Standard

I generally despise a ned rig, but a standard ned got an 18.5" and a t-rig ned with a craw plastic got a 19" last sunday, the two big fish of the day on an otherwise slow trip.

That article is nothing but an opinion article. Fish seem more wary after being hammered on during a tournament? What a surprise. Could also be the factor that FFS is allowing them to find these 'wary' fish, and the simple fact of it is that those fish just aren't aggressive at the moment. I've watched bass on livescope in 5 feet of water smash my jig while ice fishing, multiple times. Didn't make them any less aggressive.

Year old thread, but I guess I'll chime in as I have one as well. I normally carry 6 rods in mine, and even that feels a bit tight. Couldn't imagine stuffing 10 rods in, unless you don't mind them getting a little beat up. Although mine are 4 bait casters and 2 spinning setups, so maybe that makes a difference. The box itself is a bit rattly, although I only notice it if I have the rear sliding window open. If you drive a lot of dirt roads, dust will get into the box but it's not bad. I haven't had any issues with the hinge springs or locking mechanism. It's not cheap, but neither are any of the other options. For me, it's way better than stuffing the rods inside the cab.

Hydraulic lift, you can see the cylinder rod under the nose.

Haven't had any birds come after flies yet. So far it's just been that owl, and a few years ago had a heron try to snatch up a top water as well.

This guy was almost an 'other catch'. Pulling a topwater in, saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Looked to see this owl swooping down, aiming right at my lure. I started reeling in as fast as I could.. he gave up about 10 feet away from the kayak and perched on this branch, looking pretty angry at me.

The perfect cast, to the perfect spot, that for sure holds your PB bass just looking for something to munch on.. and the lure lands on the one tiny weed floating in the water that you didn't see, and it totally kills the action of the lure and spooks the bass.

I've mainly used 832 in the past. Picked up a spool of X-5 and 2 spools of X-9 over the winter for some new setups. So far I'd say X-9 is tied with 832, with the X-5 being a bit behind but still good. I did get the X-5 to see if it was any better in the weeds and it's not weed season yet, so we'll see if that improves my opinion of it any.

Check out the Strike King Hybrid Hunter. Has a big rattle in there, and runs 2-5 feet down. Great for river fishing, I've caught some nice smallies on them. The junior size is great as well.

Was out this past Saturday in the kayak, 15-20mph sustained winds and close to 30mph gusts. Pedal kayak and a power pole helps with the position holding, but I even mentioned to my fishin' buddy that day that it was impossible to use plastics. Fish were plenty aggressive hitting jerkbaits though, so it was alright. One of the best things I did for my fishing was to stop being such a fair weather fisherman and start braving some rougher conditions, wind and rain. Obviously I'll get off the water if thunderstorms are rolling in, but some of the best fishing I had last year was right before the storms hit.

Dang, good to hear you're ok. With the values of those older Tacomas, I'd be surprised if it was totaled. And even if it is, I'd buy it back and fix it.

I think either one works well, but I do prefer the action the Choppo has over the WP. I don't have any ploppers in my tackle to compare to. Luckily, where I fish up here in MN they still love the prop baits and will smash them to the point of launching out of the water.

105 or 120 sized Choppos for me. I've had 12" and smaller fish hit the 120. Go big or go home! I don't really fish anything smaller than a 90.

I pulled the trigger on a Yakima rod box, nice not having to worry about having the rods in the cab. This is my road trip setup when I need the bed space. I just throw the kayak in the bed for day trips.

I normally use Sufix 832, but with the pure fishing codes going around this winter I picked up a few spools of X5 and X9. No complaints about either one.

I'm running Berkley X5 on mine and it's been good.

All my rods are braid to flouro leader, using the Alberto knot. The only time I have issues with it is when I get sloppy and try to tie one fast. Make sure the braid enters and exits the flouro loop on the same side. When tightening, I pull main and tag lines first to get everything cinched down, then pull hard on the main line while making sure the braid is fully seated.

Topwater for sure. Had one launch clear out of the water to hit a Choppo this past weekend, so awesome to see. I've been using my Mojo Bass glass M/M for topwater, crank baits and chatter baits. Really like it, even more so after putting on a Zillion SV TW.

The Rip-Stop in the chartreuse / silver / red color combo worked great this weekend. Buddy had one in the size 9, and I had just picked up a size 12. Both worked great, smallies were crushing them. The Rip-Stop in the chartreuse / silver / red color combo worked great this weekend. Buddy had one in the size 9, and I had just picked up a size 12. Both worked great, smallies were crushing them.

Had a pretty good weekend up north chasing smallies. Saturday was actually the better fishing day, pretty consistent catches throughout. The rain was fine but the wind, especially on Saturday, was something else. Much nicer on Sunday, but I took home a good sunburn. Water temps started around 56* and warmed to 60* or so both days. Jerkbait was the winner overall, with a trolled flicker shad a close second. The jerkbait drew some really aggressive strikes. Even managed a few on topwaters Saturday. Got them in anywhere from 2' of water to 15' while trolling, they seemed pretty scattered.

I haven't, I use braid on all my bait casters.

While I have targeted bed fish, something about it just doesn't feel right to me. Also, finesse fishing isn't really my jam. I'll target areas just outside likely bedding spots in case any are roaming around. I'm heading up to one of my favorite smallie spots shortly for the fishing opener here, but I have a feeling it's gonna be a tough time as they're probably actively spawning and just getting on to beds. I may end up doing more pike fishing than anything.

I'm more of a crank fisherman, and prefer them with rattles. I think it's more about annoying them into a strike rather than helping them locate it. Same deal with whopper ploppers. They don't really look or behave like anything natural, but they tick off smallies. Like someone parking in front of your house blasting music. At least that's how I look at it

I rarely fish without a 45min - 1 hour drive. I try to limit it to 1.5 hours one way for a day trip, although I occasionally stretch it to 2 hours if it's for a good spot. Fly fishing in the driftless, I may start at a spot that's an hour drive but end up with a 2 hour drive home at the end of the day.

I finally had the chance to use the JDM Zillion SV TW I picked up over the winter - it's fantastic. Super smooth and I really like the clicker. Purchased from Digitaka, got here from Japan faster than some Amazon orders.