Hawkeye21

I use the Yak Attack CellBlok on a gear track along the right side of my kayak. I love that I have my fish finder, battery and transducer all in one unit that I can remove anytime.

I've had it for over a year now and have noticed. I found that I really don't use the maps on my current fish finder that much so I see no reason to spend an extra $200 on them. I can check my phone occasionally to look at the map if need be.

If I were going to be buying a fish finder today it would be the Lowrance Hook2 7x Tripleshot for $399. Seems like the best bang for the buck right now. I would be gaining sidescan but losing maps from my current finder. I have the navionics app on my phone so I can use that instead of spending an extra $200 for it on the finder.

I've been looking at the Titan 10.5 a lot lately and it looks amazing. Greg Blanchard, who has a great YouTube channel, has a Titan 10.5 and he got his from a dealer in Lodi, CA. I did a quick search and saw there's also a dealer in Sacramento called Adventure Sports Kayaks City.

It's funny how I end up liking certain guys and not others. I find it usually doesn't have much to do with how they fish or how well they do it but mostly has to do with their personality. I love seeing a guy having fun yet still trying to win. After watching the last episode I found myself really liking Poche.

I still haven't figured out when to set the hook with my hollow body frog.

It's completely new now so who knows what it will be like. If people like Camping World maybe they'll like these. Their website is already up.

Camping World bought the bankrupt business and re-branded it. https://www.freep.com/story/news/2018/01/05/gander-mountain-outdoors-michigan/1006697001/

I was just made aware of this company yesterday. They are a Veteran owned business that's made in the USA. Their kayaks are very affordable but I have no idea how good they are. Could be worth checking out.

You can get the Pelican Catch 120 for under $800. Sometimes it can be found on sale for as cheap as $599 which is what I paid for mine. It's plenty stable and can be stood in while fishing. Great entry level fishing kayak that won't break the bank. Allows for some extra money to add accessories to it.

Usually it's just IA and MN but this year I'll be adding WI as well.

Watching the MLF makes me feel better about being an angler. Lets me know that it's alright to catch small fish and that no matter how experienced you are sometimes you just don't know what to do. It's refreshing.

Was another great show Saturday. Poche getting stuck in the hand with two barbs then continuing on to catching a 4-9 bass with the hook still in his hand was awesome. I really enjoy hearing what each guy is thinking while trying to figure out the lake. One guy says that a spinner won't work today and then a few minutes later another guy is hauling in a couple bass on a spinner. Just goes to show that these pros struggle just as much as we do.

One of the most important additions to my kayak was a stake out pole. I bought an 8 foot fiberglass garden stake off Amazon for like $12 and it has helped so much when fishing in the shallows. Better than using an anchor.

That's perfectly acceptable too. I actually like bass when I do eat it. I've had it at my friend's before and it was great. I myself never keep any fish, don't care to clean them.

I don't know why more people don't have this mindset. It's not a waste to have a fish die in the water. It will feed another animal or just add to the ecosystem.

I wonder if the older generation of fishermen ranted about the fishing shows on those new, fancy color TVs like people are ranting about people on YouTube. It's not that much different.

I bought this one 5 years ago from Amazon for $58 but I see it's no longer available. It gets the job done for me at that price range. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E0LCSY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With the drastic swing it temps I'm not sure how good the fishing will be. If the water temps are still low then you need to slow down your presentation on pretty much everything you do. Jerk baits are usually very successful when temps are low.

One of the big differences between having a bass lake stocked with trout in northern states compared to southern states it that the weather has a big affect. Trout prefer cold water and are more active in it that bass. When the weather gets cold in the north the bass slow down but the trout do not. This affects the growth of bass. In the south the water stays warm all year and trout are slower in warm water while bass are more aggressive. Eating trout is much easier for bass in warmer water. A diet of trout is not the key factor is growing large bass but can be a part of it. Climate is a big factor and like it has been said before, genetics is important.

It's just a storage tote from Fleet Farm. Pretty inexpensive too. The lid just snaps on. I think this is what I got. Grabbed it on my last fishing trip to MN. https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/centrex-plastics-rugged-tote/0000000095850;jsessionid=ws4EePCjv7qS0WbuiG8i2iHG9o7qqkDmJfh4gFr-mmtMJpHF6uyb!340531376?bc=10968|10996|10999|11001

I'm in Iowa so I can't help you but google is your friend here. Search for lakes without gators, lakes with easy access and use google maps.

I just went to a tote last year and it's great. Can keep all of my 3700 boxes in there along with some other gear. It has a snap on lid so it can stay in the back of the truck or boat and stuff doesn't fly out. It also keeps things dry when I'm fishing in the rain. Much better than bringing a couple tackle bags.

The only fishing I do in the winter is trout fishing and I've used braid plenty of times without issue. I use a spinning rod and reel though. The only issue I have when it's that cold is the tip getting froze up and that happens regardless of the line I'm using.

I've used a variety of frogs in my life and Ish's Phat Fog is my favorite. It holds up well and doesn't fill with water. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SNAGPROOF.html?from=basres