Rucksack

Microjigs (1/64 to 1/32 oz) on ultralight tackle. You'll catch a lot of things that aren't bass along the way, which I find a lot of fun, and when you DO catch a bass it's like you've wrangled Moby Dick. I use them as little swimjigs I work back with a bunch of little shakes. Drives bass crazy and you get monster strikes. Plus you feel like a master angler when you take that tiny little jig out of a big ol' bass' mouth.

Thank you all for the kind words and detailed responses. This is a great idea. I felt kind of goofy doing this ("But I have a kayak now", etc) ao didn't, but I really should have started here. I'll do that. So far moving baits have seemed the easiest with jigs/weighted texas rigs for target fishing runner up. Weightless soft plastics have been a disaster. Thanks for all the safety advice @VolFan . Unlike a cat, we only have one life to lose. I'm paddle. My kayak is a used recreational one I bought from a friend who ran an adventure outfiter they closed down. I could totally see myself going peddle drive whenever I have money to spend on that. My only concern would be using it in shallow water. I guess they're removable? I have literally never considered this. I have some old canoe paddles I can source to test this out. I grew up canoing, but it's been probably 30 years. I also really like your run idea. I tried doing that and it was awkward, but I'll try setting it up properly. It did feel like it could resemble the bass pro trolling motor running the bank thing if done well!

I can say with little ego that I'm a pretty decent bank beater. My friends and family go to me for fishing advice. I can land upwards of 30-40 fish on a good morning. I've recently made the switch to focus on kayak angling and the transition has been humbling. I'm dealing with a lot more variables. There's suddenly more surface area to fish in front of me, I've got information coming in from a fish finder, I'm drifting post cast, there's wind, there's current, I've got an anchor line to consider, other watercraft to deal with, I'm having to consider how to rig my boat, etc. A good day for me is now five fish out of the yak. I hooked up this morning with a good sized bass (3 lbs-ish) and he shook loose of my crankbait at the side of my boat. I get blown into cover I'm trying to pick apart and blow my spot. I'm a grind it out kind of guy, so I'm not giving up. But man, it's been really eye opening. For those of you who transitioned from shore to kayak/canoe what got you back being successful? Maybe I've just got a case of the yips or something.

Literally all of the time. I love a MH spinning rod around 6 foot and a half spooled with 12 -20 lbs mono. It's my primary bass rod. I throw everything on it and haul fish out of gnarly trees and grass routinely with zero issue. Why? I have way better accuracy with a spinning rod (people don't seem to be aware of how to break or feather a spinning reel properly), line management is easier, and they're easy to work on if something needs some maintenance. Additionally I think the setup of a spinning reel has better biomechanics for fighting big fish based on how your grip, joints,and muscles are set-up. The idea that spinning setups are finesse only seems to be mostly a bass angler thing. In the salt and surf it's the reverse of bass world. Very few casting reels outside of maybe specialized billfishing and tuna applications. You can, and I have, hauled in massive saltwater fish in spinning tackle. Modern spinning tackle got it's start in the USA within the surf fishing community post WW2, fighting big striped bass if I recall, so I guess not a big surprise there. But it does seem goofy that we bass folks somehow think spinning tackle can't possibly be up to the task of pulling in a double digit bass or something. Top end of our world record bass are the mid-tier of things like red drum, which are almost universally taken on spinning gear.

I faced a very weird scenario today. The heat index was over 100 degrees, the sky was mostly clear, and there was significant wind. There has been drought in NC for a while so water levels are lower than I've seen in decades as well. To make a tale of woe short, I simply couldn't figure out where the bass were. Soft plastics weren't working on my usual summer spots, so I threw on a spinner (wind was high and water very muddy) and started working the lake. I eventually hooked up with a single bass which saved me from a total skunk. It appeared to be the only one in the area. I don't have electronics, so my question is what's the best search bait in extreme heat/drought stress conditions? My theory is the stress had made the bass spooky and the spinner was too much commotion. I suspect it might be a small paddletail on a jighead, but I'd like to know your opinions before going out and buying more tackle.

I'll give kind of left field view here. I love angling in general. I'll seek out anything that swims in fresh or salt. I spent the majority of this year learning how to catch panfish on micro jigs with bass mostly becoming bycatch for me. Last year was spent chasing trophy sized red drum. Bass aren't the hardest fighters. Bass aren't all the elusive. Bass aren't the best eating. Heck, truth be told, bass aren't even all that hard to fool on artificial baits. However, I keep returning to bass year after year. They're the epitome of a game fish. Bass are almost always up for a tussle and (at least in the south) lurk in almost every body of water. You can catch them an endless number of ways on a huge assortment of gear. Bass are also hyper reactive to seasonal and weather changes. Depending on if you're hunting for numbers or a trophy specimen, they're at the sweet spot between being a fish anybody can catch and an expert angling challenge. There's an entire culture built around bass fishing. Heritage, tournaments, lore, celebrities, big business, and legendary catches all give our sport its unique flavor and texture. And unlike some of the other fish with similar constellations of influences (billfish, etc), bass fishing is still rooted in blue collar culture which is where I'm from and center myself in. I may have higher highs or lower lows trying for other species, but nothing is ever going to replace my deep love for these creatures and the culture around them.

That's clever. I need to try that. I've been using straight tailed flukes and just resigning myself to losing the jigs eventually

Does anybody have a good lead on cheap but quality 4 lbs test mono? I've been running Trilene XL and love it, but it gets expensive quick to keep fully filled reels. I've been using heavier mono as backing recently. That's fascinating! I love learning about the history of the sport. I was looking the other day at some IGFA line records (potentially seeing if there was one I could break in salt or fresh) and noticed a whole run of light line records in the 90s and was wondering what was up!

