Kayak Koz

Personally, I think this is a pretty good reason: I've had success on the 90, 110, and 130 sizes in Bone. Munky Butt 110 has been OK. I also have the black 130 and in over a year I have never had one hit on that lure, even though others swear by it. For me the WP has worked best in the hot, summer months and during that time of year it's one of my "go to"lures. Other times of the year it just doesn't produce for me. I guess the best way to put it is if I ever lost my 110 in the bone color I'd go out and buy it again.

I have a Spiderwire bag as well that holds 4 large plano boxes but I swap out the 4th for two smaller boxes. One small box holds terminal tackle and the 4th is my "walking box". We usually bring our bikes when fishing so we can cover a lot of ground, so I sling the Spiderwire over my shoulder and carry a baitcaster and a spinning reel. I'll fish a spot for a while and if I want to walk the shoreline I'll put whatever I think I need in my "walking box" and go up and down the bank from there. If nothing is biting we'll bike further on down or to another lagoon. My son carries a backpack full of water and snacks. When he's not fishing with me I usually leave one plano home and throw a few waters in my tackle bag. There's nothing worse than being dehydrated out there on a hot day.

We have a ton of shallow, man made lagoons with muddy bottoms like that in our area. So as stated above, look for dropoffs first. Also, look for shallow areas near the dropoff where baitfish gather. I've found that bass will "run up the hill" to feed in those shallows. Of course, the question is "How do you find those dropoffs and depressions when you're bank fishing?" For me, I use the iBobber to map the contour of the bottom. In shallow lagoons this can be a painstaking process because of the narrow sonar cone at shallow depths. And to be honest, I don't do this enough. I get so excited about fishing I don't take enough time to map these things out. But this spring I've vowed to spend more time doing this and I hope that it pays off in the long run.

I haven't figured out the slow winter fishing around here so I get out once a month or so during that period. By the time things start to pick up in the spring my son is playing travel baseball so that's 2-3 nights a week of practice and gone every weekend for tournaments. But once the days get longer we can get out there more. We have a dozen or so lagoons within 2 miles biking distance that we can hit any time. If we choose to drive there are a bunch more big ponds and small lagoons. So if my son is caught up on homework and studying we can get out there 3 times a week or so in the spring. Once the summer hits then we're out there 4 or 5 nights a week. That's enough for me.

Today was our first nice, warm day of the year (mid 70's) and my son was off from school so I took part of the afternoon off to fish for about 45 minutes. We biked to one of our nearby lagoons on a defunct golf course. We fished an area that used to be a golf green that was elevated about 5 feet above the water. Water clarity is usually pretty good here, but today visibility was poor - maybe 6 inches at best. I tossed a spinner bait and got a strike just a few feet from when I had to lift the line out of the water to clear the railroad ties to the elevated green. In other words, no time to set the hook properly. As I lifted the bass out of the water the poor guy shook himself free and I heard a thud as his head hit the wooden structure. But he bounced into the water and took off back into the depths. Too bad, as he was a decent size - probably 2-3 pounds. A few minutes later another strike and this time I landed it. It may have even been the same fish. I didn't weight it, but it was definitely between 2 and 3 pounds. The interesting thing was that he looked murky gray on his (male bass) belly instead of white. And the rest of his coloring was more black than green. It wasn't the traditional largemouth coloring we get here. Maybe it was because it's early in the season or maybe because it's been cloudy all winter and the lagoon was so murky he hasn't seen much light. Anyway, his coloring was odd enough that I took notice. But at this point the no-seeums were swarming and we released him and headed home. It was a slow, almost no fish winter for the few times we went over the past few months so it was nice to land something decent. Hopefully next weekend the weather is nice and we can spend the day fishing somewhere.

I was inspecting a stormwater retention pond last month and this pond was located in the woods with only a narrow dirt path down one side. I forgot to clear the path first. I was so intent on looking at the deficiencies I was seeing within and along the pond that I did not notice the alligator hiding in the brush along the bank. Luckily, he heard me first. I was only 7 or 8 feet away when he went crashing into the water. He was only a 7 footer, but that's still big enough to grab your ankle and drag you into the water. I finished inspecting that facility, went home and changed my undies, then hit the next stop

Bass attack prey on instinct and don't have the brains or communication skills to convey "don't eat that". I think time of day, weather, abundance of other things to eat, defending territory, and whether or not they are hungry at that moment determine weather or not they bite a lure or not. I also think that the size of the lure is key as to whether or not a particular fish strikes. In other words, you've got to throw your lure in the right place at the right time.

