the reel ess

I freely admit they do eat bluegill and anything else they can get. They're equal opportunity predators. You can see people catching bass on live bluegill on YouTube. But my dad and I used to clean and eat almost everything we caught. Every time I ever cut into the stomach of a bass it either had shad or minnows or nothing in its stomach. But I no longer cut into the stomachs of bass because I don't keep any for myself. I did catch a 1.5 pounder that had an 8" half-digested bass sticking out its throat once.

That fish are line shy That catching bass off a bed damages the fishery That keeping bass to eat is somehow wrong, as if bass are a more precious resource than, say, crappie That eating bass within the creel limits set by the state is harmful to the fishery Yeah. I use braid for those type baits. Mono has the advantage for baits you want to wait a little longer to set the hook on, to be sure the fish takes the bait completely.

Sucks at what? It excels at abrasion resistance, floating for topwaters and cushioning when using trebles. I still use it for trebles, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. If there was only mono and fluoro, I'd only use mono.

The biggest drawback of a rudderless kayak (to me) is how badly the back will turn in the wind. I don't have a rudder on my cheaper kayak, but it has a molded-in skeg. It doesn't have that problem.

LOL. Yeah, pretty much every time you figure them out they change it up on you.

Fish are neither smart nor dumb. They either bite or they don't and it's all instinct. They have no idea why they do anything. But I understand that some get big for a reason.

I went about 6PM the other day. I caught one on a spinnerbait, lost one each on a jig, a frog, a weightless stick bait, a Chug Bug and a Zoom Swimming Super Fluke buzzed on the surface. Yes, that's a very low strike-catch ratio. Worse than I usually do, but there were bites. They weren't really committing to the topwaters, but I saw a few fish chasing bait. It's a tough time of year. For me, there's no better bait than a frog around lilies. I try to either get there for the sunrise or fish the evening until sundown. That's all I got for ya.

I haul my kayaks on my Silverado. The Lure has a wheel built into the hull in the area that normally is a skeg. So you don't have to drag it. But it's still not easy to lug around. Since it's one wheel in the center, it's not easily balanced to move around and the wheel will occasionally get fouled with grass, gravel or weeds. Also, it will roll back off your truck while loading it if you aren't careful. In other words, the back end is "skegless" and it could still use a cart. it looks like the rudder is in order as well as at least a DIY cart. And I need a longer paddle due to the extra width.

I have a small black one, a jointed white one and a Hula Popper. I admit I rarely use them. I did catch a nice bass on the HP a couple summers ago.

I guess I'm overpowering it. But I use 20# braid with a 15# Big Game leader. I've had very few breakoffs around wood with braid. When I have, it's because I didn't retie for months. I've started retying before almost every trip. And it does slow the rate of fall.

I've been considering a trolling motor with one of those mounts that lock into the rod holders instead. That would not be much more than the rudder and might help some with the fatigue of having to handle the monster. The pedal drives don't get good reviews. I've seen a lot of complaints about how easy they are to break and you're looking at well over $1000 for everything you need in addition to a $1300 kayak (retail).

I would use it if I was paid to as well. I use Big Game for treble hook lures, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It's extremely tough and dirt cheap. I use braid for all single hook baits. I just started using straight braid for jigs. I've seen no dropoff in bites. Before that I was using braid with a short leader of 15# Big Game.

So I bought a used Lure 13.5 back in the spring. It came already rigged with a good fish finder, a solar powered charger and a battery. There's a lot to like about this kayak. The seat is very comfy and it's so stable it's made for standing. The negatives are the weight (92 lbs) and the tracking is horrible. The rear has a built-in wheel but it's rounder there than in the front and the rear is always blowing around while I'm fishing. They make a rudder kit for it that supposedly fixes this issue. But i want some recommendations before I shell out more money and undergo the installation for an already expensive kayak. I'm finding myself using my older Perception Pescador because it's easier to manage (about 50 lbs) and tracks great. It has a molded-in skeg. A superior tracking design in a kayak that costs less than half of the Lure. If the lure needs a rudder, they should sell it with one. Has anyone done the rudder for the Lure and is it worth the money and time?

