Turtle135

So double your line and tie a uni-knot with 3 wraps? I will have to try it. I use monofilament almost 100% of the time and I like the uni-knot because I can tie a good one at night in driving rain. I get pretty good results with 14 pound test and higher but when I drop to lower pound test sometimes I can pop a knot with too much shock on the hookset.

Is that the same as the "fish n fool knot"?

What is the water clarity like and what is the aquatic vegetation situation? In oxygen starved situations sometimes the bass have to go shallow.

My personal preference. I like a vertical line tie (like the Hack Attack Jig has) around grass and other vegetation. For finessing my way through wood I prefer a horizontal line tie. I think the vertical line tie can encourage the jig to roll to it's side some (bringing the hook point closer to the branch you are coming over).

I had that happen about 10 years ago. Made a cast with a spinning rod and my line kept feeding off the spool straight up after the lure hit the water. Put two and two together and headed back to the truck.

The only downside for side imaging (and this is the reason I do not have it on my kayak) is that the transducer needs a clear shot to either side. You can't block the side view with part of your kayak. This usually means that the transducer has to be completely below your kayak where it is subject to hitting rocks, hanging up in wood or collecting weeds. I currently have the Tarpon 130x with the OS pod. Having the transducer protected inside the transducer scupper is really nice for the type of fishing I do. I can scoot down a rocky shallow river without the fear of having the puck sheared off. The catch of course is that side imaging is not an option.

With that rating I am guessing you have a casting rod rated "medium"? If so, you should handle jigs listed as 3/16th up to 5/8th ounce just fine even with the soft plastic trailer added. Sounds like you are starting out with jigs and unless you are fishing deeper than 20 feet down I would suggest looking at jigs that are 3/8th ounce as a good starting place. Stick a craw trailer like a Netbait Tiny Paca Craw or Baby Paca Craw on the hook and start slaying them! Good Luck!

and in your pursuit of the mythical monster you may catch some very respectable bass along the way p.s. - if that pond stratifies in the summer (likely) those deep holes are probably below the thermocline (insufficient oxygen levels below the thermocline) so you will want to concentrate your efforts in shallower water above the thermocline

Assuming you are talking about traditional sonar and/or down imaging (and not side imaging) then this image might help explain where the fish could be located when you see them on your fishfinder display. Your marked fish can be anyplace within the cone and depending on the frequency you are running the cone can be wider or smaller.

I was half joking about the Huddleston. That lure weighs 4.25 ounces so you really need a swimbait setup to cast a presentation that heavy. If you want to go that route take a look at extra heavy casting rods rated to handle that weight. What I would really recommend for most anglers is to throw big jigs and big 10" - 12" ribbontail worms. Those presentations can be handled on medium heavy casting setups. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Culprit_Original_Worm/descpage-CULPOW.html

go big or go home!

I defer to a pro like Greg Hackney in matters such as this. Vertical!

I keep my flourocarbon line safe, hanging on the wall over at Bass Pro Shops.

Welcome to the kayak bass fishing addiction! I lost a rod in a ridiculously shallow spot. Spent 30 minutes trying to hook it but was unable. The water was off color and I could not see it but I was astounded that I could not retrieve that combo that had to be right below me. I would have jumped in but the water was in the low 40's. Here are a couple of options on rod floats.

I can cast lures so far with my Lew's SuperDuty Speed Spool that I can barely see the splash when they land!

Dirty Jigs Magnum Stand Up Head

Never been in a Radar but I know a couple of Wildy Prostaffers and I asked them about that wobble. They said there should not be any wobble in that assembly (and that might account for the slower top speed you were seeing).

Hey, NASA crashed a $ 125,000.000.00 orbiter into Mars back in 1999 because one team was using English units of measurement and another team on the same project was using the Metric system. George Perry's bass was just 10 Kilograms (no, that does not sound right at all!)

We have these on the Tidal Potomac River. I believe what happens is you get a floating mat of vegetation and then some type of algae grows or accumulates on the top of that mat (giving it the appearance of a big floating piece of cheese). I will punch through those mats cause there can be some big largemouth underneath those things.

It doesn't work that way for me. I operate better with limiting the number of presentation options. I'm not versatile, I'm just persistent! They put 3 flush mount holders down each side of the rear tankwell and line 3 sides of their crate with rod holders. The loading and unloading for every trip would drive me to drink.

Welcome to the wonderful world of kayak bass fishing! I have some buddies who actually pack 9 to 13 rods on their kayaks and then there is me (minimalist, I carry two identical 7'1" MH baitcasting combos). Oddly enough, when we fish together we catch about the same number of bass. There is no wrong way to go about it.

