MediumMouthBass

In my part of PA all you need is a fishing license and a launch permit if planning to use a boat or kayak. Have fished in various different cities, and counties in the state, gone to a ton of different lakes, ponds, creeks, and rivers all of which were free. Some were maintained very nice with fresh cut grass, clean trails, and a nice launch, others were so overgrown and hardly taken care of that it felt like walking through a state forest to a trash filled shoreline, where the boat launch was designed by someone who never used a boat. Some of those Army Corps of Engineers places are really nice, bathrooms, several boat launch areas, really nice trails too, those as well are free nearby. I cant imagine paying to use a lake, if it was a great lake, big bass, low pressure, and had valet parking with a reasonable yearly pass then sure, but no way would i pay more than what a steak costs at a restaurant to fish for smaller bass and has tons of people. Most of our public water reservoirs locally were bought by one company, its shore fishing only. Not much of a bank to fish on tho, nature made trails from animals and you sometimes have to walk either a little or a few miles, but the fishing is incredible. Free as long as you pick up your garbage, but decades ago only a small few had a pass to fish it. Not sure how it is where you are at, but maybe take that money to people that have farm ponds or other private ponds. Probably would be limited to bank fishing but youd have the whole place to yourself, and youd know who your money is going to.

It gets to a point where you no longer realize the chances you are taking. So many guys out there now going all in, doing 110% just to get ahead 1 spot or make themselves look good on youtube. And if they win, only A class pays at most places. Ands its not even much money. Your words on that are really the truth, you just keep pushing yourself further and further, jumping a double becomes a triple, then trying to get faster lap times, mix that in with other people in a competition with ego and its worse than alcohol at that point. When you step back and watch other people racing you start noticing and understanding how these guys are risking their lives and health a few dozen times each race. Ive moved away from any ambitions for the moto/supercross part of the sport, still enjoy watching it but ill stick with enduro, cross country, and trail riding. Thats still not the safest but probably better than drinking public water these days.

Lifetime for on a budget, Vibe if you can afford a bit more. Last year a few big corporate companies were having sales up to 50% off on both brands, not sure if this summer will follow the same pattern tho. Check website deals for them weekly. The cheaper kayaks are fine and will do good for most, but coming from a premium paddle fishing kayak and going to one of them will be a challenge, although the plus side is you wont feel bad when drilling holes into them and modifying them. Check out anchor/stadium seat upgrades, those 2 alone will make a huge difference. And then decide on sit in vs sit on top, coming from an old town youd probably prefer a sit on top. Check reviews and youtube videos before making any decision, before i got "real" kayaks last year i started off thinking about getting a kayak under $300, checked alot of options from Pelican and Lifetime. The reviews were very hit or miss on certain things/features.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but posts like this one and countless others really make me want to debarb all my hooks and lures. Its bad enough to get hooked, but then dealing with the barb, trying to get it out, causing even more damage and pain. That scares me. I really dont understand why more companies (if any) dont offer barbless hooks as an option, it takes so long to do it yourself, and then again and again with each new order of tackle.... I know ill get some negativity from the "but youll lose bass" crowd, but think of all the injuries that wouldve been minimal and less stressful just from not having barbs, plus all the bass that wouldnt have died from being gut hooked. Sorry for this joke, but i guess the tilapia can now say it caught a new PB.

Live bait in freshwater is usually more of a problem then anything. Trying to keep it alive, keep it on the hook, and then waiting for hours and hours not doing anything. Plus then getting upset by seeing a giant bass try to eat the live bait just to not get hooked, (happens quite a bit with bigger live bait). Best thing to do would be to use some big swimbaits/glidebaits. They arent too expensive either, theres a ton of options now in the $10-30 area.

Ive left rods, reels, lures, and line in the car for about a year constantly. 90-100 degree summer days through 1-20 degree winters. Only thing that happened is the one reel had grease kind of melt and get on the sides. Oh and there was that bluegill that started to smell after awhile (joking).

Ive tried a few different trailers so far and they have no action at all unless im doing an Alabama shake the whole retrieve. I buy Rage Swimmers over Keitechs because i can get them really cheap on sale, and they might be great paddle tail swimbaits but as soon as they are put on a swim jig its like fighting a walleye, no action, no movement, just reeling straight in. So for swimming them his advice sounds about right, but those nice swim jig trailers are too expensive for my taste, ive still gotta do some experiments with some stuff from Berkley and a few other companies because there has just gotta be something that works good that is reasonably priced.

