Pkfish49

Yesterday, I was having a very hard time getting a canoe back to the boat ramp against the wind. The hardest part was the last 100-150 yards or so, as the water was open, without shore sides to rest on or bounce off. I was unable to keep the front of the boat facing the dock. The wind kept turning it around and I couldn't turn it back either by paddling frontwards or backwards. The good news was that the sideways motion stopped as soon as the boat was facing the opposite direction, so I was able to get back to shore by paddling backward. When I was very close to shore, the character of the current changed and I was able to turn the canoe around and hit land normally. The boater who docked after me navigated the final stretch the same way. Can somebody please explain all of this to me? Why did the canoe stop turning after it was completely turned around? If I were stronger or had better technique, could I have kept the canoe facing shore? The next boater was more experienced than I and got to shore much faster. I seem to remember he was using shorter, faster, more frequent strokes. Prior to yesterday's trip, I literally hadn't been in a canoe in 39 years! Now that I'm a full-time resident of Florida, I'm planning on keeping the renewed hobby and need some advice. For obvious reasons, I'm going to be going solo for a while and need advice about paddling into the wind. I intend on returning to the place I was yesterday, and the guy who was running the rental place told me that it gets windier. The conditions at the end of my trip were 14 MPH wind. I barely made it back without assistance. I don't know where the exact cutoff point would be, but I don't think I could have made it back if I had to fight a 25 MPH wind..

Ty - I've seen people thread live worms like this but avoid exposing the hook, but wasn't sure if it was used much with plastic ones.

I don't remember exactly how I came up with this, but it works. I just caught my PB with the setup. Most likely, I was trying to tie a Texas rig without the bullet sinker and I got it wrong. I clip on a circle hook (I believe that's what I'm using) (#4 or #5) to a barrel swivel that I tied on with a clinch knot. I take a Senko or similar plastic worm and start feeding the hook through the thick end. I feed it as far as it goes and then pull it through where it ended up, exposing a lot of hook. This usually ends up a little before the halfway mark of the worm. I can attach a picture of the setup if it isn't clear, but I think I did a reasonable job of describing it. I know there are different ways to hook plastic worms. I was wondering if my setup was known and if there was a name for it. Whatever it is, it works.

I first edited my profile to change my PB. First fish of the new year and a personal best! This 4.89 pound Largemouth bass is the heaviest bass I’ve ever caught!

Went back to lake Ida on Saturday with no luck. The boaters were landing Peacock bass and Largemouth bass, (not a lot - nobody was reporting a great day) but I didn't see any of the shore anglers catching anything, so it looks like the fish were in deeper waters . It was such a beautiful day and the park is so beautiful, that I can't complain about anything. Regarding the Lake worth Spillway, pictures of the snook look huge. I'm afraid to cast out with my 10 LB mono. I may have to spool up something heavier. I'm just learning the area, I'll land some fish soon and post pictures in the appropriate sub-forums. Ty

The other anglers I ran into there told me that as well. I was there just after a cold front. Maybe the weather interfered with their normal biting patterns.

I just moved to the sunshine state and need some places to fish. Last weekend, I spent two hours in Lake Osborne in Lake Worth and didn't get any bites. I also fished for around five hours in Lake Ida West Park in Delray Beach and didn't get any bites. I'm looking for lakes not more than thirty minutes away from Boynton Beach with shore access and legal, accessible parking near the shore. I have very good boots, so I don't mind some rough terrain, but I'm not going to stand in the middle of a thorny bush and side-cast all day. My PB is very small, so I'm of course looking for some lunker bass, but don't mind other species or smaller bass. What are some good lakes near me? Happy New year! Thanks!

Ty - What other brands of Mono do you prefer and why?

Google is usually my friend, but I can't get a clear answer, so I figured it would be best to ask the experts here: I always overbuy line and went on fewer fishing trips this season than I usually do, so I have a lot of this: Berkley Triline XT 10 LB Mono 300 YD clear. It is still in the original packaging. I bought some in March, and probably have some from 2019 as well. I don't see any dates on the packaging, so unfortunately, I can't tell when I bought the individual spools. If it makes a difference, the stuff is kept away from light. Is it OK to use next season, or will it have degraded in some way that would make it more appropriate for me to throw it out and buy new line, as the season approaches?

