FishTax

Now I'm having these same thoughts after fighting My surprise big one on a veritas MH/f rod. That was a challenge, definitely needed a different rod. It did the trick in the end, but yikes. I think I'm going to catfish all summer from bank so I'm looking to pick up some budget catfish gear now.

I have some almost identical to this, I think they're the same brand too. Absolutely my favorite yard shoes/kayak shoes/fishing shoes. If I have to wear something more than chaos. Mine are pictured in the catfish photo in other species I just posted. Same color too. Great taste! I put inserts in mine and am very comfortable all day in them. Thick socks are key. I wear Dickies work boot socks.

The smell of a great time shouldn't quickly be washed off... I rinse my hands in water after handling fish, and take a shower when I get home. That keeps it from being much at all unless you pick your nose. Then it's still there slightly, but only you can smell it. I like to catch fish before work, then smell it all day. It's like therapy to distract me from stress at work and take me back to fishing in my mind. Some people like a good beach photo on computer background. I prefer fish smell on my hands 😎

This weekend I was catching bluegill with my kids and the thought crossed my mind that these were bait sizes fish. We were putting them in a bucket for the kids to play with so I had a few and they were still biting. All very small. I decided to go grab a rod and tie on a catfish/bass hybrid Carolina rig. I almost grabbed one with 12 lb mono but then decided at the last moment to use one with braid since I'd be throwing heavy stuff and didn't want to break off. So a MH veritas with 40 lb braid is what we did. I put a live bluegill on, tossed it out, opened the bail and laid the rod down to go catch more bluegill. About 20 or 30 min go by and I finally see the line go tight and look like I've got some action. I pick it up and turn the handle and the rod bends over. Then mayhem ensues. Close to 10 minutes of fighting, with the Fuego reel having the limits of it's drag tested and stretched. My kids were there for it all, hollering and freaking out almost as much as I was. I've got a video but don't know how to post it. Here are the photos. Estimated 40 lbs, could barely lift it and couldn't get my scale to attach because I was totally unprepared for this. It was closer to 50" long based on where it landed on my stomach. It was larger than my 3 year old for sure, and similar on weight if not heavier. A very memorable day that me and the boys won't soon forget!

I've got an expensive paddle that I found floating. It pushes my kayak off the shores the same as the cheap one. Then I mostly pedal. I should probably swap for push pole.

I have helix 7 MSI on my old town pedal drive kayak. I recommend you start with very cheap electronics. It's a huge learning curve that distracts from fishing. You can get a cheap unit with just down scan that tells you depth, temp, and can find balls of bait. That's a ton of info to learn from starting out. I highly doubt you'll start catching significantly more fish by going from 200-500 investment. Also you don't need gps on a 400 acre lake. I have GPS on mine and rarely use it. The lake card doesn't include my lake and the screen is limited so I focus on side imaging looking for structure and shad. I'm definitely not the best at using electronics. That's because I like to fish, not stare at screen. I'd love to learn more about my setup, but have limited fishing time and prefer to be casting and looking around rather than staring down. Also, I hit my rod on me screen regularly. I'm clumsy for sure, but space is very limited on yak so think about where it'll go. You want it close so you can see it.

Yes, jigs are the best. I have the addiction. I usually carry 2 out every trip, sometimes more. Heavy, brush, finesse, swim, etc. If on a lake during spawn, try a heavy jig. Fish don't see them often around here, and the different action gets bites. Also, @Pat Brown came up with theory I agree with that a bass on bed can't 'blow' a heavy jig off bed, which leads to them eating it. Definitely seems to be the case compared to finesse jigs, which are also fun. So many jig options, techniques, etc you can definitely spend many hours testing and learning. Swim jigs are still my favorite, especially for ponds. @Siebert Outdoors 3/8 swim jig in a shad looking color, tweaked to your water and forage, worked slowly at various points in the water column will wreck some pond bass! Have fun!

We went on family vacation in Florida last week. I couldn't miss the opportunity, so I hired a guide to do the full Florida experience! Had some early morning top water action, then when the sun was up we switched to live shiners. It was my first time doing that, very different than anything I've done before but I had fun. Hard not to when you're catching bass like crazy! We were on a nice bass boat and I got to use live scope for the first time as well. Live scope with live shiners is so different from jig fishing from kayak. In total I caught over 20 in less than 4 hours fishing. Biggest was over 5 lbs, 22". Didn't get the Florida DD I was hoping for but that's ok!

