hoosierbass07

I just got back from kayak fishing for a few hours this evening. This is my third year of bass fishing: first year I was bank fishing and last two years kayak fishing and bank fishing. When I got into fishing I started with soft plastics Texas rigged and quickly learned how effective they are. My second year and this year so far I'm still trying to figure out why people love hard baits so much. Is it because they are in more productive waters than the strip pits I fish at here in Indiana and they can be used and are effective or is it they are simply following what they are spoon fed on TV with all the pros pushing crank baits like they are the greatest thing since bread? All I know is the history I've had - I caught my largest bass on a crank bait but I consider that a lucky cast. My next two large ones have been on a split shot lizard bank fishing and this year a Texas rigged Yum-dinger throwing it out in the water in windy conditions and reeling in a big pig of a bass. I consider that a lucky cast too. I also know this - I've caught tons and tones of small bass on Texas rigged worms. Crank baits, spinner baits, big flipping jigs, top water, they all almost count for zero bass except my personal best. Perhaps this is the most important - the Texas rig is way more fun for me to use from a kayak than any other lure. I have to deal with fighting the wind 2/3 of the time, plus paddle around to the spots I want to fish. I need a lure that is effective, casts easy, and comes through cover easy, and that is the Texas rig. I see all these videos of people using crank baits, jerk baits, etc... They just don't work for me. And frankly, I find crank baits and spinner baits boring. I would rather work a Texas rigged worm or Yum-dinger than anything else. Also, every time get back from kayak fishing I feel like taking all my crank baits and everything else with treble hooks and blasting them with a shot gun for being so ineffective and troublesome. So yeah, I'm a soft plastic fan and Texas rig fan 99% to 100% of the time.

A couple of times this spring (or should I say later winter/very early spring) I tried using tubes for the first time. I've owned tubes the last three years but never used them because I was not sure how to rig them right to be weedless. I watched a Mike Iaconelli DVD where he shows how to rig them weedless (bell sinker in tube with round bend hook running through bell sinker eye and texas rig it). So I tried that with some Bass Pro Shops tubes I have while bank fishing in very shallow water. I've only caught some small bass so far but I have to say I'm becoming a big fan of tubes. I've noticed the Bass Pro Shops tube I'm using gets really slimy while dragging it over grass and weeds. Also, I've noticed how it spirals down in the water and I think that is very cool. So if you use tubes, what are your favorite ones and how do you like using them? What kind of line do you throw them on? And what color and size do you get the most action with?

I've been getting slightly sore shoulder muscles after I go fishing. It's usually from kayak fishing for a few hours of paddling and making so many casts. I'm wondering if any of you take any pills or something to lower the discomfort? I recently discovered Aleve pills. When my shoulder is really sore I take one pill and in about 30 minutes or 1 hour later the discomfort goes away. So what do you all do when you get sore muscles?

Split shot Robo Worm.

Right now I have Trilene 14 pound XT on my one baitcaster and so far I really like it. I don't use my baitcaster much but since putting it on Iv'e only had a few small backlashes and one big one that was my fault, but even then the line did not kink up when I was trying to fix it. That Trilene XT is sort of becoming my favorite for baitcaster use.

Anybody watch this new series on Netflix? Wow, I'm impressed with the quality of each episode. This series is absolutely great! The Kingpin so far is cool. I've only seen five or six episodes but so far I'm highly impressed with the writing and the attention to the plot. Neflix and Disney/Marvel really put some money in this series and it shows. Neflix is on a roll - Bloodline was fun, Marco Polo was dumb but fun, and Daredevil is super fun. This series reminds me of the Daredevil comic I used to read when I was a kid. It was my favorite Marvel comic along with X-Men. I can't wait for the next three Netflix/Marvel shows to come out later. So far this TV season my favorite shows - Agent Carter on ABC and this Daredevil: A+ from me.

They had a super robot and a space ship that could land on a planet, get hit with a big water wave, take off again, and fly by a black hole, and yet they can't fix their own environment?

Wow -

I'm proud of myself. This is my third year of bass fishing and I'm always hesitant to stick my thumb in the mouth of the bass. I guess I have a fear that it will bite my finger off like a shark or something. lol. This time when I had it next to my kayak I told myself there is no way this thing is getting away from my hands, so I made a quick note on where the hook was and then lipped it good.

So what did everybody think of the first Challenge Cup Elimination Round 1 episode? I thought it was pretty good. I can't wait for the next Elimination Round 2 episode. Aarons Martens sure is funny to watch and listen to on MLF. I would love to see him and Mike Iaconelli fish from the same boat. lol.

