Holetail

Agreed. I pretty much knew once I tried anything above the Fury, I would want to upgrade. They are nice and I will continue to use them, but the difference is noticeable even to me. I love my Fuego reels (3-BC & 1-spinning) for the price. Have moved up to some Tatulas, but spinning reels will stay the same. Bonus is the sealed bearings for occasional use in saltwater.

Rods: SA 702 sf for Ned rigs. SA 734 c for swim jigs, spinnerbaits, and chatters. Have both of these rods in the Fury and they have served me well. Wanted to upgrade for lighter weight and better sensitivity. FR 734 will be for jigs to replace H2O xpress rod and FR 702 sf will see drop shot and the occasional saltwater trip for trout. Reels: Tatula SV 103H to go on a SA 682 c for finesse swimbaits, underspins, slider heads, light shakey heads. Fuego 2500 for new SA 702 sf. Have one of these already, but it will stay on the FR 702. Plan on 10 lb hi viz braid to 8 lb fluoro for mostly 1/20 oz neds. Feel I got decent deals on everything but I’m going to have to take care of the wife this year so she doesn’t dig too deep into what all this cost!! Haha

It wasn’t last night but tonight that got me… Tatula SV from TW and two Dobyns rods. Sierra 702sf and 734c. I knew once I ventured above the Fury line I was going to find it hard to return. I was correct!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I am thankful for chunky bass who like a Ned rig… sight casted to her and got to watch her attack when I twitched it off the bottom. Only fish this AM but I will take a 2.5 pounder any day of the week.

This past weekend I took my kids to a park with a pond I used to fish quite a bit. For some reason, it didn’t produce a single fish this year. There was a teenage kid there fishing that I had seen several times over the past year at different ponds. I have several rods and reels that I don’t use much anymore since I’ve “upgraded” so I thought it would be nice to gift him one setup. Gave him a Duckett Crankbait rod and a Silvermax that have been collecting dust. The look on his face was priceless. Added benefit was showing my kids what it means to give to those less fortunate.

Was traveling for work on Wednesday and stopped into a local tackle shop that I heard was a Dobyns dealer. Have 7 Fury rods but wanted to handle some of their other lines since no one around home stocks them. Ended up bringing home a Sierra 682C to use for finesse swimbaits, slider rigs, weightless worms etc. Paid full price to support a local shop even though there are sales all over for this rod. Figured it was worth it just to be able to put my hands on one. They even offered a reel from the case to put on it to check balance. Wishing we did, but also happy we don’t have a shop like this (mostly saltwater here) closer to home or the monkey would be worse.

I’ve only recently played around with the Ned, but have had a good amount of success with it. Mostly numbers without any real size yet, but that will change I’m sure. I was skeptical I could use it much due to mucky bottom and weeds in most ponds I fish, but trying the 1/20 oz heads changed all that. The lighter weight keeps the rig on top and doesn’t bury into the muck. I’m now a believer and have confidence I’m not going to zero as long as I have one rigged and ready to go.

Braved the 43 degree temps and NE wind this AM on the way to work. I know that’s not really cold but pretty chilly for us southerners… Glad I did, caught 5 total in less than an hour. Pic is of the largest (guessing around 2 lbs) but 4 of 5 were 1.25 plus. Only one dink. Fish are normally skinny, but they seem to be fattening up lately. Got them on a drop shot in a pond I had luck with the ned the other night. I don’t mind drop shotting, but it’s no fun dealing with tangles that come along with it. Had to cut and re-tie twice. Really just wanted to mess around with drop shot on BC gear. Used a Duckett cranking rod and a Revo with shallow spool. I have spinning gear to do this but wanted to try something different. Setup worked pretty well even though the rod isn’t the most sensitive. Definitely feel I have this pond figured out at the moment. All fish including the 4+ I got earlier in the week came off the same spot. Fish feed heavy right as the sun comes up and shut down once it’s fully up. They bite at night too, but they are really aggressive pushing bait up onto a rock bar in the morning. Casting parallel to drop off of bar is the ticket. Pretty satisfying putting this together after a lot of time on this pond.

I hear you. Was really just piggybacking on the already running joke. I’ve just always had a pickup and it makes hauling the kayak so easy. Trailer is a good option but it’s more maintenance, registration, storage that I prefer not to deal with. Had a boat and sold it to get the yak for these reasons. Last truck I bought my wife asked me to get an SUV instead. I refused and she got a little mad until she bought some furniture that needed picking up, lumber for the deck she wanted, or yards of mulch every spring. I like to remind her (nicely of course) why a truck is needed during these times.

not trying to pile on, but he has a point…

Yeah, the 703 and Nasci have been good to me so far. I did have to shim the reel though to even out the line lay. Otherwise has been flawless.

