Hook2Jaw

It's nice to know someone got that method to work! What pound line are you using and which brand(s) of stops do you recommend? I got bites doing just that, but couldn't pin a fish to save my life using that method.

I wish I could use straight fluoro on a shot, but haven't managed to do it yet. @J Francho, gimme some preferred lines and stinkers, please.

@A-Jay, do I need to replace the hooks on the LC Staysees?

Lost my uncle to cancer years ago, just lost my cousin's husband to that crap. I hope and wish for the best for you and yours, Tom. Hearing stuff like this breaks my heart. Best of luck and Godspeed.

Y'all stop. I've ordered some Lucky Craft Pointers and Staysee 90s based off the reviews and had to swallow my lunch again when I saw my order was approved. I don't know if I can keep it down if I've gotta plop 200 bucks down for 8 or so jerkbaits.

Thinking on it right this very moment, and take my opinion with a grain of salt, my theory would be those two lures working in tandem and triggering a fish on multiple levels. Bass fisherman have believed for years that jigs get big bites. I believe they do. The bulk of a jig signifies big meal, and the skirt mimics life and those skirts mimic crawfish, baitfish, small gamefish very well. You're already in the money by tossing a jig. Analyzing the trailer choice, several things come to mind; the fish catching ability of the Yamamoto Senko due to the soft plastic and the salt content. The baits quivers as it moves through water and that has been making strikes happen for years. A Senko seems to be prime pickings for bass of all sizes. The second thing that comes to mine is the Berkley tests showing that fish are more apt to bite a bait without appendages followed by the success of the Ned Rig. Add the two together and you end up with... Jig(Proven quality fish bait)+Senko(Proven provider of strikes and remover of skunk) = an action packed combination that gets big fish attention followed by the subtle, bite enticing action of the Senko. Perhaps the Senko is quivering due to the movement of the skirt during the fall, but I can imagine that when that jig hits bottom the stick bait vibrates like none other.

Lost it at "I NEED THE NET!" Definitely a net worthy fish for me, but the excitement and urgency was too much. Loved it. Good stuff, man!

I plan on purchasing a Daiwa Tatula 150P. I saw a review where they found it comfortable despite the size, were impressed by the casting distance, and said that it is a workhorse of a reel that can handle a variety of jobs : deep cranking, 'bama rigging, swimbaits, and large topwaters. The specs for the reel are as follows : Daiwa Tatula 150P Aluminum Frame & Side Plate Reinforced Brass Gearing T Wing System 7BB + 1RB 5.4 R, 6.3 R, 7.3 R/L Gear Ratios 100mm Swept Handle Matte Black Finish with Tatula Spider Gear Ratio : 5.4:1 IPT : 23.6" 7.9oz 100 yards of 16# mono 13.2 pounds of drag. You can find them on for a tad over 100 bucks.

I fish both saltwater and inshore and can regularly cross over baits, but to be honest, most inshore guys still throw live bait like it's the only thing that works. Inshore fishing is so archaic in comparison to bass fishing because bass are a more popular and more accessible game fish. Believe me, we know so little about bass -- but we know so much more about bass than we do speckled trout, redfish, pompano, sheepshead, tarpon, etc. I guarantee there are more presentations that will work better during different seasons while fishing inshore, it just hasn't been figured out to the degree bass has. You can't bring a topwater, quarter ounce shrimp jig, twitchbait, chatter, spinner, and a paddle tail swimbait and whip me on bass. I've had saltwater anglers try it. Don't liquidate your bass arsenal unless you're not serious about it. Yeah, a lot is marketing, but a lot of it actually works.

You should be fine center mounted on an Ascend. I've got a Helix 7 on my Hobie on the H-Rail, and I can see a 9 getting in the way, but the 7 seems to be just right. Sadly, I can't center mount my finder due to pedals like you can on the Ascend's center console. Congratulations on that deal, by the way!

I don't know, I've only been using Berkley Vanish about a year. Before that I had used Seaguar Red and Blue Label, as well as the BPS XPS Fluorocarbon. It's been so long since I've used those lines I hardly remember their performance on casting gear, so my comparisons of Vanish to other lines is moot. I will say that comparing Vanish to my expectations is possible. I expect my lines to cast well, I'm sending most presentations on a long cast 30-40 yards. I'm happy with that. I expect them to not break at 1/4th of their rated strength after they've got a knot compromising that strength, so, for instance, I set my drag to 2.5 pounds on a scale with 10# Vanish. I can't remember the last time I broke off via fight or cover using this method. I don't ski fish unless my line absolutely allows. So, Berkley Vanish meets my expectations in those two areas. The only thing Vanish seems to have in excess, to me, is memory. I treat it with KVD Line 'n Lure and it does sooo much better. I fight redfish on 4# of drag with 17# Vanish and they jam that mess against SHARP oysters, barnacles, and saw grass. It performs. So, in my opinion, Vanish is pretty average to men. What keeps me buying Vanish is the price per yard. That's the one area it absolutely excels. I use different pound tests for crankbaits as I'm still learning the deeper divers, I don't get many opportunities to fish those. With that in mind, I throw them into less underwater cover. I've found that for myself I can easily identify squarebills about to bump over a limb or log, so I'm much more apt to throw them into those things and put myself at risk of breaking off much more. My systems are pretty flexible and I continuously try to adjust them to how I fish, money allowing. TLDR : I catch fish on Vanish. It never let's me down, and feels good on the wallet. I'm more apt to grind shallow divers in cover because I've got more experience with them and don't mind losing them, that's why I rock 14#.

