Dye99

I feel that bed fishing is unethical. I also decided that its not very sporting to use a kayak where you can float right up on them. Then I went ahead and decided that while swim fishing only for non bedding fish, that hooks are also don't give the fish a fair chance. I haven't caught anything in a while...

This thread reminds me of the 1911/glock argument. Fact is, poster got a yak, so telling him to get a canoe since its better is crazy. If it floats, fish it!

I do. I keep a calendar in my shop where I store my boats and tackle. When I get home I mark how many, what lake and what bait I was using.

Great video. I appreciate all of your videos as well. Been a great learning tool for me over the years. Spinner baits are one of my favorite baits to throw, very versatile, and finally someone showing you that you CAN throw them into the nastiest stuff out there and if careful, not get snagged...

This same question has irked me for years and years... I run 30lb mossy green braid on pretty much everything I use except my drop shot rigs. So to change things up, I changed out to flouro on one of my crank bait reels. I ran the same bait on both the braided and flouro, and I caught the same amount of fish... But I think the lake you are fishing has a lot to do with it as well. For me I just found it easier to run all my BC's with braid.

Hahaha...Yea...the state makes me wear more nowadays!

I fished a few tourneys back in the day, and I started my fishing hat theory. I fish with one hat a year. So beginning each new year, I pick out a new "fishing hat" and wear it for that year when ever fishing.

Fish it. Throw it in the water every chance you get. That way you figure out what you need for your style of fishing. You will get the loading aspect down just takes a few times. The more time you spend in the water the more you will understand how you want to rig it. Welcome to the fun, be safe, and catch some fish!!

I do religiously. They are a little more expensive than tackle warehouse, but they are great people, who will post pictures sent to them of fish on their webpage. If you do have a local shop, that isn't a bass pro, gander or another box store, then SUPPORT THEM. They are what made this lifestyle so great.

Ive got a few different ones Ive been using for close to ten years. I have mostly stuck with the different Bending branches models but last month I also went to a Werner hooked shuna. Ive only used it 4 times, but I love it already. So light I can haul gear all day and not even notice it in the shoulders. Great paddle!

This. Ive run bass boats, Ive rigged canoes with motors, jon boats, hell I even spent a few days just tooling around in a float tubes and I really can't see any of those being conducive to what I do fishing. So for me, I don't use motors on my yaks...

Flyfisher is correct...Save up a little bit.. Buy once cry once as they say.. One of the guys that works for me is getting into yak fishing and has been borrowing one of my back up boats while he finds something nice for himself, we have found the Vibe or the Lure https://www.austinkayak.com/products/18193/Feelfree-Lure-115-Kayak-2016.html Both are a little bit higher than you wanted to spend. But you know you get a quality product Again, the jackson Cruise is another awesome boat as well... But its Tuesday, so Im loading up my yak and getting on the water for the day...Work can wait!

Ive worn them in the service. Great for flying debris and such, never tried them for fishing. Is there a fishing specific version with polarized?

Ive heard about that too but never tried it...I think I just might have to this spring as well.. I prefer deep diving ( 6-8ft ) square bills that dig up the ground and tend to bounce off of wood when Im crankin....

in the same situation, I used a self threading screw with marine epoxy. But remember, without a backing plate there is only so much they can stand until they rip out. So what Ive done on my kayaks over the years is light duty use on anything I attach that doesnt have a backing plate. Nowadays I just get all my stuff from Yakattack.com, and don't look back... Funny thing, Im putting two mighty mounts on my ATAK today with backing plates today!

Kayak...... Or better yet. Both!

I own both types, and fish both regularly. For me I prefer the SOT. But Im pretty utilitarian in the aspect that I want as much time to fish as I can possibly obtain. And I want my fishing to be easy, and a SOT is the easiest for what I do.

There actually are a few kayaks out there that are very easy to stand in are not a balancing act. The Jackson big rig is one, the other is the Wildy atak. My wife was standing and fishing in my atak in the first 20 min...

One PB, Countless wins in friendly comps, over 100 fish caught, and 5 separate "fish of the week" in my county. I had a spectacular year, and hope to do half as well this year. But more importantly than what I did, I should add, I got some new people into kayak bass fishing that never have, and had my son catch his first fish. Fun tip someone told me about years ago I tried last year. I put a calendar on the wall where I store my boats. So at the end of every fishing day, I mark it on the calendar, what lake, how many fish and what size and what I was throwing... Its really helped already this year.

I have a friend I fish with that is the same way, He has no need to stand in his yak either. I had that mindset for years as well. But for me, I like to dabble with different fishing technics that sometimes entail having the rod pointed at the water, like jerk bait fishing, poppers and walking the dog on topwater, and just sight fishing in general, so I started gravitating to standing. Granted, If you practice enough you can stand in any kayak, I just practiced in the summer when its warm enough that getting in the water isn't bad! I would think that if standing wasn't an issue, at least make sure you have a seat that isn't a "wet butt" style, so that you can fish in the colder months comfortably!

No way! That would be an incredibly hard to thing to pass up!!

Get some time at your local shops and see if they have a demo day. You made mention of some different styles of water, so as already posted above, thats a hard buy to find a super cheap boat to do all of that. Maybe find something used? Im running a OK trident for when I have to go long distance over big water, A old town town Vapor angler for local small ponds, and my ATAK for pretty much everything from day trips to comps...That just shows ya, its different tools for different jobs! Good luck!

Buy once cry once. Get a boat that does what you want it to do, and lets you expand your fishing over time. The big rig is an awesome boat, as is the Slayer series and Lure boats, and of course the ATAK for me was the cream of the crop. I agree with the above poster who mentioned finding a last year model to get a deal. Its like any other tool out there. If you plan on using it a lot, beat it up, then save up and buy quality.

Im prespawn still, so Im just running 4 rigs on my yak. -spinning rod with wacky Senco - Jig -Texas rig -Jerk bait/rip bait

I can respect those that use a canoe to fish out of. I did a few tourneys in the 90s in a canoe, I grew up fishing canoes, and my family used to do a Brazos river canoe trip every year growing up. Its bred into my being. I still own two tupperware canoes, and a custom wood hand built, so its part of my fishing arsenal. With that said, there is no way that I would fish a canoe on a regular basis if I have a kayak. I have a few different yak's but my main fishing rig is the ATAK, and I have to say, its so much easier than maneuvering a canoe around. The weight, maneuverability, load capacity being stored correctly, ease of use, stability, ease of electronic's, the aspect of moving to and from the water on different vehicles if need be without a trailer, storing gear in it when I am traveling, and the ability to find parts for customizing all lead me back to the Kayak. I think at one point I just decided, is having a canoe all geared out, why not get a jon boat, or a smaller bass boat? The main reason I went to a yak was ease, and the canoe doesnt do that for me. But again, I fish at least 100 times a year, and as a family man, I take my kids out in the canoes all the time so I love em for that, camping and trips, and love to hear how you guys love to fish out of yours, its just for me, there is no way I would give my yak up for a full time canoe...