IgotWood

I keep it pretty simple. Usually it’s either a 6.5” zoom trick worm, or a 5” Senko. Once in while I’ll a 7” ribbon tail worm. These baits seem to work well enough for me to not give any other baits a try.

I have to be honest, my crate is full of junk, mostly. I conveniently use it to store some tools and misc items (pliers, snips, boga, etc) when not in the kayak. When I get to the water, it all comes out and has a place on the deck. What's left in the crate is usually a few spare packs of plastic baits, a spare spool of fresh line, and a bunch of food wrappers from the previous 10 trips I made. Some day I'll organize it and use to my advantage.

Probably a school of alewives. Many CT lakes have good populations of them. I have seen this quite a few times in Saugatuck Reservoir and I’ve heard of it happening on other lakes like Candlewood, and Squantz.

Very cool looking bait, and innovative design. I don't necessarily see a spot for it on my box. I have never done well on any species using baits that look realistic. If anything, it may be decent bed bait in the spring.

I was thinking of this too, but curious whether it would make enough noise. Also wondering if the beads will hang the weeds. It’s pretty gnarly where I’m fishing. Does the plastic dampen out the sound of the rattles if they’re buried inside? And yes, I ultimately was thinking of tying some rattles to a hook and trying that. That way the rattle remain exposed for maximum noise! I am actually using this for big snakeheads. The water I’m fishing is 1-2’, 1’ viz, and super weedy (mostly hydrilla). I want this bait as a follow up when they chase a frog but won’t strike.

I need a soft plastic jerk bait that make me a lot of noise. Must also be very weedless. Any ideas? I am thinking about ways to rig rattles on the hook or maybe the leader, but I don’t know if the rattles will make enough noise, and I am afraid they will impede on the weedless characteristics of a soft plastic jerk bait. Looking for suggestion. Thanks.

I fish a lake very similar, except my lake is loaded with standing cypress, which makes it easy to find structure. However, during the late and early seasons, the fish don't always seem to relate to the trees as often. When they're not on the trees, I have the same trouble you have. The grass is so thick that there are few baits I can fish without pulling up 10lb of salad on every cast. when the fish are roaming around in the grass, I like to look for holes and openings in the grass. Not necessarily openings in grass mats. I look for openings that reach the bottom, and of course the weed edges, which there are few of. Fish very light, plastics unweighted, or with 1/8oz weight. This of course dictates your speed, which will likely be pretty slow. I am an impatient man, so this style of fishing drives me crazy. but once in while I get dialed in with this technique and have had plenty of good days doing it. Don't be afraid to simply drop a big unweighted ribbontail worm in these openings either. I can even get away with fishing very light jigs in the grass too, like 1/4oz. The jigs, can usually be fished a tad faster, which may help you deal with the boredom. If you try a jig, use a beefy trailer to slow the fall even more. You don't really want your jig to be able to sink into the weeds. Another good bait which I forgot to mention is a fluke. Early morning, and at dusk, try fishing an unweighted fluke or rig one on an 1/8oz keel weighted hook. You can fish these as fast as you want. You can even let it sink into the grass and then rip it out, and hold on.

First light with a big ribbon tail worm would be my approach. I deal with this on my local lake. I like to get there early, when it's still dark. Locate the fish, get into position and throw a 10'-12" t-rigged worm with a very light, 1/8-1/4oz. Let it fall, and let it sit for a good 10 seconds. Lift the rod tip up to 12 o'clock, and let it fall again, wait, repeat. It's slow and boring, but man, I've caught a LOT of fish, and big fish doing this. On my lake, this bite is good about an hour before sunrise to about an hour after sunrise. This is a good technique for me when daytime temps are peaking over 90 degrees. Usually in July and August. Give it a try!

While trout fishing, I've caught hundreds of smallmouth, and big ones to, up to 4lbs on mayflies. Sometimes the bass will target forage fish that are feeding on the flies in deeper, open water. When a fish rises to the surface to take a fly, the fish is left very vulnerable. The further that fish moves from cover to chase that fly, the longer and more vulnerable it becomes. I think bass key in on these fish more than the ones that are keeping close to a bush or and overhang near the bank.

^^^This^^^ Also, I'd be throwing something on the surface here too. I tend to prefer quiet baits in the dark. Like a mouse, maybe a wake bait, or a weightless t-rigged fluke or sluggo, etc. You've got to read the water. If it's only 2' deep, the fish can be anywhere. Scout it out during the day. Look for current seams, eddies, and any object that creates turbulence in the water. Night fishing can be a ton of fun. It just takes some getting used to. Don't be surprised to catch fish in some unexpected places. Most fish species behave completely different under the cover of darkness.

1. Never fish any kind of north wind, except during winter. 2. Fish every piece of wood you see sticking out of the water. 3. Leave your crankbaits at home, except January and February. 4. The only topwater bait is a whopper plopper. 5. MOST IMPORTANT: Keep a minimum of 100yds between you and me!

Exactly what he said...try a 4" worm. I keep it very simple with colors, but maybe try something different. f you're fishing with green, try a black one, or maybe junebug. Also, try different rigging. I always did well wacky rigging them. But for some reason they will only eat it if it's texas rigged this season on my local lake. Makes no sense, but it's working.

A worm of some sort is always on one of my rods...ALWAYS. If I can't get bit on anything else, usually a worm will get a bite. However, July and August on my local lake, for some reason, a big 12"-14" worm with an 1/8oz bullet weight just before daybreak....MAGIC!!!!!