The alligators are a huge concern in my areas as well, especially this time of year when the initial warming occurs and they are hungry after being idle most of the winter. The other day I saw half of a Blue Heron in one of the lagoons I drove past. We also have a number of lagoons with grassy and woody vegetation surrounding the banks. Sometime I bring a machete and do some pruning to clear a spot, especially in areas where I need to clear not just around the bank but also a path for quick egress in case a gator gets too aggressive. My buddy usually brings a handgun when he joins us fishing in these types of lagoons. Most alligators will leave people alone or sometimes annoy the heck out of you by chasing your bait. But I've had enough close calls in the past year that I am overly cautious. As I get older I'm less and less inclined to fish these overgrown areas. It gets to be too much work, especially during the heat of the summer. Luckily we have hundreds and hundreds of lagoons in my area and even the ones with clear banks are usually fairly low pressure. Later today I'm off to Sgt. Jasper Park for a few hours and heading to some of the lagoons deeper in the woods. I'm hoping to find enough clear areas to fish. We'll be taking our bikes so we can cover a lot of ground.

It was a good bar - but it was also 30 years ago!

Erie brings back memories. I went to Gannon in the 80's and played hockey and baseball for them between classes. Spent way too much time at that big bar out on Presque Isle. I can't seem to remember the name of that bar, but it had good live bands and lots of pretty girls.

I should also mention I got a great deal on my Lew's American Hero combo, It was on sale for $79, I had $20 worth of DSP cash back, and the store was having some sort of flash sale that hour and I got another $10 off. Hard to pass up for $49.

I have a Lew's American Hero and I like it a lot. I had been fishing spinning reels for decades and this is my first baitcaster. Dialing it in was easy and I've only had one bird's nest that I needed to cut out. It's predictable. If I get a slight bird's nest I know it's my fault and not something wrong with the reel. I've had it less than a year but so far it's been durable, but obviously not as rugged as the more expensive reels out there. Although I know wish I had purchased a 7' rod instead of the 6'6" I have been impressed with its sensitivity. Then again, I was throwing an Ugly Stick before this one. Conclusion - it's a very good, inexpensive purchase. I've enjoyed it a lot and handles the 5 pounders well. With that being said, in the next few years I'm looking forward to comparing it to more expensive rods and reels, but I'm sure it will continue to be in my arsenal.

I've found that the beavers prefer the old style wooden lures instead of the newer plastic ones

I feel your pain. I haven't fished much at all this winter but the few times I went out to my regular spots I didn't even get a bite. So last week I tossed my iBobber out there and - nothing. Not a single fish in site. This was in a lagoon that connects with a dozen or so other lagoons through the stormwater system. So there's a good chance that most of the bass have most likely moved to areas with a better food supply for the winter. Cover is about the same at all of these lagoons and there's no feeder stream where they might congregate. Or maybe it's as simple as the bass in my area are more sensitive to feeding at certain times of the day in the colder months. Whatever the reason, I never took the time to figure it out. Maybe next winter I'll take the time to try and figure it out. But if history is any indication, in the next 1-2 weeks the bass will start getting really active around here during the pre-spawn. I can't wait!

My biggest was a 5.75 pound largemouth on a Bone Whopper Plopper 110. My 12 year old son caught his largest - 5.8 pounds - on a Lunkerhunt Double Willow Frog spinnerbait. And all winter long I've had to hear him remind me he that was the season Champion by 5/100 of a pound!

My son is like that. Whenever I catch a fish he could be a hundred yards away and he'll come running over to me because he wants to take it off the hook and release the fish.

I'd say that my 12 year old son has a pretty good time fishing with his old man: We have dozens of lagoons within biking distance so when school is out we fish 3-5 times a week. We don't fish much in the fall and winter because of school and early darkness (bank fishing at night is scary with all of the alligators in our area). Lately he's been excited about the upcoming pre-spawn bass feeding frenzy but we probably won't have a lot of time to fish. Last week he was selected to play for an elite travel baseball team and practice starts today. Most weekends we'll be traveling to his tournaments, but once the days get longer we'll be able to fish a few weeknights. Congratulations on becoming a new Dad. For me it's been the most rewarding - and sometimes the most frustrating - aspect of my life. It may seem hard to believe right now, but the time with your child will pass quickly. It seems like only yesterday I could cradle my son in one arm. Cherish every second of his youth and make some memories.

