kayaking_kev

It seems I'm in the minority by fishing the Whopper Plopper size 90 most of the time, even though I have every size but the 190. I usually only throw it on the shallow rivers while kayaking, but the smallies love it and it works from April to November on them shallow rivers. I've caught them on the 75 and 110 and I'm sure they would do just as good, but the 90 was my first one in the Loon color, so I find myself grabbing that or the Munky Butt color because it has worked so good. I've never even threw my 130 because until recently I didn't have a rod for it and the fish aren't usually that big. By far my favorite is the Whopper Plopper, then Spooks, then Poppers, but I'm going to trying throwing frogs more this year as I have only caught one fish on a frog.

Not sure about the 1/4 oz, but it should throw 3/8 pretty good with a trailer. Another option to look at might be the 703c for those lighter weights. I have a Fury 703c and it's very versatile for any lure in those weights. Since mine is a Fury I mostly use mine for jerkbaits and other reaction type baits because I like something more sensitive for jigs, but I would probably throw a finesse jig on the Champion 703. If you could get your hands on a Kaden 713, that might be even better because they have faster tips, that's the only thing I would worry about with a Champion 703c and especially a Sierra 703c, is that they are too soft for jigs, the Fury 703c is faster, but doesn't have the sensitivity as those. But, since you will be doing some pitching, you might like a softer tip. I personally will throw those finesse jigs on my Xtasy 723c.

Thanks! I got 2 suspending, 2 sinking , 2 deep divers and 7 floating.

Thanks! What would be the best retrieve for a minnow style bait? The first baits and really only baits I fished with for the first half season that I started fishing was the cheap ozark trail 1/5 oz minnow style baits that looks like jerkbaits, but I didn't know what a jerkbait even was then (2018), so I just straight retrieved them or even trolled them behind my kayak and used a zebco 202 combo. I caught a lot of fish on them, but the smallies in the river I fished had little to no pressure and would really bite anything. I have all different sizes from the smallest 1/4 oz to the biggest Deep Divers 7/8 oz, if that makes any difference in the retrieve.

If you're really wanting a jig rod, the Champion 744c would be better than both of those, unless you like a little softer tip for jigs, and a more versatile rod then the 734 would be the way to go.

I just got a bunch of these recently for just over $3 each and was wondering if anyone has used them before and would like to tell me how they compare with other jerkbaits and how their experience with them has been. Thanks!

I also throw 2.5's on the Dobyns 705cb Glass. Despite the name, it's actually 60% graphite and 40% glass and gives you some of the sensitivity and strength from graphite and the flex of glass. The 705 feels nothing like traditional glass rods, at least the fast action version. I throw 1.5's on the 704 Glass and it feels more like a traditional glass rod as far as parabolic bend, but yet weighs less than the 704cb graphite version, and it flings lights cranks and squarebills a long way.

13 Fishing Fate Black 7'1 Medium Heavy Power / Fast Action Rod on sale for $39.99 at Tackle Direct. Shipping is $8.00 for a oversize package, but somehow they didn't charge me for the shipping after my cart expired and I added it back in. I bought two for a total of $79.98 including shipping. I'm thinking of giving one to a kid that I always see fishing who got a new Cadence rod for his birthday, but had the inserts fall out right away and the company wouldn't take care of it, leaving him highly disappointed. All the kid does is fish and rides his bike loaded down with tackle, long distances to fish all over the City. I do throw his bike in the back of my truck and give him a ride whenever I see him and have even taken him kayak fishing with me a couple times, but this rod would make his summer. https://www.tackledirect.com/one-3-ftb2c71mh-fate-black-generation-2-casting-rod.html Also, Pflueger President Spinning Fishing Reel Size 20 for $37.56, not sure how good of a deal that is but looked decent. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pflueger-President-Spinning-Fishing-Reel/612090194?selected=true

So far it has been Dobyns for me, I really like the Customer Service. I own 8 of their rods from every series except the Sierra and Colt. I have a Lew's, St.Croix, Fenwick and 13 Fishing rod, but like Dobyns better. I would love to try a Megabass Destroyer, Shimano Expride, G.Loomis NRX & Conquest, Kistler Zbone & H3 and some Daiwa rods though. As far as reels, I have 5 Shimano, 5 Daiwa, 3 Abu Garcia, 1 Lew's, and 1 13 Fishing.