This. Handle them. Handle them again with your eyes closed and really focus on it. Bring your rod, put them on, get a feel for how they are on your gear. Then, pick the ones you like to look at best. You can't go wrong with many reels in that price range.

Huge fan of Kastking Superpower braid. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking, and, in my humble opinion, is a better braid than standard Powerpro. I've been using 12# on my spinning rods, and have been wanting to try their 8-carrier to see if I can increase my casting distance with it. It's much cheaper than other 8 stand braids. I use 30# on a few of my casting outfits and it's nice as well, and 40# has yet to snap during a backlash with my swimbaits. Kastking Superpower braid is awesome. Someone let me know how this stuff performs, I still get 50 more yards of Berkley Vanish for the same price. I may just have to test it myself.

You're going to get all kinds of answers. Squarebills : 14# Berkley Vanish 8-14' Crankbaits : 12# Berkley Vanish 14-22' Crankbaits : 10# Berkley Vanish Jigs : 30# Braid, sometimes with 12-17# fluoro leader. Worms : See jigs. I'm hoping to have a pitch/frog setup in the future with 50# braid. Topwater : 12# Berkley Big Game. There may be a universal best, all around system that will perform well across all situations with the least amount of failure, but the only testing devices we as anglers have are a set of hands with some arms attached. Use what works best for you.

Awesome fish!

Most YUM offerings are good bang for the buck. I was excited for their Ned rig offerings, but I save more money throwing Z-Man TRDs. My favorites are the YUM Dinger, Christie Critter, Craw Chunk, Pulse, Kill Shot, and Finesse Worm. Like @Bluebasser86 above me said, H2O Xpress from Academy have good hard baits to tie on. Stepping up a few dollars from that, I like Berkley's hard baits as well. I will say I don't like the lipless from either company, opting for Strike King Red Eye Shads. Sometimes, it's best to go for the best bang for your buck rather than bottom of the barrel cheap.

I fully plan to figure out kits versus buying all the components individually and you guys taking the time to reply and educate is definitely swaying me towards a Revelation. I know it's a tall order, but how does that blank compare to rods from larger companies? Are there any rods it's similar to? IIRC, a 6'2" will cost me about 60 bucks. I think it will cost me in the area of another 30 bucks for some Fuji guides and a tip top, and I haven't gotten around to pricing handles.

Nice to know another kayak guy had the same line of thought probably long before me! @J Francho, I'm probably going to shoot you a PM in the near future about the rod I'm planning on building.

Jelly.

I did a swimbait fish bank busting. The one I lost on the S-Waver 168 a few weeks ago still haunts my dreams. She would have been the best fish of the year. I didn't weigh her, but she smoked that Huddleston 68. Did just like the boys from Tactical taught me, set the hook and grinded her right in. Any guesses on the poundage of my first Huddleston girl?

Welcome to BR and welcome to bass fishing! There is some awesome advice listed above. Stick worms of all sizes catch bass exceptionally well, and wacky rigging is an awesome way to learn them. When I learned to catch bass as a kid, it was via Texas rigged, weighted rubber worms and spinnerbaits. When I took up bass fishing heavily a few years ago, I started by Texas rigging weightless rubber worms -- I started with Yamamoto Senkos, but I went through so many I opted for cheaper options and YUM Dingers are an excellent bait. I have so much faith in a Texas rigged Dinger that I'm going to have to suggest that in addition to the wacky rig suggested above. It's a similar presentation that has less action, but it has enough of that, and is far more weedless. I personally used 2/0-4/0 light wire and heavy wire worm hooks to fine tune the fall rate, but as a baseline I would grab some 3/0 light wire EWGs for this presentation. So, wacky and Texas rigged sticks are two techniques. Since you've expressed interest in paddletails, my favorites are YUM Pulse and Big Bite Baits Cane Thumpers. Rig either on a 1/8oz to 1/4oz weighted swimbait hook. Good luck, @Bluegillslayer!

How sensitive are these sticks? I believe you've told me before, but would they make decent bottom contact rods with straight fluoro or are the guides large enough for easy braid to leader? I caught by PB on that combo. If he's throwing moving baits, a Daiwa Aird-X makes a good stick for that purpose. If he has the patience and feel for jigging and worming, I would grab him a MHF in the 6'6"-7' range and I would choose a Tatula Bass, Dobyn's Fury, St. Croix Mojo Bass, or 13 Omen Black 2. BPS also has a sale on their Pro Qualifier 2s on Black Friday for 69.99 and I really miss mine. It was stolen off my carport.

Maybe the guy who started the short rod kayak revolution was a sissy baby. ?

Rooting for you. I have a wedding to save for this year, I had hoped to make the KBF SE Opens this year, but it was the first thing I budgeted out.

I've never heard of such an issue. Normally impacts slow your kayak enough so they don't bend too terribly, if at all. If they were to bend that much, the slot is very spacious, and the fins aren't that long. You could angle it out without issue. If not, roll the boat on its side and bend them back straight enough to remove the drive.