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I've known other people to do this. I remember being a kid fishing with my grandfather in Texas, and he pointed some red ribbons on trees to me and told me what they were for. So while I might not make the connection immediately (most people don't do this anymore), there's a possibility I'd figure it out eventually.

It's all a balance of the ecosystem. There's a limited amount of forage in any given lake. That limits the amount of food for any given bass. If number of bass in a lake are larger than the forage can support, then they'll struggle to grow, as there won't be enough food to go around. Larger bass require more food to survive and grow. However, if the number of LMB is smaller than what the lake can support, they'll continue to grow larger and larger each year until they reach that balance point. I've found some small ponds to have monsters in them. In fact, my biggest bass have always come from small ponds. Especially private ponds where people regularly remove and eat the fish they catch. There are several larger lakes near me that I've fished for years and never caught anything above 3-1/2 lbs (and rarely break 2lbs). The reason being that no one keeps largemouth, spotted, or smallmouth bass around here, and there are large populations of white bass, crappie and catfish to keep pressure on the baitfish. So there's just not enough food to support large bass. There might be a few in these lakes, but they're extremely hard to find. In one lake, before a virus swept through and killed off most of the largemouth, there were giants in it. It was originally designed to be a trophy LMB lake, and supported them. But after the LMB population got decimated, the white bass, catfish and crappie took over, and now the lake is stocked with tons of white bass, catfish and crappie, but only a small population of stunted LMB. It's been more than 20 years now, and it'll likely never recover the trophy LMB without some kind of human intervention.

It'll make the baits softer and easier to tear. Other than that, I don't think there's much of a difference. They'll still catch fish, if that's what you're worried about. You'll probably just have to change them out more often. Obviously, since they absorbed more scented oil, they'll retain the scent better after a good, long soak. Whether or not that translates into more fish, I don't know. I've done this a few times. I had good luck mixing a ton of garlic Bang into some melted plastic I was pouring. But I didn't have much luck with soaking similar pre-poured, unscented plastics in the same stuff. They did swell up a bit though. And I've got to be honest with you, I think my results had more to do with timing and coincidence than anything else.

You can buy an amp/hour meter, sometimes called a watt-hour meter, and hook it up to your battery. That'll tell you how much power has been drained, and give you an idea for how much is left. Normal voltage readings won't work, as lithium batteries tend to drop in voltage pretty fast, then level off, then drop really fast again just as they go dead. Their discharge curve is mostly flat. So you need a way to measure the current draw over time to really know the level. For instance, fully charged is about 13.6v. At 99%, it drops to 13.4v. At 13.2v your down to 70%. At 13v, you're at 30% and so on. So at tiny 0.2v intervals, you have 100, 99, 70, 30, 17, 15, and 13%. Since those aren't very well spaced out, making voltage readings alone pretty much useless. Having said all of that, I'd just hook up your trolling motor to your starting battery if it ever runs dead to get it back up, so you don't have to do it manually. That was written for Lithium Ion batteries. They run at a much higher voltage than Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) chemistries (3.7 vs. 3.4 volts per cell). Lithium Ions are smaller, lighter and more powerful than LiFePo4 batteries, but you'll rarely find them in boats, RV's, or off-grid power storage devices as Lithium Ion batteries are much more expensive, much more likely to explode, and don't handle the heat and cold nearly as well as LiFePo4. A "12V" Lithium Ion would run at 14.8volts fully charged, whereas a "12v" LiFePo4 would only run at about 13.6v fully charged. A "12v" gel battery will run at 12.8+ volts fully charged, for comparison.

I thought about it. But I have a push pole for anchoring, and I came to realize that I really need the ability to position it, as otherwise, my kayak will be at the mercy of the wind. Maybe if you got two, one at the bow and one at the stern, it might work for me. But then you've got to deal with the pole sticking up on your bow. Also, I'm most frequently trying to anchor in 20+ ft of water, and it wouldn't do me much good there. There are only a few lakes I take my anchor pole with me anymore. However, a lot of people do swear by them, so they've got to be good for some people. I'm just rarely fishing under the right conditions to make it a good option for me.

Check for nicks on your line guides. Also, check your line periodically, especially if your fishing near rocks, shells, or anything that might be scratching your line. Lastly, switch to 40lb braid. It's still thin enough to cast well on a baitcaster, yet thick enough that you won't get as much line dig in your spool. Thinner diameter braid is worse about line dig than thicker.

