Susky River Rat

@LrgmouthShad I highly don’t he just showed up and had never fished the lake before. If that’s the case he bought waypoints for from someone. Not calling anyone a cheater but, the chances to get lucky are slim. The other thing is pros are pros for a reason. That’s like saying Tom Brady came to a beer league flag football and out played the locals. They catch bigger fish more consistently than your local weekend warrior. Skill, location and timing all play a factor in catching fish.

I will have to get a picture of my sleeve I’m working on work has just been crazy

I don’t think it’s a lack of dedication for @Koz or @LrgmouthShad. Anyone who runs on little sleep tongrt this done is dedicated. I certainly would not but I run on 3-5 hours of sleep daily anyway. You guys are doing stuff I would not do to fish these tournaments. Sadly the person who could fish there the whole week before plus has been there 15 times before will always have an edge.

I thought we were gonna see some bass tattoos on people

I can’t say I really do anything because I keep up with it during the season

This right here is why I would not pick him. You do not need someone spinning out and playing guidance councilor to them. You need someone who will not make excuses and always be contributing. This and coach ability are the biggest reason why I would pick your dad. I wouldn’t worry about him patterning the fish. You as the boater should be getting on the fish. Not saying his input isn’t valuable but, he needs to worry about fishing the spots you give him.

If you do that in a bass boat going 70mph that’s over an hour one way. You don’t run an hour to a spot without knowing the fish are there. She already knows where there is fish and going to them. Having a live weigh in vs having to have your picture submitted by a certain time is very different. @gimruis Hit the nail on the head. You don’t go to a tournament learning a lake the day of it. Sorry but, if you want to throw away your entry fee money you can pay pal me it. It’s very hard to compete with people who are putting in the time. I’m sorry if that’s a bitter pill to swallow. @casts_by_fly it is a minn kota terrova but the new quest series. @TnRiver46 that does make sense there but, also is than a pretty specific pattern to there.

@casts_by_fly the quests do not have the heading sensor it is built into the unit head eliminating the puck. I generally do not use that feature because I will hit something in the river. Usually there is some kind of zig zag around something I have to do. The newest generation of spot lock on the MKs is much better than the second gen and light years ahead of the first gen.

That was one event. You aren’t going to repeat that over and over again. This was the minority of events where the majority are not won that way. Which he pretty much eluded too. Plus the every fish counts is also a different way of fishing than the 5 biggest. Generally the kayak events are 5 longest.

@gimruis absolutely pre fishing that works. I am strictly talking when the money is on the line. Fishing for fun and fishing a tournament need to be approached differently. He’s talking about trying to cover water during the day of.

@Motoboss I do move around a lot just not leaps and bounds with my TM that’s for the outboard. I am a picker and want to pick apart an area for every last fish. the problem is he is talking tournament fishing. He needs to find fish or a pattern first. There is a reason why when they have bass master on live there are very few pros running rouge. They all tend to be in clumps together. Not saying rouge doesn’t work but, the fish have to be there. You cannot aimlessly cover water. You have to cover water with fish. You can’t find that out on money day.

I fished for years out of a Coleman scanoe with a TM mainly lakes. I would have LOVED to have spot lock on that. I hate anchoring. It’s a pain and I’m the river you end of losing a lot of them. 15mph winds without spot lock? Forget it unless you are out of the wind or again want to anchor . Some days I never put it on spot lock. Most days I use it heavily. I’ll only move 10 to 15ft than spot lock again just to get different angles on things. The ability it gives you to not have to throw an anchor pull up than throw again is invaluable to me. Wind, wake and current is where it shines. Flat calm days it’s not needed. I just can’t see giving up being able to move around and stay in one area anytime you want for speed.

@Kozyou can’t compare what pros do in a boat to kayak fishing. That’s part of the challenge is you have to pick the right areas or load up and pick another area. The top kayak guys and gals will tell you that too. I have fished tournaments too with a large no wake area that spans 45 plus minutes to get to one end. It’s planning. Plus I have to be at weigh in by a certain time with live fish. Even the pro guys in boats make 2-3 hour runs at certain places. Sorry to lecture you but, you need to plan better to fish the areas that have the fish you need vs trying to cover water. You should have a pattern some what established. This is what makes tournaments harder than going out and just fishing. Give up spot lock for a a day in the wind than come back and thank us later.

