Scott804

I am not sure I have ever related to a post more...

Normally I am a "If it ain't bone or chrome, leave it at home" type of guy with topwater. But I really love the Megabass Silent Dog-X Diamante, and it can be kind of hard to find. The rattling one is everywhere, silent one not so much. On my search for the silent version I actually found a silent one that is bright red all around and I picked it up for next spring. Outside of the ol' redhead saltwater color, I can't quite think of another topwater that comes in red. Seems like kind of an odd color for a topwater, but I really dig this one. It sort of reminds me of some of the strange colors spro has. Spro makes a pink frog and they also make a version of the RkCrawler called the Rkstar that is supposed to be more "multispecies" and it comes in some pretty unorthodox colors like fluorescent red and chrome purple. Anyone else know of any lures in colors that are a little outside the box that you enjoy using?

As promised, ended up with some jackall stuff from the local tackle store too, and an evergreen grass ripper.

This is what I came to add. Pedal drive really is a world of difference. Both the kayaks you listed are great boats, autopilot too. Especially in an Old Town with instant reverse, getting your spot blown out by being pulled in wouldn't happen.... heck, if you've got one pulling so hard that it's gonna pull you far enough to blow out your spot in a PA or a Sportsman, you've got bigger problems to worry about than your spot being blown out haha. 2x. Set up right you can have no trips, with the right kayak. I find launching a boat off a trailer to be a little more stressful than the kayak process, but it is pretty marginal. Getting the kayak launching system sorted out and down for the first 5-10 trips sucks pretty bad, though. Oop, here he comes, the guy with no kayak fishing experience here to make a snarky remark about kayak fishing again.

I ain't no big fella... but I can tell you when your kayak rigged is upwards of 150.... 80lbs looks real light.

Anyone been keeping up with this kayak? Thinking it will be my second, river dedicated kayak. At the pricepoint (1650~) it seems to have some pretty darn cool features. Looks like it would make a nice throw-and-go boat too.

I'd say in my kayak I average 5, 3 casting 2 spinning. Sometimes it reaches 8 if I really think there's that much in play. Sometimes it'll be 3 if I have really got it honed in or it is a specific situation, like a smallmouth float. I try to stay to 2-3 when co-anglering or in a friend's boat.

Don't have the rebellion, but I just picked up the ML/M Glass Zodias casting rod and I really like it so far. With an MGL 70 type reel it can really get those 1/4oz crankbaits where they need to go. Haven't tried a 1/4oz jighead but i'd imagine with a light wire hook and a swift, reeling hookset it could work well. I caught two on a mini max chatterbait on it yesterday and it loaded up perfect, just like a glass rod should with a bladed jig. Would recommend, fun rod. I even took it down to the bottom of the range and with the reel set right it certainly got by with a 3/16 oz bait.

You will not regret it... you can walk the SBs so fast back and forth and they will nearly sit in place at the right cadence, fish cannot stand it walking in place like that without leaving fast like a spook or whopper plopper. Rerange was a great pick too.

Lake Anna & James River. Those are my favorites in the winter around here! (Especially if you can find a buddy with hot side access on Anna... that's a real good time.)

The NRS Chinook is the best PFD I have ever used. I can't even tell I am wearing it. I don't really like the Mustang kind, prefer something low maintenance and simple, although the mustangs are comfy.

Not even a bit. And the whole "shorter rods for kayaks" is kinda BS in my opinion too. If a fish is pulling my kayak, I am probably already unconsciously pedaling against it.

I regret not picking up some of the berkley jigs myself... might go back in and try to squeeze out a tiny spinnerbait/jig order. I don't remember which it was, I think it was the pitching or the football jig, but I was fishing it this year and that thing skips like crazy. I remember thinking it was crazy because I wasn't even using the designated skipping jig. I can't skip worth a darn on a casting rod but that thing turned a skipping mook like me into a total pro.

