Felix77

Bold Bluegill ... Yum.

VMC Spinshot #1 - nose hooking 2/0 - 4/0 EWG - Texas Rigged ... depends on the bait.

For me this one is very easy. A Keitech EZ Shiner and a Senko. I can cover the water from top to bottom and from slow to fast.

I very much appreciate it ... PM me and we can make arrangements to meet up at your facility. You aren't too far from me. If it is at all possible maybe I can learn a bit while the reel service is being done. No pressure if it would be an inconvenience. I am not much of a tinkerer and would rather trust in DVT to do it right.

If it is your first baitcaster then it should work out fine. There are better out there but it should last you a while.

Lol. I invested in a Thule setup including the outrigger arm. It makes it 10 times easier.

NY, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts

The reel in question is an Abu Garcia Orra S. I have had it for over 2 years now. They cost between $60 - $70 bucks. I don't know what one of these cleanings would even cost. Would hate to go that route when it might be better off just replacing it.

When I started fishing this Kayak I was just over 300 pounds. I am currently 225. Have been comfortable on this Yak at all sizes.

Just recently one of my spinning reels began sounding like there is sand in it while I reel. I tried cleaning it but to no avail. I am no expert so my cleaning was removing the spool and cleaning in and around what I could. Not opening up the guts. Is my reel shot?

Drop shot ... I struggled with the drop shot all last season. One question to this forum helped me out a ton and now it is one of my favorite rigs next to my mojo rig. Here is what has worked for me .... 1 - Weight is absolutely critical. To me it is not enough to "feel bottom" with the bait. I also need to keep a relatively tight line between the weight and my rod tip. I was fishing it previously with too much slack in my line. Somewhere between semi-slack and taught is best IMO. With all that said I tend to begin at 1/4oz and work up/down from there based on conditions. All the 1/8oz weights are now in my lead pile. I carry from 3/16 - 1/2oz 2 - Presentation - There are two which have worked well for me ... First - cast it out and drag it slowly across the bottom. You can cover a decent amount of water and the natural action of the dragging motion puts more than enough action into your bait to get them to bite. Second - Similar to the first but when I hit/feel something solid on the bottom I stop. I don't "twitch" per-se but I slowly move my line from semi-slack to taught and back again. I immagine a smooth swaying motion of the bait. As with all presentations you can experiment with everything in between. There is always the standby drop it down and catch method which I do from my kayak from time to time. Generally I cast it though, 3 - Lures - I experimented with a lot of lures. There are a few I like. Yamamoto Shad Shaped worm, Roboworm, Dream Shot and the Berkley 4" Power Worm. That last one I got as a tip on this site and it changed my drop shotting. Good luck! Once you get it you will not be looking back.

I call BS.

My personal best LMB (6 lbs) was caught on a #1 VMC Spinshot hook and a wacky Havoc Flat Dawg. My personal best SMB (5.89 lbs) was caught on a 3/8oz VMC Rugby Jig and Zoom Shakey Worm. Both are not large baits at all. The way I tend to respond to this question is simple. In general .... ... smaller baits attract more bass (large or small) to it in general. ... Larger baits tend to act as a deterrent to the smaller ones. Time and a place for both.

I catch my 5 bass limit while tagging each one. As I catch them I eyeball the smallest and remember the color tag it is on. When I begin culling I measure against that smallest. If I am fortunate to cull often I reach for my culling beam to make sure.

First picture of me on my yak. Not my maiden voyage by FAR but still worth posting ...

Check out this thread ... http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/129061-flippin-setup/?hl=%2Bflippin+%2Bsetup If this doesn't answer your question then I would suggest starting a new thread with this question.

I originally posted about the $99 rack setup which worked well for my Radisson Canoe. It held up well with my Ride 115x but after time I began scratching the hell out of my roof. I just bit the bullet and invested in a Thule setup with an outrigger arm. Expensive ... YES but putting it up is much easier and no more scratches.

Get yourself some Megastrike and/or JJ's and take your senko up another notch. I pair the two up from time to time when the bite is tough. Dip the tail in Chartreuse JJ's and lube the rest in Megastrike.

I truly love the new Smackdown. All of my spinning rods have been converted to Smackdown. I may try it on my flippin' stick at some point but the PowerPro on there is only a year old and I don't want to waste it.

As a co-angler I fish with a lot of different boaters. I also go out of my way to make sure I cover my fair share and then some! I truly respect and appreciate the time and energy spent on a boat during a tournament day or full fun-fishing day. With all that said there are only two boaters in my circle that I know of who pressure their co-anglers to contribute way more than I believe is fair. With comments like "I will take the back seat out" or "No one gets on my boat for less than $50" has kept me from fishing with them when asked. These boaters also expect you to contribute to the maintenance of the boat if you happen to be in the boat when something happens. To me this pushes things way over the line. Common courtesy and paying a fair share of the expenses of the day are always appropriate. The rest should be left to communication between you and your boater.

When all else fails ...

Did you properly break in the motor? One of my friends started with a Z-6 and said he couldn't get it to plane through most of the breaking in period. Once it was broken in he was able to throttle up and get on plane with no issues. I partnered with him on a few tournaments which included a full tank, full livewells and 2 very "not-so-skinny" people. It took a moment to plane but nothing unreasonable for this size boat/motor. Good luck.

If you don't have a tape measure lay it on top of your plano box. If you are lucky enough to find a box with a tape measure on it that is even better. Helps with estimation when you don't have a tape measure or scale.

Wish I was asking this for myself but a friend of mine just got his new boat. He is eager to get it out and start breaking it in but because he works he isn't able to devote the 6 hours to break it in until this weekend. He wasn't sure if he has to break the motor in all at one or if he can break up the time amongst a few days. This would allow him to get an hour or 2 in each night over the next few days. Motor: Mercury 175Pro XS Optimax Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

Great vid. I posted it again so that it shows on the forum. Thanks for sharing.