Hawkeye21

The chatterbait has been my best lure since I started using it. I had my best year with it last year catching my personal best largemouth and smallmouth basses. It's by far the best lure I've added to my arsenal. I only fish in Iowa/Minnesota/Wisconsin area so it may be different but Blue/Black is the best color for me. What really makes it work the best is adding a trailer to it like the Yamamoto Swim Senko. I usually use 3/8 and 1/2 ounce sizes.

If you can wait you can keep searching for sales on kayaks. I was able to get my Pelican Catch 120 on sale for $599 over a year ago. The Catch 120 is a great bang for your buck fishing kayak and I recommend it if you can find it in your price range. Like others have said, keep searching on Craigslist or join some Facebook groups that people sell items on.

I had always considered myself a good angler but I know that I can always be a better angler. The great thing about fishing is that it can be one of the easiest things to do but impossible to master. You can always get better at fishing but it can also be as simple as you want it to be.

A diet of trout also adds to the growth of bass. Trout grow to larger sizes than other bait fish and are easier to eat because they do not have spiny fins. Since the trout grow larger they can get big enough so that the smaller bass can not eat them and the larger bass have a bigger meal. So basically the trout grow with the bass and offer a continual growing meal for them. In bodies of water where the bait fish can only get to a certain size the larger bass have a harder time competing with the smaller and usually faster bass. This can somewhat stunt the size of bass. On top of that the colder temps and short growing season have major factor on bass in the midwest. I believe the largest bass caught in Iowa is just over 10lbs. and that was a very, very long time ago. Anything over 3 pounds in Iowa would be considered a big bass. My personal best is just under 5 pounds caught on the Mississippi River. That can't be entirely true? If that were the case then how did a 13lb bass ever come to be? At some point certain bass had to grow bigger than their parents. I would think that two smaller bass could carry the trait of a larger bass. Wouldn't it be similar to two 5'11" parents having a son that grew to be 6'8"? Not likely but can happen.

The Hook2 7 Triple Shot is only $399. That's an incredible price for the features and size but it does not have the maps or the ability to even download them. I'm wondering how much I would miss that mapping ability. I currently use mine mostly for depth, water temp and locating structure. I suppose I could just use my navionics app on my phone if I need maps.

Anyone using the Hook2 Triple Shot? I want to upgrade to a unit with side scan and the price point on this unit seems too good to be true.

When I first got my kayak I went out fishing in it a few times before I made any mods. After having a better feel for it I had a better idea of where I want certain things, such as a fish finder and rod holder. I can be a very decisive person and I didn't want to drill holes in my kayak where I wouldn't be happy with the results. I decided to make my kayak as versatile as possible by adding tracks where ever I thought I may want to install something. I have it made so I can put my fish finder on my right or left without having to make any changes other than sliding it onto the track system. Same thing with rod holds. Best decision I made so far.

Last year I actually accomplished many of my goals and had a very successful year. I caught my personal best large mouth and small mouth bass last year. I fished in my first online kayak tourney and managed to qualify for the National Championship. This year I'd like fine tune some techniques. As always I want to get out of the water more and beat my personal best. I want to fish in more tourneys and compete in my first live event instead of just online like last year. I want to qualify for the National Championship again but this time I want to actually plan on fishing in it. I'd like more experience before I fish it so I don't feel so intimidated.

If he does well enough on YouTube he won't have to worry about his future. There are plenty of YouTubers who make hundreds of thousands and even millions putting videos on YouTube. Many of those videos are watched by young people too. I'd say he's pretty smart.

I've gone trout fishing in single digits numerous times but I'm usually moving a lot so I stay warm. My feet do get cold occasionally since all I have on are heavy socks and cheap rubber boots while standing in the stream. The biggest issue is the rod tip freezing up.

Majority of all my fishing is in Iowa and Minnesota and to me anything over 6lbs for a large mouth seems to be equivalent to a 10 pounder down south. I've only seen one bass over 6lbs in all my life of fishing up here.

Here in Iowa I go trout fishing in order to get my fix. I've never been a fan of ice fishing partially because it's too cold and because I suck at it. I really enjoy fishing in the winter because it allows me to fish open water, I'm moving so I stay warm and because not many other people do it. It's very peaceful.