Pretty cool. We'll see how it performs and how it holds up. I'm interested in seeing what the price will be.

From my experience, one to three days prior to, and if conditions allow, the day of the storm fish best (until the storm actually hits). Sometimes the pressure drop leading up to a big storm can occur over several days. You may see a drop in pressure, and then it levels out for the day. Then the next day it may drop again, and so on... Those couple of days can be pretty epic. Post-storm fishing is usually tough though. Typically high, dirty water, and usually water temps have cooled considerably, in addition to high pressure and a cold front. But the nice thing is that you will probably have the whole lake to yourself. Like you, I fish when I can, not always when I should. I've beat the water to death more than I'd like to admit while fishing post-storm conditions. It's still nice to get out, but it can also sharpen your skills. You start finding fish in funny places, and sometimes catching fish on baits you don't normally fish, which helps build confidence in those baits. Like I said, this is my experience. I'm sure someone will chime in with some legitimate scientific facts.

Dude I car-topped a Hobie Outback with only foam blocks...no rack. And my buddy did the same thing with an Hobie Pro Angler. It's really not a big deal. Just don't drive like a jerk. Once you car-top it a few times, you figure it out and it becomes easy. To answer your questions, typically length equals speed, and beam equals stability. Nowadays, we really only shop kayaks specifically designed for fishing, and most boats today are pretty well balanced in speed and stability. Yes, 3-4 inches beam can make a huge difference! Try a few kayaks out, if you can. If you can afford a Hobie, the Outback or Pro Angler would suit your needs well, although there are plenty of other yaks out there that will fit you. NuCanoes are awesome for bigger guys. They paddle well, and they are super stable, and you can buy the pedal drive for it too. As far as rigging and accessories...I wouldn't rig anything on your brand new boat. Take it out fishing a few times. It won't take long at all for you to say to yourself, "man, i wish had a rod holder, sonar, strap, etc". You'll learn quickly what accessories you'd like to have, and where you will want to install them.

I bought a couple of them. They aren't quite what I had expected. They cast well. They swim head up with the tail in the water. It doesn't really make any noise like a whopper plopper of a Sprinker frog. For the money, I'd rather buy a few packs of swimbaits and hooks. Just my opinion...

I have to admit, growing up in New England I fished saltwater my entire life. My father and I always clowned on bass fishing saying it was easy, and that it required no skill. Additionally, bass fishing just simply is not as popular in New England as it is in other parts of the country.

When you feel the tap, reel down to the water and as the line gets tight, make a good hard hook-set. I find that larger bass often give a tap, and normally smaller bass tend to pick up the bait and swim off with it, notifying you right away that you've got a fish on. This is all in regard to fishing non-moving baits btw...

Conviction Craw by Power Team Lures. It's 4.5" and very bulky, has big claws which have a lot of movement. They come in lots of colors. I do very well with this bait throughout the spring. I rig it on a 5/0 flipping hook (or maybe a 6/0) and a pegged weight. Deadly bait for pitching around stumps and wood.

I've do better with other worms, but if I specifically wanted a salted worm, I'd go with Don Iovino Curly Snake worms. I believe they are 9". They have a rather thin profile in contrast with most other baits, which I prefer for fishing the grass. They move like hell, and they are super salty. They are quite durable too. I do well with this bait.

If you're already in a kayak, I'd spend a small amount of money to make a few modifications to it, ie; rod holder, and maybe a paddle holder, etc. Use it for the season, or at least for a few trips. Get used to what you have. By the end of the season, you will know exactly what you're looking for in a kayak which will help you make a selection for a new fishing kayak. Darren made some great suggestions. I keep my paddle in my lap while fishing, landing fish, etc. I even lay my rod in between my legs while paddling around. Like I said, fish out of what you have for while, and you will figure out what you'd LIKE to have in a future kayak. Check out the Kayak Bass Fishing group on Facebook. There are tons of threads on kayaks, mods, and plenty of people to get good advice from.

Jerk baits, chatter baits, spinner baits, swim baits....I guess moving baits in general are my nemesis. I guess it doesn't help that the two lakes I frequent the most are nearly unfishable due to grass from March to January. But on the rare occasion I fish somewhere else, I have a hard time sticking with these baits because of my lack of confidence in them. Oh, and FROGS!!! Everyone I know can slay fish on frogs. I've spent entire fishing trips chucking frogs, forcing myself not to try anything else. I've had only two takes on a frog, ever. However, this year I took my first frog fish, and had a couple of bites. So maybe I am finally breaking the curse.

Had a day about two months ago fishing standing cypress. My two buddies were throwing a blk/blue t-rigged senko and letting it fall right next to the trees. They must have hooked a fish on d**n near every tree they fished. I had the same exact setup, except mine was rigged wacky and I never had a bite. I finally gave in when it was getting dark and went to the t-rig and caught fish immediately. It was a painful lesson learned.

You’re right. You can use the paddle. But you’ve got to lift the rudder out of the water. Not a big deal. It’s just a pull cord in the cockpit that operates the rudder. You don’t HAVE TO lift the rudder, but from my experience, it really hinders the ability to turn the boat quickly and easily with the paddle. If you’ve already been fishing out of a paddle kayak, switching to a bed all kayak just takes some practice getting used to.