the reel ess

I've had a Perception Pescador 12, a Feelfree Lure 12.5 and a Pescador Pro 10 (my current ride). The problem with the Lure was, of course, the weight. It also should come with a rudder, but that adds +/-$250 to an already expensive kayak. And mine tracked terribly without one. I got an electric motor kit for it later, but that was also more trouble than it was worth. The seat was great though. The old Pescador was light and had a low center of gravity and tracked well. The seat was a thin cushion on a molded in seat with a pretty decent back. It was a decent starter at about $500 10 years ago. But my butt and lower legs started going to sleep after a couple hours. I still have this one for buddies, though I rarely take anyone. The Pescador Pro 10 is about 50-60 lbs with the seat. The seat is a comfy 2-position stadium style that you can take out and use around a campsite. That's the main reason I bought it. It's a good deal at around $800. If there's a knock on it, it would be that it doesn't track great. I would recommend it in the 12' length. It also has 2 molded in rod holders that serve no purpose. I have no idea why they're on it. They're shallow and too large to actually hold anything. I added two flush-mount. I guess the moral of my story would be the 2 most important things to me are a comfortable seat and the tracking, if you don't care about standing. I don't. The upper limit of $1300 gives you more options.

Look on eBay for what they've sold for, not what the buy it now price is. A bit higher than the average selling price is where I'd start my asking price. Be prepared to entertain lower offers.

I bought what amounts to a big trout net on the recommendation of a YouTube personality. It works great for me because I'm in a kayak. But yeah, it has small mesh and gets hooks in it. And the thing about it is I usually only another site with a face full of trebles in this net. Fish that I think are hooked well with a single hook, I just lip them.

My mind is so tuned into what's going to happen that I forget some things, like a paddle. Yeah, I've had to return home to get one.

I fish from a kayak so I use whichever hand it's coming to. I believe I usually bring the fish to the right though. If it's big I net it.

I caught a bunch of largemouth and a striper the first time I threw that bait. The bluegill and redbreast in the river will attack them too.

Just don't hold the spinning combo upside down. That's clown shoes. As for getting fatigued, some techniques are worse than others. I really don't enjoy deep cranking. Thus I rarely do it.

@MassBass Fish swimming toward me is one of the reasons I don't use any reels slower than 7:1 ratio. I can always reel slower. But with a slow reel, I can't always reel faster. There are many times I lost a good fish due to an error by me. Then there are those times I did everything wrong and still caught the fish. My number one rule with trebles is to set the drag so loose that it slips when I set the hook. You need to make sure the hooks are sharp. Then I try to tire the fish with the light drag. I'll use the thumb if necessary if the fish is headed for weeds or cover. For my jig and frog combos I go completely the other direction. I cinch the frog rod down. I probably have about 90% drag on the jig rod. I watched a video of G-Man Swindle talking about jig fishing in cover. He said not to play the fish. Set the hook hard and keep it coming all the way in the boat. You can go easy on it when it's in the boat.

I bought a 90 first. I had a couple good days on it. Then I tried the 110. I've used it every since. I do need to get a 75. I ordered a couple Chinese knockoffs in 110 size. Amazon shipped me 90 size. I complained and they refunded me and said keep the 90s. So now I have 3 90s but much prefer the 110.

When the water is muddy I'll go to my "nighttime" spinnerbait with large Colorado blade. Fish find it somehow.

Fish can get used to the same lure(s). I fish the same small lake most of the time. But when I can't buy a bite there, another location can be just what the doctor ordered. My cousin sold his property and it was the only private pond I had that I could completely walk. So I inquired about another pond and was granted permission. I can't wait to hit it up one evening.

LOL. I just watched an episode from Bull Shoals on YouTube.

The only time a cut the jig off my pitching rod is when I want to retie it. I'm a true believer.

Must have a stainless steel prop. ?

In addition to those, Spook and other walking topwaters, jerkbaits. Look on YouTube for peacock fishing. I fished for these with a guide once. His advice was to keep the bait moving even if they miss. He said if you stop the bait, they'll just turn away from it. We caught the biggest of the day on live shiners.

No! I'm way better with baitcasting than spinning. That's probably because I use the BC combos so much more. With spinning I either come up several feet short or throw it in the trees. I'm pretty good at pitching jigs. But then I kayak fish and I get pretty close to the target. I still screw up at that too. But it's better to have a noisy entry into the gnarly stuff than none at all. I once saw Ike bang the end of a pontoon with a jig, then proceed to catch a monster bass on the next cast under it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I learned to not yank a jig out of the water after a bass chased one right up so close I could have grabbed it. I caught that fish. It's that instinct of something getting away that overrules all.

What's your favorite blade bait? I need to get one of these for winter bass in our lake. Last winter I had some success fishing a Spot so slowly you couldn't feel the bait pulsate. I was basically dragging it.

Even a worm can learn from negative stimuli. Bass that have been caught could associate that shadow with being yanked out of the water by their lips. That said, bass often bite baits right at the boat. I suspect sometimes hunger or instinct gets in the way of those negative associations and they just can't help themselves.

My dad used to say he could catch bass on any color worm as long as it was black. Then he discovered shades of purple.

Whatever works for you. But I have a hard time reeling left-handed. I cast with both hands, right on the reel spool, then crank with my right. If you find the other way better, by all means do so. You have to do what you're comfy with.

This is the cheapest solid framed reel I know of and it's available in 7.3:1 retrieve. It has good reviews. https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress-mettle-m3-baitcast-reel?sku=right-7-3-1-100

I've owned one Academy Reel, the TAC-40. It was pretty good but I wore it out over a few seasons. I was rough on it because it was my jig rod. That reel cost $100. I know you aren't looking for this bit of advice, but you really should spend a little more if you want to enjoy using it for some time to come. As rods go, sensitivity takes a back seat for frog fishing. I'd look for a cheaper Hvy-Fast rod and spend a little more on the reel. There's a Berkley Lightning rod that will do the job for $40. For me I'd look for a reel in the $70 range with a solid aluminum frame.

I can't speak to the reliability of the reel. But I have a Kast King rod that I really like. https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/kastking-resolute-7-ft-3-in-h-freshwater-casting-combo-?sku=7-3-right-heavy-fast-6-6-1

I have the drag on my pitching combo just about cinched down. I use straight 30# braid. I pitch jigs into heavy wood cover and I don't like to give the fish an inch until it's out of the rough stuff. To me, you just can't set the hook hard enough on a jig bite. I've had some savage hooksets only to see the fish come up and spit it. It seems the bigger the fish, the more likely you are to set it well.