I live in SC so I have done a little bit of fishing this winter despite the unusual cold outside. But the bite has been ridiculously bad around here for fishing off of the banks. Fishing slow, fast, big baits, finesse baits, and not much of anything. But the good news is that the pre-spawn gorging usually starts in February. So to get my fix I've been playing some Fishing Planet on my PC grinding away on catching Walleye in the NY lake to upgrade gear and fish for largemouth in the FL lake. Not as good as the real thing, but it'll have to do.

I bought my son a PS4 for Christmas (so he can play MLB The Show) and decided to check out the FREE games on the PS4 and came across Fishing Planet. I gave it a try on the PS4 but have since downloaded it to my PC. The weather here in the south has been cold and wet and I just don't feel like fishing in this type of weather, especially when the bite is so slow around here. So for the past week I've been playing some Fishing Planet. Here's what I've learned so far: The Good The game is free. You can purchase in game currency to buy gear, fishing licenses, and travel to different lakes as you unlock them. But the way the game is structured you can't just go out and buy all of the gear. New gear and new lakes are unlocked as you gain experience points and increase your player level. So no matter how much real money you spend you can't just jump out their and buy a MH rod and a spinnerbait and go fishing. When fishing with lures you have the option of different presentations and speeds. For example, with jigs you can do things like swim, lift and drop, stop and go, and drag. I recently increased my player level where I could buy a top water lure that I can walk, straight retrieve, or pop. Depending upon how the fish are biting, sometimes a slow, straight retrieve works, sometimes a faster one gets the bite, and sometimes you just have to rip it. Sometimes the bite happens when you walk the lure at a specific speed. Like real fishing, you need to figure out what the fish want. Like real fishing, sometimes the fish tries to hit the topwater bait and misses. You see the splash and a slight bump on the bait but the fish doesn't grab it enough to set the hook. Weather and temperature are part of the equation as well. If you don't like fishing the slow periods you can fast forward to a more productive period. I'm only on player level 16 which means my spinning and baitcasting rods are ultrlight or light. 6lb mono is the max test line available to me right now as well. That can make it challenging - and fun - if you happen to hook into a bigger fish. The other day I was bobber fishing for largemouth bass with small minnows and something (bass or bowfin) hit the line hard. There are meters that range from green to yellow to orange to red for your line, rod, and reel. As soon as the fish hit my rod meter went to red. I set the hook and about two seconds later I got the message that my rod snapped. I'm still wondering what was down there. Fishing on light gear can take a while to reel a fish in. It took me about 6 minutes to reel in a 4 pound smallmouth. But once the hook was set I have never had a fish come off. Like real fishing, you can get hung up and lose lures, but this happens at the lakes you unlock a bit later in the game. I got hung up once and kept trying to yank it free and ended up damaging my reel. As for fish species, everything in fresh water is covered at the various lakes and rivers in the game. Bass, gar, salmon, trout, pike, musky, and the list goes on and on. I can't wait to level up and try different locations. The Bad In order to collect in game currency and increase your player level you need to grind. And grind. The first thing you should do when you get 7 baitcoin is to buy the lifetime, advanced license for your home Texas lake. Because it's your home lake there are no travel fees associated with it. You'll spend a lot of time grinding for currency on spotted bass here. Spotted bass give you your best bang for the buck since they are plentiful here and pay off fairly well at the end of the day. Casting spoons consistently land fish here. To get in game currency you need to collect on your fish at the end of the day (5 a.m. in game or when you exit the lake) and for that you need a fish keeper or stringer. Keep upgrading these to maximize your daily returns. The game is fun when you find a honey hole, and when the fish are biting you won't have to wait long for them to bite, even when bobber fishing. In the beginning you can level up pretty quick and purchase new gear. But as you level up it takes longer to get to the next level. To go after the bigger fish you need heavier gear, and you can't even purchase those items until you get to levels 26-28. Grinding for currency can be, well, a grind. Traveling to a lot of the lakes and paying the travel fees and license fees gets expensive. You need a big fish keeper and a 3 day trip to get a return on your investment. It's not cross platform compatible. So if you play on both the PC and PS4 your gear and attributes don't cross both platforms even if you register with the same username and email address. Each is their own game. Conclusion The game is a fun distraction and can be addictive. It's not real fishing but does OK for a simulator. It's much better than the Rapala game we have on our tablet. It's not a replacement for real fishing, but it's a good way to kill some time when you miss fishing and can't get out to the lake.