I'd say 75% of what I throw was around 30 years ago when I first got started. If you counted things like creature baits as general soft plastics, and DT-16's and 6XDs as just crankbaits, I'd be up around 98%. I tend to prefer the tried and true over new and shiny. But one that I still often throw a lot that doesn't get talked about too much these days is the Heddon Torpedo. It's an excellent topwater to start off with, as it can be fished both slow and fast, and give you a clue as to what kind of bite to expect that day.

That's my take as well, for all tipping. I don't tip people who just did what was expected. It's not my responsibility to cover for someone who doesn't budget a business properly. That's corporate welfare. If you're going to run a business, you need to take your own financial responsibility seriously. Relying on the generosity of customers to compensate for your fiscal malfeasance is not appropriate in a capitalist society. That being said, I also set my expectations according to price. If the guide was really cheap to begin with, I'm not going to expect much. And if he/she gave us a good trip, I'll tip him/her up to the point where I would have expected such a service to cost. I want them to make a healthy profit if they did a good job so they can remain in business, and I can return. But if they charged a fair price to begin with, then I believe they covered that themselves.

This is all my personal experience, but jigs seem to get through wood and stiff vegetation like reeds and willows as well as large rocks better. T-rigs seem to get through heavy concentrations of vegetation like milfoil and hydrilla better. Also, a T-rig can have a free sliding weight, which lowers the rate of fall while working the lure, and a jig will often stand up better off the floor. And a jig has the added movement of the skirt, and the T-rig doesn't have the weed guard which can get in the way. Plus if the weight isn't pegged, the T-rig hook can be harder for the bass to throw. So in most cases, either will work just as well as the other. But in certain circumstances, one has an advantage over the other. Often times I'll just throw whichever I grab first. But there are times when I'll cut one off to tie the other.

If price isn't a concern, I'd probably go with the 55lb. However, it will eat that 50ah battery quicker at high speeds than the 36lb version. But you'll have more thrust should you ever need it, and you won't have to worry about wishing you had more. Realistically, 30lbs of thrust is plenty for most any kayak in most any situation. kayaks are small and lightweight. And the general rule of thumb is 2lbs of thrust for every 100lbs of weight. So a 30lb trolling motor should be sufficient for a 1,500lb kayak, which is bigger than anyone uses. The speed limit of a kayak usually has more to do with the hull design than the size of the trolling motor. So you rarely gain speed by going bigger. Or if you do, it's a tenth of a mph or so. So the main advantage is just knowing that an upgrade won't do you any good. Plus it won't bog down in the weeds or current as easily. If you want more speed, I'd look into an electronic outboard, like a Torqeedo. They're basically trolling motors, but they're designed to operate at much higher speeds. Around 3.5-5mph would be the max I'd expect from a trolling motor. But a Torqeedo might get you double that, depending on the model you get.

I can't remember my record speed exactly, but I think it was just kissing 8mph. That's with a 30lb trolling motor going full speed, me paddling full speed, and very stiff wind and current to my back. So yeah, definitely cheating! I've also gotten my fish finder to register speeds over 10mph. But that's usually the result of it temporarily losing signal, and then requiring it in a new spot. The fastest I can paddle, if I remember correctly, was about 4.3ish mph on flat water. The fastest I can get my trolling motor to go is 3.8mph. My kayak is a barge and does not go fast.

I have a darkroom in my house, so photography is one of my hobbies. Though I'll admit, my fish photos are just a journal for my own records. But still, you have to take framing and lighting into consideration, or else why take the time to snap the darn thing? You want to be able to tell what the photo is of, right? I think most people are just overwhelmed with the technical side of it all, and don't really think about the basics. They just want to get it over with and move on. And I can't blame them. I mean, who even goes through old photos anymore?

Are you storing the boat outside and uncovered? My guess is the UV light is eating the rubber. Or maybe it's the ozone or other chemicals in the air or rain. They'll do a number on rubber as well, sometimes. If so, I'd either try covering the whole boat, or at least covering that section of it. Then again, I've never had much luck with boat covers lasting more than two years or so, if they sit outside in the sun. So you might be better off just considering this routine, yearly maintenance, as it would be cheaper than buying a new cover.

