Zcoker

Fail Safes should be looked at as a broad term, as in your satellite connected PLB. For most folks phones are doable, so it's wise (when able to use them) to have location services activated and pared up with a buddy or whomever, especially when out solo.

Living in Florida, it's so hard to imagine not being able to catch fish year round, or at least a few a month. Heck, that's like impossible down here, impossible to not catch fish lol. We do have so called "tough times", that is, when the water temps drop. Florida fish are wussies when it comes to cold weather, certainly not the kinda cold that some of you guys experience. We still can catch 'em, only have to work a bit harder at it.

I might have this problem. I fish the everglades, which is thousands of square miles and encompasses most of the lower half of the entire state. I live about an hour away, same as you. That's a whole heck of a lotta marsh to cover! I could fish a lifetime and not even begin to cover a fraction of it.

Always best to have ALL SAFE GUARDS in place when out fishing on a kayak (no matter the location) including a simple compass or even a GPS fish finder with some sort of mapping. That little voice that says ''it can't happen to me" should always be frowned upon. Make sure location services on your phone is on and you have someone connected to it. Failsafe's are good. Be smart but fish smarter.

I agree with much of what you're saying but I still think things like this on YouTube are, cough, staged. Randy makes 3 vids a day, spontaneously, meaning he doesn't know from one moment to the next what the content is gong to be. He sorta wings it, or so he claims. If so, then there's no editing to weed out the material that might put people off. And he's getting better and better at it. He's learned to take the good with the bad, or how to take bad and turn it into a very profitable good. He claims YouTube is now his only source of income. Thus I imagine that he'll do anything to keep things spicy and alive, including negative publicity, same as Milliken. Both these guys are quite smart and have learned a lot about algorithms and so forth. They're both gonna do whatever it takes to keep things stirred up and conflicted. After all, a book would be quite boring if it didn't have any conflict in it!

This has been all over the tube world. Settled nothing. They've turned it into a mockery. Supposedly, on Bass After Dark, no one is to know who the other guest are. That's more debatable than Randy & Milliken themselves because both came prepared for one another! Now ain't that coincidental! In the grand scheme of things: negative publicity can be the best publicity in the YouTube world. Both their ratings/views/likes/dislikes or whatever skyrocketed after that podcast, including Bass After Dark's $$

They're awful, those bowfin. I've lost some nice lures from them doing their death spin. And don't ever net one. I had one completely rip apart the rubber mesh on my $100 YakAttack landing net. YakAttack gave me another mesh at no charge, thank goodness!

Take it off. Use either mono-to-braid or strait braid on the spool. In both cases, use an arbor knot to secure it and then put a piece of electrical tape on the line as it lays about 1/2 turn. Done.

When I go bass fishing, I hate catching Bowfin, or mudfish as they are often called ugg. On the other hand, when I want something to practically pull my arm off, I hit the surf for blacktip sharks using only topwater lures. That'll work!

Too bad you didn't get to experience the craze because they were awesome for me down here in south Florida, especially in shallow water for the bigger fish. The hits were insane--boom! I even won a tournament using only them. Then, slowly, the hits became fewer and fewer. I would pull on one half a day without so much as a nibble. It got so dull that I stopped using them altogether. It's as if, telepathically, all the fish around where I fish said no more. Weird.

Regardless of laws, statics, data or whatever, this guy was apparently a fitness/wellness instructor who belonged to a kayak club, healthy and fit and educated. Should be a good example to those who might think that "it can't happen to me!" Only thing that we can do about not wearing a PDF in forums like this is to press on with: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Even if a law, still going to be naysayers. Was loading up my kayak the other day while chatting with some bank fishermen when two FWC officers pulled up in separate trucks. They approached us, asking how the fishing was and then asked to see our fishing licenses. All was good and then they became chatty, checking out my fishing yak. One of the officers said while looking at my registration number, “first time seeing this.” I said “you mean people don’t register their motorized yaks—it’s the law here in Florida.” He laughed, shaking his head, saying “heck no” like it was a joke or something. I didn’t pursue it but they sure did give the impression that it was a trivial matter. Says a lot about laws and enforcement.

Yep, another one, 46 year old male kayaking near Saint Augustine, Florida, near an inlet. Irony in all regards: a fitness and wellness director in a kayak club. Of coarse not wearing a life jacket. Who’s next? When will folks learn!

