Kayak Koz

Welcome to the world of kayak fishing. And get ready to encounter the cousin of the Bait Monkey, the Kayak Monkey. He's much more insidious. You've opened up a whole new world on the water, but fishing from a paddle kayak can be frustrating with wind and currents. My suggestion is NOT to invest in an anchor trolley. Hear me out. For now, your best bet is to fish ponds and not lakes. If you find some shallow ponds you can get by with a simple anchor rather than an anchor trolley. No doubt, you'll still have some frustration with wind and current, but you will actually be able to fish more than struggling with drifting and cast angles. I also wouldn't invest a lot in your current kayak if you have even the slightest thought of upgrading in the future. Trust me on this - I wasted a lot of money early on. If you enjoy being on the lake in a kayak, save your money for a fishing kayak, whether it be paddle or pedal. My first kayak was a Seastream Angler 120 pedal drive. It was inexpensive for a pedal kayak, but it was stout enough and stable enough to handle bigger lakes. I really loved that kayak, but moved on to a motorized kayak. Speaking of that - I'm going to be upgrading again this fall. So, if you're interested in a fully rigged Autopilot 120 and trailer...

(Note to moderators: please remove if this violates the self promotion policy. I'm hoping it's a gray area as my intent is to share something fun, not make money.) The debut album Kickin' Bass by Kayak Koz and the Minnows is set to drop July 1st at midnight and will be available on most streaming and download platforms. Each song is a rip roaring, foot stomping good time related to both bass fishing and kayak bass fishing. If these songs don't get you pumped up on the way to the lake, I don't know what will. Songs in this release include: Kickin' Bass Chasing Shadows Fishing or Me High Dollar, No Bass Motor On, Paddle Strong Shoulda Bough a Bass Boat Five Fish Dream The Ballad of Kayak Koz Some background on this project: Months ago I found out that I could create music with AI and played around with it a bit. Then I started writing my own lyrics and using both stand alone software and AI for voice and instrument fills. As I got into it, it became even more complex than I imagined. I was surprised that AI could do a pretty good job with basic melodies, but then I had to create stems for each instrument, change or add chord progressions, then layer it all back together. It was the same for vocals. Then there's also the task of mixing and created the final high quality output file. Even now, I'm still only just learning this craft. I still have another 9 or 10 songs in various states of rewrite and production and with the summer heat upon me in the south I'll probably work on these even more. As I stated above, I'm not doing this to make money. These songs are a really tiny, niche market. I think the streaming royalties are a fraction of a cent and then I get a cut off of any 99 cent downloads. I doubt that ever pays for my software and distribution costs. My intent is to share what I think is some really fun bass fishing based music. I think that my only goal of this is to one day hear someone playing one of these songs at the ramp! But even if no one downloads or streams this album, I absolutely love it and listen to it all of the time, especially on the way to the lake. I know that some people think computer generated music is lame or not real music, and I get that. But you'd be surprised how many of the popular artists use these tools. Or what about artists whose voice sounds horrible unless it's run through AutoTune? I'm not going to post any links here, but if you DM me I can provide you a link to an album info release web page. After the July 1st release date you can also preview the songs on that same web page. IN the meantime, here's the album cover:

I've replayed some of my situations over and over in my head and there have been a few times I've grabbed for the net a little early and the bass had dived. So, even keeping my rod up, when the bass runs back to the surface and breaches that leaves a lot of slack in the line. What I need to do in the future is not go for the net until I've taken in the slack with the bass near the surface. Then, if it does dive, the rod bends and when the fish comes close to the surface the rod straightens out but there still should be sufficient tension if I'm holding the rod tip high. Of course, if I had remembered to turn on my Go Pro I would have been able to see some of this on video. I don't know what it is with me and my Go Pro. All I have to do is say, "Go Pro, start recording."

Golf? 🤣

With purpose built fishing kayaks that have a lot of weight capacity it can be both easy and tempting to bring teh entire kitchen sink out there. I have learned to pare down the tackle I bring, which also helps decrease the "paralysis of analysis." I know what I want to bring for the local lakes that I fish. If I'm out of town for tournament week I keep a storage bin of potential baits in my Bronco, but I don't load up my kayak. This allows me to swap out some baits each day, or even go back to the ramp and swap baits if I think that would help. Besides, all you need nowadays is a Coike, spinnerbait, bladed jig, and a plastic worm!

It's obvious that you're a quality angler. You may even want to share some of your insights with Maine Fish and Wildlife. I bet they would be interested in the information that you can provide them. In fact, you're probably the perfect candidate to contribute to their blog or newsletter. Just don't tell them your secret fishing spots.