If I wrote a book on a bass fishing, I'd have every tip be the opposite of what I really do. I don't want y'all catching all of my fish! Seriously though, if there's one thing I've learned about bass, it's that they are gonna do what they want to do, and they're not always going to make sense. Fishing is all about finding and exploiting patterns. Everything you've ever learned about bass is just a starting point on the water. Nothing is right or wrong. There's only works right now, or doesn't.

I said it wouldn't. But it turns out, it has. I'm making fewer trips out to the farther off lakes. I'm still fishing as often as normal though. And to be honest, even though my local lakes aren't as good, I tend to catch more fish at them, simply because I know them better. And I still make it out to some of the other lakes from time to time. I just tend to do the hyper-mile style of driving that probably angers everyone else on the road. I can get pretty crazy gas mileage if allow the car to slow down on the uphills and speed up on the downhills. I've hit over 40mpg on a trip before, with a kayak on my roof. My normal mpg is closer to 28. So if you see me out there on the road, please forgive me! I'm not trying to make you mad, I'm just trying to pay a mortgage!

This time of year, the mornings. It's cooler and less crowded on the lake. Plus the wind is usually a lot calmer in the early hours than in the late hours. In the winter, the evenings. The water is warmer and the fish more active. And the crowds and wind are less of an issue any time of day. In the spring and fall, it depends on the day. Actually, it depends on the day during the summer and winter as well. But I don't have as strong of a preference in the spring and fall as I do in the summer or winter.

As noted, it depends on a ton of factors. The type of bass will make a difference. I'm a lot more likely to boat a largemouth than a spotted bass on a strike, especially with something like a worm. I'm a lot more likely to boat a bass off a crankbait than I am off a frog. I'm a lot more likely to boat any bass in the fall than I am during the spawn. And there are some days where I'll get a ton of strikes, but can't seem to boat anything. And other days where I land every strike I get, even though both days I'll fish the exact same way. And then there are days where I'm just off, and miss strikes because I'm not focused, or maybe hyper focused and trying to set the hooks too early. My point being, you really shouldn't try to compare yourself to others. Just compare yourself to your past performances. Try to get better today than you were yesterday. Learn from your mistakes and successes. Understand that progress isn't linear. It ebbs, flows, fits and spurts. Allow yourself the time to grow. We all fish under different conditions, and while there are a ton of similarities, there are also a ton of differences.

I never thought of collecting vintage bass boats. But why not? I mean, it's out of my pay grade, but I'm sure there are others who could do that, right? So why wouldn't they? I got to thinking about that after reading this article: https://www.bassmaster.com/classic/news/daily-limit-barn-find-could-be-holy-grail-of-bass-fishing/ Guy finds what he thinks is Ray Clunn's 1984 Bassmaster Classic Ranger. And he's looking to sell it to fund a pond, which means he's thinking it's worth a lot more than your typical 1984 18-foot Ranger with vintage electronics in good condition. And while I know a lot of people collect old reels and lures, I got to thinking... I've never heard of anyone collecting stuff used by famous anglers in big tournaments. Yet in the sports and entertainment memorabilia world, this is the stuff that commands big money. Do people do this, and I just don't know about it? Does anyone here do this?

I regularly fish a small lake (large pond) on my lunch break, and I'll often load up one rod and bait for the week. I've found it's hard to beat a T-rig, curly tail worm. Weedless can be important (or it is for me since I'm bank fishing). And I prefer something like a 1/8 to 3/8oz bullet weight to get me more casting distance. I'll sometimes peg the weight, and sometimes not. I'll often throw a bead on there for noise, and sometimes peg it a half inch down so the weight can clack the bead. With that setup, you can jig it with noise, drag it silently, or swim it to cover the entire water column, and do so quickly without switching baits. It'll also attract both big and small bass. It's a great search tool to find out where the bass are holding, and what kind of mood they're in. From there, you can adapt with what you've learned to find more fish.

