Zcoker

Cullen would fish all night 320 nights a year. Although excessive, in my opinion, it still shows that in order to get these bigger fish, one must put in the time, not to mention the total dedication. I can attest to this, not so much to the extremes of fishing every night but more to do with fishing all night long. This is the only way to be ready for those tricky bite widows that you mentioned, which may be short lived, very short lived, and only in specific areas. So being there and being ready, right place, right time, is what it's all about. I've gotten more big fish 8 and up by fishing all night long until the sun comes up. Then it's time to go home and go to sleep! lol

Yes, I've heard of Brasher and the Jitter bug, just wasn't sure if Cullen used the same lure or not. Both those guys were off the charts with the big girls. Now if we can only duplicate that! Even today with forward facing sonar and all the modern goodies, I've yet to hear of anyone coming close to those numbers. It was like a normal fishing day (or night) for them but with DD bass ALL THE TIME, like every outing. Crazy.

Maybe so. From what I understand, he only used a custom made black buzzbait. He made them according to a specific sound, which I found interesting. He mentioned numerous times that the bigger bass at night were more attracted to a specific sound, as opposed to a trailer. I've also found this to be true. Little changes in the tune or the sound of the buzzbait seems to have a dramatic effect on the hits it gets, especially from the bigger fish.

The “right stuff” is all about stacking the odds in the fisherman’s favor, imho. Can do that with a lotta things nowadays, live scope included. Take Pat Cullen, as you alluded to, the man well known for catching over a thousand 10 pounders. Pat flew around in a friend’s private plane scoping out small ponds, most of which were on private property. Then he’d contact the land owners of those lakes to get permission to fish them. He then fished them practically every night all year long. The odds were stacked in his favor BIG TIME! He hit those virgin well stocked lakes at night with a black buzzbait and caught 10 ponders over and over. However it may be interpreted, it’s very clear how things can work out if the odds are stacked in the fisherman‘s favor!

Everything is right until it’s wrong, meaning that when the fish are ON, everything seems right yet when the fish are OFF, everything seems wrong. Yep, the fish have a LOT to do with it!

I almost got an Auto Pilot but opted for the smaller 10.6 Minn Kota model, same motor along with everything else except spot lock. Glad I did because I can launch it anywhere with no issues. Not to mention it’s easy to paddle, even against a strong wind. I’ve broken down twice a long ways from launch area and paddling back wasn’t bad at all. I couldn’t imagine paddling an Auto Pilot for miles! lol First time I broke down my prop spun off, so carry a spare! Second time was when the motor plug prong broke off. Folks warned me about that one and I blew them off. I installed a very robust plug that locks.

I’d recommend getting the Ketch board, only because if you ever decide to do a tournament, you’ll be all set. And it’s nowhere near $150 lol Only about $35 off Amazon

I do all my fishing out in the Florida everglades, which is thousands of square miles, most of which is only accessible by kayak…or airboat. I’ve tried other places in Florida but few give me outcomes like the glades. It’s almost guaranteed giant territory, and if only after numbers, not uncommon to have triple digit days. I’ve never come close to getting skunked out there. Just the other day putzing around for a few hours I measured over 105 inches for 5 fish! It’s not a question of if out there but a question of when, no matter the conditions, day or night. The secret is being ready for those mega hits. Unlike any other place that I’ve ever fished, the big bass out in the glades are completely insane! Like Tasmanian Devils, they come out of nowhere to annihilate the lure. Then it’s game on, hoping the 65lb braid holds! I even have to use my saltwater rods with Shimano Stella reels out there lol Little taste

I found these bluegill swimbaits on sale for $4 at Fish Lab. They come in 4” or 5” and, just like the Trace, come in floating, wake, slow sinking. I’m actually using them more than the Trace baits and liking them a lot! They seem to get annihilated by the bass. The action and quality is surprisingly good, especially for four bucks!

I hooked into one of the biggest bass of my life on a Snagless Sally. She was so big that she broke the 30lb mainline that I was using. Unbelievable hit. I saw it as plain as day. A big dark blob following the lure and then this giant white mouth opening up to engulf the lure, as if the whole area turned pure white--BOOM! The yanks from that fish were so hard that the Jon boat that I was using started moving--not kidding! Out of all the fish that I've ever caught in all my years, I'll never forget the hit from the Snagless Sally!

It's comforting to know that others do the same thing, feel the same way, and work together to solve the same problems, all revolving around the same fish. And to catch that one fish as efficiently and as effectively as possible is what this site is all about. In that regard, it's the greatest catch of all!

It’s a quality product that is made specifically for kayaks and is used by just about everyone. When I was shopping around, most talked about it as if an industry standard, tried and proven. So I got it and have been comfortable ever since.

Randy could also be a sort of role model for other pro fishermen like Foutz. Guys like Randy start turning heads and pros look. They see the potential. They see the growth. They see the subscribers. They see sponsors looking, too! Seems to me that it's turned into a package deal, professional fishing and social media, one and the same thing. Gonna see more and more pros gravitating in that direction, for sure.

I also watched Randy's take on FF with Mercer, and he does seem pretty passionate about it. I mean, he does claim he loses a lot of subscribers because of his position, which seems logical. Randy is about as old school as they get and some folks just don't get it. Never going to get it, either. Only way to get it is to have lived back then and to have fished the way he did back then, the way they all did back then, by a wing and a prayer lol His 2002 M1 loss is especially heartfelt.