Not sure where this post belongs. Mods, please move it if appropriate. I'm on boat by myself, with my iPhone as a camera. I have a Bass on a normal hanging fish scale. I can't figure out how to get the entire fish and the scale (so it shows the digital reading) all together in one picture. My PB isn't very heavy and I intend on breaking it my next trip out! With that in mind, help! Thanks as always.

Holy Crappie!

I had mostly been using #4 and #5. I'll have to try some #3. You are reminding me to inspect my raincoat. One of the Pickerel that I landed bit by raincoat and I had a hard time pulling it off. Hoping there is no damage.

You reminded me to skip a frog over the Lily Pads on my next outing. Never caught anything with a frog. Would be fun. A few years ago, the Pickerel were all over my silver Mepps, but for some reason they don't have the same attraction this season.

It was hard work to get the spot where I caught this, but well worth it. In my favorite lake, lots of Pickerel are deep in the Lily Pads, very close to shore. On my way there, I had to row myself out of trouble a few times when the boat got stuck because it was so shallow. I caught this around ten feet from shore, where the water wasn't more than three feet deep. I threw a 4 inch green Senko and reeled in very slowly. The fish is in my freezer now.

I have a system. I am now the Pickerel master! On my last outing, I caught the New York State limit of 5! I did catch 2 with a crankbait, but also had a lot of success with this system the rest of the trip: My normal spinning reel setup with 10 lb mono. Snap swivel. I clip a 3/0 circle hook to the swivel and add a large bobber above it. I'm sure anglers with better feel than I can do without the bobber, but it helps me a lot. I thread a worm through the eye of the hook and follow the curvature, ensuring that none of the hook is exposed. Cast out, give a few seconds after the landing, and then reel in very slowly. When the bobber goes down, don't set the hook yet, (learned the hard way with a few losses from bad hooksets) but instead reel in a drop more and the fish generally takes a hard bite. Then set the hook gently by lifting the pole up, keep tension, and reel the sucker in. I don't know if it was seasonal or the conditions, but most of the ones that I caught were deep in the Lily Pads, and in very shallow water. These are some other setups that didn't work as well: #4 hook. I've caught Pickerel with this before, but on the last trip, must have lost at least 5 or 6 when the Pickerel swallowed the hook whole and ripped it from the line. Senkos (3/0 - 5/0 circle hooks) with both Wacky and Texas Rigs. I caught a few with each setup, but lost far too many from bad hooksets. Not sure what was going on - maybe the Pickerel didn't take the fake worms seriously enough and didn't take big enough gulps.

I finally get to show a Bass picture in this Bass forum! Not even close to my PB which is a little less than 3 pounds. This one came in at a mere 1.51 Pounds, but I get to show it off and tell a story. I was trolling with the colorful minnow Crankbait that you can see in the picture. I was tired and sort of dozing off, but had my hand on the pole. The bite woke me up and I quickly stood up, got a good hookset, stopped the motor and reeled it in. I don't know whether I was topwater trolling, or using the deep diving, sideways action of the lure. It was the first time that I had used it, and noticed that if I wanted the diving action while trolling, I had to angle the pole a certain way.

Appreciate the replies. I should have realized that he didn't want to be bothered after the first time I spoke with him. He was polite, but his answers were terse and he didn't offer anything. He just briefly replied to my inquiries.

