Felixone

Other than a couple trips to a local pond lasting no more than an hour each I haven't been fishing in over 2 weeks now. Hold on... There are guys in white coats knocking on my door. It looks like they brought me a new coat.

So I have a hopefully easy question for all of you. I have been trying different types of line on my reels, and recently started trying to use a leader when I have braid spooled. I have seen lots of comments to use FC leader material. Is this any different than standard FC line? I ask because what I have been doing is using the spare line left over after I spool my reel as my leader material. Do they do something different with the leader material than what they do with the line? I always just assumed the leader spools were just smaller spools so you didn't have to pay as much when you don't need a couple hundred yards. So far the FC line is working just fine, but I thought I would see if I would getter better performance (less abrasion, stronger knots, etc) by using line labeled as leader material. thanks

I am not sponsored and don't know much about the process, but I can answer this question. What do the vendor's want you to bring to the table? Money. Not your money, but money from the potential customers you will bring them. Vendors only sponsor anglers to get their brand/product out there. It is a form of advertising. Unfortunately, unless you have a way to get their product in front of potential customers you will have a difficult time getting a sponsor. This doesn't mean you have to compete in tournaments every week, but that does help. It could mean that you have an active website where you review products (such as this site), or maybe a youtube channel. Perhaps running a local guide service, or being active in a community fishing program might be sufficient. The point is, to be sponsored the vendor needs to know that you will be able to translate any financial incentive they provide to you back into sales for them otherwise it is a donation not a sponsorship. When sponsored you effectively become an extension of that companies marketing or sales departments. Note a financial incentive does not mean cash money, but could be in the form of equipment, discounts, trade show access or any number of other benefits. So having said all of that and like others have said before even before approaching a sponsor you need to determine how them sponsoring you will translate into more sales. Most companies have a limited budget for sponsorships, and they will choose to go with the angler that has the best change to convert sales, it is as simple as that. The more valuable you appear to them the better chance you have to be sponsored. With all of that said definitely review the threads others have posted and good luck!

I do this all the time when I am bank fishing. I then go back with my kayak and try to retrieve it. Of course it only works when someone hasn't already grabbed the bobber

Ok, that is hilarious. I am going to have to remember that.

Yup, that would be me! Well at least when I was a kid that is. I haven't had it since. When I was young I loved to eat smoked mullet. It might actually have been my favorite.

Huh, I do have occasional issues with loops. So far it hasn't been an issue, and would clear on the next cast. I guess I will have to try manually setting the bail to see if that clears up the issue. Thanks for the help!

You know I am curious about this, and don't mean to derail the thread, but as it appears the question on how to do it with the specific reel has been answered I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. What is the benefit of closing the bail manually as opposed to closing by turning the crank? I alternate between the two, but I like halochef I have seen a lot of videos where they close it manually. Up until this point I just assumed it was to save wear and tear on the reel as closing using the crank seems more aggressive. Is there more to it?

I am with you Catch and Grease. I received the one from the MTB last month, but unfortunately it was a green pumpkin color. Most of the places I fish that green colors work are nearly choked with weeds so bottom baits, or those with exposed hooks don't work too well. I did try a relatively new spot this weekend. I had high hopes for the Ned, but not a single bite. Then I snagged on something and broke the hook trying to get it free. I still have one set left, but I don't think it will be getting a lot of action. Of course I am not a real fan of finesse techniques. I prefer to fish a bit faster than these techniques usually allow.

So I will be taking the family on vacation this summer and staying near Sarasota. I would love to get at least one day of fishing in, but as I don't live down there I wouldn't know where to go. Unfortunately, I will be leaving the kayak at home and will not have access to a boat. Given this I will need someplace that has great shore access. If any of you guys down there can give me some tips on places to research I would really appreciate it.

I like the fishing journal idea. I have also thought about making my own maps of lakes that I fish that don't already have them available. I know some apps like Fishidy let you do something like this, but I haven't used it much. Although, I think Fishidy fails in that most anglers don't like sharing details, they just want to share pics of the fish they catch. One of these days I will do some research and find the perfect app, or just make my own. I am actually a bit opposite from you in regards to the kayak. I started with Kayak fishing, and now I want a proper boat. Although, I still might stick with the kayak. There are only two or three lakes that I fish regularly that I could even use the boat on. Add in a couple rivers and that is it. On the other hand, I fish 6-8 lakes/ponds that you can't use a boat on. Granted, it isn't like getting a boat prevents me from still using the kayak, but I am concerned that one or other will just sit. This isn't such a big deal for the kayak, but if the boat sits then it is wasting money.

I am from close by. I have been to a couple spots out that way but that not that one. I might just have to take a look though. I am always on the lookout for a great new spot.

I recently purchased the Lowrance Elite 4x from Academy for $99. I spent another probably $60 on a battery, box, connectors, and supplies to mount to my kayak. This model has both regular sonar and downscan. It does not however have GPS or maps. I know you can get this same model with those features though and probably still stay under $200, or you can go up to the next model. I am sure there will be lots of opinions, but this model has some great features while keeping the price low. The screen might be a bit small for use on a boat, but for the budget minded it is a great value. It doesn't do great in shallow water (say under 5'), but anything over that it works fine. I have yet to see much in the way of fish arches, but I have seen schools of baitfish, and knowing the depth, contour, and water temp have been very useful. I believe the issue with not seeing arches has less to do with the unit and more to do with how I am using it. As I understand it before an arch can be painted on the screen the fish needs to fully pass through the beam. Since I am in a kayak, and not moving very fast it gives fish a lot more time to get out of the way before they can be marked by the FF. This is just a guess, but I expect it is accurate, at least to a degree. Of course since an arch doesn't actually mean a bass, I am not overly concerned about not seeing them anyway. Since most of the places I fish the bass are still up shallow I don't really need it right now, but once it warms up some more and the bass go deeper I am hoping this will really help me locate if not actual fish, likely spots they might be. Overall, unless you are concerned about screen size this might be a great option for you that stays within your budget.