Haven’t gotten out much lately but decided to stop on my way to work this AM. Nice 4.4 lb / 21” girl on a shakey head on third cast. Panicked a little when I saw how big she was and tightened drag instead of loosening. Almost bent the hook out. Rookie mistake but this is the first nice fish in over a month so the adrenaline was flowing. Great way to start the day!

I have heard good reports about Kerr Lake in NC. It’s more North / Central than Western, but May be an option. Haven’t gotten there myself yet but the wife has researched a few VRBO places there. High Rock lake is good too but again, not really western part of NC. Everything is West of us seeing as we live on the coast… haha

Passed 250 bass for the year last week. I’m pretty happy about it but I set a goal of 300 so I have some work to do! Mostly only get out for an hour or two at a time, sometimes only 30 mins on my way home from work. Taking the kayak out this weekend and hoping the water has cooled off some and I can get off the dink train I’ve been on lately. Fishing some new waters now that I have the kayak so I am putting in the time learning them so next Spring will be productive. Didn’t really fish the Fall last year so I’m not sure what to expect, but planning on getting out as much as possible.

Daiwa Revros is a great reel for the price point. I looked at several reels last spring for the same techniques and went with it over Pfflueger and Shimano. Ended up finding a Fuego on sale about a month later so I use that more now, but the Revros is still used by friends and my 10 year old son who aren’t easy on equipment. Reel is impressive for the $.

I have played around and dipped my toes in the BFS game this summer. Didn’t want to spend a fortune so picked up a KK Zephyr and a Sensilite rod. This setup is a lot of fun catching pond bass in the 1-2 lb range but I wouldn’t want to tangle with much larger. Ive since ordered some shallow spools for Pro Max and Revo reels I already had and prefer them to the KK. That reel just felt like a toy and the drag wasn’t very smooth. The Abu reels aren’t the greatest, but perform better without a doubt. Mostly using them on M rods to throw weightless plastics. Ive noticed casting is more effortless with shallow vs regular spool. I still use the Sensilite with a Pro Max to throw 1/16 oz slider heads with a ribbon tail. Casts easy and fun to change things up a bit. I think I got the spools for $25 each off eBay so this may be an option without dropping a bunch of $. Wish I would have just done this from the start.

Been on the dink train lately but this guy wins the award for smallest and dumbest bass I’ve caught lately. Tossed him back twice and he swam onto the bank both times. Finally tossed him out further and he swam off unharmed. Been working on fishing the Ned so expecting some smaller fish, but hoping I can get into some bigger ones than this.

Haha. I will admit I let out a WooHoo. Way more excited than I should have been for a 1 - 1.5 pounder…

Memories… I think I was 7 in this picture. Been gone 13 years now and miss him everyday. RIP

No size to speak of, but my first fish on the kayak. Caught one other about the same size. Was hoping all the rain last week and some cooler temps would have them biting. Still tough but I’m also learning how to kayak fish and a new lake so I’m happy with a little success.

Thanks for the advice! Was planning on building one with pvc. Had all the pieces in my cart at HD yesterday and then started adding up the cost. For $40 more I wouldn’t have to mess with building it so I am actually planning on getting a C-tug even though it isn’t a great fit for the Bonafide hull. Need to modify with pvc but I already have what I need so should be simple. I know the Wilderness cart is what everyone says to get, but they are sold out everywhere and cost another $50. I’m not humping it on trails or rough terrain so I figure it will work fine. Plus it’s small enough I can toss it int the hull while fishing which is a bonus.

So, got out for the second time on the yak today. Definitely easier than last week but still have some tweaking to do to get things set up right. Forgot the battery for fish finder which wasn’t the end of the world but did miss having the depth and temp. Installed the flex wings which had a noticeable improvement in tracking. Kudos to Bonafide for getting them to me quickly but a little irked that I needed them. Played around with an anchor today using a 5# dumbbell and some 550 cord I had around the house. Definitely made a difference in amount of time casting instead of paddling. Now I’m thinking about an anchor wizard to streamline the whole process. Considered an anchor trolley but now I’m thinking I just want to drop it from the stearn. More research… haha. Definitely getting a cart to aid in loading and unloading. Also will give me access to other lakes. Anyway, I did actually catch a couple so now I know I can do this! No real size to them and I had to resort to a weightless senko, but the boat has been christened at last!

PA plumbing… I think it’s pretty upscale but the wife disagrees

Nothing better than a cookout

I truly feel bad for kids these days. I have two in elementary school now and wish they could have the freedom I did at their age. Although with those freedoms, you had to be tougher and more self reliant which are good things. Bullying is a big topic at my kids school. I have to constantly remind them of what real bullying is, not just one nasty word or not playing with you at recess. In my day the only way to stop a bully was to stand up and defend yourself. A good fistfight whether you won or lost usually solved the issue. Now kids don’t fight like that and resort to shooting other kids over trivial stuff. Unfortunately, there is no going back to simpler times.