In the past I have been that schizophrenic angler - paralysis of analysis and deviating from my plan and getting nowhere, I usually carry 7 rods with me including a flipping stick, but I can't remember the last time I used it. On average, I end up using only 3 or 4 rods and the others are "just in case." In the past, whether it was for fun or in tournaments, my mantra was to just show up and fish. But I'd like to think that I have matured this year. My target is quality bass, not quantity bass. I research weather, wind, imagery, previous tournament patterns, etc. before I get to the lake and I know what baits I should be throwing. But in the past, when those didn't work, I would blow everything up, throw different baits, and look for new patterns and get frustrated. This year I have learned to trust my bait selection and realize that it's often timing and not the baits that I have chosen. I'm trying to learn bite windows for each of the waypoints that I have chosen. Being in a kayak, I can't easily motor miles and miles to go to different cover and structure. With that, I try to launch from areas that give me multiple options and try to find the bite window in each of them. In summary, if I had to rank it, I think finding the bite window on bass cover/structure is more important than the bait you choose, but the bait must be conducive to that type of cover and structure.

High, muddy water can be tough. I'd throw a dark big Colorado blade spinnerbait or a Colorado/Indiana blade combination. If that didn't work I'd use a big blade, bladed jig fished slow. When the water is really high, often times I'll find bass in heavy grass that is normally on shore and newly flooded.

I use Accuweather and My Lightning Tracker. I keep my weather and lightning alerts on because popup storms happen here all the time in the south during the summer.

MY main concern out on my kayak this time of year is my personal safety. With that, I will go out and fish main lake points and main lake shallows early in the morning. By mid morning I move to creek channels, the narrower the better. By late morning I'm usually off the lake. The heat doesn't really bother me too much. It's the wake boats and the jet skis that get me off the lake.

Yes, I bend the hooks. But you have to be really, really careful with the Spro frogs because those hooks are very easy to snap. I've broke a few trying to bend them. Whether it's a regular frog or the big or small popper, I let the fish turn before setting the hook.

I already have an 18” extender in place. I’m about to turn 62. There’s no way I’m standing on the seat😀 The Kaku looks decent, but it’s not quite there for my needs.

I looked at those, but I went with the Foreverlast Gen 2 floating net. When I launch I stow it in the left side gunnel rod holder just behind my seat. For a while I kept it there while fishing, but I lost some fish reaching back for it when the line slacked allowing the fish to jump. So now it goes on my deck. Space is at a premium all around me with my Sniper LIvescope pole to my left, my captain's bridge with two UHD 93's in front of me, and the rudder pedals on each side of the gunnel. My Ketch board is also on the deck, pushed up towards the bow. If it looks like rain, there will also be a dry bag up towards the bow. Because my Livescope black box is in the under seat storage area, I have a battery box, Blackpack, and cooler taking up the tank well behind me. It's crowded. This is where I will enjoy the extra space if and when I buy the XTR.

Yes - I fish the Bassmaster Kayak Series, the Bass Nation Kayak Series, and the Native events if they are close enough. I take multiple photos of each catch on my Ketch board just in case. Make sure the mouth is close, mouth is against the, tail is pinched or positioned for maximum length, ID is visible, etc.

We'll see. I did my own build on my AP120 and I think I did a pretty good job with the wiring, drilling, Livescope setup, etc. But this will be a lot different because there are a lot of options to consider with placement of everything. For example, I can put the batteries in a BlackPack behind the seat or in a hatch in the bow. How is that going to impact weight distribution and balance of the kayak? Will I be on plane or off plane at top speed? If I put the battery in the Blackpack, then tackle storage boxes will go in the hatch in front of my. But my graphs will be stacked in front of that and my Livescope black box will probably be in that hatch. I'm in my early 60's, so this will probably be my last kayak. I want to make sure that I have the optimal setup for now and as I age and potentially encounter some health or mobility issues. There are a dozen or so more setup questions, and every single time I try to answer one of them the money add up quickly.

Thanks for your insights. I won't be using a captain's bridge on the XTR. Instead, my UHD93's will be stacked off the deck in front of the big hatch, kind of like stacking units in front of a trolling motor on a boat. At least that's the plan right now. When it comes time to buy and rig, I'm going to have to sit down with them and test placement of everything and sit in the seat and see how comfortable everything will be to operate.

Yes. Package deal with my upgraded trailer. Trailer has upgraded 10” tires (with spare) and a winch. It will also include a bunch of kayak upgrades including wiring and switches, lighting, two 100Ah lithium batteries, captain’s bridge, upgraded plugs, USB ports, Garmin UHD 93SV with transducer. Might even thrown in a Helix 7 DI/SI as well.