I am in Maryland and had similar conditions. I wound up catching them just a couple of feet deeper with a finesse jig. They were in the same general areas, just not nearly as aggressive. Was not getting bit on the drop of the jig. I would let it sit for a 10 count after it hit the bottom then just ease it forward about 12" & pause.

I would think a topwater plug like the Heddon Tiny Torpedo might be a good choice. It floats so you won't snag bottom and for young anglers being able to see the lure keeps their attention.

Most of the time I go fishing with two identical baitcasting combos with monofilament line. 7' medium-heavy fast and Trilene XT 14-pound test monofilament. Part of it is because I fish from a kayak. I am not packing 15 rods. I also like to be able to lay my rods down on the front deck so that I can slide underneath overhanging branches (happens very frequently on the waters I fish). What I lose in versatility I believe I gain in casting accuracy, making better presentations, hooking bass and landing bass. This approach is not for everybody but I know Rick Clunn used to employ a similar strategy on the water. See the short article below. ------------------------------------------------ If a tournament circuit told you that you could only fish one type of rod and one type of reel at its events, you'd think they were nuts. Well, what about Rick Clunn? The man with arguably the greatest record ever in the sport of bass fishing uses just one rod and just one reel for 98 percent of his fishing: a Bass Pro Shops Rick Clunn 704 series heavy-action 7-foot rod, and a 6.3:1 Rick Clunn XPS signature reel. Why? Read on. "If you look in my rod box you won't see a different rod and reel than those unless I'm fishing a spinning rod," Clunn says. "The reason is that it's a fallacy that you have to have different rods and reels to be a bass fisherman." Best for Hooking and Landing "The No. 1 rod for hooking and landing fish is a heavy-action, 7- foot, long-handled rod," he says. "You won't lose fish on that rod. "If you want to mess around with lighter actions or medium-heavies, then fine. But accept that you will lose fish. That's not acceptable for me. "I'm not changing because someone says you need to have a soft-tip rod to cast a (Norman) Tiny N. You don't -- it's a fallacy, especially when you sacrifice landing fish." Rod History Clunn fished glass (fiberglass) rods early in his career and favored them. But "it got harder and harder to get companies to provide with me with quality glass rods," he says. When Bass Pro Shops approached him about a sponsorship, he asked the company to make him a composite rod with the type of action he liked. "I kept testing the rods, and the one rod I liked is the heavy-action rod. "Anytime you go away from a heavy rod you will lose fish," he reiterates. "Most people want light-tip rods because they think it's better for casting and it wiggles better in the store. Heavier rods are like a cue stick in the store. "But on the water, it will hook and land more fish any other rod." High-Speed Reels The matter of reel choice is simple: You can slow fast-retrieve-ratio (6.3:1) reels down, but "you can't speed up a slower reel without wearing yourself out," Clunn notes. He also says that durability and castability are key factors in using one reel. "They have to be able to cast those big baits -- making 3-4 casts a minute with a big 3/4-ounce spinnerbait -- without breaking down." Rhythm Clunn's casting is "a matter of rhythm," he says. And "anytime you change to another rod with another reel you have to adjust. You'll sacrifice your accuracy because of that. "The only thing I have to adjust to is the weight of the lure. That's how I get my accuracy: rhythm. "It's like shooting a basketball. Once you're in that rhythm it's fine, but once you get out of it you're not. And changing your rod every 30 minutes or so is one of the major ways to get out of that rhythm." History Behind It "The best year I ever had in fishing was the first year I ever did this," Clunn says, referring to his great 2000 season. "I know it works. "What winning translates into is execution, not losing fish. And I probably lost less fish that year than any other year in my career. And this year has been the same way. "That's the bottom line," he says. "It's not the hype you give something. It's whether it works." Not for Everyone? Despite Clunn's conviction that the one rod, one reel method works for him, he says that it might not be right for everyone. "If you're not losing any fish and you're happy with what you're doing, don't change," he says. Try his method "only if you're losing more fish than you think you should be, or if you're not happy with what you're doing. "If that's not a problem, don't change." ------------------------------------------------------------

You Chatterbait aficionados, this is just me, please do not take offense, The Chatterbait is a novelty presentation and my interest in it has passed. I have been throwing a spinnerbait all my fishing days and likely will till the end of my days. As WRB pointed out, the spinnerbait is one of the most versatile presentations ever created.