Hawkeye21

Here in Eastern Iowa the water temps have been 43 to 50 degrees. I have been having most of my luck throwing a jerk bait and lipless crank. Also caught some on the chatterbait, DT6 crankbait and the wacky rig. This is the first year I've ever used a jerk bait and I've been loving it. This is also the first time I've been fishing this much this early in the year too. The best luck has been on a Rapala Husky Jerk. What's been great is that I've had luck jerking and pausing the retrieval and just using a steady retrieve. It has a nice slow wobble and flash in the water. The chatterbait is one of my favorite lures to use all year long but the lipless crank is right there with it. My favorite is the Strike King Red Eye Shad in the orange craw color. With the Chatterbait I like the black/blue color and also the red. All three lures I have been using are great for covering a lot of water quickly. Throwing plastics will not cover water very fast but are still effective.

Scupper holes are there so water will drain out if waves come over the side. They are there to help prevent you from sinking. They do allow some water in but they can be plugged. Regardless if they are plugged or not you are most likely going to get water pooling up in the kayak. Water splashes in, drips off your paddle and if you're catching fish they'll drip water in too. If your butt is getting wet then you need a better seat. Sitting on the floor of the kayak is not ideal.

If there are multiple Walmarts within 30 miles I think it makes perfect sense. I have two within 20 minutes of me and the rest of them are all at least an hour away. When I read about checking more Walmart locations all I though about is how far out are you willing to go. Obviously if you live in a bigger city there will be a lot more within 30 miles.

Sure. If you don't value your time at all. I'd rather pay $30 more and instead of spending time driving 300 miles I'd go fishing. That's just me though. I would drive the 20 miles to my closest Walmart and buy one but I'd also plan something else to do while I'm in the area as well. What's great is that the two Walmarts close to me are on the way to fishing spots. Perfect!

How far are some of you willing to drive just to save $20? Reminds me of my grandpa driving 20 miles to save 5 cents a gallon of gas.

It will certainly get you started out on the water. Not sure on how comfortable it is or how much room you have but it looks good for the price. I wouldn't be surprised after a year or two if you're ready for an upgrade though.

I believe I've only caught 11 bass so far this year. I won't complain since many years the water is still covered in ice this time of year.

I dare you to have this argument with any teacher or daycare provider. They will swear by a full moon causing kids to act crazy.

$500? Wow. I couldn't imagine spending that much on a combo. I honestly don't have any experience with high end stuff so I don't know what the best is. I think I'd go get a custom rod made for me. For the reel I think I'd put a Shimano Curado E series.

My newest combo is a Abu Garcia Revo SX on a 7' MHF Veritas 2.0 and I really like it so far. My most used combo is a Pflueger President on a 7' MHF Lightning Rod Shock that has broken tip and is now more like 6'6".

You suck. The cheapest they've been in my area was $30. I think they're a pretty solid rod for the price.

I only have experience with the Catch 120 so I can't give you an accurate comparison. I can tell you that I really like my kayak though. For the price I think it's really hard to beat it. I bought mine on sale last year for $599.

Sooooooo worth getting a kayak. I've always been a bank fisherman and had to rely on friends to get out on a boat. If I really wanted to I could get a boat but it would just be too much work for me and I know I wouldn't be able to maintain it. Here are a list of the pros and cons for me. Pros: Can be inexpensive to get started. Little maintenance. Requires no gas. Depending on the state you may not have to register it. Can be transported with just about any vehicle. Very easy to store when not is use. Can be as simple or complex of a setup as you want. Allows you to get on the water and off the bank. Can access waters other boats can't. There are more pros other than these yet... Cons: Without a motor you can't cover as much water. May be considered a little unsafe on larger waters. Certain models may tip over easy but any fishing kayak that can be stood in is more stable than a canoe. I honestly can't think of too many major cons.

I use 20lb Suffix 832 braid on my spinning reel. Before that I used 20lb Power Pro braid and that lasted me 3 years. Braid is by far my favorite line followed by Fluorocarbon.

I'm all set to check off one of my goals this year. Got signed up for my first kayak tourney of the year.

Do they make you promote extended warranties on every sale like Gander Mountain did and most other big stores? I have a friend that worked at a Gander Mountain in college and he hated it. He's a very knowledgeable guy so I thought it would be a great job for him but he said they basically forced all of their employees to push extended warranties. If you didn't sell enough of them you didn't get paid as much and I don't think you got treated as well. Needless to say he didn't work there too long.

Those KVD Quantum reels are actually a great bang for your buck. I bought one of his combos for my fist baitcaster and it's still one of my favorites. It actually has more features on it than my $100 reels and it even manages to catch fish just as well too. I remember reading about how he won with the Chartreuse Black Back 1.5 so I bought one right away. It's still one of my favorite lures. Those 1.5 squarebills just flat out work.

Also, have you tried numerous types of lure from numerous locations. Sometimes you've got to throw it all at them and in different colors. If that doesn't work try live bait.

I'm jealous. I remember when I had time like that. Life can be cruel. When you're young you have all the time and energy but little money and when you're older you have more money but little time and energy.

Are you retired or a student or something? How do you have all this time to fish?

I think it's somewhat relevant because I don't think you have to leave that pond because it's been pressured too much. Just seems things slowed down on it and may need to be fished differently at the moment. As for other ponds, you'll have to find out if they are private or not by searching online or asking a home owner on the pond. Depending on where you are some ponds are private for the home owners and some are public. Tons on ponds and lakes in Minnesota are all public even though they are surrounded by homes. I would think if it's not listed on google maps or on the DNR website it's probably private and you would need permission. If you're still not sure it's probably best to ask a home owner. As for offering your services, I think that could go a long way with certain people on a private pond.

Did you keep all of those bass or release them? There are some fishing techniques to be used that fish just don't care if they have been caught before, they're going to bite.

I can't imagine you pressured that lake too much all by yourself that the fishing is no longer any good. That just doesn't sound possible.

It's possible there's so much cover it's hard to find them or there just aren't that many fish. There may be just a few large bass and some bait fish.

You're saying that you pressured a pond too much just by yourself? How small is this pond?