Junk Fisherman

Love my Noco and recommend them. I actually would recommend getting a knock off. At least I would research them. I have read from several people about getting cheap Amazon lithium batteries and them being very satisfied. I have a Miller Tech lithium which is a name brand and I'm not crazy about it. I've read how the name brand lithium batteries are purchased from China and they slap their name on it and have some bass pro sponsor them.

This is what I've done as well. I took the class through the Coast Guard Auxiliary and I saved enough on my insurance in 2 years to more than cover the cost of the course. Plus, I took it during Covid so it was through Zoom so I didn't even have to leave the house.

That is very creative @bulldog1935 I'm going to have to spend some time with that setup. Thanks for the tip.

I don't bring my best gear in my kayak for fear of flipping and not wanting to haul them in the cab of my truck. So my Steez and GLXs stay home. Anyways, my staples are: Dobyns 741 HP- Neds Dobyns 742 HP- finesse swimbaits, Neko, wacky Senko, dropshot Dobyns 703 XP- Casting- plastics, all-around St Croix Tournament Bass Sweeper 7' MH- bladed jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits

Probably 75% - 80%. Like Scaleface, I lose too many frog fish. I also lose a lot fish on a dropshot around Chicago. There is so much busted up rock and concrete that it is incredibly easy to fray your line. I check my line often but I still break off a lot. Plus, I am a finesse fisherman and light line is easy to break. I have improved greatly over the years with hooksets, fighting fish, knots, line choice, checking my line often and retying, and netting fish solo. I think I'm pretty good at fighting big fish using spinning gear and end up landing more of those fish than others. So yeah.... 3 out of every 4 fish feels about right.

What knot are you using between the braid and leader?

You're my coffee soul mate! 100%

What do you think of that Liquid IV? My wife bought a box of them and I've used them a couple times but don't really have anything to compare them to.

In the summer, when I'm off, I try to get out twice a week during the week on my boat and on the kayak over the weekend if the weather is right. When I go out on my boat I'll stay out for 6-10 hours depending on the home situation and where I go. Plus, unless I've gone on Lake Michigan and paid $25 to launch, I'll leave after 6 hours if the fishing is tough. I never used to do that in the past and would force myself to fish at least 8 hours. One thing that I've realized as I've gotten older is that I'm exhausted after a hard 10-hour day in the boat and the only time I go on back-to-back days is when I'm on a fishing trip. And it's not just the fishing but it's the waking up early, launching/retrieving the boat, wiping down and cleaning the boat, and a minimum of 1.5 hours of driving. And if it's a day where I don't want to fall asleep by 8 PM, I'll make sure to get home by 3 so I can take a little nap. When I was in my 20s I'd be on the water at daylight, fish till the later afternoon, and still go out that evening. Not anymore! But to answer your question, no I don't fish as much as you. My preferred amount would be every other day or probably every third day. Like someone mentioned, I too have other hobbies (mountain biking primarily) that I like to spend time doing.

Yes. I left my boat at the marine shop on a Sunday afternoon since they would work on it Monday and I couldn't get it there on Monday due to work. I took a walk around the lot just to see what type of boats were unlocked. There was a nice Phoenix and Ranger 620 with no lock. I know it is in a rural place with low crime but still.

I'm surprised this is the first time I've heard of this type of boat theft occurring. At a very prominent marine shop by me, most anglers don't put a lock on their boat when leaving it in the front. Last year, I left my boat there on a Sunday and they told me most don't put a lock on the hitch. I couldn't believe it but there were several 50K+ bassboats unlocked. I locked mine. Should of left it unlocked with a sign saying "steal me." (I have good insurance! lol)

KVD Ray Scott Bill Dance- the show I watched the most when I was younger. Mark Zona- He's probably had the most influence on me the last 10 years with all his videos many of which specializing on northern water tactics. Roland Martin and Linder came to mind for me as well.

Not to be snarky but if the lake is mostly filled with 10" spotted bass, why do you want to go there? I could understand if the fishing was good. And to address the cost, I spent $200 on a yearly marina pass for Lake Michigan last year. I didn't renew this year but I paid $25 to launch today. The majority of the lakes/rivers in Illinois have a free public launch. I limit myself to Lake Michigan only once a week but a big chunk of my fishing days has wind and waves on Lake Michigan that make me go elsewhere.

I don't feel I really have the luxury of deciding. The fishing pressure is so intense in my area that using finesse is necessary to keep me engaged. If I went out throwing a big swimbait or a 1/2 oz jig targeting big fish, I suspect I'd have a lot of days blanking. Therefore, I fish my Neds, finesse swimbaits, Nekos, and other subtle presentations. With that said, I catch enough big fish, especially smallmouth, that I don't feel I am missing out on big fish by not targeting them.

