BustedSwimbait

I'm usually throwing a swim jig, but just put an order with Seibert Outdoors for a couple different jigs and some spinners. Want to expand my jig fishing repertoire

I've bounced between Rage bugs and Googans Bandito Bug/Krackin Craw. They both catch fish but seems like the Googan brand tends to get tore up by just the smallest of fish.

You always want to try and avoid scrapping the bottom hard, but it'll happen from time to time. Can't worry about it too much, it is a tool made to be used and abused. Thankfully things can be repaired if gouged too heavy. I've Unforutanley drug my kayak a little too much where my last outing I found out I had a 2" long crack in the hull that I'll be repairing today.

What's a safe bet is me getting on the water as much as possible. If I'm catching them, great! If not, I'm still out on the water enjoying life's pleasures. When its a tough day, I just chalk it up to a learning experience and get ready for the next outing.

But they look too good NOT to be in my arsenal that may come into play years later!

1 - Impulse buying hard baits, never caught a fish on one but have a whole box full of cranks/jerk baits 2 - Fishing a single spot for too long because it looks too good 3 - Blowing by a juicy spot because its been a rough day and just wanna get back to the launch

Got my kayak for free (Lifetime Tamarack) from a coworker and absolutely love it. Admittedly, first few trips I hated it, but It took a few trips out to work out the kinks and figure out how to fight the wind. Now that I've been out numerous times, I love the ability to get to basically any water I want. For me, the pros far outweigh the cons. My main problem is now that I got this 'yak, I just want to get an bigger, better, more stable kayak.

There have been days where I'd wake up and "not feel like going" but as soon as I actually get out of the house and on the water, I'm happy I got out.

This was the first paddle I bought, and got returned the very same day after the trip because it kept getting caught in the lily pads and any grass I was over. I got sucked in by the word "angler" and was like "Hey, that's me! I need this one". Got myself a Carlisle Magic Plus Paddle 240cm and never looked at those types of paddles again. If they work for your situation that's great, but not for mine.

I love taking pictures, dabbled with photography off and on for many years. I will admit though, I suck at taking selfies with fish to show their true size. As long as the fish is fully framed and and my dumb face is in it, its good enough. I can lose track of 30-60 minutes just taking close pictures of bugs and wildlife I see while out paddling the waters. Last bank fishing adventure, I spent 35 minutes just taking pictures of dragon flies because I was able to get so close to them and they didn't seem to mind.

I always crush down my barbs, just helps me get the hook out faster (whatever its stuck in) and the fish back in the water.

I will drink coffee everyday, but the days I'm going fishing. Coffee can do odd things to my body. I can't have the possibility of having to drop a deuce while paddling. Beer on the other hand, as soon as I hit the water!

I fish whenever I get a chance, but if I'm making a plan. It's always an early day to avoid the silliness that happens when people starting coming out.

Living in a studio apartment, makes it so the kayak lives on top of the car and my crate in the trunk. Fishing poles are inside the house until I'm ready to roll out, which just lay in the front seat. Unloading/set up takes about 5-10 minutes. Hardest part for me is not having a cart and having to lug my kayak to some of the launching points, then run back to the car to grab my poles

My hydration station ratio usually stands around 1 Gatorade Zero to 3 beers when out fishing, plus some meat and cheese.

My go-to for pad fishing is either a weightless senko/creature bait skimmed across the pads, let sit on a pad for a second and drop it into the water. Or, spinnerbait slowly along edges, points, any openings it can fit.

You can log catches on FishBrain. There is a paid version that gives you more detailed information, but most everything you need is free. I've had the paid version for almost a year, I enjoy it.

I lost my pliers yesterday, that I had just bought the day before. I'll be buying some tethers to stop that from happening.

As long as my internal temperature is not freezing , water temp doesn't play much in my books.

My local DSG has done the same. It went from a Googan endcap to a whole isle with not just baits, but stickers/keychains/random junk that shouldn't be in the fishing section. I use their bandito bug, but that's it. Shame to see Keitech lose some of that real estate.

Bought a small bag of red and clear beads, but still new in package after many moons.

Always keep an UL setup in the trunk, for those random streams/creeks/puddles you may come across while out-and-about

Almost always, a spinner bait. Closely followed by weightless TR swimming plastic.

Weightless plastic, or a frog. Kill it in-between the holes and hold on.

After work, 1-2 hours. Weekends, 3-6 hours. Can depend on how the fish are acting as well.