weakness. I took a pic hopefully you can see the lip/edge on front of the spool. Where the gold meets the silver. Are there any other reels that have a good drag for around a 100$?Thanks and sorry so long of post.

BlueBasser I love your native. I've had a few yaks and currently have a BPS sink that's 10' and fits in my SUV. I've used a transducer arm over the side bit it tended to drag on weeds.Which is the cool part about a yak is gliding over the weeds. Some sit on top yaks have the transducer recesses in them which I like. Most of my installations are the "shoot through hull" type. I'm not concerned with water temps bc the hull assumes topwater temp eventually. That's the temperature most transducers read anyways. There are LOTS of vids on how to do this. I bought a battery pack that holds 8 AA batteries for power my Lowrance 3x. For the encapsulation I use RTV silicone filled in a well made from closed cell foam. No voids or bubbles is the key.

For river smallies I love cranking. I have some Bomber 8a's in purple firetiger that work great. In the morning when the light is low I target LMs, but when the sun gets higher and the breeze picks up I switch to a crank. I just love the way they crush it. I try the find the right casting angle to bring it right through Bronze St. USA.

I started out with a sea eagle bc I had the exact same frustrations you described. I still have it and love the way I could put it in the trunk. The fact is a boat/kayak/canoe opens up so much water. A lot of the times there were only a few places to fish from the shore, and then a family would show up and throw rocks or whatever.

Rivers are my favorite. Around here in mid Michigan they don't get much pressure. You can fish all morning and maybe see one other bass boat. Plus the rivers have a good population of smallie. Lakes are sometimes tough for me to fish. But if have a bad outing on a lake I wanna go back to it soon for redemption. I have to agree that spring fishing on a lake is pretty fun. I love setting up on the first break and throwing a 1-knocker.

Frog fishing is something I commit too if I'm going to do it. I'm not likely going to unless it's overcast out. One of the most important piece of frogging equipment I have is a push pole. It gets me back into the really thick stuff. Also, it tells me what the bottom is like. If it's hard then I'll fish that area. Squishy bottom of doesn't seem to hold bass imo. I have one rod dedicated for frogging and that's a Mojo Slop/Frog with a Curado. BUT, you can use a MH spinning rod to throw smaller frogs. If I was beating a bank with a frog I would use a 7' MH Fast rod so I could get a little more accurate. I really only use a white frog and brownish frogs. Although I have tons of different ones. Lol. You picked one of the most exciting and most patient of techniques to specialize in. Good deal.

My friend and I alway have a 1-knocker in royal shad tied on one rod. We like the cotton candy Kalin grub too. Not sure why but purple produces. If I had to guess I would say that bluegill or bait fish have a purple iridescent that bass key in on. Everyone warns about lake history but sometimes what works in a certain body of water works. I guess the fish will tell you when it's time to change up.

Thx Dylcook91 I see the topic now. I'm sure I'll be posting there in the future!

I don't know if winter blues actually causes this for other fishermen but it sure does with me. Here in Michigan we got over a foot of snow and it was blowing 25 mph. That's depressing. So, I look at fishing articles and catalogs trying to take my mind off the outside. Then I realize I really like these frogs, and maybe I should do some more deep cranking this summer too. Well, last night I only ended up buying a bunch of Nichols spinnerbaits. My wife asked why so many? I just feel a lot better knowing that I have a back up to a pike, tree, or not paying attention when cutting the tag line. Whatever gets me through this winter i guess. At least I'm creating a phantom gmail account to register my rods anymore. lol

I use 8a's a lot. They got a good "knock" to them. Plus im a BIG fan of Tx3 hooks.

I like them. Although i'm not really a fan of the new willow beveled edge blade design. It's a little over sized and gives too much lift imo. I really like the discontinued SS style they sold in the black/orange packaging. In fact, I stocked up on them bc i knew they were being discontinued. But YES T1s are good spinnerbaits.

Last weekend I went on the Grand River for a few hours here in Michigan. Water temperature was in the 50s. Surface temperature that is . I slow retrieved a spinnerbait around laydowns. Got two shorts and two keeps. All LM. Last time I think bc I broke a sway bar on the trailer.

For a while I was on the hunt for a 2pc MH 6'6" and a M 6'6". For the medium in fast action I ended up with Cabelas Fish Eagle. It's a nice rod that is as its rating states. I ended up with a cheap Daiwa MH Fast f andombo rod that was missing the reel. I've caught a lot of bass and catfish onthat rod. So the 6'6" length is very versatile and makes a good trunk rod. I also like the Gander Guide Series. I do have a good deal of St. Croix but not 2pc.

No surprise here: 1.)swimjig in bluegill 5/16 with Kalin 3" watermelon grub. (only if there'ssome grass) 2.) 5/8 1 knocker in royal shad. I use 7'11" H mod. With 17# fc. 6:3 ratio reel. 3.) Wiggle Warts in ghost colors. 7' MH Mod on 12# fc. 6:3 reeled faster. 4.) If any cover I always throw an older w/blue Terminator tandem. 6'6" MH on 17# fc. I don't slow down much and sometimes I live and die by this habit success wise.

I found some good deals at a pawn shop. I picked up Loomis rods there. Granted, they had some scratches and the cork was old. Um, I think IMO that getting a good reel is important. Some lower end reels have caused me a lot of frustration. If I needed to save money I would look for some thing that retails around 100$. You can buy it used as long as it starts off better made. As far as line I could use Berkley XT for everything. I'd be glad I was when I see a pike with my 1- knocker in his mouth. But then, I'd be giving up the sensitivity of fluoro that I love. Many ways to save money for sure. I know a guy who love cherry rods for cranks. They break ez though.

I think they are cool looking. I kinda see them as an A-10 Wart Hog. They are built to hunt. I always tell my buddy that the stripes on their faces is war paint. I know it's silly but they are bruisers.

Try a Mepps Agila spinner. I know it's kinda of a trout bait but if you get the variety pack Mepps sells there are some good colors. Also, Booyah Pond Magic spinnerbaits are good for throwing on spinning gear with 8lb. line. I guess it's kinda how deep your fishing in too. I like to crank ledges with wiggle warts in the summer. So, maybe look at it from a top down approach. Someone mentioned spook in bone and orange belly and I like it. I use the puppy version. Don't get me wrong, I like to fish with Med Hvy gear with 17# fluoro. Lately, all my smallmouths were caught on 12lb line or less.

Hi everyone. I thought I'd introduce myself. I normally stop by this forum but I decided to join because I think there are some good discussions by some serious anglers. I live just north of Lansing Michigan in DeWitt. We have a small river called the Looking Glass that has some nice smallies. The Glass dumps into the Grand River where I normally chase smallies, but the river has everything from walleye to steelhead. I also like fishing the smaller inland lakes like Sleepy Hollow and Jordan. I went with "SwimJiggin" because that bait has been the top producer for me the last couple of years. I started out beatin bnks with a spinnerbait. Lately, I've been doing a lot of cranking. I fish out of an old Jon boat and a kayak.