I think a lot of guys like Randy Blaukat would agree to get rid of FFS altogether but, like you said, the genie is already out of the bottle. Technology in all regards moves on, whether liked or not. Which means, of course, that FFS is here to stay and it will be used by anyone who wants to buy it. Perhaps it will become more regulated in the tournament scene, maybe limited usage or maybe not used at all. This currently seems to be the big debate.

Listen, fishing different bodies of water has nothing to do with what I said for anyone. My whole spiel was just about me and my personal journey while finding my strengths. I got so caught up in fishing the same places ALL the time, which sorta dulled my ability to move and learn new stuff. In fact, years ago I was so caught up in only one aspect of bass fishing that I hardly caught a friggin thing, even while fishing out in the everglades! It wasn't until I started CHANGING my thinkin that things really begin to take on a new life. I broke out of my old habits. I broke out of my shell. I started thinking outside of the box. Yes, I still fished the same spots but with a newness about me. I let the fish and just about everything else in. I closed nothing off. My mind was a clean slate and I started to learn from ALL experiences, good or bad. This was MY strength. So please don't take what I said here as any sort of gospel to fish other places in order to gain a strength.

Knowing how much gas you have is a good first step. I'd suggest investing in a lithium battery monitor. If your battery already has built in Bluetooth, then you're good to go. If not, then you'll need to get one. A lead acid battery monitor will not work on a lithium battery. I opted for the TRD Smart Shunt, which is an exact copy of the pricey Victron unit. Works very well. It accurately shows the state of charge on my phone and is very trust worthy. I trust it enough to go over 15 miles (often at night) out in the everglades with my OldTown with zero power issues. As far as distance goes, it's all gonna be related to how much gas you give her, just like a car, if you floor it everywhere you go, then she's gonna go empty rather quickly. Other factors like big wind, big waves, any sort of major obstacles, all can effect the power delivery. A steady state condition is a good condition. Also, knowing your state of charge can be critical for traveling long distances. Gives you a good idea on when to turnaround and go back. Maybe not now but a sure thing to come: your trolling motor plug WILL FAIL. They're hated all over! They burn out, mainly with the prongs breaking off and WILL leave you stranded. I just upgraded mine to very robust locking plugs. Congratulations on your new ride!

My approach was perhaps more of a springboard for me, not so much a fundamental practice. I still fish my honey holes. Breaking out of the shell or breaking out of the box, so to speak, can be based off most anything, you know. And I know diddly-squat about Main bass compared to Everglades bass. The only thing I can say about Everglades bass is that they are completely insane! lol

For me, it had more to do with the phycological aspect of breaking out of old routines, not so much with fishing lures. I can make practically any fishing lure catch something. I used to find myself fishing out of habit or comfort, always going to places that I was comfortable fishing, maybe where I once caught a nice bass, sticking to that one spot and only that one spot only because it once produced for me and only because I was familiar with the area and comfortable fishing there. Once I broke away from such routines or comforts, I opened myself up to new horizons, newfound strengths that have since produced many quality fish.

Unless they changed materials or workmanship, the quality always appeared fine to me, very top grade, all very robust. And, like I said, I've been grinding away on mine for many years, fighting giant bass all over south Florida in all kinds of crazy conditions and the Kushion is still as good as new. Hope it works out for you.

The closed eye design is must where I fish, which is the Florida everglades. Most of the fish that hit these spinnerbaits out there are absolute monsters! I've only had one break on me and even at that I was still solid with the fish.

Many fishermen can confuse their strengths with their comfort zones, imho. All along when I thought that I was fishing my own strengths, what I was in actuality doing was just fishing my comfort zones. And those comfort zones didn't really have much to do with my strengths at all. Breaking out of the box is what I had to do, trying out new things, going to new places, new techniques, new frontiers, all of which opened up many more doors and made me much stronger at what I do. It sorta defined my strengths, if that makes sense, which gave me a solid foundation to work from.

Original here. One of the best investments I made for my yak is the Kayak Kushion. I can easily spend all night or all day (and sometimes both) sitting in my kayak and with the Kushion I have zero issues. I’ve had it for just over two years now with hundreds of hours of fishing. No sign of wear & tear. I tried other cheaper options that I laugh at now lol The Kushion was $50 when I purchased mine, so a $15 bump isn’t too bad. Just like every other quality product out there, gonna go up in price sooner or later. Even at $65, you still get what you pay for with the Kushion, imho.

I was at the end of a local jetty, one fine afternoon, fishing for snook. I had my hoop net with me, as usual, which is used to lower down and bring heavy fish up. Next to me was another guy fishing. Seemed like a nice guy, likable enough. So we struck up conversation. He was from north Florida, down visiting family. And he loved to fish...caught everything under the sun lol Lotta experience, he said. We talked about this and that, the usual fisherman jargon. Next thing I know I hook into a really nice snook. When I get the fish tired out and near the jetty, I politely asked the guy if he wouldn't mind giving me a hand by lowering the net so I can land my fish, which is the usual jetty protocol. "No problem," he said, reaching for the net. He grabbed the net, picked it up, and then--rope and all--flung the whole friggin thing into the ocean like a big Frisbee! I just kinda looked at him, then at my 40 inch snook below.....I still chuckle over that one!

This could all be a playing card to get him into the YouTube game. He’s a smart enough guy and knows exactly how things work in professional bass fishing, certainly more than his fans do or the average joe. Saying all this stuff on YouTube about sponsors as if it’s a big surprise may just get him enough support or sympathy to propel him in that direction. The reaction seems to support this with over 30k views. He also stated that he wants to try it out, kinda like Randy Blaukat did. Best of luck to him!