I haven't seen that one. BTW, I fixed your profile pic:

My son got a PS4 for Christmas and downloaded Fishing Planet. With it being cold and cruddy out lately I since downloaded the game on my PC and it's been kind of fun. As stated above, you don't have to spend real world money to play this free game. But to improve your gear, get new baits and lures, purchases licenses and travel to most lakes you need to earn the in game currency. So for me, right now that means grinding on catching spotted bass at the Texas Lake. That can get boring. But once you get enough in game currency and get some new gear it gets interesting again. In fact, it's kind of addictive. I'm only at level 14 out of I don't know how many levels, so I can't yet purchase crankbaits, frogs, and other lures. That leaves me fishing mostly bass jigs (can't put a trailer on them, at least at my level), spoons, and some plastic baits. At one lake I managed to pull in a 3.5 pound largemouth on light gear. It probably took me 8 minutes to reel it in. Anyway, if you're stuck inside with the frigid temperatures it might make a nice diversion for a while. And again, it's a free download and free to play.

My son and I went to one of our favorite larger lagoons today and fished for about an hour and - nothing. Not a single bite. Tossed the iBobber out there to check things out and not a single fish showed up on the sonar. Strange for a place that usually has bass and crappie year round. Most of the lagoons are connected via the stormwater system, so tomorrow we're going to hit a few of the adjacent lagoons. Went home and loaded up Planet Fishing on my son's new PS4 and caught a bluegill to make myself feel better Glad you caught something today. I hope it's my turn tomorrow!

I bought myself a few Christmas presents today! Picked up a Teckel Sprinker Frog and a 5" Live Target Bluegill swim bait. Can't wait to head out tomorrow morning and give them a try.

I have the 90, 110, and 130 sizes in my tackle bag. Here's my take on each of the sizes: WP90 Cons: It fouls extremely easy with even the smallest amount of weeds or debris. Fouling can occur when the hook snags a small weed or the weed wraps and gets stuck between the lure sections. WP90 Pros: Enters the water a lot quieter than the 110 or 130 and is less likely to spook a fish (and thus less likely to get an initial reaction bite). Works well when I'm throwing to a specific target rather than casting beyond my target area. Sometimes this is a benefit when I'm bank fishing. WP110 Cons: Still susceptible to fouling if weed gets caught on hook or wraps around body. Again, it doesn't take much to foul this thing up. It hits the water fairly heavy and many times on that brief submerge it picks up weeds. You need to let it get back to the surface before you begin your retrieve. When you long bomb a cast out there even with the rod tip up the WP110 tends to submerge for a bit. Intermediate to shorter casts work best. I've found it best to cast well beyond my target area with the WP110. WP110 Pros: It catches lots of fish. By far the most productive size that I have used. I've caught bass between 1lb and 6lb on this size. WP130 Cons: Check your knots and your line frequently when using the 130. I've had two of them go flying off into the sunset. Hits the water pretty hard which can be detrimental if fish are skittish. It's definitely of the size that you want to make sure that both your line and your pole can handle the weight. WP130 Pros: You can cast this thing a mile which can be a great benefit when shore fishing, especially when vegetation prevents you from accessing all of the shoreline. Engages topwater action much quicker than the 90 or the 110 which is great when you cast far. Had a ton of strikes doing a stop and pop after the initial landing. Not as susceptible to fouling weeds or topwater debris. While it does produce fish, I've caught more on both the 110 and 90, but that may be because of where I fish. Where I fish in SC many of the smaller lagoons have a lot of stringy weeds on and just below the surface and this makes it frustrating to fish the Whopper Plopper, but these smaller lagoons have been more productive for me than the larger ones. So if you have ponds relatively free of floating crud the WP90 will work just fine. But I'd say the best overall size, even though it is susceptible to fouling in certain conditions, is the WP110.

The bite has slowed down (understatement) here in the south over the last two or three weeks as well. With that, I find myself fishing less and less. If a warm day pops up and I have some free time I may try some of our narrower lagoons where I can get full cast coverage roaming the banks. But this slowdown does get me excited for February / March fishing when things really pick up around here. This year I discovered a lot more productive, low pressure lagoons to fish in my area. I now know which lagoons consistently produce the bigger bass and which are chock full of dinks (that I hope grow big in the next few years). The slowdown now only whets my appetite for a banner spring fishing season!