It’s what we all do: mimic. That’s not to say all proven lures will work for everyone but some baits have withstood the test of time, like the plastic worm, which anyone can use to catch a bass. Some say it’s the #1 bait that bass can’t remember. I tend to agree and keep zinging with it. When all else fails, the worm rules. No need to zag. Other lures that were once very productive seem to fade, like the Whopper Plopper. I got sucked into that fad just like everyone else and it ruled…for a while, at least. I can hardly buy a bite on one nowadays. Strange how that works, almost ghostly!

gotcha. I only know of guides in the Fellsmere area at either Stick Marsh, Kenansville, or Headwaters. Too bad because February is prime time to get a DD fish. I get most of my monsters in February. Best of luck!

Oh, okay, thought you down for the weekend or at least for a couple days. If you can do a conference and then pull off a guided fishing trip all in the same day before heading to the airport, then hats off to ya!

You're gonna luv that cart! Comes with two ties but only need to use one behind the rear wheels. I didn't do that at first because the cart seemed to fit my yak like a glove but my yak still slid off, mainly from some of the crazy launch areas I use. Once I got the hang of it, I've never had an issue for years with it. You also might want to get some spare Linch pins for the wheels at Home Depot. They carry nice cadmium plated ones for a good price. I've lost a few of those and it's a relief to have spares on hand!

Only Orlando area? Reason I ask, you'll only about and hour or so away from Fellsmere, the famous Headwaters lake. That would be the ultimate guide trip with guaranteed fish with the possibility of a DD, especially in February! You'd have to book now to get a boat.

I ordered a used Dobyns Champion XP rod for a fraction of the cost new. They have them classified according to condition. The rod I purchased was listed as "excellent condition". I received the rod in just a few days in a nice American Fishing rod tube. And the rod inside was basically brand new! I mean, their "excellent condition" rating was far above and beyond. Totally satisfied! Seems like they buy/sell the used stuff rather quickly. That was my only experience with them related to their used products. If you're still having doubts about buying or selling, I'd just give them a call and voice your concerns. I'm sure they'll clarify things for you.

Merry Christmas from south Florida! Supposed to get near 80 degrees Christmas day

I don’t think I’ll ever see something like it again. I mean, I had it happen once recently and I started to get my hopes up but it turned out to be just two, which was still nice. When the Wolfpack deal happened, it didn’t matter where I cast it was like a giant was there waiting—boom! I haven’t seen anything close to that or like you mentioned the gang turning around as if waiting for the lure! There’s a lot more to bass behavior than most think, in my opinion. This gang-like behavior of the bigger fish is a very interesting subject! I've seen them corral an area, blocking off all points, as if working together to isolate and then attack the bait. I know this because I've been there and have seen it. And being in the middle of it at that exact moment is probably the reason for these spectacular once in a blue moon catches.

I know the feeling on that one, man, one right after the other. It's like striking gold! Funny how they're all the same size, too! All my 7's were mere grams apart. Like you said, the "wolf pack"

Best of luck to anyone who's affected by this recent storm. We got pounded by it here in south Florida. Took out most of our beaches by erosion. The neighborhood beach below used to be a nice one. Now it's completely gone!

I did pretty good for 2023. Fished about 7-8 tournaments. Largest fish was over 9lbs with a few 8's in the mix and a boat load of 7's. Wins were maybe 4-5 with all others in the top 3. Earnings were decent and paid most expenses. For unique fish, had one 24" fish that was barely pushing 6lbs! Long but so darn skinny. Even caught her in a good nutritious area. So I couldn't understand her being such a lightweight. High point was winning a tournament with a few cast, like three 7 pounders in less than 30 minutes, almost back to back. Low was losing a tournament that I was so sure I'd won! Another high/low was qualifying for a national event out of state but low point was that I couldn't make it. Maybe for 2024, that's what I'll do, hit the trial. 2024 is gong to be a wait and see kinda year for me with tournaments because I have a lotta other stuff going on. Lotta commitment with these bass tournaments, whole lotta hard work, commitment, & dedication!

When I was in the market for a good cart for my OT, all hands pointed to the Wilderness Systems cart as well. I currently use it on my sportsman 106, which has the same hull shape as the AutoPilot and absolutely love it! It can take a beating and lives up to its price tag, which is not the cheapest out there. It's probably the most expensive one out there but well worth the $, imho. It's super strong, super adjustable, and I've never had a single problem with it going on three years now. I can roll my fully loaded yak anywhere, down hills--steep hills, over rocks--you name it! I can even break it down and fit most of it in my front hatch hole. Thing is well made anodized aluminum with big removable wheels.