Fishingmickey

JFlynn, I am in the same camp as Catt and Shovelmouth. My favorite worm rig set up is a 7" berkley power worm (pumpkinseed) I bite about 3/4 of a " off the head. 1/8 oz if it is calm, 3/16 oz if it is windy bullet weight. 3/0 Gamakatsu straight shank round bend worm hook tied to 12-14lb fluorocarbon line. Fishingmickey

Welcome, Stillhouse Hollow and Belton offer some great fishing. Does your special services have Kayaks? Semper Fi guy here, Fishingmickey

I have used a small bit also. I did not use the drill. Spun the bit with my fingers.

Dsqui, Fluorocarbon likes to fly off of the reel especially when newly spooled. It also causes line "slap" because it is stiff and bangs off of the rod between the first guide and spool. Is there any chance you might have overfilled the reel? I very seldom fish much spinning. I have tried using straight fluorocarbon on my spinning reels with similar results regarding the line slap and coils falling off of the reel when the bail is open. I found by feathering the line at end of the cast through my fingers I could keep the line from "unspooling" at the end of a cast. Maybe try some line conditioner? Or switch to a good mono or braid with a fluorocarbon leader. I feel your pain. FM

I haven't read the report but I have a hard time believing the 100% mortality rate. Some of our power plant lakes here in Texas reach well over 90+ degrees and are heavily bass fished. I believe that you'd see hundreds of dead bass floating in these lakes if the 100% mortality rate is correct. I'm not trying start a BS war. Thanks, FM

Hello Jason, I've been tournament kayak fishing for going on five years now. I picked a Hobie PA14 last August and left my paddle behind. Both drives have pluses and minuses to them. I feel that the Hobie lets go into slightly shallower water by short stroking your fins high and close to the hull. In super thick weeds neither one is good. In moderate weeds I'd give the nod to the Hobie. Forwards/Reverse nod goes to the Native propel drive with the ability to change directions by changing the direction you pedal. Seating position goes to the Hobie. Leg angle is higher in the Native some might not consider that a advantage. Both drives suck when it comes to hitting stumps at speed. After fishing the TOC on Lake Fork (stump city) last year and seeing the repair line for repairing Hobie drives. One of the guys fishing TOC was a Hobie prostaffer and brought a bunch of Hobie spare parts. He had the experience knowledge to do the work and did the repairs on site. I also heard about crashed Native drives and broken props. I did not see those personally. If you hit a stump at 3-4mph cruising speed you will bend and break stuff. Carrying a spare set of fin rods or a spare prop for your flavor drive is pretty much a necessity. Overall the reason I went Hobie was because of weeds. I felt and still feel that the Hobie mirage drive lets you get through them better with less hassle. You can usually break through (tear the weeds) short stroking with the Hobie. I think with the propel drive you have to pull the drive up and clear it. I could go on a bunch more but I'll cut it off here. I'd love to see the Native guys chime in and tell of their experiences. Regards, Fishingmickey

Being a shameless Shimano fan boy, you might check out the Casitas, Citca, and as others have said Curado 70 and the "K". FM

They both do a very good job, excellent casting and smooth drag system. Both are fine all around reels. I have two of each.

+1 and maybe new set of carbon fiber drag washers. Maybe send it to DVT (Delaware Valley tackle) for the complete tune. FM

Berkley powerbait power worm (Pumpkin seed)

The one that worked the best the last time I went fishing. I have many confidence baits. To name one it would be a 7" T-rigged pumpkinseed power worm, 3/16 oz weight on a 3/0 Gamakatsu straight shank worm hook. Fishingmickey

I used 14lb XL exclusively on my bait casters for many years. Never had any problems with breakages. I had many bass run me through a field of Lilly pad stems and not break off. I did re-tie and check after each fish. I have switched to using fluorocarbon and braid on frog and flip/pitch rods. FM

I run a Hobie PA14, still have a Diablo Amigo, looking at the Hobie Compass hard. Pro's: Storage!!! I can take everything and the kitchen sink with me and do. It is very comfortable. Best seat in the business bar none. Pedal at 3 mph all day long. Very dry, super stable. Handles wind well. More fish-able water when it is breezy then a paddle yak. Con's: Try to go fast for long periods it will flat wear you out. Turns like a 53' semi trailer. Rudder doesn't respond until you get some speed up. I use a paddle for pointing the boat in the right direction or when moving very slowly. If your stopped wind will push you around. You almost have to have a trailer or a long bed pick up to haul. Just about have to use a boat ramp for launching. unless you have a gradual firm bank. It is flat heavy.

