Angler Andy

Sep 3, 2025 Sunny and very calm waters. Morning temp was 55 warmed up to high 60s by lunch time. Water temps I'm guessing was in the low 70s but the shallow areas did feel colder. I did not have a temp gauge but I used the another method called "WAG" ( Wild Andy Guess). Took the kayak out, although the air temp was 55 I quickly took the light coat off, it did not feel 55 at all. Light fog off the water that quickly dissipated. Lots of wild life; wood ducks, herons, osprey, and a bat that picked off a bug right in front of me. Water levels were very low, must have been about 3 feet low. Since it was sunny, I decided to used a X-rap jerkbait and it did not disappoint. A few largemouth, one smallmouth, one sunfish, and a few chain pickerel. I also used a crankbait, and a wacky worm around the lily pads. At the lily pads I hooked into a pickerel that surprised me by taking out drag, I was about to tighten it up a bit, but it headed toward the weeds, I maneuvered it out, it then headed out toward deeper water, as I was about to tighten the drag, it bit me off. Good fight despite the pickerel winning the match. The smallmouth danced across the water trying to shake the lure most of the way toward the kayak. As for kayak setup, an anchor is definitely in order, and to figure a way to interchange the fish finder from the gheenoe to the kayak easily. I am also going to get some kind of keel guard as well. It was a good day for me.

Aug 27th. Mostly cloudy skies, calm winds, early morning temps in the low 50s rose to high 60s by 11am. Misty foggy surface. Unknown water temps. I bought a kayak and took it out on a maiden voyage. Took only very basic fishing items, to figure out what I needed, modifications, etc. Fishing was a grind but still fun. The bass were small. No top water bite. Most productive lure was a fluke and a jerk bait.

As with any hobby, you can spend as little as you want and as much as you want. As others have stated, there comes a point of diminishing returns too. It just depends on how much you are willing to spend for it.

I had two rods that had some cork needing some care. I grounded up some wine corks, mixed it with wood filler, and filled in the cork holes. Then used U40 as a sealer. I was satisfied with the results.

i_fish on YouTube did a comparison on cork sealers.

I liked the Plano Elite Series Crankbait StowAway 3600 but I have been unable to find them anymore. Then I found Meiho fishing storage cases particularly the double sided boxes (Meiho Reversible 165N Two Sided Plastic Lure Case). For room storage of items not in the tackle bag. Soft plastics as described above - original bags in totes. The rest - lures/some plastics/terminal tackle - on peg boards in the man cellar

I am offended by your offensiveness. 😆

Many years ago when I started to fish, I tried many types and brands of line. I landed on ANDE Back Country monofilament as my preferred choice.

The grandson and I went fishing this A.M. He managed three LMB and I had one 21" pickerel, which came on a topwater lure. Jumped right out of the water too. Would have made a great magazine cover We paddled into the lily pads and O, my goodness. One big LMB smashed my grandsons frog and full body length jumped right out of the water. Didn't hook'em but it was exciting. I told him if he landed it, it would have earned him a sportsman award. So, close! Air temps in the A.M. was a chilly 60 degrees, water temps was a surprising 72-75 by lunchtime. Partly cloudy and hazy. Wind was 5-10mph. We had a good time. Cheers.

I just viewed a video on bass and color vision. One section was topwater. 1. Bait profile and action are the most important. 2. The bottom of the lure is a dark silhouette. 3. The exception is a color selection that enhances the lures contrast. 4. Clear water: a translucent colored bait. Agreeing with @F14A-B and @ Swamp Girl (I see what you did there ;)

Why hi there!

How about a custom made rod?

A Color that actually represents a color. A Color that represents a pattern/color of a fish. A Color that represents a marketing ploy. A Color that I like which may or not actually be a color.

Fished a Cape Cod kettle pond on Jul 18th. Cape Cod is not a very friendly place to reach certain bodies of water. Town parking permits, restricted to residences only, etc., etc. (Although this honor is not held exclusively to Cape Cod). Despite that, I was able to fish a pond and I was a little out of my normal element. Water was deep, clear, hard bottom, and very little vegetation. One smallmouth on a tube, three largemouth on a wacky, three white perch and two bluegill on a crankbait. All the fish were of decent size and surprised by the size of the white perch and bluegill. Morning air temps was 78, water temp was unknown but I guess 75-80 since the water was deep. Clear skies and gradually became cloudy. Winds were slightly breezy and picked up by lunch time. Overall a good day for me. Cheers.

Monday July 14th Foggy morning, eventually lifting to cloudy skies, light winds. Very humid. Air temp 68 in the a.m. to 80 by noon. Water temps 80. Morning started slow and picked up as the morning progressed. Mostly LMB, couple of crappies, and one Chain Pickerel. Most productive lure was a crankbait.

I never heard of the bait monkey until I read it on this forum. Now I know what was whispering in my ear! I going to say yes. To try out a lure to see if it fits into my type/style of fishing.

First year I decided to wear fishing gloves, mainly for sun protection. After looking at many brands, I ended up choosing the NRS Castaway Glove. They also have a sale now too.

June 30th After a two week break I was eager to get back on the water. Weather was sunny then a few clouds by 12pm. First couple of hours the water was like glass. Seen some baitfish being chased and top water is fun. Air temps in the a.m. were low 60s and quickly climbed to mid 80s. Water temps started at 75 then rose to 80. Got bit off as well as my friend who got bit off a few times. Although, the last outing my friend caught a nice 25 3/4" pick. Those pesky pickerel. However, I don't mind them at all, only when I lose a lure Largemouth Bass and Chain Pickerel were the fish of the day. Most productive lure were soft plastics, worms, etc. Cheers.

O, forgot to mention, water temps were 68 degrees.

June 13th report 6:30am to 11am Partly cloudy skies, winds about 5mph. One largemouth, the rest were white and yellow perch. The fish seemed really aggressive. Top producer was the chartreuse crankbait. After the LM, the white perch were all over the place. I decided to switch since they were the most aggressive. For a short time, I was trying for the 14" white perch, but no cigar. Always a good day on the water. Cheers.

Based upon my own experience: Soft plastics are cheaper. Some days it may seem like this:

Summary Wednesday, June 4 ..." an unmanned kayak circling about 100 feet offshore, powered by a trolling motor. What initially looked like a buoy was, in fact, the unconscious male, face down and partially submerged in the water." Police and Fire rescued the man and is critical condition. Water temps were stated to be in the 50s. Long Pond in Plymouth, MA is a very deep lake. Be safe. Source: Capecod.com

Took the grandson out fishing this A.M. Blue bird skies, water temps 63-65, calm winds. Fished Cook Pond, water visibility was maybe 1 1/2-2feet, lots of algae. I didn't think it would be this dingy this time of year but it was. I avoid this pond in the summer. Crankbaits was the top producer. Fish of the day were Bass and Yellow Perch. The grandson was the master fisherman by out fishing me 15 to 5! I told him when I dropped him off home, to go brag about it It was a good day.

Not actively on the water. However, I did bump into the person at his work.

Mighty fine fishery and the know how to catch'em to boot!