This wasn’t a big deal, but a few days ago, myself and another boater briefly took away each other’s peace. I’d like some advice about boating etiquette, and would like to know whether either of us behaved inappropriately. I’m on a small lake with very few boats. This is a non-tournament situation. At the beginning of the day, as I headed out to a spot, I noticed another angler on the water and approached him to ask how he was doing. He told me how his day was going. I then brought up how I did yesterday, and since he caught more, I asked for some advice. After a brief conversation, I moved out of his way. We fished in the same general area for a while. Four hours later, as I was trolling toward the other side of the lake, I saw the same man fishing close to shore. I approached him from behind and asked how he was doing. He told me how his day was going so far, then said, “Hey man, I don’t mind you asking how I’m doing, but you’re creating a big wake and spooking the fish.” I replied, “I’ll be out of your way in a second,” and proceeded to head away. He replied, “No problem.” One specific question: Can my trolling motor really create enough of a wake to spook the Largemouth Bass he was targeting? I stopped the motor when I was close enough for us to hear each other, but I did approach him at full speed. My internet research tells me that it couldn’t have been more than 5 MPH. Should I have approached him at a slower speed? Also, since I approached him from behind, my voice may have startled the other angler. The trolling motor (when fully submerged as it was) isn’t loud enough to cause attention. Would it have been more appropriate for me to have taken the time to approach him from the side, so he could have seen me coming? Also, even if the wake and my inquiry could have decreased his fish count (by a little bit) what’s the big deal? This wasn’t a tournament, and and there was a good seven hours of daylight left? Should he have spoken to me differently? This wasn’t a confrontation, but there was clearly aggravation in his voice. Again, not a big deal, but I needed to rant, and would like advice from more experienced boaters and anglers.

My boat is crowded with two large, full tackle boxes and additional bags of stuff. I'm going to now have to buy more lures and make the boat more crowded. All worth it though.

I was trolling at the fastest speed that my 30 LBS thrust trolling motor goes, which is around 5 MPH, give or take a drop of help or resistance from the current and wind. I had the pole angled so the lure was constantly underwater, diving, rising, and darting sideways to give the wounded action. Appreciate all of the replies and advice. I hadn’t been freshwater fishing since childhood, and just started getting back in 2017. I’m getting better every trip, but still have a lot to learn. One thing that I’m figuring out, is that a lure that works one day in a spot, may not work at all on a different day. I learned this the expensive way! One year, every species in my favorite lake was hitting the Cotton Cordell wally diver, so I spent a lot of money on 3-packs– I had been losing a lot due to bad snags. The next year, I hardly caught any fish with the lure! Not sure of it is related at all, but one of the locals told me that the lake didn’t turn over that spring. I returned from my last trip and will not be back for a while, but will surely try the colorful diving minnow lure on the next trip.

In my favorite lake, the Lily Pad action dries up in the midday heat. Today when the time came, I decided to go trolling. i randomly grabbed this deep diving Minnow Crankbait from my bag of never used lures. Largemouth Bass, as well as Pickerel, were all over it! The funny thing is that none of the natural bait in the lake is orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. While I'm composing this, I really need to praise the Matzuo Kinchou Minnow. I have a lot of Crankbaits with good diving action, but the sideways, distressed action of this one is really pretty to watch and is surely responsible for the attraction.

I managed to escape the city for another fishing trip. The next three days are going to be nice, but today was pretty awful. I fished in the wind and steady rain. The lake was weird today and the fish weren’t following their normal patterns. I was able to land this Bluegill and Pumpkinseed Sunfish before calling It a day.

Just got back. Writing to report that all worked out well! Before I took off for the lake, I put the six bottles of frozen Evian in the YETI to pre-cool. After the first day's catch I removed the still frozen bottles, put in a layer of ice, put the vacuum sealed fish in, and covered with ice. I put the frozen water back in. I repeated the process the next two nights; filling it up with whatever amount of bottles fit in. The last night, I completely filled with ice. After the drive home, I put the fish in my apartment freezer. Very Impressed with the performance of the YETI Tundra 45. Almost no pure water after almost four complete days. If I instead purchased a portable freezer and something with the compressor malfunctioned, I could have possibly wasted the lives of the fish, which would have been heartbreaking.

Pumpkinseed Sunfish next to the Pickerel. That’s all the fish for a while. Back to work unfortunately. Appreciate the opportunity to share.

I gave up trying to get a proper picture with the fish parallel to the measuring tape. It was too jumpy.