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The head of an obviously dead catfish-hooked in the mouth. I have no idea how that happened. I was fishing with a piece of hot dog. All I can guess is a live catfish or turtle was feasting on the dead cat and bit my hot dog. The hook must've transferred to the dead cat. My ex-monster-inlaw accidentally threw my old Zebco 33 combo in the lake once. You see why I didn't hand her a better combo. Years later I caught that combo and reeled it in. I cleaned it up, but it was junk. A fish basket (trap) with a dead turtle and a couple big live channel cats in it. They flopped around and covered my dad and me with the stench of dead turtle. The fishing trip was over at that point.

I'm reviving this old thread rather than starting another to say and ask the same things. When I fished with Capt. Shane in Florida, I started the day off with a Saltwater Super Spook with a dressed tail hook. First cast of the day I caught one and when it jumped another fish jumped with it, trying to get the bait. Good sign, huh? Well, fishing was good for about an hour. When the bite slowed, Shane handed me a different rod rigged with the Walking Boss. He said it emits a sound like live bait and sometimes they'll hit it dead sticking. The bite improved and I used it most of that day and the next. I caught most of my fish on that one bait both days. The package tells how to set the sound it emits. Default sounds like a cricket or frog. There's craw and shad as well as no sound. To those who have used Livingston baits, what sound did you get best results with? Thanks.

Plopper 110, Chug Bug, jig-craw There's a floating Rat-L-Trap. I bought one simply because I fish a lot of pretty shallow areas. It dives about 2.5 to 3' when retrieved, but slowly rises when paused. It doesn't weigh as much. It also doesn't sound exactly like the standard model and I haven't caught anything using it yet. I only used it once. But, come to think of it, now is a pretty good season for it. It can be worked like a jerkbait. If I were to put a heavier hook in front, it would probably be about neutrally bouyant.

Go to Florida. You're welcome. I went to FL and caught about 100 in two days. Came home and zeroed twice.

All spinning (bass): 20# PowerPro braid. Leader if it's necessary for the presentation. Baitcasting trebles: 15# Big Game mono. I also use mono for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits/chatterbaits. Mostly due to the line tie not being an actual closed eye. But I like the stretch of the mono to allow the fish to take the hook before I feel them. Baitcasting single hooks: 30# PP braid Frog/Hvy flipping & pitching: 50# PP braid I like to keep it simple, but a guide recently showed me I could simplify further by using braid on everything and a short leader for anything I feel required one. I'm mulling that over.

LOL. My last 2 PBs bit the bait as soon as it hit the water. One was a War Eagle spinnerbait and the other was a Whopper Plopper 110. They probably would have bitten almost any lure in the tackle box. I bought one in a larger size and was impressed, but it's heavy. Then I saw a brand new 20 size in a pawn shop still in the blister package for $20. It feels perfect. I put it on my finesse combo.

IDK. I only used it that one way. Before when I flipped a T rig I used a Gammy Superline EWG hook-not the proper tool for the job, but I caught fish on it. The snelled hook seemed to work really well. I caught maybe 20 on it. I've heard it explained this way. The flipping weight is bulky and can pop the fish's mouth open when you set the hook. If you can get the hook point up your hookset percentage should be better. The guide was a firm believer. He did tell me be careful not to snell it backwards or the catch rate goes way down. LOL.

I have a milk crate with 5 rod holders in it (PVC pipes I zip tied in) and the kayak has 2 flush-mount holders. So I take 7 rods already rigged. I carry a few bags of plastics I think I might need and sometimes my crankbait and/or hard topwaters box. I keep the treble hook rods rigged with a snap so i don't have to retie them. Sometimes I fish my buddy's private pond that has a dock and I'll leave my who tackle bag at the edge of it so I can come back and get whatever I want to use. I won't take every rod in the kayak in that case. I usually could have taken 2 rods and caught the same number of fish, but which 2??? I don't know before I go. My better kayak has rod leashes on the built-in rod holders. But I never use them. You learn to not fall out or flip it pretty quickly. I know, famous last words... Anything can happen,especially in moving water. But I actually fell out of my lower quality Pescador once and didn't lose any rods. I've wondered how many rods are just dropped from a kayak vs. lost out of holders. Beyond that, I throw a pair of needlenose pliers with cutters and a scale in the floor in front of me and go.

I fished with a FL guide recently and flipped part of 2 days. He had 3 bobber stops above the weight, a bead below the weight and a snelled hook. I asked the same question. He said it didn't matter, just pull it down every so often. But too tight would interfere with the action of the bead and snelled hook. We caught some nice fish in the pepper grass. It wasn't really "punching" because it wasn't a mat, but it was a lighter punch rig. I came right home and rigged one up on my frog combo.

Thanks. I just put the Bucoo SR "Pitching Stick" 6'10" in the Amazon cart. No guessing.