When fishing on my own it's 90% kayak and 10% shore. If I'm going with someone else it's on their boat. Love fishing from my kayak.

I'm sure the title got your attention which is good because Dick's has a Flash Sale going on today. Some fishing stuff up to 50% off. The Pflueger spinning reel is about $10 off and selling for $49 but the best deal is the Pflueger combo that's selling for the same price. I'm sure the rod isn't that great but you're basically still getting the reel on sale and the rod for free. Fantastic deal. I think the majority of everyone here agrees that the Pflueger spinning reel is the best one for your money, especially if you're just getting started fishing.

If you want easier access to small lakes without boat ramps then a kayak is the way to go. You can either get a higher end kayak used on craigslist or you can buy a low end new model. I went with the Pelican Catch 120 when it was on sale for $600 last summer. I highly recommend it if you can find it at that price.

I would say it's a good 2.5 to 2.75 lbs which is a nice bass. I suppose it could almost be 3 lbs but that would have to be pretty fat at 17". It's most definitely not even close to 5 lbs at that length. I caught a 19" this year that was fat and it was 4lbs-14oz. A couple weeks later I caught a 18" that weighed 3lbs-12oz. This is why I don't see how it's possible it could weigh close to 5lbs but it's still a great catch.

Mine makes a ton of noise as well. I may have to try the twist of the strap and see if that helps. I'd like to flip mine over but can't because it's not level then.

The spray I posted about earlier is safe. Try Bug Soother, below are the ingredients. Active Ingredients: Lemongrass Oil 0.5% Inert Ingredients: Water, Vanilla, Castor Oil, Soya Lecithin, Lemon, Vitamin E 99.5%

For those who don't like sprays just hang a vanilla scented car freshening around your neck or somewhere around you. Bugs do not enjoy vanilla as well.

Bug Soother. It's made with natural ingredients, works well to repel gnats and mosquitoes and it's made in Iowa. https://www.amazon.com/Bug-Soother-Repellent-Spray-Bottle/dp/B00E3C1QJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496783081&sr=8-1&keywords=bug+soother

Lots of kayak fishing deaths as well.

Another great kayak that's a great bang for your buck is the Pelican Catch 120. You can get the older model for as low as $600 and the new NXT model usually sells for $850 I believe. It's a price point that allows you to make some additions and still keep under $1000.

Pretty rude of him but I know it's a whole different mentality when fishing in a tourney. When it comes to money it can change everything. Some of those guys may just be fishing in i for some fun competition but others may actually rely on winning those tourneys as part of their yearly income. To a guy like that he's most likely thinking like he's working and you are preventing him from doing his job. He's not right by any means but I do understand his thinking. If the story is accurate then I'd say you did nothing wrong and the other guys needs a reality check.

LOL I found it funny that you said there wouldn't be any regrets but then list all of the things that may make a person regret buying a boat. Buying a boat under $1,000 will still cost over $1,000. There will always be maintenance on a boat. Oh, and don't forget insurance.

If you're like me you'll pick a kayak and here's why. Your initial investment in the kayak is pretty much it. There is very little maintenance and not gas to fill it up with. It's easier to store and transport. It doesn't require registration is many states. I had wanted to get out on the water for years but not only did I not have that much money but I didn't want to put up with the maintenance. Just because you find a boat for under $1,000 doesn't mean that's all it's going to cost you. Almost every used boat I've seen has needed some improvements regardless if it was under $1,000 or over $5,000. You'll not only have the maintenance of the boat but also the trailer. You'll need to get the boat and trailer registered and need a license plate for the trailer. Don't forget having to fuel up the boat each time and making sure you take care of the motor, especially with storing it each winter. Almost forgot about the batteries. Many people will have at least two batteries on the boat. A boat doesn't have to be as complicated as that but it usually is. It was more work and money than I was willing to put in and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. Eventually it was just going to cost more money than I would get enjoyment out of and that's not good. I've had my kayak for about a year and I have it completely setup the way I like it all for under $1,000. I don't have to stick another dollar into it if I don't want to. I also love how I can store it easily in my garage, have it loaded up in 10 minutes and out on the water quickly.