IgotWood

My first time on the lake. It’s only 40 minutes from my house. Why haven’t I gone sooner?! Anyway, the fishing was garbage. With the recent rains and the wind, it was gonna be tough no matter where I went. So why not scout some new water..? We put the kayaks in around noon. Wind had us seeking shelter behind the islands and points. The sonar marked fish at 19’-20’ almost everywhere adjacent to a bank. My buddy had one halfhearted tug dragging a football jig. The water was 46-47 degrees. I think that 19’ mark is probably the thermocline, which is why we consistently marked fish there and nowhere else. We did find a small sheltered cove with temps pushing 50 degrees. We focused there for a bit, but no luck. We tried everything; jigs, spoons and blades, jerkbaits, the kitchen sink... I marked some massive schools of bait near the rocky riprap on the other side of the first bridge, but no fish near it. After seeing the topography of that lake, the size, cover, and water condition, I can’t wait to get back out there again as it begins to warm these next few weeks. @Sam and @TravisVirginiaAngler let me know if you guys plan to get out there any time soon. Id love to share the water with you guys.

I figured nobody has really been out. Out create a new thread tonight with my report. But he warned...not much to report.

Ill post here in a attempt to reignite this thread. I am gonna make the trip today. I have never been. Conditions are garbage on my home lake, so perfect time to check out something new. I guess ill I’ll poke around that first island right near the launch and keep an eye on the sonar. If nothing over there, perhaps I’ll head across to the other side of the first bridge. Maybe fish around some of the points. The wind is gonna be a mess today. I’ll plan to keep a spinnerbait and a a-rig ties on pretty much all day. If you’d care to share any recent info, I’d much appreciate it!

As a child, I’d miss whole nights of sleep in anticipation for a fishing trip. It’s funny to look back on it now. My father had friends who were conservation officers. They would tip him off on the trout stocking schedule. He’d talk about it for days, building up my excitement. I wouldn’t sleep for a few days. Every time I he took me fishing was the best day of my life. Now that I have kids of my own, I like to do the same thing with them. My girls get super excited, but I do! I was actually up all night last night thinking about where to fish today and what my plan should be, checking topo maps, wind, etc. The anticipation never gets old to me.

Hugh...That is weird. I had a lot of fish (A LOT OF FISH) come off on this hook. And when I feel it up, the weedguard is caught around the barb. Super wired because I am always careful to set the weedguard just on the point of the hook. I dunno...maybe I set the hook funny ?? Lol!

I tried the Lazer Trokar wacky weedless wide gap last season and it did ok. And im just seeing now that there is a Gamakatsu weightless G-Finesse hook. Must be new. I haven’t tried it, but I just ordered a pack. Looks like just what I’m looking for!

To be honest, I hate this hook. The weedguard often doesn’t release on the hookset. I’ve lost countless fish because of it. Additionally, that tiny gap between the weedguard and the eye of the hook catches so much grass and debris. The hook itself is a great hook, but with the weedguard, it’s trash. My favorite weedless wacky hook is the Gamakatsu G-Finesse wacky jig. Yes it’s weighted, and I often prefer a weightless rig, but it is quite weedless compared to other hooks. And the hookup ratio is darn near perfect.

You’d be surprised how easily you can stand up on nearly all SOT kayaks, even cheap ones. Most SOT are designed with a wider beam to handle the elevated weight of the user. Of coarse, some boats are better than others in terms of standing. Additionally, the foam blocks that Darren posted are simple, and they work. For several years I cartopped a 14’ OK Trident, and even a 12’ Hobie Outback. I became very efficient at loading and unloading. It’s not hard and it’s plenty safe. Buy what you can afford and make it work. It’s your first boat. After a season you will know what you like and dislike about it and you will be more educated to shop for a better boat in the future.

Power Team Conviction Craw. Appendages down the side add to the bulk. Not to mention it’s 4.5” long. You can bite it to make it shorter. Fantastic bait on a pegged t-rig, but I’m sure it would do just as well on a jig.

