Ohio Yakker

True. I'm definitely going to try and go out at night some more this year. Even if the fish aren't big, which hopefully they will be, it is still pretty cool to be out on the water with a full moon by yourself. Peaceful.

I love horny toads. You can fish them in many different ways and they have a great hook up ratio. I've caught some of my biggest fish on them. Congrats on the topwater bite! I haven't thrown any topwater this year yet, but I will soon, I can't wait.

Has anyone been out on East Harbor or near there? The beginning of May is one of the only times both me and my dad can get off work at the same time, so the last few years we've gone camping at East Harbor State Park. The largemouth fishing has been great in recent years. I was wondering what the conditions are now. The water temp on some inland lakes that I fish has been near 60, but I know the air temperature has been 10-20 degrees cooler by Lake Erie, so I'm guessing the water isn't quite as warm. We will be bank fishing and kayak fishing in the harbor. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

I have had an opposite experience to what you guys are saying. I have only fished at night a few times, but when I have I have my numbers have gone up, but all I catch are dinks. I don't think I've caught a fish over 1 pound at night, but during the daylight on the same lake I catch 2-3 pounders on average, with the occasional dink.

The only experience I have had with sleeping bass, or at least I assume they were sleeping, was at a campground I used to go to. The bass would get right up next to the concrete piers at the marina and we would shine a flash light on them and after a few moments they would swim off. I've never seen one on it's side though, they were always upright.

You could also try a 1/4 ounce lipless. This would slow the fall and make it easier to control the depth and still have an effective retrieve

I think most of the pro's success comes from experience and dedication. Most of them fish 300+ days a year and have been doing so for many years. They have learned what techniques work in certain situations, and can make a decision on what lure/presentation to use quickly. There are no guarantees in fishing, since you are trying to get a living creature to bite a hook, so yes some luck is probably involved.

I would for sure get some senko type baits and some craw type baits. Wacky rig the senkos and texas rig the craws and pitch those into cover off the bank. Before I got my kayak I bank fished and caught a majority of my fish with those two presentations.

Before you buy a kayak ask if you can test it. If it is from a dealer see if they have a demo day that you can actually get you on the water with it. If it is a private seller ask if there are any lakes/ponds nearby to test it out. Keep researching and looking, there are plenty of kayaks out there for a good price, especially if you find one on sale.

My advice would be to not buy any accessories until you know what you want. Spend some time on the water with it and you'll get a good idea of what you want to add. Everyone has different wants for there kayak, making them all unique. For me, I think the most important thing about kayak fishing, besides safety, is organization. You are limited by the amount of storage you have, compared to a boat, so you'll have to be efficient with it. Kayak fishing is a blast. Good luck!

First off, that is a fantastic drawing, and looks like a terrific product if I was going adventuring/hiking. As far as improvements, instead of going over a belt, I would consider more of a clip that could fit over and be secured to any style of pants, or maybe have the belt be built in to it so it could be worn with anything. As others have said I would add a place to hold pliers/line cutter. And with many hard lures having long plastic lips on them, I would increase the size of the holders. With a product this small, I think it will be very difficult to fit everyone's wants because there are so many options and opinions and not a lot of room to include them all. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons and try to create the best you can, to accommodate as many anglers as you can.

Another factor that keeps me away from the expensive lures is that I fish in lakes with just as many pike as there are bass, so there is always a chance that one of those razor sharp teeth will cut the line and take my $20 lure with it. Thanks everyone for the input.

One example would be crankbaits. I fish mostly Strike King and Storm wiggle warts, which are typically $4-$6, but I have bought a few more expensive cranks like Livetarget bait balls and Livingston's. I have not noticed a difference in the number or size of fish I catch when comparing them. I don't have a lot of experience with swimbaits. I only own one and have only used it for a little bit. it was under $10, but I might try some more expensive ones since you guys are saying that there is quite a difference with them.

This topic could have been discussed before but I did some searching and couldn't find it. Do you guys think that the high end, expensive lures are worth it? I'm not so sure that they are. I feel like sometimes the pretty paint jobs and details are better at hooking the fisherman than they are the actual fish. I have bought my fair share of top of the line lures, and in my experiences I have had no better success. I think that some of this could be due to my confidence with the lower end lures, because that is what I have used most of my life, and have caught tons of fish on, so I am more confident in throwing them. Let me know your thoughts please.

