IgotWood

Jeez...you kinda got me wanting to go now too. Maybe Sunday.

Reading the water on rivers is so important, in my opinion. This may sound silly, but check out some YouTube fly fishing videos about reading water. Your river may not run like a trout stream, but they are fundamentally the same. I say this because the river features you will see in the vids are more obvious and noticeable and you can easily see their affect in the vids. This will help you rule out lots of unproductive water. If you’re fishing tidal currents, it gets a bit more tricky. You’re still looking for the same features, but now you have to also deal with fish that likely or potentially migrate with each tide. You may fish a spot and do well at high tide, then come back at low and you can hardly notice a difference, but the fish just aren’t there. Read the the water and fish the high potential areas. Move around a lot. Insect hatched and other natural occurrences happen in different parts of the river at different times of day, and different parts of seasons. These hatches feed the bait, who in turn, feed the bass. Some of these insects and even craws will migrate at certain times throughout the year. Stick with only only a few baits. Move around a lot. Try fishing at all different water heights until you nail down a pattern. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

The real danger with heat injuries is that the victim usually doesn’t sense the signs/symptoms. If/when they do, it’s usually too late, and the victim is already incapable of helping himself. Take the precautions! Fish with a partner if you can!

Go with the longer one. The hull will paddle faster, and is more efficient. There are also more features on the longer one. I really like the hatch on the bow of the 127. You can actually store extra rods in there very easily. Sure, you'd have to stop and get out to get the rods out, but they're there if you need them. And even though the 127 is a slightly shorter beam, I couldn't tell any difference in stability between the two boats. I have demo'd both boats a few times. I really like the 127 better, and I plan on buying one before next spring. Good luck, and let us know what you decide on!

Jerkbaits?‍♂️

A close family friend quit fishing. He was a real hardcore striper fisherman. In New England, almost all of the striped bass fishing is done at night. He was the type who wouldn’t come home until daybreak 5 days a week. I guess after 30 years of this he bang to develop serious heart problems, uncontrollable blood pressure, and insomnia. One day he he sold all of his gear and he and his wife enjoyed their retirement exercising, hiking, and bike riding. He says he doesn’t miss fishing at all. He hadn’t enjoyed it much the past few years he was fishing. He just didn’t know any other way to occupy his time. About ten years later now, he is healthy as a horse and happy. Still doesn’t miss fishing one bit. He cherishes his memories, but he says he has no desire to pick up a fishing rod. God bless him. Hope it never happens to me!

I'll usually start off with a jig whenever I can. If I can't keep the weeds off my jig, I'll t-rig a bait. Or if I'm not getting bites on the jig in productive areas, I'll switch to a t-rig. A benefit to the t-rig is that you can so quickly and easily change colors, action, profiles, etc. Whereas with a jig, you will be cutting off and retying a lot if you want to make adjustments. If I get dialed in with a t-rig, I'll go back to the jig and try to match it as best I can. The jig just gets bigger bites for me. But also don't be afraid to mismatch trailer and jig skirt colors! Many guys swear by contrasting jigs and trailers. As for shakey head, I can't really shakey head fish in my area. Way too much grass.

The Gama G-Finesse weedless wacky is the best I’ve found. It’s not entirely weedless, but it’s pretty good. The old style weedless gama with the plastic weedguard that covers the hook point is garbage. I’d catch every piece of debris on the lake with it. It would get caught at the hook eye. And the weedguard failed to detach on almost every hookset, which yielded TONS of fish lost.

I find it easier to navigate in the dark without any lights. Knowing the water well helps. I use landmarks like docks, lights, houses, etc. I’d turn on the nav lights if there were other boats around, or when entering/exiting the channel. I do everything I can to avoid turning on a light because when I shut it off again, my night vision is toast for about 5-10 minutes. Even shut off the depth finder a lot of times. Also so bear in mind that a super bright light that you may be using for navigating can be blinding for other boaters on the water whether you’re shining it at them or not. If you need to use it, I’d recommended using it as little as possible.