Size balance in a smaller pond can be almost impossible to maintain. There are a lot of factors that can be beyond your control. Take as many dinks out as you can. Bass from a clean pond are good eating. Get others to help you to the same end. Persecute them. Eat them, give them away or toss them over the dam. Make fertilizer out of them. As long as they're there, the average will always be smaller. I fish a dink factory on the regular. I fish the biggest baits I own and still get almost all dinks. They're starving so they'll take a chance on a big bait. Short of that, fish the traditional big bass baits. You can fish a bait that won't fit in a small bass. You'll probably get a lot fewer bites and you might even go days without one. If that happens you can always bust out the same old and get some action going. You can fish at night. Bigger bass are less wary at night, but you'll probably still be culling dinks. Go early and late in the day. That's about all I have for you.

Must be because there's one stuck to it now.

I'm looking for a technique-specific jig/T rig pitching rod. I fish from a kayak almost exclusively. I'm currently using a Falcon rod that's very sensitive, but is really made for big deep crankbaits. I don't want a rod longer than 7' because I like the ability to skip with some accuracy. I don't stand and employ the underhand pitch much. I mostly sidearm skip or just target cast so a bit of a tip is a good thing. My top budget would be around $150, regular retail price. What you got? Thanks

You can save some money on a topwater rod. The sensitivity of an expensive graphite rod is not necessary and can be counterproductive. It just needs to have the right action and be durable-weight is a consideration as well. I do understand the desire for quality though. Just my $0.02.

I got caught years ago when Iwas maybe 21. This was before the days where they can just look you up in the database and verify your purchase. I never have tried to get away with fishing with no license because I've always fished a lot. I was fishing the other side of Lake Wateree from the boat. I had accidentally washed my wallet in my jeans. My license was destroyed, apparently. I never saw it again. The game warden told me to go to the person I bought it from because he had to keep a copy by law. I went to he guy who runs the store where I bought it and he tells me he throws them all away! GRRRR! So I had to pay a rather large sum of money to the county on the other side of the lake though I actually bought the license. I had to mail it in because I was in the middle of a shift at work and didn't have time to drive all the way there, not knowing if the magistrate would cut the fine any or if he would even be there to pay.

I've always kept a few jigs after the skits came off and just put plain craws on them. They seem to get more bites that way. But I'm looking for size, not quantity.

Fish will compete for food when they're really in a good mood. Sometimes when they see a bait that appears to be "getting away" they'll jump all over it. As for the rod, absolutely do you need some backbone when fishing a single hook bait. I use a 7' MH F for jigs and there are still some times I just don't get a good enough hookset. Usually, the big fish give you a good anchor to set the hook against. but the dinks will just move with the bait.

Drive a little up the road to L Wateree. It's much less crowded. Or better yet, go on up to Stumpy Pond Reservoir, the next up the chain, and you can be alone. But beware, it earned the name Stumpy.

If you go three trips and don't get a bite while your buddy loads the boat, that's too big for me. I've tried some monster baits and haven't had much success with them. But the ol' jig and spinnerbait still catch bigger bass while supplying some bites along the way. So those usually stay tied on.

Yeah, that was my first kayak and I got a lot better at it since. The other rods in holders didn't come out because it didn't actually flip. But I had one in my hand that I did not want to lose.

I went for a swim once right after I started kayak fishing. Here's a tip. Try to avoid your fishing line. I was trying not to lose my rod and I got the braid on my spinning rod wrapped around my leg while trying to tread water. I didn't need to because I was wearing a PFD. But it was reflexive.

I like them. They're actually the first stick bait I caught a fish on. They seem to be more durable than the Senko. And they ALWAYS seem to be on clearance. The crazy colors work.