hoosierbass07

That's one reason I only tried night fishing from my kayak a few times last year. After it got really dark out I started to hear all kinds of animal sounds and it scared me. I didn't want to cast in the dark towards a duck/goose or some other animal with teeth! lol.

I'm really interested in the ATAK but I think the weight is pushing near 80 pounds. My Ride 115 is 78 and it's a heavy 78. I'm not sure I want to go heavier. Eventually if you go too heavy the fact that you have to deal with a heavy kayak will take away some of the fun of actually using it. Anyway, my next kayak will probably be an ATAK, Commander 120 or Tarpon 120 or 140. Maybe even a Pungo. That Commander 120 looks nice though being at 64 pounds. What I really want is something I can do long distance in for bigger lakes.

You'r on to something there. I fish from a kayak I can stand up in and I started going to the bathroom while standing in my kayak this season. I've quickly discovered that if I ever do fall in it's going to be from using the bathroom while standing or getting a lure out of a tree while standing. I wanted to take my life jacket off during those times but I made myself keep it on because I know things get very tipsy when going to the bathroom or getting a lure out of a bush/tree limb (which seems to be happening to me more and more).

For some reason around here (Terre Haute IN area) none of the stores I shop at carry Z-Man products anymore. The one Walmart I shop at doesn't, the three super Walmart's don't, and the Gander Mountain does not carry Z-Man. I know some carried them a few years ago because I have two or three packs of Z-Man products I bought around here. It's ticking me off. Hopefully the new Meijers store or Academy they are building will carry Z-Man.

My main fishing kayak is s Wilderness Systems Ride 115 with the basic low seat. I have to say the seat is very very comfortable. It must be one of the best seats in all of kayaking. Anyway, whenever I look at other kayaks I always look at Ocean Kayaks because they kind of look nice to me. But there is one thing I don't like - the seats. They looks sort of cheap and don't look comfortable. Iv'e never paddled an Ocean Kayak though so I don't really know. I only know the shape of the Ocean Kayaks look nice but the seats look cheap. So if any of you have an Ocean Kayak sit on top - how is the seat? How comfortable is it? Thanks!

I will say the plastic worm/soft stick bait. Because you can fish it so many ways, Texas rigged, split-shot, weedless, big sizes, medium sizes and small sizes, wacky rigged, etc... I guess if I had to pick a specific stycle it would be the senko/soft stick bait.

Oh Ned Rig, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. lol. The Ned Rig has sort of replaced my Robo worms as my last resort thing to throw. If my regular stick baits and worms don't get any bites I would try a Robo worm. I figured if a bass does not bite a Robo worm then they are not biting. Now I tie on a little Ned Rig instead of the Robo worm. The Ned Rig when used with a one of those Z-Man lures cut in half almost looks alive in the water. After making a few casts it becomes sort of slimy and looks alive, sort of like tubes do. I think the Ned Rig and tubes might share some characteristics. The Ned Rig is the tubes little brother.

Man, what is this, like the third death now in Indiana from drowning on water? I will admit I used to take my life jacket off sometimes when I'm kayaking but since I started paying attention to all these deaths here in Indiana I started wearing my all the time I'm on my kayak, particularly when launching and landing/getting off it. It's hard to believe someone who is being pulled behind a boat would not have a life jacket on. I can sort of see people not wanting to wear them in a big boat or stable little boat or even my stable sit-on-top. But being pulled behind a boat on a tube? You have to wear one. I wonder how many of these Indiana deaths had alcohol in their blood.

Crankbaits.

So what do you do when the water is very clear, like a mid west strip pit and you get lots of small bass on your plastic worms (five to seven inch) but no large bass? Do you go up and throw larger soft plastics (ten inch worms) or do you stay small since the water is super clear? That's the situation I'm in now, fishing in very clear strip pits. I can't catch large bass unless I'm lucky. Next thing I'm going to try are live worms.

3 pounds is a dink? lol. Here in Indiana I would consider a 2 pound + a big bass!

Yeah, I think I was watching a Jimmy Houston show a few weeks ago and he was holding a bass by the lip with one hand and trying to hold it more horizontal than vertical and he kept talking and talking and talking and I was thinking "man, how long are you going to hold that bass like that and keep on yapping?"

What about time of day? Would fishing at early morning/sunrise increase the odds of catching bigger bass?

I was one a Japanese fishing site last week and saw Shimano spinning reels that I think allowed the user to switch between gear settings with I think a push of a button. I'm not sure I was reading that right though but I think I was. It looked cool.