You're reels are so similar in speed, there's like 2" IPT difference between your fastest and slowest, so it just depends on how they balance and feel with each rod. The only two that I personally have experience with are the SLX rod and reel, and the rod is very light, but it doesn't really matter what reel you put on it, the balance will be off on it. I would take a elementary guess... Tatula = Tatula 150 ( that's what you want) Kistler = Quantum ( lightest rod with lightest reel ) Lew's = SLX DC ( heavy rod with heaviest reel left ) Fury = Lew's XP ( would balance good together ) They might not be your 4 best rods, but it gives you a Heavy, MH, M, and cranking rod. But, I would just put each of them on the rod and see how you like the feel or better yet sell one or two and replace with different gear ratios. A slower reel for the Fury and a faster one for the Heavy, and your decision would be a lot easier. The Tatula 150 is a nice reel, but it may be a bit heavy at 8 oz for that rod, everything I have seen about the Tatula rods is that they are really light. The Tatula 100 might be a better fit, and you could probably easily sell the 150 for enough to get a new 100. I assume that Kistler rod is a 6'10 Medium, which would be good for jerkbaits and topwaters and maybe Senkos.

I don't have near as much stuff as a lot of you, but I do keep a list of the name, color, size, weight, diving depth, and what rod I will use for it. Most of everything has been purchased in the last year and a good bit of it this Winter. 6 Whopper Ploppers 3 Spooks 5 Frogs 4 Poppers 3 Lipless 3 Swimbaits 23 Crankbaits 4 Squarebills 25 Jerkbaits 8 Original Chatterbaits 1 Jack Hammer Chatterbait 6 Spinnerbaits 2 Underspins 20 Jigs 46 packages of plastic Not including panfish stuff.

Thanks for the info, and I apologize for my ignorance on the subject, but I really know nothing about it, so information like this is greatly appreciated.

I'm new to following the sport professional, so that's where my ignorance and the confusion comes from. I'm aware there are a few different circuits, not sure exactly which ones, especially since I think some just folded last year or changed names. I didn't know that you could fish in multiple circuits if allowed or anything like that. I just wish there was like a NFL/XFL version where all the big names like KVD, Jordan Lee, etc.. names that casual fans will recognize, would all fish in the same circuit and then the lesser known guys fish in the other one. But maybe it's just that I don't know everyone and who all is good or not besides those more known names. That's just my initial thoughts, maybe once I learn more about it, I would like how it's setup now.

They had the 3700, 3741 Plano Deep and 3780 boxes on sale, which was on my wish list, but I was hoping that they had the Bass Mafia 3700 Bait Coffin on sale also, but I got it anyway. I also picked up some other stuff that wasn't on sale, like some treble hook covers for bigger trebles for a 6XD and a couple of left handed reel covers and I finally got my first shakyheads, I got the 10pk Custom Cast "The Closer" 1/4 oz in Green Pumpkin. That Bass Mafia Tackle Bag for $90 was really tempting, being able to hold 10 3700 boxes and those StrikeKing sunglasses were also tempting. I was also a little bummed that I could of got a brand new Revo X Winch for $75 when I just bought one used for $65 last week.

Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows finally all arrived. Half from Walmart and half from Amazon, but all were just over $3 each, normally around $10. Only one got canceled. The 3D Prizm ones are really nice. I posted both sales in the latest sale thread last week.

As someone just getting into the sport, I would like to see all the big names fish together. Why doesn't that happen? I'm guessing money and sponsorship, and maybe a few anglers are just scared of better competition.

I picked Jamie Hartman in a contest to win a Dobyns rod, and 57 lbs 12 oz. as the weight to win an xtasy rod, but looks like I may of guessed under. I just started watching professional fishing though, so I'm pretty clueless about these guys.

We used to leave Ohio at 6 pm and get to Indiana at 5:30 pm after a 30 minute drive. But, then it catches up to you on the way back and you're late to stuff.