Spro Rkcrawler, size depends on depth, all their colors are great. They are some really nice crankbaits till you get stuck on the bottom, break off, and go to buy another when you find out how much they cost and remember youll probably fish the same area next week and break off again. Then the Strike King 1.5s on sale often throughout the year for about $3 will suffice. Crankbait fishing sure is great, but i fish mine the most in the river, and thats like fishing in a junkyard, each rain brings dozens of trees, tires, other things to get stuck on. But thats where the bass that are worthy of catching are. So it gets expensive quick, i think the one day i lost $30-50 in just a half hour (and those were the cheap lures). But you know the saying, the best way to become a millionaire bass fishing is to start off by being a billionaire.

Ive always tried matching them, but now im thinking maybe i should try both. Sometimes they want the bait to "match the hatch" as we say in fly fishing, and sometimes they might want something that looks different, maybe to them it not matching will make it think its injured? And bass will be more inclined to bite.

I have one thats a few decades old, and a second i got last year thats their more modern version of it. Both reels couldnt keep up with even my Abu Black Max let alone my $100-200 dollar ones but they are still really cool to fish with. The antique one will sit on my fishing desk and the newer one is used to throw 6oz swimbaits. They still have their place in bass fishing and probably always will. They might not be up to par with todays casting reels (out of the box) but their durability and simplicity to work on is unmatched.

Nope, a landline.

1-3. For me fishing is a hobby to enjoy nature, reduce stress, and have fun, while also exercising. Ill bank fish most of the spring, then kayak the rest of the year. No electronics go with me while im fishing, no phone, no fish finder, my scale isnt even digital, no watch either. Just a few rods and reels, maybe 1 tray of lures and a few bags of plastics. But i sure do have a good time. We have so much tech in our lives now, itll get to a point where youll just put on VR goggles and fish in your living room. Thats not for me.

There should only be 2 versions, the older gen was the SLX MGL 70 and the newer one that just came out is the SLX MGL. They run between $100-150 depending on whos having a sale or still has old stock of the last gen. Really phenomenal reels for casting lighter lures, far and with ease.

Get a Shimano SLX MGL, this will help that more than any rod can. I can put mine on a flipping rod and still be able to cast flukes if i wanted too. Paired with 30lb braid. Look into it on here and youtube. (ive got about 30 rods and this 1 reel makes a bigger difference then any of them can).

In the voice of one of those 90's movies narrators "deep in the woods on a cabin up north, a group gets together for a weekend of fishing, its a cold dark evening, theyve heard the stories of whats happened on that lake in the past, and they hear a noise, somethings splashing in the water, the drag is peeling on the reel, they realize they are surrounded by pike. Several Jackhammers and a box of Megabass jerkbaits that are half the price of a car missing 1 wheel later. They decide its time to bite back. DUH DUH DUH"

Not sure what kayak you have, but most have an open front tank well compartment that has access to the whole inside of the kayak. (if not a you can cut one). I have 3 different fishing kayaks that have this feature and store the rods inside the kayak while going to and from the lake. The 1 kayak only holds 2, the others can fit up to 6/8 combos. Ive tried putting the rods in the truck, its almost always a mess. And when i put them in the back of the truck they either get broken or need to be tied down somehow to avoid falling out. Trucks are really nice for kayaks, get a cheap bed extender and it will make it even easier and nicer to load/unload. Just figure out what method of storing the rods works best for you, my family takes the kayaks out alot, and we couldnt do car topping on the suv, the proper mounting system would cost quite a bit, and these kayaks get heavier and heavier each year, the amount of time, and potential wear and tear on our bodies, and the vehicle just isnt worth it. Take the kayak and put it on the cart (such a great investment that was) drag it to the truck, slide it on the extender and right in the truck bed it goes, strap it down and off to the lake. Less than a minute or 2 to load/unload and our bodies barely have to lift a thing, the cart/extender do all the work. For bank fishing/all around vehicle its hard to beat an suv, they can hold so much and when fishing just throw a towel or blanket over the rods, reels, and tackle you are leaving behind. Car topping a kayak can either be pleasant or a frustration depending on several different factors, so keep that in mind. But heres something else, ive seen a few people at the local lakes actually just put the hatch on the suv up and load their big fishing kayaks inside and just strap it in. Both vehicle types have their pros and cons, and both work for either type of fishing, take a few different suv's and trucks for test drives, ive been on over a hundred test drives for various types of vehicles, its amazing how much you like a car or truck until actually are sitting in it.

Try a few Rapala Original Floating Minnows, i really like using these jerkbaits near or above shallow grass. Not many people use them in my local high pressured smaller lakes either. Strike King Hybrid Hunter crankbait also does really good in grass. And dont be afraid to throw those Keitech (or whatever brand) paddle/boot tail swimbaits weightless too.