I seem to be in the minority (atleast on this forum), but tournament fishing and bass fishing are nearly synonymous to me. I am incredibly competitive and although a majority of my fishing ends up being practicing or mock tournament days (when it isn't ACTUAL tournament day) I have kind of systemized it in a way that I make sure to skip the constant grinding at skills throughout the year and just have fun days doing one of three things, 1. Fishing for a different species, or atleast for bass in a different way compared to my own, smashing creek smallies all day is a good detox from looking for those 5 bigguns. 2. Experimenting, just throwing things I don't throw, testing things, doing odd things with lures to see if they could be productive in an unconventional way, like waking a big bladed jig or something along those lines. I do a little bit of this in practice too, but I find the real interesting stuff on the whole days I spend on it. Very rewarding and fun. 3. Just fishing, without any urgency in the world. This is a big one. I throw what I want to catch them on, I fish what I want, as slow and lazy as I want. Really helps break up the go-go-go nature of trying to make a thousand more casts than the next guy in the tournament. I have gotten burn out a few times, but it is usually when I get caught up not fishing like myself. I fish free and loose, I do not need 100 marked spots before the tournament starts. Part of it feels like it comes all down to confidence, but anyone who has showed up confident to the ramp knows that sure as heck ain't the truth!

Boy oh boy does the bait monkey have me by the metaphorical bananas this winter. New job (more money for bait monkey to use) and beginning of the extreme winter fish withdrawals have taken a toll on Ol' Scott. I picked up... Dobyns Champion XP 734 XP - I have heard many good things, everyone I have spoken to says it is the swiss army knife of fishing rods. I suspect it will mainly end up with a spinnerbait on it most of the time, but I am a kayak fisherman so the versatility is still appreciated. (Even if I cram 8 rods onto my crate.) Shimano Zodias ML Glass 7'0 casting - Odd rod. Just really odd. I have never seen a glass rod rated below medium, but this one most definitely is a medium light. 3/16 - 3/4oz. Gonna put one of the MGL 70 reels onto this, should make for a great small crankbait/flatside/quarter oz minimax chatterbait rod. I suspect a Rapala Ott's Garage Tiny 4 will live on this rod most of the time though. Very excited to fish with this one, I love glass rods. Revo X Casting & Revo X Spinning reels - I already have a Revo X (my first baitcaster!) and while it isn't my favorite reel in the world, it is pretty good & with the 50% pure fishing codes I just had to pick these two up. I kind of loathe buying reels, I really enjoy trying new rod actions and the character that each different rod has, but reels don't excite me nearly as much, so knocking off some good reels for cheap is nice. General Tackle - Trying some of the war eagle line up that I have not explored. 2 river rats, 2 wake colorados, 2 Mike McClelland Finesse. The former two will most likely end up on the Dobyn's, not sure if the latter one is in the range of the rod yet. Got some gama trailer hooks and 3.5 spunk shads for spinnerbaits too. 1 Evergreen Showerblows, hung my last up into a tree making a horrible horrible horrible miscast during a tournament while I was absolutely smashing them on it, it was heartbreaking. I tried to climb the tree, it was catching them that good. But i'll be excited to have one back in my box again. I also got a Berkley Cane Walker on sale. I doubt it will be the same drawing power as the SB, but it is worth a go at the price it is on sale right now. Got 4 Berkley Stunnas with the half price code too, one of my favorite jerkbaits and now i'll be a little less afraid of hanging them up. Last but not least, restocked on the ol' chigger craw and the ol' Bagley B in red craw. I'll post a big family photo once it all comes in.

Man, I caught all of these berkley codes right when they were happening and haven't been able to get a single one to work. Odd, but I suppose the bait monkey did not choose me.

I agree with what AJ said. Most of the time I am using a fairy wand to fish for smallmouth. There have been multiple times where I literally felt like I could not move a big smallmouth. That being said, my second biggest largemouth I was convinced was a massive catfish or something. He took me on an absolute ride rivaling my longest smallmouth fights, on casting gear no less. Made me rethink some things about fighting fish. An angry largemouth is nothing to laugh at... it seems like smallmouth are predisposed to just be "angry"/fired up fighting, but I feel like most of the fish I have lost have always been largemouth with a vendetta to not get caught. Something interesting I think is that big smallmouth are very old fish yet they don't seem to try to hang you up the way a big largemouth does. I have hooked good sized green fish and they have immediately hung me up in ways that make it seem as if they are totally aware of the fact that when hooked they can get out by doing something specific to get out, or are familiar with their nearby environment enough to use it to their advantage. Obviously, one would surmise this is more likely in fish that stay within a range, like year round dock resident fish. I started to formulate this theory while fishing the James River, which has lots of industrial areas on the river and I had a spot that held some decent fish and every time I would hook one, they would immediately fly around this sharp jagged edge of a metal pylon and cut a hard angle and keep pulling until my line was frayed and snapped. I have had smallmouth try to wrap me up in rocks and turn broadside in hard current, but it has always seemed like they were playing it by ear. Maybe it has to do with the way they move/inhabit areas, maybe it is body of water specific, or maybe (and probably) I am looking too far into it. But it is fun to think about! Either way, smallmouth are most definitely spunkier on average. All I know is I love fighting any black bass!