@padon the susky was on fire most the year. It seemed like they were really loving fast aggressive baits where previous years it was alll about neds, tubes, that sort of thing.

Covering water faster means nothing if you can’t fish the areas properly. If you are fighting to keep position which you will be without spot lock you won’t fish them near as effective and you will miss fish. Never give up control for speed in fishing. Imagine that tournament you were just in with all the wind than not having spot lock. You will be shooting yourself in the foot safety and fishing wise.

Advantages? I have fun! I have a jet that opens up a lot of the susky to me. The susky is probably one of the best small mouth locations in the world. I think it gets wrote off by articles because of the specialized equipment recommended for it. I’m never scared to get snagged. disadvantages? I have a jet. Anyone who has a jet knows those disadvantages. Also, without traveling 2 or more hours I am very limited to where I can fish. My boat is too big and heavy to load in electric only lakes. My fishing is dictated heavily on water flow. The fish in the river are always moving. Sometimes it’s a chasing game that takes hours to figure out where they are at.

@WRB no he doesn’t. I ran my prop OB out of the water all the time and never had issues with tracking straight. (In PA almost all are lakes are 20hp or electric only.)Jets same deal there is nothing in the water guiding you. The second you or a passenger, dog etc move in the boat it’s going to take it off course anyway.

@Swamp Girl I’m glad I could help!

I know there is some coyotes in my development people get them on their cameras. Creek farmer fields some marshy area deer. I walk my dog very early in the mornings and believe I saw a yote already. I’m more worried about two legged predators and peoples loose dogs than I am a yote. Not saying one wouldn’t attack but, the others are a lot more probable.

There would could be various things at play. I took a guy from one one time. Maybe fishes once a year or less. He starts lighting them up. My conclusion was the fish were up against a rock ledge. Him being in the back got more of a parallel cast with the ledge so he was in their zone longer. I asked him hey, can I come to the back of the boat just to see if I am right? 3 casts later I had two fish. Than I went back to the bow. He goes you can stay back here if you like I’m already having the best day I ever had. I’m like nope I just wanted to see if my thinking was right. Have at it! It really can be that simple other times someone else can just have the “magic”. It’s fishing I know some of us me included want the answers. The answers just aren’t there sometimes.

@casts_by_flyyeah, it’s a trade off. Once I got my new boat I only fish places I can run my big motor. @Glenn I totally get that. Travel stinks in my opinion. If you ever find yourself out by the susky (depending where) and could stand fishing with a hack like me I’d gladly take you out. @GreenPig did you use food coloring to try to find where it’s coming from? Also if they didn’t fill the crater of the weld in correctly thay can be a leaking spot as well.

@casts_by_fly a jet still in your future?

@Koz I wait it out and look for sales then stock up. You can easily get good deals if you know when to buy. @bowhunter63 my wife knows I want the best but won’t buy a thing unless it’s the right price. Unless it’s truly needed. I have enough I don’t catch fish on. I was sponsored for racing motocross. Basically I got everything at cost for upgrades and suspension. My gear I got crazy deals on. These were all local places I developed a relationship with. My advice is go to your local tackle shops you might not have the cool factor of bass pro on your stuff but, “bills bobber shack” may help you out in ways BPS never will. (Unless you make it big) Also this may let you be a lot more flexible and let you use what YOU want to use.

Since we are rapidly winding down 2024, anyone starting to plan their 2025 with some fishing plans? Big trip? Tournaments? New rig or bait? New boat? I’d like to try to keep this mainly fishing related. I would really like to do two tournaments next year. I would like to visit an area of the river I really enjoy but, haven’t got there in a couple years for various reasons. I would also like to start learning another section of the river. I mean really learn it not just show up and fish it here and there.

@casts_by_fly that’s the best kayak upgrade you can do