IgotWood

I used YoZuri for years on all my surf gear, before braid was around. It was a bit stiff at first, but after a few casts or so, it seemed to lose a lot of its memory. What I really liked about it was how well it held up to abrasion. I still use it as leader material.

I'm in my kayak this evening doing my thing. Went 5 for 6 on wacky senkos in PB&J, with several fish over 3lbs. I make a cast up against a standing cypress tree in 6' of water...I felt the bump, dropped the tip, and set the hook. The fish takes off like a rocket, and I quickly get her right next to my kayak. I think we may have made eye contact for a brief moment. Then she went back down and started running like a d**n tuna. She made a very hard and fast run, not like any other bass I've caught. My drag went completely slack, and my spool was spinning freely creating a disgusting birds nest. I dropped the rod and started hand lining it. She continued to run, and the line got wrapped around my hand in the mayhem. The the line parted, and away she went. I screamed every single word in the bad-word dictionary (glad nobody else was around). I am estimating the fish around 26", and very round. I have never seen LMB that big before. It was an absolute stud of a fish. I have NEVER bought cheap gear before, but now that I have kids to feed, I have no choice but to buy inexpensive gear. That was definitely the last cheap piece of gear I ever buy. It was a Daiwa Revos 2500....now it's an ornament on the bottom of the reservoir.

I'm inclined to believe they were small bluegill. I can probably count of one hand how many fish I missed on a wacky senko. However, I have had times when I could feel my worm being raped, and have come up empty. This happened a few times, and then I looked closely at the bait to notice it was getting chewed up by something small and toothy. Even if you're fishing with an outfit less than ideal for this technique, you would still be hooking some bass, because often times they hook themselves when they pick it up an run away with it. Maybe try speeding up your retrieve, and using a weighted wacky hook. If the bait is moving a bit quicker, it may help to keep the bluegill off of it, and also help trigger a more aggressive reaction if any bass are around.

When I fished with mono, I changed my line several times throughout the year. The UV sunlight breaks down the material. I'm sure it doesn't happen very fast...but since it is so cheap to buy, I would replace it as is wore, it seemed to become even more stiff, and brittle.

That's a nice day of fishing! I am a wacky rigger too. I may just get rid of all my gear and invest the money into Senkos and wacky hooks

I have been using Super Slick on my saltwater surf gear for a few years now, and haven't looked back. I have heard many mixed opinions on it, but I love it. The majority of my experience is in the salt, fishing in gnarly boulder fields for striped bass. It seems to hold up well to abrasion in my opinion. It casts better than any braid I have ever fished. And it is super sensitive. I will admit, it is a bit discomforting when I cut the tag end of a knot, and see the it fraying away...however, I have never had a knot break. I have also been using all season this year on my LMB gear...no issues at all. When you cast, be sure to manually close your bail by hand, and pull the line tight onto the roller before beginning your retrieve. This should eliminate any issues with knot you may be having.

I have had my 60lb boga (a tad overkill for LMB fishing...) for 8 years now, and it looks and functions as if it were brand new. I used to hang it from my belt while wetsuiting in the surf. No rust at all. Just rinse it off, and spray some WD40 on it every once in a while. You can even send them in to be IGFA certified. I have to admit, it does look a bit funny hanging a 4-5lb fish from it. I am thinking of selling it and buying a 15lb boga, however, I'm not sure how wide the jaws open on it.

Wow, the Dobyns is very appealing. I think I'll go with that, or the St Croix. As for the reel, I am looking at a Lews. I've heard a hundred people recommend the Curado, but it kinda feels like a fragile toy in my hand. What do you ya think of Lews?

Depending on your lake's conditions, you can rig the bait on a jighead and make a cut in the bait from its back, through the belly. I'f you've never seen or heard of this, it may be difficult to understand without actually seeing it. With a razor blade, or very sharp knife, make a cut in the bait about a half inch long, near where the hook will come out of the baits back. This cut should go right the the belly of the bait too. You will rig the bait onto the jig head and the hook should be hanging out of its back. The jig head, and the head of the bait is the only thing securing the bait, but that's a good thing! This allows the bait to move around the hook a little bit when you're fighting a fish, thus keeping the bait intact for dozen of fish. I have done this for years while striped bass fishing throughout the winters and springs in New England. I have caught more than a dozen fish on one single bait before. You can do this with just about any bait. I am trying to figure out a way to do this on a swimbait/worm hook. Good luck!

$200-400 for rod and reel. I own over a dozen Lamiglas, but they are all salt rods. Anyone use their casting rods?

In the market for a casting rod. I have never fished one before (I'm new to bass fishing), but I think it's time. What rod are you guys using for jigging? Is a jigging rod too heavy for spinner baits? Thanks!

Patterns change over time. Often, there is no explanation. Over the past few years, winter has been reaching parts of the country where it normally does not, winter and summer keep showing up later, and lasting later too. This could have something to do with it. Most of the trends that I've known my whole life have changed over the past 5 years or so. Many of which do not make any sense.

