Boomstick

Jigs come out with me pretty much every kayak trip. From the shore, I usually stick to Trigs. Some tricks for getting hits on jigs. When you’re fishing lily pads, before you throw the frog throw your jig on top of the lily pads on the edge and let it sit a minute, then gently drag it off so it’s in the water alongside, not in the lily pads - and be ready to set the hook and turn that fish’s head out of the lily pads. If there’s a good amount of fish under those pads there’s like a 70% chance the first time lands you one, but less each following cast. The second guaranteed way to get fish is if you can find a weedline, cast your jig right along the weedline. Hope this helps continue to build confidence.

For the second straight year, I went fishing on Lake Dunmore and stayed to watch the fireworks. Got a pike and my kid caught a perch, we probably would have done a lot better if bot for the brutal winds all day. At least they died off before dark a bit. This year I got a campsite about 20 miles away (closest available) for the three and a half day weekend. Thought I would share a video I took on my phone

Yup! I got it near my boat and got my net ready but missed snagging him in my net mainly since my net is more sized for bass. Then it went under my kayak and I thought I'd lose it. I caught a 36" pike some years back, but it wasn't nearly this fat and didn't put up much of a fight.

So I was fishing Lake Champlain with my kid near Ticonderoga on Saturday on a rather windy day. The plan was to go around the bend by Fort Ticonderoga to block some of the wind out, which it did somewhat effectively. I ended up sitting on a spot where the weeds didn't look too bad and threw out my squarebill and caught this guy. Not quite 40", but still the best pike I've got to date. Didn't get much else the rest of the day. Turns out that first cast was a perfect cast right along where the water gets shallower and the weeds get higher, where I wouldn't pickup 2lbs of weeds as soon as the crank hit the water. I was essentially unable to cast in that opening again due to getting blown around and being unable to use my pedals due to all the weeds. I probably should have hit the Mt Independence side a little earlier which is all rocks and no weeds, but I still got my PB pike!

The 2 is the current model. I got mine BC1 for $440 before they revamped the line. The 2 is cork and lighter but the 1 is foam (Daiwas cork always pits so I prefer it) and heavier but balances extremely well with a light reel. As far as fishing it, the main difference is the BC1 is a 70/30 rod, Japenese style bend with a lot of tip but a very stiff tip where the BC2 is more like 80/20 with a softer tip. Thick weeds are usually isolated for me so the BC1 is the perfect jig or heavy trig rod for my uses. It can still turn their heads before they go around a fallen tree or into cover. My kid has a St Croix Victory Full Contact Finesse which is more like the BC2 but it behaves fairly similarly

When I had my paddle only SS127, I had a Werner Camano 250cm. I loved it. It was nice and light and the handle was a little fatter than others so easy on my arthrytic hands. Good paddles also float.

Tackle storage and rod holders. A black pak pro 13x16 fits 3600 and 3700 boxes and you can add extra rod holders if you want. I would then look at an anchor trolley, the YakAttack works great. And an anchor wizard without the chute to manage your line, worth every penny. For an anchor, I’d suggest a 5lb mushroom anchor. A flag with a light is good for visibility. I recommend the Railblaza flag it doesn’t bend in the wind and the light is much better than the YakAttack as well at the same price. You may want a net. I place a Frabil bear claw over my front hatch. Another good setup is putting a YakAttack Zooka II pro rod holder flipped in reverse on the rail behind your seat so you can reach back and quickly grab it. You may want a rod holder up front if you don’t have a good place to set down a rod. A YakAttack Omega Pro works well enough. If paddling is your primary method of propulsion, I recommend a good carbon fiber paddle. I had a Werner Camano with my Bonafide SS127 and I loved it but unfortunately I lost it on Lake Champlain and since I have pedals I just got a cheaper Old Town replacement. Finally I am sure a depth finder will be in order. I highly recommend spending the extra money to get side imaging. 7” is fine if you put the screen right in front of you. I have a 9” and place it right behind my pedals and the extra real estate makes it still clearly visible - but a 7” on the side rails stays out if the way much easier too. and probably a small soft cooler for food and drinks.

The bottom contact 1 definitely is very good for this. The 2nd gen probably isn’t too far off.

It sounds like you have a fast action Dobyns rod. Considering they are more mod fast, that’s not a bad thing. I’d probably keep it.

I run two crankbait rods. A 7’ Tatula glass M/R (regular is like mod fast) for open water. A 7’2” Daiwa Tatula Glass MH/R for deep divers but it also has a bit more tip so it works for square bills in grass. The M/R model definitely throws them further, but sometimes I just take this one with me on my kayak and change the lure out. It’s still passable for open water use. You can also overload it a little and it works well, 6xds cast fine. My kid has a Dobyns Fury 705cb. That does well for general use but tops out with a 5XD - but there are lighter deeper cranks you can use like the River2Sea Tactical Bassin models. Dobyns also makes a glass rod in the champion line that will handle heavier lures well.

