Hook2Jaw

@A-Jay, you must not be quite as pole bound as Kentucky, or North Carolina.

My water temperatures in South Georgia are hotter than the air temperatures in some of them Northern reaches now. Like Kentucky.

I crossover almost immediately from a Wacky Rig to Neko rig when I'm getting bit on the bottom. I slide my rubber band down the bait, normally a YUM Dinger or Money Craw, almost ⅔ down the plastic. Considering I switch from weightless Wacky to Neko, the hook is normally a Wacky Hook. I use Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Wacky Hooks or VMC Ike Approved Weedless Wacky Hooks, both in the 1/0 size. I then shove a Big Bite Baits Neko Weight in ¹/¹⁶ for less than 10 FOW or a ⅛ for more, but I normally don't fish them past 12' or so. I let it get to the bottom and drag it along until it gets bit, rinse and repeat.

While we're on the ribbontail worm topic, I'd like to hear how everyone rigs theirs in addition to their choices. I typically Texas rig my YUM Ribbontails with ¼ lead and a 4/0 offset round bend. I'll go down to ⅛ if I'm wanting to stay on top of grass but that typically means I'm on a medium powered rod. I have also fished them deep with a ½. I like to fish Ol' Monsters on a heavy Texas rig, ¼-½ and with a 5/0 offset round bend. I normally string those up on a heavy rod. I also like to Carolina rig them with a ⅜-1oz with the same hooks. I've been wanting to try them out on shaky heads, I just haven't gotten around to it.

My selections echo this almost completely. I don't fish the Mag II. The Zoom Ol' Monster and YUM Ribbontails do work for me. The Ribbontail smashed it so badly last night I was in the "this is main lineup during the summer" mindset. I was fishing the 7.5" and the big ones would simply pull it up, the dinks were on a rip slash kill fest. 2.99 for 12 of them, one simply can't go wrong.

If I'm allowed to terminal it however I please, a ZOOM Super Fluke.

My Daiwa DXSB 8' Heavy Fast will toss beautifully down to ¾ and I haven't reached the upper limit yet, but I don't see any reason why it can't lob 6 ounces or more. It's a tad lighter than it's rated, but it's a capable rod for a bit over a bill.

If there's anything I've learned from the small craft experts here on BR, it's that hooksets and grinding fish is impossible from a kayak, much less a pool float! All jokes aside, you'll be fine. As stated, put the life jacket on and that goes for being on any craft, in my often not-so-humble opinion.

I rock a Daiwa Tatula 150 and I'm pretty pleased with it, as I am with all my Daiwa offerings. It has good line capacity, balances well on my 7'9" cranking stick, and is fairly set it and forget it in no wind, or into a light wind. I can touch 50 yards with it, 53 yards being my longest cast with it thus far. I'm sure a better caster than I can make it a regular occurence. I acetoned the spool bearing right after I got it, ran the bearing dry but the spool would simply get too fast for my ability. I added one drop of oil and that slowed the spool enough to not backlash often. Finally, I filled half of the spool with 30# braid and topshotted it with a cast and a half of 12# fluorocarbon. It now gives me 40 to 45 yard casts on the regular, and 50 happens often enough. The 5 speed is very easy on the muscles, and I highly recommend it in my primarily uneducated opinion. This is my first deep cranking reel, but it performs well enough to make me happy and I'm glad I spent a little time ekeing out every bit of performance from it.

Fishing naked or scantily clothed streamlines me and adds an easy 5 yards to each and every cast. You have to ask yourself if you want to perform your best or worry with subjecting the populace to your hairy mammoth legs. I choose performance. I choose bikini bottoms.

I'm going to guess your line is slipping around your spool.

I've caught a lot of stupid pond bass absolutely slashing and reeling a jerkbait as hard as I can, and a lot of those jerkbaits have been the slow rise versions. A jerkbait is one of my confidence baits from post spawn and through the heat of the summer all the way into the fall. I don't pause this time of year! I'm trying my best to annoy suspending, lethargic bass in deeper water or trying to cause enough commotion to have feeding fish pop out of grass and cover.

I throw brown and green pumpkin in clear water, I throw green pumpkin and black and blue in stained water, and I throw black and blue in chocolate milk. All three get ate up for me.

@Bluebasser86, how are the Provokes?

BOSS Big Boy. I like them because after you slide a BOSS skirt on, they're $2.67 each and pack a Mustad Ultrapoint on them. That's quality per dollar. The eyes don't get knocked off, the paint doesn't chip coming through grass or pads. They shed grass well with the hidden line tie. I like them in ½ ounce with a white skirt for imitating shad or bluegill for, well, bluegies. I tip them with a YUM Pulse swimbait or their Money Craw or Craw Chunk. I really need to find a good heavy moderate fast stick for throwing them on. I've also been wanting to experiment with this head from BOSS to hit those heavier sizes and have a cheaper California swimjig to get through the grass mo' better.

The thrill of a big one can keep me chucking a swimbait in the blistering winter wind with rain beating my gear like a drum. Numbers will make me keep saying, "one more cast." My ultimate fishing high is a big limit. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than figuring out what the fats want, where they are, and putting them in the kayak.

West Marine will price match BPS if you can go to one physically. You're welcome.

I just started with X9, but it casts very, very well. I prefer it to PP. I can't say about the abrasion resistance yet.

If you've got a grand to drop on 22 ounces of wood, hook hangers, and a hinge I imagine you've got money to drop on shoulder surgery. I'll stick with an S-Waver 168.

The Cane Thumper is probably my favorite paddletail. Big Bite Baits makes great stuff! Their shakeyheads are good terminal tackle, as well.

Berkley X9 is a solid, solid line. Tackletour rated it more highly than Seaguar Smackdown.

Check out the Old Town Salty PDL 120 and the Topwater 120.

I can definitely put a pulling load of 9 pounds on a reel from my kayak. They don't just instantly move, there is resistance. If the constantly echoed "kayaks get drug around by bass, hooksets, etc," were as true as some people believe it to be, I would land way less fish. The boat simply cannot move fast enough to counteract how quickly a human's physical movements can exert force. Honestly, though, I was just being silly about getting a rod. I knew it wasn't in the cards, but since you want to debate and remain on topic, there's my point and it's on topic. I can exert 9 pounds of force on a lure from my kayak should it be at all possible to apply 9 pounds of force to it.

The more you know! I'm still gonna need that iRod Genesis II "Fred's Magic Stick" because I'm pretty sure I can blow one up and you said we couldn't from a kayak.

Challenge accepted. Send me a Fred's Magic Stick and lemme see if I can blow it up on a jig set.