IgotWood

Hmmm...that’s certainly a new perspective. As I began to read the thread, I thought to myself that is was a silly topic. But then I thought about it for a minute....

This ^^^ when looking for shore features, look for points. Even slight points still extends into the water. I took this screenshot off of google maps. You don’t necessarily need a topo map. On this particular lake, I know the water generally moves from north to south (top to bottom in the pic). So I find the deeper water on the south side of these points. This is generally the side of the point where the fish hold. On a really calm day, take some time to paddle the lake and look for vegetation. If you’ve found vegetation, you’ve found an area that will likely hold fish. Most importantly, leave to read the water and pay close attention to the banks. If the bank is rocky, muddy, hard sand, you can guess what the bottom is under the water.

I had one and I hated it. The only thing I liked was the stability. It was super heavy, slow in the water, it doesn’t track straight at all (not even a little bit), it acts like a sail in the wind. You get blown around very easily. And it was poorly made. The deck is very spongy when you stand up on it, and it doesn’t drain well at all. If you’re out in some chop, the water will continue to collect on the deck until you tip it over to empty it out. If if I were gonna spend $800 on a new kayak, I would save another $200 and buy a NuCanoe Flint. It’s super light, comes with four built in rod holders, gear tracks everywhere so you don’t have to drill hole for accessories, it’s just as fast as all the other boats, it track straight as an arrow, and you can’t tip it. You can walk all over the Flint and it won’t tip. The deck is flat and wide open and drain very well, and the seat is very comfortable. Im not sponsored by them. I just happened to buy one this year and I love it. It performs like a $2k kayak for half the price. I don’t mean to take the excitement out of your potential purchase. I’m just giving my honest advice. There are dozens of boats out there for the same kind of money that will perform way better than the Ascend. Shop on Craigslist. There are always a bunch of really good kayaks for sale, and for good prices too. Whatever boat you choose, good luck with it!

Regardless of temps and weather, I think fish are getting into that transitional period based on sunrise and sunset. I would think this is happening just about everywhere now. As said previously, maybe try a different area. Maybe they are beginning to stage somewhere else. Or maybe try a different time of night, like early morning before daybreak maybe.

Well darn. I sure do appreciate all the feedback. I’m not really excited to open the reel up. One of the guys here suggested someone close by who fixes them. I’ll probabky take it to him.

I used the 15lb and 20lb on my saltwater gear for years! I seemed to hold up better in the boulders than other lines, and it tied nicely too. It was somewhat stiff, but not too stiff, which is what I liked. I never really noticed line twist with it. However, I was changing my line out for fresh line every 3-4 weeks.

I have a Lews Speed Spool Pro G about three years old. I've put plenty of hours on this reel, but I've also maintained it well. Anyhow, I set the hook on a big fish the other day and the drag slipped and made a horrible grinding sound. While fighting the fish, it seemed the reel had almost no drag at all. Once the ordeal was over I checked the drag setting. It was tight. I tried to pull some line off the reel by hand, and it felt like the drag was set properly. Set the hook on another fish and the same thing happened. The reel seems to function as it should, except on the hook-set. Can I fix this? Or should I use it as a paperweight?

Try the Stanley Top Toad! It's soft plastic, but hollow-bodied and rigged on a screwlock, and double hook. The frog comes right off the hook when you hook up so it doesn't take much damage. Really good hook-up ratio with it too!

The zman big TRD is pretty nice on the neko. I also like a Senko on the neko rig. I use the Big Bite Bait Salt Trick Stick. I think you can buy a pack of 30 for around $10. They have some really good colors too. They don’t hold up any better, but they are a heck of a lot cheaper and work just as good as a Senko.

Same here! September is just awful on my local water. A couple bites here and there, but it never seems to be worth the effort. October and November can be good. It's spotty, but if you hit a good day, it's good! By the middle of November I focus my efforts on fishing shallow (2'-4') cover, usually trees and laydowns. The fish seem to cling to the cover this time of year, but they will often hit a jig or a senko, but not too eager to chase a moving bait. This is pretty is pretty much the pattern until March.

This may sound crazy, but I think there is something about the sound that the WP generates that the fish are more interested. For example, on my local lake I've spent a good amount of time fishing the 110 and 130 and have only caught 2 or 3 bass on them. But throw a WP 90 right behind the 110/130 and I immediately start smokin' em! I don't think it's the size because I catch plenty of fish on baits bigger than the 90. Go to a creek not far from my lake, and the 110 is the ticket. I have to believe that it's the sound more than it is the size. As for a beginner topwater lure...go for it! It's so easy to fish. Cast and retrieve. Keep your rod tip high and the fish set the hook themselves.

They all work, but my favorite frog is the Stanley Top Toad. It's a hollow-body, soft plastic frog. You get two baits in a pack for $7-8. The bait is attached to a screw lock keeper, so it falls off the hook on the strike which saves the bait. They don't get torn up very easily. And the come through the nasty stuff better than any other frog I've fished. They cast like bombs, and a very good hook-up ratio too. As mentioned previously; black, white are the only colors I use. Not much need for any others.

Well you’re catching their attention with the swim jig. Certainly there are tons of other baits too. But for starters, if I’m getting follows but the fish won’t bite, change something about your retrieve when you notice a fish is following. If you see a fish following, try moving your rod tip to the other side of your body to make a slight change in direction of your retirieve. You can also try to stop your retrieve for a second or two, or begin to retrieve really fast. And perhaps a few twitchs on your rod tip may also do the trick. These tips don’t always work, but sometimes they do. Good luck!