Same. It’s a shame to let it go to waste. My favorite way to cook bass is blackened.

I've killed a few. They were tasty!

Fluorocarbon runs thinner than mono. If you run say 12lb mono based on line strength, 12lb fluorocarbon should be generally fine but if you run 12lb instead of 10lb for diameter, you might want to use 16lb fluorocarbon which is still a little thinner than most 12lb mono

The Brent Ehrler 7’3” rod is generally designed as a multi purpose. I’m fairly sure that both models are roughly 70% backbone and 30% tip but with a fairly strong tip, so a little more on the MF side and will still do T-Rigs well. In my personal opinion here, the rod you want is the 7’ M-MH/XF Brent Ehrler rod. It is a touch lighter than the typical Daiwa MH but still more of a MH than a M but it will throw weighless senkos pretty well short of wind. It still has enough power to pull them out of lighter cover. This rod could be called “ The Senko Special”. Also excellent for finesse jigs. And it will handle up to it’s upper 1oz rating.

I use heavy rods for heavier baits or lures with big hooks that need power for a hookset. But I also use heavy rods when throwing into heavy vegetation as well to throw things like TRigs and jigs I normally use on a medium heavy in clear water.

I use a uni with 4-5 turns

I use 6-8lb line depending on brand. Lately my leader line has been 7lb Daiwa J-Fluro Samurai for pretty much all of my bass spinning applications. Some may be better with 6 and others with 8 but I’m just trying to keep it simple. I’m usually not throwing in vegetation so it’s adequate for my needs.

The only problem is they break and don't bend, but that doesn't mean they're super fragile. I managed to break one when I was out shore fishing and snagged a rod on a cast (don't ask how I did that) and it slammed hard on cement. If it was any other rod, it'd have survived but I will own my own clumsiness here. But they're generally pretty durable. I don't regularly abuse my rods and have yet to break another.

I was able to avoid a lot of mistakes by reading up on it and taking advice from forum members. I still use my first baitcasting setup, pretty regularly too. I’ll say mine is fishing too many lures or changing too often. I still struggle with that at times.

I thought Steez’s were still made in Japan. If you are correct, you can add a much higher tariff rate then

I got the BC, I hear the BC2 is more sensitive but I prefer the BC because foam and it balances perfectly with a light reel and at the $400 I paid for it, it was kind of a steal. I also like the longer bend in the tip. It's still quite a stiff tip and works well enough around milfoil and wood but it's suitable for my area.

24% tariff and Daiwa ate some of the cost. It's a 90 day pause since 4/1. There is a reason Daiwa chose 7/1 to require retailers to increase prices to match MSRP.

Basically. I have the same Tatula Elite rod. It’ll throw a 1/16” oz ned rig a ways sure, but the Tatula Elite ML/F will throw them a lot better and is also a little more sensitive due to having less power. It’s also better for hooksets with those real light wire hooks and better at jeeping fish pinned. That M/F will work but it’s more ideal for drop shots and shaky heads or maybe ned rigs around grass - that rod does have decent power to it for stuff like that. My other thought on the matter is sometimes I want a drop shots and a tube - that’s my most common finesse scenario but maybe something else. Now you can have both rigged. There’s been lakes that’s all I need. As a kayaker, I wanted to keep it 7’ or less but the Daiwa 7’6” ML rods are great with of course the Steez being the best of the best, I got the Tatula Elite Cody Meyer 7’ ML/F instead, largely because my other ML is a St Croix that runs over power and I wanted to throw a ned rig better, especially at one particular location where a few feet is the difference between getting skunked and catching fish. It does the job well.

It's tough without knowing the swimbait. There are some swimbaits that size that are best on a medium rod, but I have some I throw on a medium heavy. And some can be pushing 1oz as well. I would second the Dobyns Sierra 703C if it ends up a medium rod is appropriate. That rod does everything well.

I could see several things.. A graphite M/F for jerkbaits and topwater might be a nice addition, but if I add one more rod, it's either going to be one more spinning rod. The Tatula Elite M/F is a great rod and throws most things well, but sometimes I want two. I actually went with the ML/F as a lighter alternative, it's a little more ideal for ned rigs. The other thing is a second MH/F rod, or possibly a rod that runs slightly heavier for jigs and T-rigs. I have a Daiwa Steez Bottom contact rod which is my primary jig rod. My kid has the St Croix Victory 7'3" H/XF Full Contact Finesse rod which is a great jig rod for the money. Or the Tatula MH/XF would do as well.