I have a 13.5' kayak and it's not big enough to share with another person if we were both fishing. And he's going to grow. I'd rather ahve 2 kayaks. I understand he's not big enough for his own, but he will be before you know it. I have two kayaks and I'm only one person. The canoe is a better idea, but not really that easy to transport on a car. The NuCanoe is a good suggestion as well.

I'm looking for a pitching/skipping rod in the $100-$129 range. I fish from a kayak most of the time, so I end up skipping baits as much or more than pitching them underhand. A little tip is good for this kind of presentation. I already have a Hvy-F 7'3" rod for frogs and I rig it up with a jig or T rig in colder water, so I don't need the traditional flippin' cue stick. I'm currently using an older Falcon Lowrider that's actually for big cranks. What you got? Any feedback on Bucoo? The older Lowrider was one of those made in USA and it's very sensitive. At least it is to a cheap skate like me.

Yes it is! It'll chunk heavier baits a mile. I always keep me some mismatched combos around to justify buying a new rod or reel. I'm currently using a 7' MH "Heavy Cranker" Falcon Lowrider rod as my lighter duty pitching rod because it's the most sensitive rod I have and it has a great tip action on it. But it's not ideal and it would be better suited for Traps. I'm on the lookout for a replacement pitching rod so I can pair that Lowrider with the BMP 350.

SPRO Rat or Savage Gear Glide. I also have a Livingston Walking Boss in the Amazon cart, waiting to pull the trigger. They're all about the same cost. I have a pain threshold, but I'll break it one day. The Rat has actually worked for me. When I was young and broke, I bought all my lures at WalMart and had a $5 limit I imposed on myself for a single bait. They had some exclusive deals that made baits cheaper that you could only get there. It really hurt to have a crankbait hung up and have to break it off. It's funny, now that I'm at a point in life where I have enough money to buy whatever I want (within reason, of course), I don't want that much stuff.

My late father had one of these reels, barely used. It's a big ol' beefy high capacity reel with a "super high speed" of 5.2:1. LOL. I cleaned it well and lubed it and tried it as my Rat L Trap reel. It casts great, but it does not have the instant anti-reverse, which I found distracting. Is there an instant anti-reverse bearing available for it? Obviously, I'm not going to get rid of it, but I'd like to use it and enjoy it.

You don't want to lose a $15 bait. I have the SPRO Rat and Savage gear Glide. I like the rat. Haven't gotten a follower on the Glide yet. Either of these is in your budget and within the rod's capabilities. The Glide doesn't cast well for me and the rear hook tends to catch on the rubber tail. I also have a 5/8 oz H2O bluegill swimbait from Academy. People swear by this bait, but ut hasn't worked for me yet.

Elaztec stuff will melt together on a hot day, even if it's in a tackle bag and out of direct sunlight. It's good stuff, but I've had to throw out a couple bags of it, which makes it less cost effective. I bought some plain 1/4 oz. weedless Arky jigheads a while back and used them with a plain soft plastic craw or a Hula Grub. That's a cheap bait right there. I haven't lost a single jighead yet and caught a PB at one time on this rig. Granted, you can go through GYCB baits quickly, but you can use a Rage Craw or any other plastic craw. I guess you're not limited to craws either.

It's funny how many people chimed in on this thread about the inferior quality of Lew's. Apparently they don't own even one of Lew's higher quality models. I bought one and liked it so much I bought two more of the exact same model.

I have a buddy that likes to fish and does it more than I do. But I still prefer to go by myself most of the time. I'm my own best buddy. Go to a pond. You won't be able to keep them off it.

I fished with a Florida guide Dec 27-28. On the second day he said "I noticed you haven't backlashed yet." I suppose he sees a lot of inexperienced anglers in his profession. I said "I don't usually use Shimano Curados to chunk 3/4 oz. walking baits." ? I need to force myself to go in Jan-Feb. I don't want to miss some of the biggest accessible bass of the year because it's a bit uncomfy out there. I did go Sat. I zeroed and watched my buddy catch a 5 pounder. ?

A good guide makes all the difference. You can't go wrong with this one. He went all out to make it a good experience.

I used Captain Shane Procell and was very pleased with his guiding skills and knowledge. I would highly recommend him. The first day I fished a canal near the Glades. I didn't catch any monsters, but I did lose two big ol' gals. I probably caught 50 that day walking the dog and flipping. Both produced good numbers. Second day was peacock day and we caught several 4-5 pounders. There's also a 7 pound bass from that day. All the pics are from that day due to the better size.

You may need a different wife. ? I often outfish my buddy on his own pond because he only fishes a T rigged worm. I do something different every time there and I choose techniques more based on seasonal patterns. He thinks I'm Bill Dance.

This is something I want to do as I get older. I fish a couple of kayaks right now, but it would be nice to have a boat on the trailer ready to go without loading up. Roland Martin has a YouTube channel and one of his best videos is him showing the things he's done to his custom pond jon boat. It will give you some good ideas.