KSanford33

How to consistently find fish. I’ve gotten much better in the past couple seasons at catching fish (thanks BR!), but in sub-70* water temperatures I struggle and I think it’s because I’m just not on fish.

I caught this over the weekend and can’t tell if it’s a redfin pickerel or chain pickerel. I’ve caught a bunch of chain pickerel over the years but the fins on this one seemed out of place. Thanks everyone.

Exactly!!! And fish are generally not rock solid, so I would imagine a 2.5lb weight sloshing around in a fish would be very noticeable.

Obviously I think this is awful, but 2.5lbs in one fish?! I can’t imagine that would feel even remotely natural.

That’s fair. But finding early season bass in the finger lakes is tough.

This is so accurate. No matter how much detail and advice you get, you don’t know what water feels like until you’re in it.

I wish I didn’t identify with this… 🤣

This is a common discussion in sports bars: Who would you choose to take the last shot with the game on the line? So let’s do the fishing equivalent of that. Conditions notwithstanding, which lure are you going with when you absolutely need to get bit?

Facts. There’s about a dozen people who regularly post on here that I go out of my way to listen to. @WRB is definitely one of them.

For those of you who are very good at locating and catching fish, how did you become successful at it (other than time on the water)?

All things being equal, which species do you think is easier to find and catch?

I'm here for this obligatory comment. 🤣

As someone who lived in Montreal for a while and loves punk music, hearing Leonard Cohen show appreciation for Sid Vicious makes my heart smile. As far as emulating anyone, I focus on myself. There’s plenty there to keep me busy.

This is what I strive to be! Currently I'm more of a 'start shallow and work my way deeper until I find something' type.

I thought that too, but my Lifetime Teton is not the best to stand up in. Even on a mirror calm pond, it feels like standing on one of those exercise balls.

For those of you who stand up in your kayak, what kayak is the most stable?

No sway needed. I already love jig fishing. I haven't tried them offshore though. I'll definitely look into it.

How often would you say it works compared to how often you do it?

One of my goals this year is to not rely on shallow cover so much. So for those of you who have used a swimbait or damiki rig or whatever to drop down on a fish you saw on your fishfinder, how has it worked for you?

Not in the least, here you go:

Thanks Crickety. Jigs are one of my 4, so I can definitely understand wanting to get better with them. I'm sure you already know this, but there's an excellent thread on here about learning how to use them. I also posted a thread last year or the year before on how I learned. I basically started with a ned rig, then went to a micro finesse jig, then onto a full size jig. It built my confidence slowly so I never doubted being able to use them efficiently.

I'm a big believer in the 80/20 principle, so here are my attainable goals: 1. Thin out the herd. I have roughly 4 types of lures I throw consistently, so it's time to get rid of all of the other ones that I only throw when I'm bored. Keep an eye out on the Flea Market here because I'll be listing a lot. 2. Get more proficient with the 4 types of lures I throw. By getting rid of all of the others, I think this will be easy. 3. Fish in more tournaments. I am a competition addict, so I love fishing in tournaments. 4. Qualify for the KBF National Championship. I rarely make outcome-based goals, since it's difficult to control (I prefer to make process-oriented goals), but this is the one exception.

Definitely, that'd be fun!

I feel attacked by this. 🤣

I'm a little embarrassed to admit, this has been a recurring theme in my life... I never knew this! That's pretty fascinating. Not on the $400 Dick's Sporting Goods special. 🤣 To quote my cousin, "Hindsight is 50/50."