I absolutely hate the taste of freshwater fish (except for Salmon/steelhead and catfish, i can sometimes eat panfish but barely). however my parents love eating fish, ill go out to the creek or lake several times a year and bring them back as many trout or panfish that the state allows. Any time i gut hook a bass that cant be saved thats good enough size ill bring that back for them as well, they and others ive spoke to say largemouth and smallmouth bass both taste good. I dont get it, the smell of it almost makes me throw up just being in the same room. I dont have an issue with people that keep every fish they catch, nor do i with the people that release everything they catch. The people i have issues with are the ones on either side that will try forcing their opinions on everyone else. Ive met quite a few odd people that if you tell them you took home a stocked trout they look at you like you are possessed and cause a big scene, and others that do the same when you throw fish back. Ive also witnessed several times that over population of any species of fish can completely destroy a body of water. The local lakes and ponds have alot of fishing pressure and are really small in acres. Lots of people take home bass they catch around here, and the bass fishing is still really good most of the year (except for the spring) and theres also alot of giant bass too. If people werent taking home a bass every now and then my PB large and smallmouth's would probably be only a 1/3 of what they are. The more small bass=the more competition. And we have to remember, fish have been a part of the human diet since well as long as weve been around for, for us they are a sport/hobby, for the rest of mankind they are food.

Heres another idea to add to whats already been said, keep your Bronco for your main vehicle and try to find a cheap older truck just as a spare vehicle for towing, doesnt have to be nice either. With some minimal work (if you know what to look for) you can have a truck that can haul any decent sized boat or kayak for not too much money.

I only have a 1040 jon boat (10' by 40") to use when im not on the kayaks and i can stand on the seat and pretend its a casting deck. So far no issues, but its a bit sketchy. Ill update this if i end up getting soaked. A 15'er with a casting deck should be plenty stable, just do some balance exercises if it feels odd at first. That should help alot. Maybe put something around the edges to prevent yourself from accidentally walking/falling off the flat sides. Its very easy to happen if a fish runs a certain way so you step to the side and you think you are in the middle.

Dobyns Fury 733c, comes in at around $120-130. Its called a MH but its really inbetween a M and MH. Its ratings are 1/4-3/4. But its good for 1/8-1oz. Ive throw big whopper ploppers and other big baits on it without issue, but now i use it for 1/8-1/4oz texas rigs and 3/8oz chatterbaits. Ill also throw Strike King 1/2oz lipless cranks on it and weightless senkos/flukes. The rods description right from Dobyns is "Senkos, Flukes, Spooks, Spinnerbaits, Toads" The rods great at balancing being able to fish lighter lures and then the heavy ones.

(Disclaimer) Daiwa and Shimano are my favorite reel companies. Rods too. I like Lews rods and reels but ill go for my Daiwa/Shimanos 90% of the time. I also dont have an Elite, but have many other Tatulas and did some research on the Elite. With all that being said go for the BB1 Pro. Ive got 2 and shouldve bought more when they were on sale. Doesnt matter what bait/lure i have tied on or what rod its on, the casting distance is amazing. Its one of the longest casting reels on the market (in a low profile reel thats stock). The braking system on the BB1 Pro is one of the best ive used, i only used 10-12lb YZH line and its so easy to cast far without the line fluffing or backlashing. So many adjustments you can really fine tune it to where its the perfect balance between distance and ease of casting. Such a smooth reel, looks really great too. Its meant for deep cranking, thats what i use mine for. Deep cranking requires you to cast as far as possible, more than any other reel to get that lure down as deep as possible. But it excels for any lure where distance is required. Theres no reel i would want for that job more than this.

@August Im up north but in PA so MN fishing might be a bit different. My experience with fishing for bass in the summer is that they are everywhere. Ill start by the bank, docks, lily pads, trees that fell into the water. Ill probably catch several or a few dozen. Then ill move out slightly off the bank to where the shallow water mixes with the deeper parts of the lake. In most places this is where i do the best, whether its lake smallmouth or largemouth. And when the wind blows the kayak out far ill fish the deep stuff, 15-20'. The bass are literally everywhere, any depth, and also any water column. You might have days where you are fishing 20' but the bass might be just a few feet below, other times they might be on the bottom. Power fishing is my best option for finding and catching bass in those conditions. I can cover any depth/area of the water column. But look for shade, alot of bass on those really hot days will be trying to find cooler spots. And some days you might just have to stop power fishing and try something finesse if they are too lethargic.

Give me a lipless crank and a ned rigged TRD and i can catch bass anywhere, anytime. And for the why? I can cast a lipless over submerged grass in 1' of water, cast it in a hole in the lily pads and rip it out or yo yo it in open water. I like to fish fast, i also like to catch bass. This lure that way has worked very well for me. And the ned rig on the rivers or days the bass dont want to bite. Im actually going to downsize most of my tackle just because no lure, bait, or technique has caught me more bass, or larger bass than those 2.

The man asked for power fishing. Hard power fishing a 1/8oz lure at 15'.