Kayak Koz

After decades of fishing with a LH retrieve spinning rod a few years ago I bought a RH retrieve baitcaster. The first time using the baitcaster it was awkward trying to get my cranking cadence just right. Then when the first three pounder hit and gave me a fight it felt weird holding the rod in my non-dominant hand. Between that and the awkward cranking, for a brief second I thought I might drop my rod. By the second day out I didn't even think about it. I still cast right handed and switch over, sometimes in mid cast and sometimes after stopping the line. Being a bank fisherman, I probably should learn to cast left handed to better fish some tight locations. But I'd rather do some actual fishing than practice casting. My next baitcaster will probably be another RH retrieve. I don't see any reason to switch.

A chatterbait with a Pit Boss trailer has been a great producer for me this year. I even caught a catfish on that setup the other day. Stupid catfish will eat just about anything. Earlier in the year a white spinnerbait with a white Keitech Swing Impact was my top producer. I'll probably go back to it in a few weeks if the water down here ever cools off.

White spinnerbait with a white Keitech Swing Impact was a killer bait all spring and produced through the summer. I caught more and bigger fish with that trailer than without on the same spinnerbait.

Not here - yet. But for three days in a row the nighttime temperatures will be in the 60's and the daytime temps in the low 80's - finally some cooler weather! I'm hoping that the cooler temps pay off with some better fishing when I head out to fish on Sunday.

I'm pretty sure that the news reporter was in on this. The entire thing was a setup to promote the new show. By filming it they way that they did it's sure to go viral and the people that comment on it in social media will point out that it's Ike and he has a new show. It's kind of Marketing 101 in the age of social media.

Iaconelli has a new series on Nat Geo Wild premiering on Friday, October 12th called "Fish My City" that looks pretty interesting. The guy is such a character I'd bet it's good TV - at least compared to most of the garbage on TV today. Here's Ike fishing a storm drain in Philadelphia: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/City-Fishing-Catfish-Broad-Street-Center-City-Philadelphia--496731971.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_PHBrand Of course, this may be a setup to promote his new show. Love his comment about using a soft pretzel for bait to "match the hatch".

Thanks, I think. I bank fish and can do miles of walking from lagoon to lagoon so I bring only one rod with me. Between that, my soon to be senior citizen eyesight, and the fact that I swap baits quicker than swingers swap partners I don't want to spend my time tying off lures every X number of minutes. Using the tubing works. It doesn't impede the action of spinnerbaits or buzzbaits and the snap won't slide down the lure and foul the line.

I use the protective tubing that is initially found on spinnerbait hooks when you first purchase them.

We're still in the mid to upper 80's and it's not cooling down much at night. What I really hate about the fall, though, is the low sun. It seems that everywhere I look the sun is always blinding me.

Here's the proof that it's not a conspiracy. You can get lost on this website for hours: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ And here's a catchy tune (with real photos) about the People of Wal Mart:

The "good news" is that is that it looks like by the time it gets to my area it will be just a tropical storm. I can also make a few extra bucks putting up storm panels for neighbors. The bad news is that my son already has 3 school make up days on the books and we have already lost 2 games and 3 practices in our fall baseball season (I coach, my son plays). Let's hope - for everyone - that this thing fizzles out and is just a sub tropical rain storm when it makes landfall. Although, last year when a tropical storm came through my son and I went fishing in it. He just wanted to say that he fished in a tropical storm. We had shelter nearby in case it got really bad. It was a little breezy between the rain bands, but when the rain band hit it was kind of fun to be out there - providing you didn't try to cast into the wind!

Just to be clear - no fish at all or no bass? The reason I ask is that if you're not catching anything at all my suggestion is to set up some light tackle, get some worms or nightcrawlers, and throw a line out there and see what bites. Fishing for panfish can be a blast on light tackle. An average sized panfish on light tackle will give you a great fight. As A-Jay said location is key. Not all ponds are going to hold bass or decent sized bass. But unless there's an environmental reason I have never known a pond not to have any panfish. As for bass fishing, it can be easy to get caught up in all of the different lures and techniques. But for just about everyone using a t-rigged Senko or Senko type bait will be a consistent producer.

If there is a bunch of heavy weeds or vegetation then obviously I'm going to throw something without treble hooks like a Pad Crasher or Sprinker. But if I don't have to worry about vegetation then I don't worry about unwritten rules or anything like that. I'll size up the weather and water conditions, but mainly I throw the baits I like or if I have a hunch I throw that one. I'm not a pro angler worrying with every cast about putting money in the bank. I just enjoy being out there and relaxing.

I think that would be your first mistake. Why? There are a billion YouTube channels doing the same thing with their fishing videos and you can stand out by doing something different. You mentioned that you're in high school so no matter how you slice it you don't have a ton of experience on the water like bassresource or other channels. So why the heck would people want to watch your videos on fishing technique? Instead, use your lack of experience to your advantage. Go ahead and research a technique beforehand, but then your videos are you trying to implement those techniques for the first time. Let the viewers go through your struggles and triumphs with you. GREAT editing and (subtle, not blaring) music will help with the drama aspect. If you fail at a specific technique shoot follow up or add on footage with an experienced angler helping you with that specific technique. Heck, take a shot and invite local college or even pro anglers to help you AFTER you have shown your failure (if in fact you happen to fail). Along with that you may want to start a HS fishing club and document that venture as well. Or partner with a HS film club so they can work on the production and you can work on the fishing. If you just want to make a few videos then go ahead and do that. But if you want subscribers you need to TELL A STORY and make it COMPELLING.

