Holetail

TW just got me for a Kaden 713C. Was done buying rods this year… monkey wins again!

Super nice rig. You may want to put your boondocks wheels in the up position when fishing though. I would imagine there would be a lot of drag

Mostly planning on continuing to learn the lake I’ve been fishing the last month or so. Getting used to fishing deeper than the 5’-6’ I’ve been used to. Have relied heavily on weightless plastics last year so it’s a change to start using weighted setups. Found what appears to be a large brush pile in the middle of it yesterday in 22’ of water. Most significant structure other than a few humps that I’ve found so far. Thinking it will be productive during the summer when the water gets hot. Finesse is the game there right now but I’m hoping a moving bait bite will pick up in the spring. Also want to take a few short day trips to some other lakes, but not sure how much this will happen. nice to only be 5 mins to some decent fishing

Not technically a moving bait, but a weightless or belly weighted fluke worked like a jerk bait almost always produces if they are in the biting mood… small paddle tail on a light jig head, or a slider head with a trick worm are good options as well

4.63 pounder I believe I caught twice in August. Same spot in a pretty small pond. First time on a GP magic super fluke and second time on a Tokyo rigged GP trick worm.

I am almost done with crank baits and any treble hook baits in general. Haven’t caught enough fish on them to justify cleaning the muck off them every cast. Also, as much as I want a regular jig to work, the weedy / grassy bottom I usually fish is not conducive to fishing them. Will hold onto them though since there are some hard bottom lakes within driving distance where they can be used. Basically wanting to simplify after experimenting with a lot of things last year. I found some things that work so I want to focus on getting better with those techniques. Bait monkey will not be pleased!

My last fish of 2021. Made it to 333 total for the year. 33 came in the last two weeks with the bulk from the kayak. Was happy with 1-4 fish from the bank and now I feel it’s a bad day if I get less than 4-5 from the kayak. What a game changer. First fish of 2022Ended up today with 10 total with 2 lbs being the largest. Ned did all the damage. Happy to be catching, but looking forward to getting onto a more power fishing bite.

Stopped by the pond on my way home and was rewarded by this 3.25 pounder on my 4th cast with a 4” weightless wacky senko.

Been using the 1/0 VMC spin shot hooks and Z man trickshotz this winter and have been having success. Hooks seem to help with line twist

The fish were as miserly as Scrooge this AM. Only managed one but at least it was over 2 lbs. left the finesse gear home to try out a jerk bait and Lipless. Was marking fish suspended but couldn’t buy a bite other than the first before the sun came over the trees. Merry Fishmas to all!

Been working on this lately and have started carrying less and less on my bank and kayak trips. Only get a few hours per trip max so I try to maximize actual fishing time. This requires more prep at home, but I enjoy it so don’t mind. I’ve started storing all hard baits, jigs, and terminal in 3700 boxes and plastics sorted by type in cheap plastic shoe totes at home. Once I decide how / what I want to fish, I load up 1-2 3600 boxes and plastics in a bait binder for the kayak or 1 3600 and plastics get tossed into a backpack for bank fishing. If I have really limited time, I have a small Fanny pack I can carry just what I need. I do have 3 sets of pliers, grippers, and a scale in each setup so I always have them. Typically take 1-3 rods bank fishing and up to 5 on the kayak. If I don’t catch anything on what I have rigged up, I chalk the day up to learning a new technique or casting practice. Used to carry all sorts of stuff “just in case”, but that got old fast.

Thanks for the info.

Wanting to try out some blade baits next time out. Planning on picking up a couple 3/8 oz at the local Academy to try until I see if it works or not. Will be fishing from a kayak in a small man made lake with grassy bottom. Some grass is 2-3’ high but most is 2’ or less. Banks drop pretty steeply to 25’ max depth or so. I’ve watched a few videos and rod selection varies from M/F to MH/MF to MH/F so I thought I’d see what y’all think. I fish mostly Dobyns and was thinking either a 705CB or 733C. Also have a Bass X M/F so I have options. Also, have reels with braid, fluoro, and YZH. What do you suggest? Thanks

The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Long but worth the time. On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Not for everyone, but stories of truly living free in a much simpler time. For some silly laughs, anything by Tom Robbins

Tough life… Wonder if he remembers last year at this time he was in a rescue shelter?