My "that friend" never blames himself for losing a fish. If he gets a bite and misses the hook set, he'll blame the rod or the lure. I get sometimes you can have a dull hook, (but even then that is the anglers fault for not sharpening it) or the hook can bend out, but with him it is every time. Or he'll claim that the fish was so big it broke him off, instead of the fact that the was just trying to horse it in and the line snapped, or that it just came untied. He is full of excuses when it comes to fishing. But I can deal with it because he is one of my bestfriends and he is the person that got me into fishing several years ago.

I don't know specifics about what each type of weed is called, but I have an understanding of the weeds of the lakes I fish as to what is typically the most productive. One strategy I use when fishing weeds/grass is that I target areas where 2 different types of vegetation meet, for example where lilly pads meet with submerged grass. I also try to target holes and pockets in weeds as well as fishing the edge of the weed bed. The weeds act as cover for the bass and allows them to ambush prey that is on the edge or in the pocket.

I have and use the field and stream sit in kayak, the eagle run 12. I have had it for about 3 years and, although I like it, I wish I would have gotten the SOT. When I bought mine the Sit in was $100 cheaper which was the deciding factor, but I think they are the same price now. It is not the most stable kayak by any means but I have had it on Lake Erie and I felt perfectly safe. I just think a SOT style is more suited for fishing and can give you more mounting options for accessories. And neither of those kayaks will fit a typical milk/kayak crate in the back, so you will have to find another way of storing tackle and gear, or do some modifications. Overall it has been a great kayak for me, but I do plan on upgrading soon. If you can get either of them on sale then it will be a great value.

I had a similar experience like this last weekend. I was fishing a chatterbait and had hooked a pike, which ended up cutting the line. The fish jumped and flopped several times right after and then I saw the lure go into the air. Although I lost my lure, I was at least glad that the fish should be okay. So yes, it is possible, and likely that the bass you lost is going to be able to shake the hooks. I have also heard that hooks are made to rust out fairly quickly, but I'm not sure how fast that happens. I'm assuming that is more a salt water thing.

Well my kayak, only being $350, isn't the best for fishing. It is a sit inside with 2 flush mount holders and I added a Ram mount up front. And the back storage area isn't big enough to fit a milk crate or kayak crate. And buying more rods isn't a very good option for me because being a college student there isn't a whole lot in the budget for new fishing tackle (although I like to think there is). I'll just need to get quicker at tying knots, and be more patient. Thanks for all the feedback.

I have heard mixed opinions about using snap swivels. I personally use them a lot, mostly because I fish out of a kayak and only use 2-3 rods, so it makes it a lot easier to change lures quickly on the water. As far as i can tell my lures have the same presentation as if they are just tied on. What are some of your thoughts, opinions, or experiences with snap swivels? Are there certain disadvantages that I'm missing? Thank you in advance

If it is light enough I would recommend using foam blocks and ratchet straps and putting on top. And if you need a point to connect the strap to on the van, they make a piece that is rubber with a heavy duty nylon loop on it. You put the rubber piece under your hood and the strap hangs out and then is used to hook onto the end of a ratchet strap. Hopefully that explanation makes sense. I have two of them and used to put one on each side of the hood. I don't use them anymore because I just strap it down to my cars roof rack, but these would help if you don't have a rack.

Another option that I have had success with is using a weighted swimbait hook. I think this gives the bait a slightly different action when it is falling, and also helps keep it balanced and in a more upright position when texas rigging a craw type bait.

Part of my thinking is that bass are ambush predators, so if they're in the open and not on beds that they are probably not in an eating mood. But it's so hard not to try and catch them! But thank you all for the feedback. I'll try and keep my distance a little better and maybe try going later at night.

One of the lakes that I frequently fish is very clear. Water clarity is roughly 15'-20'. I was there last weekend and the water temp was in the upper 50's. I caught 3 fish, 2 on a chatterbait in about 5' of water, and the other on a shakey head in about 10' while sight fishing. But I saw dozens more just "roaming". Any tips on how to get more roaming fish to bite? My initial thought was to use a wacky rigged senko and the shakey head and cast in the direction the fish were moving, but when I only got one bite doing that I made the switch to the chatterbait. Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.