I tried to go back through my TW order history and find some duds, but I did pretty good this year at finding some new tools. I did pick up a spro rkcrawler late into the season and it is yet to produce. But I have faith that it will at some point still. I also bought a Jackall Bounty Fish early in the season and fished it hard for half a day but I think it was a tad before the topwater bite had turned on, so I have hope for that one too.

Glass all day for cranking or bladed jigs. Can't fish any other way anymore.

In the past I would've protected it with my life... but Nolan Minor won a Hobie BOS on the Susquehanna on it and now its mystic status has been foiled. Evergreen Gizmo. I even have the specific rod built for it, not that you need it to use it. If you like throwing finesse-y topwaters like a popper, you oughta give the Gizmo a go.

Shhh.... quiet... someone will hear you!

Sure, but you still aren't going to see anyone putting up 100" limits on the Hobie BOS trail in a walmart kayak for a reason. As long as you can get on fish, but at the end of the day hands free moving = more casting and more casting = more fish, regardless of anecdotes. Don't mean to diss on those boats though, anything is better than the bank and I fished out of one for a good few months and it served me well. Just want to emphasize the gap in stability/differences because I have met a lot of people who have tried kayak fishing via an Ascend boat, or a walmart boat and thought "There's no way this is for me" and then they got in my boat and had no idea that you can fish the way you can out of one of those boats, being able to stand and move and all. Especially applicable to older folks, accessibility is much higher assuming launching/loading isn't an issue.

Mostly tournament kayak videos. Greg Blanchard, Kristine Fischer, Nolan Minor, Bailey Eigbrett.

1. Buy the nicest PFD you can afford and you won't even know it is there. 2. The difference between a 350$ boat and a 1000$ one is an entire different world. And to 2000$ a whole another one. The less time you spend "kayaking" and the more time you spend fishing the better. The lower end kayaks are most suitable for the type of fishing where you paddle out to a spot and then do your best to balance and fish. Any wind and this becomes a pretty difficult experience. A good paddle kayak rigged right can be an awesome experience and is great for fun fishing. A good pedal drive or trolling motor kayak can be an almost quasi-bass boat experience at a fraction of the price. Somewhere around the 1000$ mark the kayaks on the market get enough balance that you can fish out of them without ever actively having to think about anything balance or about how you shift the weight on your body and that is definitely what you want to have a good experience. The next gamechanger is pedal drive. Being able to move hands free and fish and move is incredibly different. You can do so many more things once you can move and fish at the same time, you are not forced to be so methodical. 3. You can be stealthy and it can be very effective in a kayak. Too few people don't use this to their advantage. Bass boaters neglect stealth often too. 4. Kayak tournaments are a ton of fun. Look up some youtube videos.

Used a friend's Fuse for a day and was not impressed at all. It was a shame because while 13fishing isn't one of the bigger players in the rod game, I'd like to believe that smaller brands can make competitive high end rods too. I had previously fished with a Fate Green and actually really ended up enjoying the action of the rod, it had character beyond the average sub-100$ MH/F rod. I really enjoy high end rods - but I like to think I can also appreciate a good lower end rod too and that was one of em. Unfortunately though I was not as impressed with the Fuse. As odd as this comparison will sound, the Fuse fished like a good cheap rod. It honestly reminded me of a duckett rod. At the price point, the sensitivity is not very competitive, nor is the build quality in my opinion. I honestly really wanted to like the rod, but I think anything over 250$ is probably best spent within a bigger brand.