the reel ess

Yes, a lot of people mistakenly think it should be criminal to take a bass out of the water as if its life is more valuable than a crappie's or catfish's. They've bought into what BASS and FLW drilled into our heads for 30+ years. There's NOTHING WRONG AND SOMETHING RIGHT about keeping and eating a smallish-to-medium bass. And they're tasty!

Welcome! Yeah, I fish from a kayak. There's a thread about 60 pages long about this very subject on the boats board. I have an older fish/ski boat. But since I got the kayak, I never use it. Need to sell it. My kayak is a decent $500 fishing, sit on top from Academy. It was a good entry level boat. I can't stand on it, but fishing is easy. It has a rod holder and I rigged a crate with 3 more holders. I even bought my daughter a smaller one so she can tag along. For my next I want one you pedal with your feet. I got some saving to do. Or I could just sell the boat. Disadvantage: You can't run and gun all day. I try to fish small places. I have asked permission to fish several private ponds. Advantage: You can be alone and get to some places others can't or won't. Good luck! And take pics to show off on here.

We had a discussion on this board a while back about how keeping more dinks can lead to more trophies. I tried hard to find this video then, but was unable. It just came across the BR FaceBook feed. So here is the best explanation complete with stats, reason, logic and experience that I've ever heard on the matter. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

I don't know where on the Strand you will be. But we go to Pawley's Island most years. I take my kayak and go in the inlet and creeks around the island. I caught one flounder first time and two the next year. They'll bite Gulp Mullet on a jig head just like they would real mullet. If you don't have a boat, no problem. People fish off a bridge on South Causeway. Georgetown is just up the road and there are plenty of inshore and offshore charters. The Waccamaw and Black rivers empty there into Winyah Bay. Or you can rent a jon boat at Pawleys Island Outdoors.

Try a Trick Worm weightless and fish it like a jerkbait with the twitch-twitch-pause retrieve.

If you're close enough for a roll cast, use the brakes.

Wacky Senko? LOL Sunrise and sundown. Live bait. Seine or trap some minnows. Or use a small bream under a float if that's not illegal where you are. I recall Bill Dance say once that fish in extremely clear water might simply refuse to feed during the day. If you think about it, the baitfish also can see for miles. When I was a kid there was a small pond that I used to sneak into that had gin clear water. I only ever got one bite there on an artificial and it was spit out before I could set a hook. I could see all the fish, so i know they could see me. There were big'uns in there for sure...at least to a kid that age. I managed to get one on a nightcrawler, but the big fish would not bite if they could see me around.

No. I haven't. Due to the way a crankbait digs, I think the Front Runner would be upside-down most of the retrieve.

You can try this combo: Tie the Front Runner about 12-18" ahead of the baby bass Spook. When you walk the Spook, the Front Runner zigs and zags the opposite direction. I have a couple. You can imagine what it looks like. I have caught a couple off the front. But there's the potential for the big one on the back or doubles.

Champion used to make the killer fish/ski. It was mostly fish. It had extra row seats but was long. The front deck was still acres big. In fact I believe they made a FISH & ski and a SKI & fish so people could get their priorities straight.

Surefire method: Get a bag of cheap, small bite dog food and start throwing out cupfulls. If after a while the fish come to it, throw out a strong hook baited with a 1" long section of hot dog. Go weightless if you can. If you think they're big fish, you'll have to use some good tackle, which will require some lead. Don't go too cheap on the dogs. They might prefer the dog food if you do.

I think this fish is suffering from largemouth vanishing disease (LVD).

I have a 55# kayak that gets blown all over the place. I don't think I want one any lighter.

I've had this too. Nothing you can do.

About an 8 yr old Johnny Morris reel I bought used off Ebay for $50. I did pay $20 to get the cast control fixed. If you'd asked a couple months ago it would have been a 1983 Daiwa Procaster Magforce PMF100. Had it since I was a kid. But it finally gave up the ghost beyond repair.

Don't buy the hand controlled trolling motor. I hate mine.

