the reel ess

My bro-in-law wore me out at a pond one evening with a Jitterbug. I hadn't even considered using one since I was a kid. I owned one, but it wasn't with me. I had to make do with a Pop R, which wasn't what they wanted.

You'll get about 3 answers repeatedly. My vote is for Booyah pad Crasher. The hooks are in the right place out of the box and the body is just right build for collapsing when bit. I have a good hookup percentage with it. I also have the Junior and Popping PC, but I haven't even used them.

I caught one on my VERY FIRST CAST with a Kinami stick worm. I couldn't believe it. That's probably the only lure in my box I can say that about. I didn't get another bite that day, but it showed me it was not just a gimmick. Then for some reason, I got away from it for years. I started using it again early this season with good success. Even bought a combo specifically for it.

Doesn't look right to me. I don't think mine does it.

Had mine so long I can't remember what they come in.

I prefer alone. But I'll sometimes take my daughter, who doesn't like fishing as much as I do but loves making noise and getting in front of where I'm casting. My dad is now in his 70's and fishing wears him out. I have a buddy I'll go with sometimes when he invites me because he has a boat. That's the only way easier than taking my kayak. When I go with him I usually bring home some fish to clean.

Is this what you mean by Scum Frog? I see there are several models called that by Snag Proof nowadays, but this is what I think of. I have one of these.

Chart/laminate Trick Stick

If not for pad Crasher, I would have been shut out last night.

I have a vintage 1986 Mercury Black Max 135. It's the same in the morning. It seems some direct sunlight or heat source really helps if atomize fuel. I don't use it much but when I did, I would take it over to the lake, launch, run it long enough to get it to operating temp, then dock it or beach it till the morning, when I wanted to fish. It would crank on the first turn of the key. I'm certain a little fine tuning of the carb(s) by an expert in the field would help a lot. The trick with mine when it was cold was to choke it until it fired the first time. It usually didn't catch and run then. Then I would turn off the choke and crank until running and use the fast idle a full minute or two. It was like an old carbed car. There was a combination to cranking it and anything else would usually end up flooding it.

I caught a bass that had an offset shank worm hook in the roof of its mouth that was rusting away. But then there are stainless steel hooks that would last a lot longer I guess.

I've got some shrink tubes. 1/4" diameter will do for Trick Worms. But I would go a size bigger for Senko-type worms.

Watch CraigsList as fall approaches and some people decide they want other toys more. They'll unload them cheaper. But you might have to sift through a bunch to find one specifically for fishing that meets your needs.

Some hard baits that have continueD to work for me in summer are Rat L Traps & Topwaters. Other than that, not much.

Rapala floating jerkbait F11 or F13. You don't see this one mentioned much, but I have decent luck with the large floating, jointed Rebel minnow in chrome/light blue when fish are active. I like the Bandit Flat Max around shallow wood. I bought an H2O Xpress bluegill swimbait, but no luck on it yet. The reviews are good though, with some people saying they're good for big bass. A topwater if they'll bite it. Something small like a Pop R or Torpedo.

I bought one for my daughter and one for myself from Cabela's-their store brand for $35 I think- when we bought her kayak. She has a short back support on her kayak. I got home to discover that the flotation in the back of mine interferes with my seat's back support. I would just say look out for that. They make some with a mesh back or thinner material in the back specifically for this application. It would be good for fishing in hot weather too. Don't just accept what some kid at the store hands you. They all float.They aren't all comfy. I will probably buy the inflating type some day.

No, I'll still watch ol' Bill catch fish on a worm on a private pond as long has he does it.

NASCAR on water

If it's morning, I start with a topwater. Maybe a buzzbait or because you cover water fastest with it. I try a reaction bait because if they're chasing you can catch them faster that way. If they won't hit that, I'll throw a T-rig. Then I'll go back and forth with the reaction and finesse style baits until I settle on what's working. If it's evening, I do just the reverse and try to end up with a topwater. But usually the topwater is a frog, popper or walking type lure. No real reason for that, just seems I get more bites on those than the buzzbait late in the day.

Yeah, this is about the only lure I've found that bass WON'T let go. You can't shake them off when they want it.

A lot of times, it turns into a boat infomercial right in the middle of the show. Aren't there already enough Ranger boat and Evinrude Outboard commercials in that 30 minutes? Do you need to spend 5 more minutes of the show giving us a boat show? DANG! There are a couple TV show pros that are horrible about this. Ranger pros, both.

I have considered that too. I'm just wondering how to hold a rod, cast and paddle. I've thought about how you have to put the paddle down to cast. Seems like a lot of bending, putting down and picking up stuff.

It hurts my lower back worse to stand all day. But I do understand if you own a Triton, you don't leave it at home in lieu of an exercise machine.

I say an $8 frog should not need gluing or tuning to get it to work well. I like the realistic looking legs and it did get bites. But not for long before it was waterlogged. You can squeeze it out but you only get a few twitches before it's full again. And water doesn't flush out of that hollow body like air will upon getting bit. Also the hook points are up against the body. The Booyah was $6 and caught a 3 lb bass on the 3rd cast. I did trim the legs unevenly to get it to walk better. I'm still learning that technique but getting better. The Booyah hooks are in the right place right out of the box. I see no need to spend more.

NBC Sports has Bill, Roland and Jimmy. I also have World Fishing Network on Dish. I like Scott Martin Challenge, Timmy Horton and Kayak Bassin' on that channel. But my favorite is Lun*kerville because Mike D's just a normal guy who sometimes catches fish and sometimes doesn't.