Like most baits, spinnerbaits were hit and miss for me. Some days they produced, some days they didn't. But this spring I added a white Keitech Swing Impact trailer to my white/silver spnnerbait and that combo has been a great producer most of the year. My young son even caught 2 five pounders with that combo this spring and summer.

I've found that throwing a topwater does get a bit more challenging in the winter when the lake freezes over ?

I was just joking because of all of my gator run ins this summer. Some of our lagoons have grass carp in order to keep the invasive aquatic vegetation at bay. The other day I was fishing in a small lake / big lagoon and I saw a big, dark shadow under the water that I first thought was a small alligator. Turns out it was a really, really big grass carp.

Simple solution: Move a few thousand of the alligators in our South Carolina waterways to Tennessee! But seriously, I believe that if you come across an invasive species in your waterways you should kill it and not catch and release. I know that goes against what some people think, but I'd hate to see our local species die off.

Lots of those in my area as well. Today I had 3 juveniles milling about in one lagoon I fished but they left my baits alone. My dad has a small lagoon out back of his place where a juvenile gator was becoming a nuisance. So my 12 year old son took matters into his own hands. He kept tossing a frog out in the water and ripping it by the gator whenever it approached. After about 30 minutes the gator gave up chasing the bait. To this day I can still fish out there and the gator won't chase any bait - including topwaters.

The good news for you is that being down in Alabama your water temperatures should have peaked within the past few weeks. As the waters cool the bass will become more active in most traditional foraging spots along the shoreline. With the water temperatures reaching their peaks you have probably also noticed an increased presence of algae. Not the topwater coating, but the thick, soupy stuff that gathers in pockets of ponds and lagoons. Since we have very little vegetation and structure in the lagoons that I fish during daylight hours I have been targeting in and around the algae. In cooler weather the bass will bust right through that stuff to grab a topwater, but not this time of year. So I cast beyond the algae and pull something through it to see what gets the bite. More than one time I have felt the pull of the algae and then had a bass grab the bait. Lately it's been either a big paddletail or chatterbaits with a Pit Boss trailer that have done the trick. Fishing through the soupy algae is a pain, but my guess is that you'll find some bass hiding in there while the waters are still warm. But in a few weeks when the nighttime temperatures start to drop the waters will cool and the bass will be back in their normal hot spots for at least part of the day.

In my area (the South) the waters reached their peak temperature within the past few weeks and that meant bass were in deeper water where it was available. Deeper water is relative - sometimes it is actual deeper water and sometimes it's small hollows in the bottoms of lagoons. Also, if available, the bass would cling to any available cover (which is few and far between in most of the lagoons I fish). But once the waters start to cool the bass will begin to forage in shallower water close to the shore. So in your area the water is probably cooling quicker than down here and the bass would have moved from that deep, calm pool to shallower waters. That's where I would start casting if I were you.

I can't speak for everyone, but I've had to evacuate a handful of times in my life. The more I've had to evacuate the less I take. Theft is the last thing on my mind. With all of the idiots on the road I worry about getting out of town safe and I worry about whether or not I'll have a roof over my head when I get back. The main things I have ready to go are clothes, charging cables, phone, tablet, and USB power supplies. Another important item for me is pulling the hard drives from my work stations (I HATE laptops). The hard drives include serial numbers, models numbers, and videos of any insurance reimbursable items (for stolen or damaged items). All of my photos are backed up on hard drives or in a cloud so I don't have to worry about those. Any other valuables are put in a safe deposit box at the bank. My son brings all of his baseball gear. His gear is expensive and although it can be replaced, it's all broken in and he has a comfort level with it. It also provides him comfort to be taking some of his stuff. If there's room (and there usually is) we bring our fishing gear. There's no telling how long we'll be out of town and it gives us something to do. And of course, I bring my son and my dog. I tried to leave my now ex-wife behind once, but she caught on quick. I was on the south end of Hilton Head when we evacuated for Hugo. As an Executive Committee member for the resort I was working for I had certain responsibilities in shutting down the hotel, so I was late getting off of the island. Back then Hilton Head wasn't nearly as developed as it is now and we didn't have the easy access to I-95 or other points of egress that we have today. It took about 5 hours to get off the south end of the island and over the bridge to what is now a very populated Bluffton area. I remember seeing someone's Ferrari abandoned on the side of the road as we left the island. Good times. Thankfully (for us and not for Charleston) the storm missed Hilton Head. It would have permanently split the island in two had it hit. Fun fact: About 3 weeks before Hugo hit my girlfriend and I were taking a horse drawn carriage ride through Charleston and the driver was pointing out the hurricane proof construction on some older homes. He mentioned that historically Charleston gets hit by a major hurricane once every 100 years and they were about due.

Well, we're not quite out of the woods yet. It looks like we might get some tropical storm force winds in our area. I spent the day putting up hurricane panels on our house and for family and neighbors. I'm beat. But still have a few more to do in the morning. The next 24-48 hours will be telling. Stay safe everyone.

Governor McMaster lifted the mandatory evacuation order for our county this morning. Years ago Hurricane Hugo just missed us and pummeled Charleston. After the storm my buddies and I would head up there every other weekend with our chainsaws, cases of water, and batteries and just drive down a road and see who needed assistance. For those of you whose homes are in the path of Florence, rest assured there will be countless people doing the same once this storm passes. With all of the craziness in the world and all of the despair some will have after the hurricane, I have no doubt that some of your faith in humanity will be restored. Godspeed.

Love the chatterbait - especially with a Pit Boss trailer!