This is the Gamakatsu round bend worm hook I prefer for TX rigged worm fishing. 10" worm 5/0, 7" worm 3/0 and finesse 5" worm 2/0. Swim baits like the KVD caffeine shad, Keitech's swing impacts and such I use the EWG hooks. One thing to remember the fatter the hook the harder it is to penetrate. Fatter diameter shanked are stronger like the flipping hooks but you definitely have to swing harder. The lighter hooks you have to play the fish more. Hope that helps! FM

Awesome fish!

I have both the regular Feel N Reel and Kistler also makes a Feel N Reel S2 which is a hybrid rod with a fiberglass top section spliced into the bottom graphite section. I have the S2 in a 7'4 MH and a 7'6" H both are Moderate fast action. Excellent large crank bait rods for the DD22 size and up. FM

I'm a lefty righty. Left handed and I use a right handed bait caster. My spinning reels are right handed too, I do switch hands. I think that not having to switch hands is a big advantage. I chunk a spinner bait a lot, a really lot. I feel that it gives me the ability to start the blades on the spinner bait as soon as the bait hits the water. I can cast into a foot of water with three inches of moss algae growing off of the bottom and bring my spinner bait back clean. Fishingmickey

J Francho, I'm kinda of excited about the Compass. I think lightly loaded it might be a pretty fast for a pedal kayak. Regarding the weight capacity I compared it with the PA14 because that is what I have. I fall into the big dude category and standing "for me" in chop and boat wakes (especially wake boat wakes) can be a somewhat iffy thing. In the PA14 and my old Diablo Amigo standing wasn't an issue. Not sure where the "not fishing ready" comment comes from though. Take care, FM

Hey Guy's, I've been looking at the Compass kind of hard too. It isn't the battle wagon that the PA14 is but I think it could be a very nice fishing machine that can/could do things that you wouldn't do with the PA. I see the pro's being, it is much lighter at 87 lbs vs 145 lbs. So should be close to car top-able with a good rack and strong back. I think it will be more maneuverable, faster, and will paddle much better then the PA's in the event of drive failure or wanting to cross serious vegetation mats or stump fields. Con's would be lighter weight carrying capacity 400 lbs vs 600 lbs especially with a large arsed american male that I am. Not as stable, 4" less width and 1'8" shorter may make standing very sketchy. This is a maybe a con or not, not having test drove the Compass yet. How is good is tracking and steering? How much will wind effect performance? It doesn't have the centerboard like the PA does. The seat has less options then the Hobie air pro that comes with the PA's. That is my off the head thoughts. Hopefully I'll put some of the con's to bed and see if the pro's are there. After I get a chance to test drive the Compass. Tight lines, Fishingmickey

Shimano's in that 100-150 price range would be the Casitas or the Citica. I think that in the 6.3-1 or the 7.2-1 ratios would serve you well if your serious about the smaller sized crank baits I'd go with the 6.3 if you want more versitility the 7.2 would serve better. I have both and they are both very nice reels. Fishingmickey

My Sis, brother-in-law and boss are all die hard Aggie's. I'm in south central Texas, New Braunfels area. Been fishing the KATS series out of Austin. www.fishkats.com if your interested in kayak tournament bass fishing. FM

Garmin 93sv w/ram mount transducer arm. FM

How far south in south Texas are ya and your true feelings about burnt orange?

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2651030&type=product&WT.z_btnclk=YMAL-2651030&WT.z_pg_ref=prd2646072 https://www.cabelas.com/product/boating/marine-electronics/sonars-sonar-gps-combos/pc/104794380/c/104707080/sc/104588280/garmin-striker-plus/2646072.uts?slotId=7 I think either one of these units would fill the bill. Good luck, Fishingmickey

Learn how to fish a Texas rigged plastic worm. FM