Same here! I’ve been at it for a few years now and have had limited success with jigs. This late winter/early spring it just clicked. I think the majority of my problem was tempo and cast accuracy. I am always in a rush to hit every target and every spot on the lake. I’ve learned to slow down, read the water/structure, and positioning my kayak properly before casting at it, making accurate casts/flips, and fishing targets thoroughly. Sometimes that 4th or 5th pitch/flip in the same spot gets the bite.

A few weeks ago I was fishing my usual haunt; a small local reservoir with good viz about 5’. Typically blk/blue or greens are the ticket. This was a particularly slow day. Saw a guy off in the distance land several fish. As we passed, I noticed he was throwing a white 5” wacky senko. He caught another fish right in front of me. I asked. He says it’s his go-to bait on this lake. Funny, I thought I had this place nailed down pretty good. I bought a bag, and haven’t had a bite in them yet. Lol

I take as many precautions as I can when out in open water. Constant situational awareness is a must. No matter what you do to be visible, it’s still tough to see a kayak on the water. They sit so low to the water and are so small. You can never assume other boaters can see you. You must always be on alert and on the defensive, no matter what. I keep a super bright strobe tied around my neck and I have an air horn in my cup holder. Thank god ive never used them, and I hope to keep it that way. I sympathize for for both parties here. Whether the boater turned himself in or not, he has to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. Be safe out there. “Power in numbers”. Several kayaks are more visible than just one. Try to fish with a partner whenever possible.

You said you don’t like kayaks, but I have to recommend the NuCanoe Flint. It’s super lightweight, and paddles very fast. Coming in at 11.5’ it would be easy to carry in and out. It is very comfortable to sit and stand it and boasts the flat open deck your are looking for.

RECYCLE! Same thing happened to me once last year with the Structure Bug and I only had a couple left. I’d keep biting off the torn head and re-rig. Eventually it was pretty much just a chunk trailer, but it was still catching.

Do a google search for “cape cod canal fishing cruiser”. Good place to get some ideas.

Check out Otter Tails. They come is all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are literally bullet proof. And you can leave them on a bait forever and they won’t dry up on you. They’re actually a fabric material coated with soft plastic. They’re so tough that even toothy bluefish can’t chew them apart. I like to put two curly tails facing apart on a jig of a chatterbait. They come scented too. They are a bit of an investment initially, but you’ll never have to rebuy them because they literally last forever. There are other baits like this out there by several manufacturers. This just happened to be the only one I have used.

I was really attracted to the NuCanoe designs with those wide open, flat decks. I bought a Flint last year. I am happy with it. It performs great. It paddles super fast, tracks perfectly straight, and turns very well. At a standstill, one half-hearted paddle stroke will turn the boat 90 degrees, which is helpful for all the close quarters fishing I do a lot. Also, the scuppers drain the deck very well too, which is important to me. One thing I dislike...Stability. Most of the reviews had this boat as super stable. People were standing and walking all over it without tipping. I can stand on it ok. It won't tip, but it is quite wobbly! The boat lists to a certain point right before the gunnels go under water, and the boat stops listing any further. But at that point you are no longer able to balance and you're gonna either take a swim or hopefully fall back into the seat. I wish this boat were as stable as the hype built it to be. I want to replace this boat with a Bonafide 127. I tested a Frontier a couple weeks ago. Man that thing is like standing on a bass boat!!! By far the most comfortable kayak I've stood on. Far more stable than a Bonafide. But you might as well forget about trying to paddle it, and just fork out the money for a motor. I really wanted to like it, but it just won't work for me.