I never had a Dad or stepdad to teach or take me fishing, but my grandpa did take me a couple of times with a bobber and worm, but never really taught me anything. I went a couple of times growing up with a spincast zebco and a bobber and worm, mostly trying to catch bluegill because that's the only fish I knew of back then. As a teenager and young adult I also went a few times with friends, but mostly just to party on the bank and never really caught anything and still fished with a bobber and a worm. I fished very few times between then and 2018 when I really started fishing and only caught a couple of fish. In 2017, I bought my first kayak after always renting them several times a year for paddling trips and when I had my own and was able to go whenever I wanted, I kept seeing fish swimming all over the place, so I decided to get my fishing license for 2018. I started catching fish on a Zebco 202 combo that I got for $10 from Walmart and a $1.50 Ozark Trail Minnow lure and I've been hooked ever since. I stepped up to an Ugly Stik GX2 and a Abu Garcia Black Max by the end of that first year. When I first started in 2018 I was catching plenty of Smallmouth and Rock Bass and some Largemouth, but I didn't even know how to tell them apart for awhile. I pretty much just used that cheap Ozark Trail lure and bought a Rapala floating lure once in a awhile, but that was all I threw and it worked great for the small rivers I kayaked. But, whenever I would kayak a lake or reservoir or bank fish one of them, I would pretty much get skunked every time. This past season I discovered the plastic worm and was able to catch a ton of fish on lakes and reservoirs, and caught over 500 fish recorded on video, most of them still using the Ugly Stik GX2 and Black Max. I expanded my bait selection a little this past season and caught fish on the few jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits that I had, but I was mostly using the Whopper Plopper on the rivers and a plastic worm every where else. This Winter, I started to upgrade my gear and put a lot of money into rods, reels, and baits. I wanted to skip over gradually building up my arsenal and having to upgrade to better and better stuff so I just went straight to a lot of high end stuff like a couple of Dobyns Xtasys, an Extreme HP, a couple of Champion XP Glass rods, and 3 more Dobyns rods, plus some other decent rods like a St.Croix Panfish rod, Lew's TP-1 spinning rods and a 13 Defy Black Crankbait rod. The only thing I'm needing now is more storage boxes for all the baits I've been buying, but I think I'm hooked for life. I guess I should also mention another reason as to why I got into fishing. I used to pretty athletic, played all the sports, but in 2011 I had a brain surgery that left my left foot handicapped and I can no longer run and have to wear a plastic brace that comes up almost to my knee. I was no longer able to play all the sports and do a lot of the old activities that I enjoyed doing, which put me into a pretty deep depression for awhile, until I discovered fishing and it has helped me tremendously.

I think I've only caught fish on white or white/chartreuse skirts, but bass and pike seem to love them. Even the ones on the bottom shelf at Walmart for $1, the white skirted ones with the blue heads have caught me multiple bass and a pike last year. You have to adjust the skirts more, but if you lose one you're only out $1. Besides those, I like the KVD Finesse Spinnerbaits.

I haven't tried any Sunline yet, but I like Seaguar InvizX the best so far.

I caught the same smallmouth last year on back to back cast with the same bait, on video. Some are just very hungry or very dumb. Hunger will make you do stupid things.

As far as if line size matters, I think it all depends on the type of bite. If it's a reaction bite, I don't think the fish think too much about anything and just attack, which is why they try to eat crankbaits with big trebles hanging off of them. Most of the fish I catch are probably from reaction bites, so it probably doesn't matter much what size or color my line is as long as it doesn't break. But, if the bite is tough in pressured water that is clear, I think line size and type does matter. I fished some really clear water this past season and was able to watch as some fish would approach the bait slowly and then stop right in front of it and just stare at it the whole time without biting, while another one would come in quickly and in one swoop pick up the bite and take it. Some fish are just smarter, hungrier, or more aggressive than others and I think having the least visible line is only going to help you catch more fish in certain situations.

Yea, I dunno about the memory thing either. I seen a video once where they caught a huge Bass and put it in the live well for the day and then released it all the way on the other side of the lake at the boat ramp with a tracker on it and it swam straight back to where it was caught. They are probably like me, I can't remember stuff after 15 minutes either if I don't care about it, but if it's something I care about it, it will stick in my head for a long time. Fish probably have the ability to store some memories, like bedding spots and traumatic experiences, but their capacity if very limited.

I've had it out 3 times, but only for about 20 minutes each time due to weather and time. I was also using a different Daiwa reel each time and trying to get more of a feel for them than the rod. I have the 744c, and the first time I fished a football jig and I can't speak about the sensitivity because the bottom was soft. Last evening and earlier this evening I fished a 1/2 oz Chatterbait on it and you definitely could feel the blade vibrations pretty good. I don't have enough time on the water with it yet, but I can tell you it's a pretty fast action rod. It's faster than the Fury and definitely faster than the Colt, Sierra, and Champion XP. There have been lots of feedback about it in the Dobyns Facebook Group with lots of pictures of some big fish caught on them. Everything has been positive, with the exception of a few people complaining about the reel seats flexing on their spinning reels, and most of that was solved when they changed reels. I personally think they should have full handles, even though I'm probably more of a split grip guy. I found the 744c hard to cast one handed and had to use two hands which I have little experience at, but then again it could be I'm just not used to longer rods. I would also like to see some kevlar wrapping added like all the other Dobyns rods have. It might add a little more weight, but I like my rods to look nice, or else I would have NRX's instead of Xtasy's. I would buy a Champion XP over one, and if it was between a Sierra and a Kaden, I would choose a Sierra if I wanted a more versatile rod to throw some reaction baits and the Kaden rod for Jigs and T-Rigs.