Amazing! So happy to see her out and having fun!

Awesome! Hope you slay today!

I also hate rigging. I do not retie nearly enough. I like to live life on the edge. Also- I feel the same was about using electronics. Feels like time I should be casting/fishing rather than staring at a screen. And I feel that way about work...

One other thing I have no proof of but would be interested to see if anyone knows- I think the same bass spawn multiple times, and lay eggs on multiple beds. So my unproven theory is that even if you totally ruin one bed and none of the eggs successfully turn to fry, that doesn't mean the fish had no offspring for the entire season. Does anyone know if this has been studied? Seems like an easy thing to prove/disprove, I just don't know where to look for legit research on that and it's not really something I can observe first hand.

There's a big difference in reading things, and observing them first hand. My belief from limited time sight fishing a few different fisheries is each one sets up a little different with regard to bass behavior. Each fish has a different personality which is pretty cool if you spend enough time watching. In lake Norman for instance, you can pull up on a dock and watch them on deep beds as long as you want and learn a lot. You can watch them shallow on bank and learn more. There are differences in how each of those operate, and similarities. I find it extremely educational to sight fish but have limited time due to work obligations. I will say though, Pat has hundreds (thousands?) of hours personal experience observing bed fish. And he local to me. So his observations are going to trump anything I read online because he's speaking from recent, local, first hand observation.

I can prove you wrong. I'll teach you a way Saturday. 😎

Amazing! My 3 year old can sling it. I have a bobber shaped tattoo on my back from this weekend. Luckily the hook didn't set. Fishing a tournament with @Pat Brown and Jake and my 7 year old this Saturday and we are very excited!! One of my greatest joys is seeing my kids explore the outdoors and enjoy learning and playing. Hard to put into words how cool it is. Hopefully we can get together again when you're in town this year! Text me dates when you know!

I was skipping creature baits pretty well this weekend. Poop baits skip great also. One thing I think helps is every few casts tossing to deep water so I can 'tighten' the line. If I don't do this, I backlash at some point, usually within 5 casts.

Sounds to me like you're doing things right. Catching fish, seeing fish, it's working. Just pay close attention, experiment with different techniques, be very stealthy, and things will keep getting better. Every body of water fishes different, even places beside of each other..

That is very interesting. Personally I wouldn't want something that large and don't carry many rods, but I'm the right situation that would be cool to have. Kast King quality isn't terrible and I'm hard on my gear. I do think other brands are much more durable though.

I also recommend a big bag in truck and small deal when walking. That's what I do. I have a kastking sling bag and don't love it. It has had multiple failures and also doesn't have a great layout for me. I may try the fanny pack style next as it looks easier to access while fishing And I prefer a minimal setup but would like to have two or three bags of plastics, a few jigs and a little terminal tackle with me. So for me I think this could be the deal .

Honestly the one I missed could have been 4+. Hard to know but it felt pretty heavy and acted like a big fish. It certainly moved a lot of water when it grabbed the bait. I'll definitely be back at the same time today making another cast at that one

Quick walk through the woods to make some casts on the bank after work. Caught a little dink on the Texas rig Yamamoto Flapping hog. First time throwing that bait and the bright orange color. Had a better fish bite that took it as well but I didn't set the hook and lost it. I'll be ready next time! So thankful winter is gone!

Totally agree. Watching tourney results on my lake I see the same thing. Top 3 to 5, depending on size of tourney, found the fish and caught them. The bottom barely catch anything and the middle seem to struggle as well. I am happy about that though. Keep the challenge high. Only those of us on the brink of insanity will keep coming back for more after all of the skunks. Speaking of which, I'm ready to get back out there asap, every skunk is another step closer to a DD

I was tentative to open this because you took the robe off, but I'm relieved to see other items of clothing were added. Great fish! That pond in the background looks awesome!

I highly recommend ultralight tackle and live bait/bobber to start out. We are just getting into sunfish season, they'll be on beds possibly as soon as today with the full moon cycle. Definitely the next full moon. But throw minnows/crickets/worms on bobber, everything in the fishery bites those things and the goal with a child is to create excitement and catch something so I'd start there!

Carry a machete so you can make a clean kill when you land them. I've only had this happen on live bait as well, and it's been many years.