That sounds more like a transducer problem than a battery issue. If the battery is picking up noise, it should show up as noise on the graph, though if the noise isn't bad, it will just reduce detail. There's a digital filter built into the unit (as well as some analog ones) that can reduce detail when they filter out the noise, but it should clear up when the motor isn't running, as the source of the interference would be removed. If it's not showing good detail all of the time, then that means the transducer either isn't providing a strong signal, or is picking up too much noise due to not receiving a strong enough signal. I had this happen on my sonar. The regular sonar and downscan worked fine. But the sidescan would only show depth, no detail. Replacing the transducer fixed it. The piezo crystals inside these units can be very sensitive, so if you bang into them or run them out of water, they can crack. A small crack won't stop the transducer from working, but it will reduce its efficiency and lower detail. So if it happens when other things are running off that same battery, then that points to a noisy circuit. If it happens all of the time, then that points to a faulty transducer.

You can also lose fish by having the drag set too loose. I've done this many times. I'll relube a reel and not set the drag tight enough before using it again, and hook a big fish. I go to set the hook, and my drag slips, so the hook doesn't penetrate properly. Then the fish takes off and throws the lure because I can't control her. That's equally frustrating, so it's smart to check your drag before each outing. I usually set my drag to about 1/2 line strength for mono and 1/3 for fluoro. Fluoro doesn't reset after being stretched out as well as mono does. It can get frayed and cracked in the middle, and you can wind up losing a lot of line, even without having the line snap, if you're not careful. For braid, I'll usually set it quite a bit lower, as I don't want to break my rod or cause the line to dig into the spool too much. Also, I get snagged quite often, and with the Oklahoma wind, I don't want to lose or break my rod while I'm trying to navigate over to the spot to free my lure. So I might have my 30# braid set to around 8lbs of drag. You can always slow the drag down with your thumb on the spool, or tighten or loosen the drag while fighting the fish.

For me, it depends more on the depth of the water. When targeting smallmouth, I always look for deeper water, but not necessarily the deepest water. This time of year, the water isn't usually changing temperature rapidly, so I'm not worried about north or south ends, per se.

Every day is different and every body of water is different. Every time I think I know ahead of time when or where the fish will be biting, I'm proven wrong. And even when I take this into account, and do the opposite of what I think, I'm still proven wrong. But somehow, after giving up on what I think I know, I almost always manage to stumble into some fish.

I'd throw a spoon or something will fall through the middle of the school and mimic a falling, dying baitfish. Usually if pulling something horizontally through the baitfish doesn't do anything, I'll drop something vertically through it. Often times if they don't hit the one, they'll hit the other. Gizzard shad do this at one of the lakes I frequent as well. Try throwing some small crappie jigs into it and see what hits.

What I would do first, is consider where you'll be taking it, and how you plan to get it there. Are you going to put it into the bed of your truck or on a trailer? If so, weight isn't that important. But if you're going to car top it, weight might matter more. Also, are you going to be taking it out to small ponds? If so, ramp access isn't always available, and a smaller, lighter kayak will be easier to get in and out. However, if you're taking it out on larger lakes, then you'll want something that handles waves and wind better. But if you're going to be taking it up narrow creeks, a shorter kayak will be easier to maneuver. Then again, if you plan on covering larger distances, a longer kayak will move faster and track straighter, making getting there less exhausting. I have the Lifetime Yukon (same as the Teton Pro). It's an excellent kayak for the money. It's not super stable, but I can stand up in it without a problem. It's not very quick in the water, but I use a trolling motor with it, so it doesn't wear me out. It's not light at 85 lbs, but I can still car top it on my SUV. I fish a lot of large and windy lakes, and it handles those fine, but it's a real pain to load in and out. It's especially bad if I don't have access to a ramp. Hauling it through 50 feet of grass is a workout, even with a kayak cart. As noted, you'll want to budget money for accessories beyond just a paddle and PFD. This is where buying used also helps. Some people never us an anchor. I don't know how I'd fish without one, as the wind is almost always blowing 15-20 mph, and even with an anchor, holding position is tough. You'll most likely want a fish finder one day, as that makes fishing offshore so much easier. And part of the appeal of owning a kayak is being able to fish those deeper waters. And that means you'll also want a battery. You may need lights for fishing in the dark, or at least during dusk and dawn (or fog). An anchor trolley is extremely valuable if you fish in the wind, because the wind will dictate which way your facing, and with an anchor trolley, you can regain some control over that. A kayak cart is a must if you're going to fish any place you can't pull right up to the bank or ramp. I would say it's safe to add 50% of the kayak cost to your budget for all of the accessories you'll want, and where not even talking about the "nice to have" accessories like trolling motor, power pole, landing net, or forward-facing rod holders.