Let’s talk about honey holes. My definition of a honey hole is an area that consistently holds fish. Not just one fish, but several, if not many. They are a reliable spot to bail myself out of a bad day. However, I have different honey holes for different times of the year and certain conditions (wind, weather, etc). I can give you one of my current honey holes right now, but if you go dragging a moving bait through it, you very likely won’t ever get bit. If a spot holds fish, it’s important to know why they’re holding there. This helps you determine how and what to present to them. And your 3’-4’ viz with shades on is normal. You’re not going to see a bass very easily. They know you’re there before you can detect them. Not to mention they are pretty well camouflaged. I don’t often see fish through the water, and typically when I do, I’ve already gotten too close and spooked them. Paddle through an area. If you see fish, keep padding and come back in an hour and position yourself to fish to them from a distance in which you will not spook them.

The best thing you can do if take it out on the water as is a few times. Get used to the boat and your gear. You will very quickly start to think of things you wish your boat had, or different gear you wish you had for you kayak. Experience will tell you exactly what you need, and don't need. And welcome to kayak fishing. It's fun and addictive!

That commercial account with Hareline is money! I have been considering starting a small tying business, but it's hard to justify it. It's so difficult to make money in it. That idea with the poison tails is ringing a bell with me! Those are basically stand-up jig heads on a wide gap hook, right?

Great info Bdnoble! Thanks! Noted about the length of bucktail. I’ll probably be using more Arctic Fox, which is pretty short. I’ll have to fit my intended trailer on and take a mental measurement of length before tying. I plan to tie most of these in 1/4-3/8oz. I plan on tying some traditional fitness hairjigs too, but this particular inquiry is basically experimental. I tie trout flies mostly, but there aren’t any trout within 200 miles of where I live. Lol! I love to tie, but I tie a bunch of stuff and give it all away. Trying to find a way to make it purposeful to me again. However, I have ZERO interest in bass on the fly rod.

As mentioned before, peg your weight. And also fish slow. Very slow. When you feel you bait making contact with the structure, lift your rod slowly so that the bait does not hang up. If it get stuck, gently shake it until it comes free. Hold on tight cuz this is when the fish usually bites it. When i fish heavy wood, I prefer to use slightly heavier gear; 20-25lbs leader, and a heavy flipping hook. I also like to use a certain brand; Power Team Lures (completely unnecessary, but it works for me). The material they pour their baits is a little stiffer than most which keep the hook point from exposing itself so easily when it bumps some structure. The flipping hook and pegged weight I think are the key to minimizing hang ups. You will lose rigs. There is no way to fish wood without losing a couple of rigs here and there.

Thanks Tom. Great ideas. However, the weed guard is a must. My water is clogged with grass and tons of wood. My thought is to tie normal flipping/pitching jigs with hair/feathers, rather than a rubber skirt. I still want to put a trailer on them. I figured Since I like to tie flies, but hate bass fishing with the fly rod, it would be fun to tie some jigs. Plus it’s something a little different that the fish have probably never seen.

I collected custom striper plugs for years. Most of them weren’t really collectibles per say. I guess you could say I stock piled lures. Most of them were built in small batches and were tough to get, but I used them a lot, so I wanted to have plenty of back-ups. I moved south a few a few years ago and took up bass fishing. I sold most of my striper gear to raise money for bass gear. I’m also in the military and I move a lot. It’s tough to drag around all that gear when I don’t use it. I did keep keep a few special plugs that are legitimate collectibles. Someday I will put them in a shadow box and display them in the house.

I wear a pair of Astral’s which I got on clearance for about $50. They’re great. Another great option are Simms. There are plenty of them on eBay for closeout prices around $50. I had a pair that lasted a few years and were very comfortable. Search “Simms boat shoes”.

Years ago before I switched to braid, I’d change the mono on my reels about once per month. I kept bulk spools in my basement that lasted for a couple of years. One of the the major reasons for switching to braid was to avoid changing my line so often. Now I change it every two years. If I still fished with mono, I would still be changing it often. It just seems to stiffen up a bit from general use over time.

I am considering tying some hair jigs for the winter. Not the typical ultra-light hair jigs that many of us fish in the winter, but traditional 3/8to 1/2oz jigs with hair rather than rubber skirts. My question is can I put the weed guards in after I tie the jig? I was thinking about pouring the jig heads without the weed guard and then drilling out a space for the weed guard after the jig is tied. Perhaps I can put the weed guard in and then fill the hole with epoxy...? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Anybody ever run a river on a Hobie? I want to fish a local river in my Outback, but I don't know how it will handle. This river is pretty flat for the most part, but there are a few sections of class l and ll rapids. Obviously I wouldn't be bringing the drive with me. Anybody?

Heck yes they will. And I’d also be willing to bet that there are some craws in your lake. Craws exist in nearly all freshwater bodies of water along the east coast. You may not have seen them, and you may not notice any evidence of them, but if you look hard enough, you will probably be able to determine for sure. Throw a trap in the water for a couple hours at night and see what happens. Read up a bit on some of the most common species in your area and learn about their habitat and behavior. It may help you narrow down where and how to look for them on your lake.