the reel ess

Here's my newest kayak. I caught a 7.5 pounder on the maiden cruise. Pescador Pro 10. You can see the tip of my old kayak, an original Pescador 12. It's now the backup, or "buddy" kayak. I also occasionally fish from the back deck of my buddy's Tracker.

This is an absolutely true story and I will swear to it in court on a stack of Bibles. I've told this one before, so you guys who know me, just ignore. This is the story of the Ghost Catfish. When I was a kid my family had a house on Lake Wateree, SC. I was catfishing off the dock one rainy day with a piece of hot dog for bait. I set up the rod and went to sit under shelter. It was a long time before the first bite. I went down and set the hook and started reeling up, when suddenly the fight went from a lively fight to dead weight. What I reeled up was a dead catfish head, glassy eyes and all. All I can imagine is a turtle was munching on a dead fish when it came across my hot dog. The turtle got hooked and spit out the fish along with my hook. Catching softshell turtles was not uncommon when using hot dogs. I went up and relayed that story to my parents who told me to stop "telling tall tales".

Well, the gold/black one works up there too. ?

That must be why red doesn't work for me. IDK why, but the water here is generally muddier in winter. This winter has been muddier than average due to a major surplus of rain.

Not where I fish. I tried them while my buddy wore me out with gold. I catch fish on black and blue soft plastics/jigs though, same as I do all year. Now, that's just anecdotal evidence, but it's evidence, nonetheless.

Well, they'll never take your FREEDOM.

nm

Thanks. I'm usually pitching to wood cover shallow enough to see-laydowns, docks, logs. The max depth where I fish is 20'. Most places I pitch to are 1-10' deep. I was just wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I tend to switch over to a T rig if I'll be casting and retrieving.

Why is it that I never catch a fish on a jig on the retrieve? I started keeping a jig tied on a few years ago and I've gained a lot of confidence in my ability to pitch it to cover. But I'd bet I can count on one hand the number of bites I've gotten on the retrieve. It seems the vast majority of my bites come on the drop of the jig. Is this everyone's experience? I know people use football jigs casting and retrieving like a T rig.

I am by no means a man who spends like a drunken sailor. But I do now own 5 serviceable baitcasting combos with a couple in reserve. I don't feel like I need to own 20. I started fishing with a guy who I knew caught a lot of big fish. I wanted to learn what he knew that I didn't. First thing I noticed is he had a slew of cheaper spinning combos. He was catching 6-7-8 lb bass on Mitchell 300 reels and Walmart $10-20 rods all spooled with Big Game 15# mono. I could hear some of his reels making noises. We both wore off on each other. He now owns a couple BC combos and higher quality spinning combos. But he still employs a couple of Durango rods for certain presentations. Now, I didn't sell all my BC combos and start fishing exactly as he does. I mean, I like to yank fish from heavy cover and you can't do that with a floppy Durango rod and el cheapo spinning reel. But I did take the lesson to heart. You could spend $800 on one combo or $160 on 5 more technique-specific combos. The latter would probably net you more fish.

This reminds me of our old auto shop teacher. He would hurt your feelings if he caught you with a screwdriver and a hammer in your hands at the same time. He reduced some guys to tears. It didn't take long to learn.

When I want to try a new bait and get better with it I go to my buddy's pond I call the Dink Factory. 2 lbs. is good fish there, but I can almost always count on some bites. 10-20 fish is average. I've caught 50 in 3 hours there before. It's a good way to practice and gain confidence. Of course there are some techniques I can't to there.

I would start any new bass fisherperson off with a MH combo and Texas rigged worm, crankbait, a Pop R and spinnerbait. I'd say learn with that before you start getting technique specific. Those cover the entire water column and offer a creature bait as well as reaction baits. The worm will also teach good hooksetting, which doesn't come naturally to most people who have only fished for panfish. That said, I have very specific combos for frog, jig/T rig and treble baits. These are always tied on them with the exception of the frog when the water's too cold for it. In that case, I use the frog rod for T-rig and the jig rod for jigs.

This guy's good too. Captain Matt Webber. He is pretty much confined to So FL bass, peacocks and snakeheads. But they're good, short and informative.

Ours looks half that good in season. During winter they fill it with hunting stuff. Academy blows them away. But I still hit them up occasionally while the wife/daughter are in Ulta because they always have stuff on clearance. It looks like their purchaser knows nothing about the local fish species. They also stock a ton of the latest gimmick lures like the bat.

I like those two and several others. But I don't stop at kayak channels. There's something to learn from almost all fishing videos and shows. A few of my fav's: Creek Fishing Adventures. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvP0q4WZLtgmfh107XV2MCw Also, The Kelley's Outdoors https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2AAR6yFxVpWu5yRP8yMtzA Richard Gene, The Fishing Machine (I'm talkin' 'bout WOOO!) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGaX29DR0VlH2tUCODFixg

Generally shallow flats. They'll find the hardest bottom around. That might mean just sandy if there's no rock.

I did some real flipping in FL. Flipping really calls for a longer rod than pitching. I've done both, but I don't have a real flipping rod. I have a 7'3" frog rod (XH) and a 6'10" jig rod (Hvy). The frog rod gets used for actual flipping occasionally.

We don't ever have crystal clear water where I fish. But I will use a 15# Berkley Big Game mono leader with my jigs/T rigs sometimes. I prefer the double uni knot when I have time, But if I'm in a hurry, I'll use the surgeon's knot. I caught this 7.5 lb. Saturday using the dbl uni with 15# mono leader. This fish wrapped a log and tried to make for deep water. I had to fight the fish and the log. All I could think of was that knot sawing on the log and wishing I had just used straight braid. The water looked like 50% chocolate milk so a leader was unnecessary, but I didn't know until I got there. The leader wasn't even nicked.

I agree about using the popping frog even in heavy cover. You're trying to cause a little commotion so fish can find it.

I would add that I find the popping frogs easier to walk.

I have the junior Booyah too, but it's never been used. I also have an Academy H2O black frog that I wouldn't recommend. It's hard rubber. It looks exactly like the original SPRO. I have the original Snag Proof frog with realistic legs. I had a PB on it at one time. It's light and better for spinning gear. I've got a Scum Frog that's also brand new. Lastly, I have a Live Target hollow body mouse. It's been used once. No bites on the mouse.

I LOVE frog fishing. Here's my short answer. Buy a regular Booyah Pad Crasher and a Booyah popping Pad Crasher. They'll cover most bases. I usually leave the popping one tied on when the water is warm.

IDK. I see ads on videos that are less than 10. But if that's the case, they need to be 10 entertaining or informing minutes.

I'd like to respectfully make a suggestion to anyone who wants to make fishing videos. Stop filming yourself driving in the dark to the spot. Stop filming yourself choosing baits at WalMart. It's a waste of your viewers' time and I skip right past it. People have a short attention span. Most fishing vids on YT should be 10 minutes or less.