I hear what you're saying. I do not overpower fish with my braid setup. You don't do a major hookset- more a swift raise up on the rod letting the braid's no stretch bury the little hook in the bass's mouth. Plus, anything much over keeper size and you have to play the fish and let it tire itself out- at least that is what I do. I went out this week and caught multiple fish in the 3.5-4 lb range (pic for context) and I definitely did not overpower those fish. I constantly pull out drag if the fish is too close to the boat and I feel it's going to take another run. This is a must when I am smallmouth fishing and using Ned or light swimbaits. Maybe guys are more aggressive when using medium action rods and 20 lb braid but that's not me. About the only time I lose a fish is if I can't keep him from jumping. I'm headed to Northern Michigan next week so I'm sure I'll be playing fish often in this manner!

What does mono do better than braid for finesse? I agree that tying a leader is adding another knot but I'm quite knot challenged and I can tie a Alberto knot just fine. I could post a number of big carp, catfish, and lake trout that I have caught on my finesse rig with a braid and a FC leader. Never a problem with two knots on those fish. And I use 10 lb YGK G-Soul which is a sinking braid with a 2 lb diameter. Not sure, what mono you are using but I doubt you are getting better casting distance and if you are, it would increase if you went to braid. I ran tests comparing my 10 lb YGK to 7 lb Gamma Touch and I consistently got 20%-25% greater casting distance with the braid. Plus, the braid is considerably more sensitive which is vital when dragging a little jig over rocks. I spent several seasons using straight fluorocarbon, which is more sensitive than mono, and the braid is much more sensitive. Obviously, you do very well with mono but I have no doubt that if you spent some time with a high quality braid and really dialed in the presentation, you'd come to the conclusion that the braid/leader setup is much superior than straight mono for finesse fishing.

I too would recommend a single axle trailer but I would make sure to order the largest weight-capacity axle possible. To go from a 3000 lb axle to 4000 lb or even 5000 lb is not much more money. I just had to replace my Karavan trailer due to massive corrosion but even before that I had spring and axle issues primarily because my single axle trailer's capacity was just barely above the weight of my boat. All the potholes around me definitely contributed to this as well. I will pay very close attention to the trailer of any new boat I buy in the future. I just kinda trusted that the dealer that sold me my boat would order the appropriate trailer but it was undersized for my boat (expensive lesson learned). I now have a 5000 lb single axle Trailmaster trailer which is actually more heavy duty than what Trailmaster has made for my boat in the past. So for convenience purposes I would get a single axle trailer for an 19-20' aluminum boat but would want a 4000 lb axle. Good luck.

The 24 volt is plenty and is standard on 18-19' bassboats. I have a 19' deep V boat with an 80 lb 24 volt motor and have never had an issue with running out of charge by the end of the day. And I fish plenty of TM-only lakes in which I never even start the big motor. Now, if you said you were fishing a lot of rivers with strong current I would suggest going to 36 volts to be safe but from what you described, 24 volts will do the job just fine. And it's not like you can't make the upgrade later if you find out the 24 volts is not enough (I highly doubt that will happen). Good luck and enjoy your boat.

You'll be okay. I've gone over the weight range often with a variety of rods over the years and I've never had an issue.

8.3 Deep V, bassboat layout boat. Trolling motor with all the bells and whistles One 10" HBird with GPS and SI at the helm and a Garmin 106 with Panoptix (LV32) at the bow One Talon High-end gear My kayak is an older non-pedal, non-trolling motor Wilderness Ride 105. I have a 5" Eagle graph, pulley system, and a nice elevated seat.

No, but a buddy knows him well. He always thought of him as a good guy and nearly fished some buddy Ts together. Guess the guy is a good fishermen.

Mono for topwater and flouro for cranks and jerkbaits I don't use braid for anything that has trebles.

I think this all the time myself with all the gadgets and whatnot that some cram into a kayak. I keep it simple when I kayak fish and my only electronics is a 20-year old Eagle 320 fishfinder with a tiny little 5" screen. I like the way Craig says how kayak fishing is a "connected" experience. Personally, I always lower my expectations and fish simpler when I am kayak fishing using a Ned rig probably 80% of the time. To the OP, if you are spending that much time wanting to move from spot to spot then a boat is your better option.

Does the pole keep you in place without spinning? I have 1 Talon on my boat and my boat spins with a crosswind. Thanks.

1) Tournaments! 2) Northeast winds 3) Tournaments! 4) Boat prices 5) Tournaments!