I've been looking at the SS127 too. I've held off because of the rumors of it spinning and tracking poorly. I was lucky to paddle one with, and without the wings at a demo a couple weeks ago. I couldn't believe it, but it was night and day! Without the wings, it banked starboard immediately when I stopped paddling. And at a standstill, it quickly spun 180 degrees before I dipped the paddle to stop it. When I got in the one with the wings, I could not believe how much different it handled. It tracked straight as an arrow. When I was sitting still, it help its position perfectly. This was in a 15mph wind. The boat definitely caught the wind and moved, but it didn't spin at all! The wings are such a simple design, but they really do work. I can't explain how, you just have to see. They are a soft plastic, almost rubbery material. I too am concerned with salad getting caught on them, but they move quite a bit, and I think that they will quickly shake off any debris that might catch on them. I am going to buy one this year. probably in the winter. Supposedly the wings will be available very soon.

They nailed it in regards to tackle. But something that I had failed at for a couple years is try not make it ALL ABOUT fishing. The time outdoors by the water and in the presence of nature. There are so many things to keep them occupied, and they may not all include a rod in hand. My kids fish for about 15 minutes and then they’re on to something else. Looking at birds, chasing lizards and frogs, etc. Those are the things that keep them interested in continuing to go fishing with you. My 8yo is perfectly content sitting in the kayak with me while I fish and she reads a book. Her biggest interest is my company and us both doing something we enjoy. Good luck, and enjoy!

Smart move. Some love these kayaks, and some don’t. As said, it paddles easily, but as soon I stopped paddling, it would immediately start to turn right 90 degrees within a couple second. It was terrible. I could stand on it, no problem. But for a boat designed for stability, it really isn’t all that stable. The deck doesn’t drain water well at all. The water running off your paddle makes puddles on the deck. One thing I really hated, it when I stood up the deck flexed under my feet and felt very spongy. Eventually, I’d probably crack it. But even worse is that it makes it a little tricky to keep your balance. If you ever paddle a high quality kayak, and then an Ascend, you’ll see it’s night and day. Keep your eye on Craigslist or any local kayak fishing forum you may have. There are plenty of great buys on used boats out there. It’s almost silly to buy one brand new. Take a look at what’s out there and watch some YouTube reviews. There are a few guys on the Tube who do reviews, who are not on a pro-staff, so they offer a pretty unbiased review. However, if it gets you on the water for $350, I’d say it’s worth it. But if you start really getting into kayak fishing, you’ll be ready to buy a new kayak by next year. And at least you’ll know what your looking for in a new kayak. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Many freshwater species were “invasive” in the US at one point. The ecosystem usually balances itself out over time. Brown trout and rainbow trout are not native here. Peacock bass are invasive but everyone loves the catch them. Tiger muskies are enormous meat eaters, but we’re happy to have them in many of our waterways. Snakeheads are are relatively new to us. We didn’t really see them 20 years ago, so I can understand some of the concerns. But the reality is that the ecosystems where they are found are actually doing quite well. So, embrace them, because they aren’t going anywhere!

Put two wraps of masking tape around the blank where you are going to cut it. A hacksaw with a fresh blade will do the trick. Use light pressure, and start the cut only using the blade in reverse at first until you get a good line for the blade to follow. Let the blade do the cutting. The tape would prevent the graphite from splintering during the cut. This is an old trick my father used for years when he used to build.

I had a 12T for a season. I absolutely hated everything about it. But it got me out on the water. If that’s what you can afford, go for it! It’s an entry level boat. Fish out of it while and get familiar with it. Then you’ll know exactly what to shop for when you’re ready to upgrade.

A little inconvenient, but it works....let out a bunch of line behind your boat and drag it behind you at a slow speed. Make sure there is no bait, or rig on your line. Just bare line hanging off the back of the boat about a hundred feet. It's a little annoying, but it works. Can do this on your way out, or on the way in from fishing.

I like the Gamakatsu G Finesse wacky hook. It’s about as weedless as they get, and I rarely miss with them. I used the old style gamakatsu weedless hook (which essentially is the same as the Berkeley Fusion) for a while and I hated it. It was probably around 50% on hooksets. And it catches a ton of grass. That little crease between the eye of the hook and the bend of the weedguard would always catch some grass. The new Gama G Finesse has been great so far. Started using it this year.