Ah, the kiddies...But a bigger fish/ski then. Mine is a 1986 model Procraft 17.5'. Too small to fish like I'd like to. My daughter has never water skied and my wife doesn't care one bit for the boat. Hopefully, I sell it for $3K and buy a Native Propel kayak with the pedal drive. Or a hot rod.

Don't buy a fish/ski to suit your wife, who really doesn't even like boating or fishing. Just buy to fish. At least that's me. If I knew how much fun kayak fishing was at that time, I wouldn't have bought a big boat at all. I didn't realize I'd be in direct competition with people who would gladly outspend me to catch a handful of small bass every weekend. Now I fish private local ponds and/or creeks and rivers to be left ALONE.

I've got a light action 6' el cheapo Eagle Claw rod with an Academy UL spinning reel spooled with 6# mono. I believe this rod cost me about $8 20+ years ago. It's a good creek rod or for places where you just know you won't catch any real big fish. But I fish one place I don't even take this combo. There are bruisers in there over 8#. These are tough on a 7' MH combo with braid. I took this one down the Wateree R last year and caught 2 decent bass and one striper on it before I hooked one that took me into some brush and broke off. I was heartbroken. This also makes a decent combo for big 'gills and crappie.

I may give the short floro leader a try. Last couple times out, the bite was tough. I ended up chunking the T-rig craw. Old school summer tricks.

I use 17# Fireline braid, no leader in a M spinning combo. But the water's pretty stained here. I think they have discontinued that test and thinned down the 20#. The diameter of this line is in the 6-8# mono range. No stretch. For Wacky: The rod is a 7' M Berkley Lightning Rod with MF tip. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-rods-spinning-rods-berkley-lightning-rod/1363851.html#start=4 I bought it to use with lures with trebles because of the soft tip. But I discovered it's a good rod for the hooks used in wacky rigging. For T-rig: 7'MH Viper Spinning combo I got on closeout from BPS maybe 10 yrs ago for $70. It's kind of a fast tip. Same braid. I want to replace it, but it just won't wear out and it's pretty dang sensitive. I even dropped it into water and stepped on the bail. It bent right back out. I'm not made of $$$ so I don't replace it if I can still catch fish just fine with it.

Thanks for the info. Loading isn't a problem unless they weight a ton because I have a full-size pickup. I probably have months to obsess over this purchase as I did my current kayak. I don't need to be in a hurry since I have one already. I hope to give each a try at some point. I can tell you that I lean toward the Native models based on what I've read and seen. But I'll have to try them before I can make an informed decision. I don't usually fish water that is completely choked with vegetation. But I'll still have the old kayak if I do. Thanks.

I keep thinking of things and coming back to this thread. I hooked someone's catfish basket and it came up to the boat (Stren 14# mono used to be good stuff). It had two big cats and a softshell dead turtle in it. They thrashed around and threw dead turtle all over my dad and me. We had to cut the fishing trip short and go back to get showers.

My parents let my deadbeat ex-monster-in-law use their lake house for a short time while after being evicted. She somehow managed to throw my Zebco 33 combo so far off the dock I couldn't find it swimming. Accident, right??? Well, years later after divorcing her daughter, I snagged it and reeled it in/ I tossed it in the garbage this time. No one ever believed this one at the time because I was pretty young when it happened. I was catfishing on a rainy day, not getting any bites. Then the rod doubles in the holder. I start reeling but the fish is taking a lot of drag. Then suddenly the line goes limp, but I can still feel a little weight on it. I reel it up and it's just the head of a small dead catfish with the hook in its mouth. Ih had been dead a while because the eyes were glassy. All I can figure is it was a big cat with the body of the small one in his mouth when it bit my bait. I only managed to get the hook into the dead fish and the body broke off.

Thanks guys. I keep a written list of items to buy next time I get to an Academy, BPS or Cabela's. Last time there I bought 1/8 oz tungsten weights, but they were out of 3/16. Of course, I needed 3/16 next time I went fishing. So this can go on the list.