I like a mid 6 foot range rod. I'm mostly bank fishing in places with heavy cover and longer than that quickly becomes a casting nightmare with trees and bushes. Shorter than that and I lose to much casting distance. I'd stay in that ballpark, but that's my personal take. They've very sensitive at that length too. I broke my St. Croix Triumph last year. I've stayed salty about it. It was on a sub-five pound fish. I've also heard other folks saying their St. Croixs are breaking. Makes me wonder if there's build issues.

Thanks for all the advice. Sounds like I need to source some cheap spinners. I think I'm going to rig up like surf fishing. 20 lbs main line with a 50 lbs shock/bite leader. Overkill? Under kill?

I caught my first bowfin today and now have the bow-fever. I heard from a buddy that a spillway had massive bowfin in it. I threw a squarebilled crank bait and it got immediately devoured by the biggest freshwater fish I have ever seen. I fought the beast on screaming drag to the bank and got a look at it. It was easily nearly three feet long. Just as I was pulling it up the bank my line broke and off the bowfin went with my favorite crankbait in its mouth. I can't tell if it was the line breaking (8 lbs test, but easily much heavier bowfin) or the thing bit clean through it. I've had a glimpse of this beast, have been defeated by it, and I don't take defeat well. What do I need to learn to get better at finding and landing these monsters? Any advice at all on lures/bait, line weight (I like mono), technique, and gear are all welcome. My goal is land a trophy sized bowfin by end of the year. And, just maybe catch the same fish and get my favorite crankbait back. Hey, I can dream.

That's awesome. Thank you so much for doing that! It sounds like they did a lot for our country and now have a new lease on life. Guiding is nerve wracking (I have only ever done it for fun for loved ones and friends), but it's important to remember just being out on the water is enough for a good time. Cookies are certainly a great idea 🤣

Interesting to read a bit more about your life @Glenn! I've spent my career making things for other people in tech (video game designer and some tv writing on my end), and I bet being able to have something of your own has been a nice sanity restoring practice. Thanks for doing this for us! Absolutely. I'm just about 40, while I'm still youngish, I remember the old good Internet. I'm probably the last generation to do so. This place is the last hold out of that.

I love YouTube, but looking for something with a higher production value. Looked into MyOutdoorTV and that seems like the move. I'm going to try the trial of that. Thanks!

I noticed that Amazon Prime has a few channels where they play hunting and fishing shows on loop. I was very excited to discover this, but after watching a good bit of it I'm left disappointed. It's very much in the line of "bro" outdoor programming (not really sure what else to call it). They're not really shows about quality angling. Mostly about dudes driving very expensive lifted trucks to their very expensive boats and high fiving over mishandling fish to blaring soundtracks. That's for someone, but certainly not for me. Do any of y'all have a lead on a streaming service or channel with some higher quality outdoor content? I'm looking for stuff with a focus on teaching technique, learning about fish behavior, and gorgeous outdoor shots I can watch when I can't be on/by the water myself.

I've got to know more about this. Who is stocking the largemouth bass in Spain? How big do they get? What kind of techniques do you use to catch them?

I agree on all the recommendations. St. Croix + decent reel + 4 lbs mono = fun. If you've not tried them, look into Trout Magnet 1/64 oz jigheads and bodies. I use those pretty much exclusively on my light and ultralight panfish setups. Panfish can't resist them. Try the gold jighead with a bison body combo. That works great for me.

Thank you for all the hard work getting this place back up and running. I've been refreshing daily to see when we would be back!

I've tried braid, fluro, and mono. I'm purely spinning reel, so that'll also impact my perception, but I'm now 100% mono all the time. I broke off on fluro. Braid would dig into wood. Mono lacks some sensitivity, but I think that gets exaggerated and the benefits outweigh that con. In terms of professional thinking, I think you and others are right that it is sponsor based. I also do think Pro Bass fishing has its own culture and associated superstitions/beliefs. One of those is that mono is somehow subpar compared with fluro for what they're doing. It's also just a different kind of fishing than what we tend to do with it's own different incentives

I fish with no electronics and have spent a lot of time learning to read the water as a result. From your description, I'm going to assume that is bottom structure -- probably the outlines of deeper water or potentially the edges of weed mats. It's impossible to say until you fish it more. Fish along those "seams" and I bet you'll pick up some fish. Go out on the next windy day and see if that pattern holds. If so, it's probably something worth noting. You can also try dragging a fish finder rig through there and do analysis by "feel".

This is a helpful thread. Southern dude going on vacation this summer in the UP and hoping to target some smallies. All my research was pointing me towards crazy colors, sounds like I should stay more natural.

I clean up as I go. Not always, but often enough. Mostly fishing line like you. More rarely bottles, old worm cups, and the like. Do you have moral obligation to do this? I'd argue not really. I don't think poorly of anybody who doesn't. It is however a nice thing to do for the world. I think people who trash up the outdoors are vile, though. I can't stand it and don't understand it. If you pack it in, pack it out. It's simple. I think it boils down to a lack of respect for themselves and others, and shows low moral development.

What plastic are you rigging on those EWGs? Those look like a blast!

Gorgeous fish! And yeah, I've found I need a rod with some solid backbone when plastic worm fishing

That's a bummer to read. I wish people didn't feel like they had to break the bank to be a local hammer