The trailer isn’t long enough to evenly support the weight. The back end would hang out too much.

99% of the time I engage spot lock after setting the hook. But spot lock keeps me within an area, not locked on a dime. Bigger fish can still move the boat. When I move to the XTR it may help because I can engage spot lock with my foot and don't have to take a hand off the rod to hit the button on the remote.

Those are big, stable platforms as well. But I like the raised deck on the XTR for sight fishing and the storage compartments for tackle and gear.

I've been thinking about selling my trusty Autopilot 120 and modified Malone kayak trailer, so I took a ride up to Dugout Bait and Tackle today to look at ordering a new trailer from them and take a look at some potential new kayaks. In particular, I wanted to look at the XTR, the Native Titan, and the Native Hammer. Seeing them up close and personal is a heck of a lot better than seeing photos and videos online. The Native kayaks were great, but the XTR is a might beast. Holy cow! My AP120 is 12 feet long and 37" wide, but the XTR is 12' 7" long and 40.5" wide. That may not seem like a big difference, but it's HUGE. There's plenty of room to stand in front of the seat and on the bow. This thing is definitely not going to fit properly on my current trailer. The folks at Dugout talked me out of buying the trailer that I wanted because of build time and delivery issues and I didn't like the Yakima trailer they suggested. So now I'm off to find a trailer that meets my needs. Once I get that, it will be time to buy and build the XTR. I plan to equip it with the Garmin Force Current stern mount trolling motor. This will give me spot lock and allow me to use my Garmin graphs and Active Captain to plot courses via waypoints to I can navigate fishing down banks - or anywhere - hands free. I thought about a less expensive bow mount, but it would not integrate with my Garmins. I also thought about a Torqeedo or Newport stern mount for more speed, but again no integrations and they don't have spot lock. Still, with a 24V battery it will be faster than my current AP120. The build price with the motor, custom wiring, lights, batteries, and trailer? Don't ask. It's making me choke. But to soften the blow I'm going to sell my AP, trailer, some electronics, batteries, and some nice upgrades. The goal is to have the new kayak in the water by the end of the year.

I have a pretty good season this year, catching a number of 20" - 24" bass (5+ pounds - 8+ pounds). But I've also lost a bunch of big bass including a few that cost me a coveted blue trophy this year. So, I'm reaching out to my brethren for your opinions in hopes I can improve my landing ratio. To start off. here's some background information: I fish from a kayak. A bigger bass definitely pulls my kayak around. Even 2 and 3 pound bass can move me around. Heck, in calm water fishing a big blade spinnerbait will turn my bow a bit. I fish with straight braid about 95% of the time. If the water is crystal clear I may throw a rod with straight flouro or put on a flouro leader. My reasoning is that because the kayak can get pulled towards the bass on a hookset, I don't want line stretch and slacking line from the boat being pulled towards the fish. My reels are usually 8:x, but occasionally a 7:x. Rods or 7' or 7' 2" MHF. I through a heavy rod in heavy cover, but that's not where I've lost fish. Every big bass that I have lost has been on a small Spro popper frog. Yes, I know. It's frog and it's a lower percentage hookup ratio. In the past, my net usage wasn't very good at all. I'd lose fish on single hook baits trying to boat flip them, especially spotted bass. So, I worked on my net game had no more problems when it cam to 1-3 pound fish. But twice with the 20+ inch fish I lost them as I reached for the net with one hand, the bass moved towards the boat, slacked the line, breached the surface, and spit the bait. Other times I didn't have the net and hand and while submerged the bass made a run for the boat, turned, and spit the bait. My hook sets are decent, but I don't cross their eyes? Should I? It's hard to get huge leverage sitting in a kayak, But I can work on it. Should I consider a 9:x reel to get any slack in quicker? But I think my biggest question is, should I be more patient and try and wear them out before netting them?

I've got a few setups. If I'm skipping under docks and sitting in my kayak I'll use a 6'9" MH Kistler Helium. Any other time I'm using a 7' 2" MHF Expride. I'm usually straight braid or braid to flouro leader.

Good answers all around. Bring your PFD is you have one. If you don't, make sure that he has an extra one.

When I first got back into fishing about 10 years ago I almost exclusively fished a T-rigged Senko and occasionally a wacky rigged Senko and they produced. Today, I rarely throw those - even when I know I should - because I'm not as patient anymore. I like to power fish or shake a minnow. I think that what I need to do is go out on my kayak one day with just three rods: Senko, T-rigged creature bait, and a Carolina rig and just fish those. And I would bring just one speed bag of plastics and leave everything else behind.