Wow lots of great info here. Thank you all very much for helping! I plan on trying either SK or Gitzit tubes. I’m thinking a green and maybe a brown ought to do it. And it sounds like the stupid rig is the way to go, or perhaps the Owner Phantom. Do do you guys fish these in cold water? And what type of gear do you fish them on? To be honest, I’m not super confident in it. But the bite was way off last year for me, and I also noticed a lot more fishing pressure there. I just want to try something different, that perhaps the fish don’t see very often, if at all. I think it may be more effective as the water warms and the grass starts to really get in the way.

Please forgive my ignorance. I know nothing about tube fishing, but I’d like to give it a try. I fish a shallow lake full of standing cypress , and the bottom is super thick with pond weed. Senkos work very well here, but I’d like to try something different, like maybe a weedless tube. Apparently there are are hundreds of tubes out there. I guess I got the memo late about how well they work. What is your favorite brand, size, etc? Weight? Tackle? Conditions in which to use it?

Same here. I always sport the flag but it’s not enough. This year I am planning to put some orange keel eazy strips around my boat. I need them for fishing bridge pilings, but they will also make me a lot more visible. Cheaper than a flag or a new pfd.

It’s actually very easy to control your depth with squarebills and even deeper running coffin-bills. Keep your rod tip up high to keep the bait running shallow. Lower your rod tip to let the bait run deeper. Obviously speed is also a major factor. It’s also helpful if you use the same bait often so that you learn very well exactly how it behaves. If if you feel a bump, pause and let the bait float up and away from the snag. If you feel drags on your bait like leaves of grass, give it a sharp rip. Often it will pull the debris off, and also can generate a strike.

I absolutely love my NuCanoe. Not sure I’ve seen a 10 footer though. Wonder which platform it is...

Heck yes I use them!!! White or black are the only colors I use. So simple. I’ve even tried the 9” tandem rigged sluggos that I use for striped bass. Check out a vid on YouTube for rigging 9” sluggos with two hooks and nail weights. I’ve caught several bass over 4lbs on them. ?

Stanley Top Toad. It’s a soft plastic, hollow body frog. Floats like a cork and holds up very well. It casts like a bomb too. It come pre-rigged on a double hook. The bait is super soft, which exposes the hooks very easily. My hookup ratio is very good, even with a med rod. They’re cheap and they work very well.

^^^agreed^^^ I like to snell then, which I firmly believe increases my hookup ratio.There are several hooks out there that are a standard gage wire, which I prefer, as my flipping applications don’t require super heavy gear. I don’t really use worm hooks very much anymore except for actually fishing worms.

Lipless crank! I like to yo-yo a lipless during the cold months in my super weedy lake. A jerkbait may not be a bad idea either if you can keep it just above the grass.

Very nice! That looks like an appropriate amount of chartreuse for my lake.

Yup, I’ve really cut down the on the tackle I carry. I have a few baits that I consistently do well with, in a few different colors. Occasionally I’ll buy a couple of new baits, but I don’t beat the water with them. Fish them a few times and if I don’t do well, it goes in an giant box in the garage. One bait I really want to spend time with this year is the jig. I’ve fished them plenty, but I can’t say that I’ve ever gotten on a solid jig bite. I feel confident every tine I tie one on, but I rarely seem to get bit on it.

A long cast isn’t usually necessary unless fishing shallow, super clear water. In most cases a 20ft cast and a weightless senko will net you a fish, or several. Lob it out there and let the bait do it job. You’d be surprised at how close a bass will let you get to him before he spooks off. But if you insist on weight, the weighted Gamakastu wacky hook is my favorite....

If you’re looking for lightweight, I’d definitely stay away Ascend. They are super heavy and they really don’t handle the water very well. I see see lots of folks having good luck with Vibe boats. If you could chum up just a bit more money, the NuCanoe Flint is the way I’d go. Very lightweight, handles all kinds of water very well, can stand up with easy, and since you’re tall, the seat is very easily adjustable. The deck is also flat and wide open for storage and/or standing up. Good luck, and let us know what you go with!

I’ve gotten rid of all my spro and Kvd squares and filled my box with the crush series. Been doing very well with them all fall and winter long. Just bought a couple of their jerkbaits to try.

Very simple. Some crystal flash and saddle hackle. For thread, UTC 140 or something similar. And for a finish, most tyers are using UV resin these days. Check out the Loon Flow. It would be perfect for coating the thread wraps.

Messing around with these standout hooks.