I have had this rod for close to a year now and can say it is a solid , well made rod and a lot of fun to use. Only downside is it’s length makes long casts difficult, but it’s worked fine for what I use it for. Mostly used to soak live worms or minnows but good with a beetle spin as well. It has handled 1.5-2 lb bass on 6# mono. Almost all my rods are Dobyns so I’m biased but I would buy another on these if I ever need to.

I typically get an eye roll or “you’ve got another giant tube in the garage that was delivered today”, but I don’t get a ton of grief thankfully. She honestly has no idea about what fishing gear costs and I have no idea what she likes to buy costs. Like to keep it that way as long as the bills are paid and our kids have what they need. My kayak purchase did require a discussion though… I know she thinks my fishing is silly and that I spend too much time on it. She saw me entering trip data in my log the other day and has picked on me relentlessly since but it’s all in fun. I told her I don’t fish as much as some people so it’s all relative. She squashed that saying I cannot compare my fishing time to someone who is retired! Haha. She got me there. At the end of the day it’s about balancing responsibilities. She knows I bust I disagree at work and I provide a good life for us as well as spend time with the family. She’s just a Jersey girl and cannot help “busting my shoes” when she can.

Got out for a little while this AM before being chased off by thunderstorms moving in. Fish were suspending and not wanting to bite. Got 4 on the Ned rig anchored by a nice 2 pounder. Broke a decent one off due to a poor knot. Knew it wasn’t right and didn’t fix it so I paid the price. Got soaked 20 minutes after launching which wasn’t ideal. Wish I had the new BPS rain gear I am getting for Christmas! This guy only went a pound or so but his coloring was really cool.

Although not fancy pliers, I have found this works nicely rather than a leash.

Had to take advantage of a day off and almost 80 degree temps. First time spending a full day in the kayak and I’m a little stiff, but pretty comfy overall. Caught 10 total and had to work for the first 5. Caught my final 5 in my last hour at opposite end of the lake / pond. Got caught up fishing “history” and pounded some spots I’ve been having luck at lately. Should have known the fish were likely to be on the wind blown side. Oh well, lesson learned. Caught on Ned, mojo, and drop shot. Biggest was 2.5 with a couple twos in the mix. Hooked into a really nice one for a few seconds. Set the hook and she barely moved then swam at me and one shake = gone. Get her next time! Just a great day on the water

I have not graduated to a spreadsheet, but I do keep a log of my catches with area, weather, depth, bait, etc. First year I have done this so not sure how valuable it will actually be, but I feel it has potential to help eliminate areas / baits during different times of the season.

Have a Zephyr I picked up over the summer to dip a toe into the BFS world. Reel is alright, but nothing special. Works ok but feels cheap and the drag isn’t great. Wish I would have just saved the $ and ordered shallow spools for reels I already had. Now I have the KK and the shallow spools and the Zephyr is collecting dust.

Caught 5 today in 15 mph N winds on the yak to make it to my goal of 300 bass for the year. Had to work for them and biggest was around 1.5 but rewarding to make my goal for the year. Going for 400 in 2022 which is attainable with the kayak. I felt I had a bad day today despite the tough conditions when 5 fish from the bank would have had me elated. Cannot wait until March and warming temps and pre-spawn now that I have a new lake graphed. Swimjig and chatter will be getting a workout! Don’t mind finesse fishing, but love some power fishing.

Got out on the kayak today and was determined to figure out how to fish “offshore”. Small man made lake that’s approx 25’ at its deepest point. Coming from mostly fishing shallow retention ponds, my instinct is to beat the banks. Was determined to not do that today and work on using my graph to find fish. Took an hour, but found them in 20’ of water in isolated grass patches. Took only a drop shot so I could target fish I marked by dropping on top of them. Ended up with 8 fish with the biggest at 2.38 lbs. nothing huge but definitely gained some confidence and cannot wait to fish deep again. Thinking Texas rig will work nicely and maybe a jig as well. Just nice to have a plan, work it, and have it pay off.

BPS is not close to my first stop when looking for anything unless I have a gift card. I did get a notice this AM that their HPR bibs and jackets were marked down so I ordered a set. Wanted something lighter than my old commercial Grundens gear for kayak fishing. Didn’t want to spend a fortune since I don’t really fish in downpours or super cold weather. Felt it was a decent deal if anyone is interested