I saw this! Very cool vid! I understand how is falls into the gimmick category. I feel the same way about it. I turned my cheek to it the first time I had seen it in the store. But I have been fishing the sh** out of all kinds of different frogs, and can hardly even get a follow. I see plenty of fish in the froggy areas, and also plenty of sunfish. The other day, I witnessed several bass, BIG bass, attacking sunfish in the shallows. I've got to try it. I too noticed that the top looks great, and is well detailed, while the bottom is rather featureless, and has that big ugly weight. I you get a chance, take a look at an aquarium. When you look up at the surface from below, you can see that it is very reflective. Just as well can see our reflection on the top of the water, the fish can see a reflection under the surface as well. I feel that the color can make a big difference. We think they can't see it, but they definitely can. Every time you twitch it, and the bait dips slightly underwater fro a split second, it is reflecting its colors up to the surface, and making it visible below. If I can find a good video to demonstrate, I'll go ahead and post it.

I am looking into trying these out. There are so many color choices, that I don't know which to pick. I catch well on this lake with other baits in pumpkin/chartreuse. How would you determine what color to go with?

I'm in Yorktown, a couple hours from Gaston. Plenty of vegetation on this reservoir. The water does get warm here. It is commonly in the 90's on many days. Perhaps the fish stay in the deep and only go shallow and into the mats after dark. That's my guess.

Good post. I am a newb, so posts like this are very valuable to me. With that said, and please pardon my ignorance, what is a Rage Rig? Also, what size hook is preferred for rigging this bait?

Had a very fun evening on the reservoir right near my house. I picked up well over a dozen fish, mostly 14-16". One fished taped out at 20", and fat! What a fish! All fish came on a green/chartreuse wacky Senko (surprise surprise). I spent the last hour before dark frogging. I don't know what my problem is, but I can't seem to buy a fish on a frog. I've read many articles, and have tried several different frogs, rigs, and retrieves. I know there are frogs in there because I see and hear them all the time. I think the bass on this reservoir are racist against frogs. Any help?

Nice flyrod smallie! Check your inbox...

I can't seem to buy a fish on a frog. Nice work! When fishing on top, it's important to wait until you FEEL the line come tight, then set the hook. I certainly lack experience in the frog department, but I do have extensive experience in the spooking field. It took a long time to break the habit of setting the hook on the visual strike. But once I did, my hook-up ratio dramatically increased.

Thanks! Yeah, I snapped this one quick. Then I took one of the fish lying across my lap, which looked much better, but my phone was full, and it didn't save

I recently moved to Yorktown, Virginia, and have been kayak fishing the reservoir down the road from my house, and have been averaging between 5-10 fish per trip, most fish between 14-18". I fished yesterday for a couple of hours, and couldn't conjure up a bite. I was getting ready to pack it in when I finally got a tug. She taped out at 20", and fat. No scale onboard, and my phone was full, so this is the only pic I could get. She was way bigger in person (fishing story...lol). She ate a 4" senko green Pumpkin over chartruse (an odd color that I have never caught on). She towed me around a bit in the kayak too! Great way to close out a slow day! (Sorry...can't figure out how to rotate photos. Computer illiterate)

This is interesting. I prefer to use o-rings on my wacky rigs. Can you still get the right action on the Neko rig if an o-ring is used?

I do a lot of kayak fishing. I have seen many anglers hit the water with enough gear to stock a tackle shop. I too carried way more than necessary. It gets in the way, and it drags your boat down, making you work twice as hard to paddle. For me, there are two things I do to minimize my gear effectively.... 1. Try different style/techniques from your kayak, and figure out which ones are most comfortable and effective from your yak. Certain techniques that I use from shore or boat do not quite translate to kayak fishing, for me personally. 2. Know your water! Now that you know how you can/can't fish from your kayak, bring what you know works on that particular body of water. For example, a lake that I fish often and know pretty well, I know that it is shallow, and that I catch most fish on wacky rigs, keel-weighted swimbaits, and the occasional chatter bait. Not to say they won't hit anything else, but based on my experience, those baits work best. I usually only carry 3 different colors of each. I know the depth, therefore I know what sizes/weights I'll want. I carry Two plano boxes that conveniently fit behind my seat, and I can easily access them without tipping, or making any noise. I have a large ziplock bag in my milk crate full of bags of extra rubber baits, and a couple of back-up tools. THAT'S IT!!! I don't have any gear in my lap, or on anywhere on the deck in front of me when I'm fishing. I know what I need to bring. I leave a little bit of room in my boxes to bring a couple of experimental baits. Oh, and I should also add that I bring NO MORE than 3 rods with me. I have to make due with what I have. That goes along with rule number one, which i talked about previously. Hope this helps. Good luck!!!

So, I went with the St Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F, and I am super happy with it so far! I paired it with a Pflluger President, and 15lb Power Pro Slick. I comfortably fished senko's, jerk baits, and a spook. Now I need more rods so don't have to keep re-rigging every time I want to fish something different. Thanks for the advice guys!

Lots of info here, and I appreciate everyone's input! Thank you! I know well that there is no ONE rod that can do it all. I understand the "technique specific gear", but just for now, it's important to me to have only two rods just so I learn how to fish certain lures/techniques, and what features I would be looking for in new rods for those lures/techniques.