I've been thinking about subscribing to Midwest Outdoors but every issue I buy I always come way with the same thought - this magazine/newspaper is all about Minnesota and Wisconsin.

When my Bassmaster mangazine subscription ends (some time this summer) I'm not renewing. I was going to sign up again to In-Fisherman but thinking about it, I might not sigh up for any. I'm tired of the pushing of the big boats, two thousand dollar sonars, etc.. in all the fishing magazines. Internet videos have definitely surpassed monthly magazines.

Oh man, that is so wrong! When you write numbers on the crankbait the bass are going to read those numbers and know not to bite it! Don't ask me why they ignore the big treble hooks and everything else, but they will read those numbers. Don't write on your crankbaits!

Good post. I've tried fluorocarbon of and on the last three years and I come to the same conclusion - this stuff is trash compared to mono. I don't know what the fishing pros are smoking (I guess lots of money from their sponsors) but all the fluorocarbon line and fluorocarbon coated line have felt lame compared to strong and dependable mono. I do have one reel with braid on it with a fluoro leader Iv'e been using for Texas rigs and it is sensitive but I get the feeling it's sensitive more from the braid than the fluoro leader.

I'm a big fan of the Palomar Knot. I use it almost 100% of the time. I'm also a fan of the quick tying Improved Clinch knot although I don't use it much. I've noticed recently that I have problems tying the Palomar knot from my kayak. It can be a pain to tie to crank baits and spinner baits. I've also noticed it seem to take some time even when tying simple Texas rigged hooks. So, I've been looking for a new knot that was quick to tie like the Improved Clinch knot but went around the hook eye twice like the Palomar knot. So I found the Trilene knot. So far I really like it. I've only been using it for a few days now and have caught a few small bass, nothing big. But I haven't had any problems using it while Texas rigging. This evening I did an amateur test with six pound Sufix Elite mono. I tied the Trilene knot to a 3/0 wide gap hook and hooked that to a digital fish scale. Then I put on some gloves and started pulling till the line/knot broke. I did this four or five times and I'm impressed. I would make the standard two wraps around the eye but changed up the wraps around the line, I did it 3 wraps, 4 and 5 wraps and all of them performed well. When I pulled the line the scale kept getting around 7.1+ pounds before the knot broke. Even when I only did three wraps around the line it performed well. So how many of you like this knot and when you tie it, how many wraps around the line do you make? I was playing with my baitcaster this evening casting crank bait and it has 14 pound mono on it. I noticed when I made five wraps the line had to be pulled really hard to cinch it down nice but 4 wraps the line would cinch down easier. I've also noticed I'm quicker to tie it than the Palomar knot and that is what I'm looking for, a quick knot I can use to quickly change hooks and lures from my kayak.

That Old Town Next might be good $500.00 hybrid but $1,000.00, no way.

I wish the hook makers would stamp them with size numbers. What I do is label a plano box or flambeau box with stickers and write 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0, etc... I also keep one hook in their original pack in my big tackle box I don't carry around. That way when my hooks get mixed up I can get the original pack and compare all the mixed up with the original ones in the pack and see what size the hooks are.

I'm not sure what to make of this. It's cool Old Town is coming out with a hybrid. But for $1,000.00 I would expect something more. It does seem to be low in weight which you can't say about most sit-on-tops. http://www.austinkayak.com/products/16133/Old-Town-NEXT-Canoe.html

I'm a fan of Powerbait too. I have a tube of Megastrike I bought last year and I have been carrying it with me in my kayak and while bank fishing but to be honest, Iv'e not used it much. A few times I did use it I was hoping to catch a lot of bass and bigger ones and on those few days I only caught one or two small ones. Did the Megastrike work? I don't it. It seems to me more and more if the bass are going to bite they are going to bite and if not then not and no scent or attractant is going to make them bite. But, I will say sometimes I think Powerbait does help. Along with Yum-Dingers I always try to bring some Powerbait worms.

It's not a soft jerkbait but my favorite Berkley soft plastic is their seven inch power worms. I try other worms with ribbon tails and nothing matches those Berkley powerbait worms. It's part of my top three lures - Yum-Dingers, lizard, and Berkley Powerbait Power seven inch worms.

I would suspend Brady for one season, terminate any contracts he has with the Patriots, and not allow him to come back to the Patriots if he chooses to return to the NFL. I would take the two equipment people who deflated the balls and give them a one year suspension. But when you think about it, would you want known equipment people cheaters working in the NFL? So perhaps they should be given a permanent suspension in the NFL. And if they receive a permanent suspension in the NFL should not Brady receive one too? So I guess in the end, Brady and all involved should be permanently suspended.