I am still pretty new to freshwater fishing so please take this for what it is. Two of the lakes/ponds I fish are stained brown. I have been told it is due to tannins release from organic matter (tree, stumps, etc). You can search for tannin or tannic stained water lure colors to get more information. Anyway, I have found that colors like chartreuse, white, reds, orange, golds, firetiger work well in brown/red stained water. The way I look at it is if the water is showing brown then other contrasting colors are being blocked/absorbed so I try to somewhat match the color lure to the color water. I think this is the site I picked that up from: http://www.forciersguideservice.com/pages/posts/a-question-of-clarity16.php Like I said, I am new to FW fishing so I could be completely off. If I am I would love a correction, especially with any additional information you can provide.

thanks in advance. Sorry have yet to fish specifically for smallmouth bass so I can't help any further.

Interesting, I haven't caught a lot of fish on a buzzbait, but I have caught a few. The first time I caught one I was doing the same thing. I was actually running it almost like a spinnerbait or maybe even a wake bait. I lost that buzzbait in a tree, and almost cried. At least until UPS showed up with a replacement. It is funny though, I have yet to catch a fish on the new one, or any of the others I have bought. I expect that it is because I was causing too much noise/commotion. I had completely forgotten about how I caught those first ones until I read this. Next time I am at that pond I will have to try the slower/quieter retrieve again. Might just be the ticket, at least at this pond.

I had a period of about a month where I couldn't land anything. Each time I would get them to the kayak they would shake and throw the lure just as I was reaching to grab them. This was doubly frustrating as during this time I was also struggling to even find fish so losing one was typically the difference between catching something or going home empty handed. Well technically I always go home empty handed as I typically release what I catch, but you get the idea. The only time I don't mind that a fish throws the lure, especially if I get to experience the fight, is when it is a pickerel. One of the ponds I fish has more pickerel than bass so when I catch one I will let it fight for a bit before dropping the rod tip to create slack in hopes that it will shake itself free. They are fun to catch, but those teeth hurt if you aren't careful.

I haven't been bass fishing for very long. However, when I first started I used a lot of gear that I inherited from my father. These are the same lures I used to love digging through and "playing" with when I was just a kid. Most of them are probably 30+ years old. I loved catching fish with them as I felt it was a great way to honor his memory, and for getting me "hooked" on fishing at a very young age. When I thought I lost one of them by being stupid (I thought I dropped it out of the kayak) I decided it was time to replace them. Now that I have either replaced them with exact duplicates or similar designs I have packed them all away. As much as I loved catching fish on them I felt it wasn't worth the risk of losing one of my favorite things. Now in regards to lures I have purchased those I don't care one bit. I will throw them anyplace I think will catch a fish. The only time I care about losing them is if I am bank fishing. Even then it is more about the littering of lots of line, plastic, and metal. What I do now though is cut the line as close to the water as I can, and then attach a cheap float. I do this with the intention of going back with the kayak and at least fish out most of the line if not the lure too. I have about a 50% success rate with this, but it does make me feel better. When in the kayak I rarely lose lures except to tree fish. Since I don't have anything you can't buy online or at a big box store I don't have to worry about discontinued models yet. If I even run into that I might change my mind, but until then it is guns out. Even the lure I caught my PB on still gets used. If it was good enough for the last PB, it might just be good enough for the next.

Gater, I went to Clearwater Cove. I spent most of the time working the cove to the left of the launch when looking at the lake.

Ha! That is only about a 14-15 hour drive for me. I will be there this weekend. LOL. Although, all kidding aside, knowing this is a great spot I might have to add it to my long list of places I will visit "one day".

I pulled this one in a couple weekends ago using a lipless crank. He couldn't even fit the lure in his mouth, just got snagged on the hooks. It was an awesome fight though. I forgot how hard catfish can fight so I initially thought I hooked a striper, but no just a desperate catfish. Other than this for the most part I have caught a ton of pickerel on bass lures, but not much else. The one I did find funny though was when the bass weren't biting so I switched up to catch some panfish just to catch something. After catching a handful of bream on a beetle spin I was shocked to pull this guy out. This was technically my first bass this year so I was stoked to catch it especially since by that point I had given up on catching any bass.

I don't think I like you anymore... Just kidding, and a bit envious. I wish I could find a lake where catching 30 fish in one day is considered bad.

So I need to correct my previous comment. After looking at the pictures posted above I reorganized mine and was able to get them to lock in securely. I will have to see how well they stay, but for now I am much happier with the box.

I am having the same problem. Last week I actually bought one of the low profile plano boxes (the one you bend the bait to secure it). It is complete junk. I have several different sizes and all but the smallest ones simply pop loose. Don't even bother with buzzbaits. I should have believed the reviews saying that the don't work. Since most of them seemed to be worried about bending their baits I assumed they simply were not securing them enough. I have tried and tried, and maybe I am still doing it wrong but even when I think they are secure but the time I get to the water most of them have popped free again. If space wasn't an issue I would get one of the boxes that let you hang them, but I just don't have space for that right now. I might have to make room though as I am really starting to enjoy using spinners. I might pick up another small worm binder though as that is what I was using before I bought the plano box and it worked well enough.