Oh my, am I pumped up! This afternoon I did something I probably should not have done. I went kayak fishing in very windy weather. The thing is, it got very warm today - around 78. So I went to a strip pit pond and started paddling and it felt like I was padding up a mountain because of the wind. lol. I eventually made my way around a bend to a small cove out the wind. Along the way I tried to cast a crankbait, plastic crawdad lure, and the Ned Rig. I got no bites on any of them. I spent an hour in this cove just casting around with those lures and no bites. I decided on my way back to the dock I'll cast all along the bank as the wind pushes me. And, I decided to use my main confidence lure - a five inch Yum-Dinger Texas Rigged on six pound Sufix Elite mono using a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook. Yeah, some may say six pound line is too small for a 3/0 gamakatsu hook. I say no - I get great results with the 3/0 and six and eight pound Sufix Elite mono. Plus, this six pound mono is a year old! So I'm beating the bank and come to a spot where it feels like something grabbed a hold of my Yum-Dinger. I cast a few more times and catch a small bass. My first bass of the year from my kayak. Then I head on down the bank getting close to the dock and the wind picks up big time. In fact, it feels like I'm in brunt of the wind. It's so windy I can't even cast much. I decided to make one more cast before I headed to the dock to pack up. I cast out the Yum-Dinger, close the bail, and start paddling some to keep from being blown onto the bank. Then I realize I got something on. Then I see it - a big one! It's even taking drag from the little Lexa spinning reel I'm using. I keep thinking - man, I hope this six pound line holds up! I have never taken super large bass on six pound line. After a minute or so I reel it in to my kayak and lip that thing and pull it up. I didn't get any pictures or weight it but I"m thinking a good 3 and a half to 4 pounds, maybe more. And that six pound Sufix Elite held up fine. Here is the funny thing - I probably would not have used that Yum-Dinger if I had not seen a new video by Al Linder talking about how soft stick baits work all year long depending on their size. I've been reading how in early spring you should use jigs and crankbaits and jerkbaits, but not soft plastic stick baits. So I've not thrown them at all this spring. But sure enough, the old Texas Rig Yum-Dinger comes through! https://youtu.be/xPTcembsEp4

I agree. I like getting the magazine in the mail but feel it's geared more towards bass boats more than anything. I'm more a pond/strip pit/small lake kayak/bank fisherman. Still, I may renew but not sure.

Last night I watched the film Interstellar. I remember seeing trailers for this early in 2014. They played this movie up like it was going to be some kind of major epic save the earth/go to space movie with an important message. After watching this film here is what I think - boring! The actors were all wrong, the script was boring, the cinematography was boring, the action was lame and not very intense. I get the feeling they tried to make a modern 2001 A Space Odyssey or something along those lines. McConaughey is a good actor but not in this film. Anne Hathaway was irritating and not likable. OK, it was not horrible. But it sure is not great and not above average. There are a lot of good movies that I would be willing to see again but not this film. from 0 to 5 stars = 2.60.

Maybe the scammers would have better luck if they offered one of those BassMaster bags I receive when I first signed up. BassMaster is sending me renewal letters in the mail and offering free gifts but none is that one bag I want. lol.

I usually say "oohhhhh Maaaaannn! It didn't hold on."

I tried this lure out this evening while bank fishing. I cast it out on fourteen pound line and reeled it back in. I did't catch anything but I did get a big thump when I think a bass went after it. But this thing looks sweet while moving in the water. I noticed the body had a nice small wiggle that looked really good. Does Strike King sale different color bodies to use with the jig head? I don't know yet but I get the feeling this lure will catch the big bass. Anybody else have this lure? Any opinions on it? Also, it cast pretty easy and far on a baitcaster.

I bought a pack of their lures over the winter and I plan on trying them out this spring and summer. But here is how I see it - if UV stuff really worked we would see all the pros use them and all the Walmarts would be stocked full of them. So I see UV baits the same way I see the crankbait I have that makes sounds - something to play with that might catch bass but probably is more a gimmick than anything.

My first bass just came about an hour ago!!!! I'm pumped! I went kayak fishing for two hours at a small pond and got no bites. I used a Texas Rigged Yum-Dinger, the Ned Rig, and slider worm on a slider jig head. No bites at all. I packed up and decided to drive down to another bigger pond to bank fish for ten minutes before I headed home. I pulled out the rod with the Ned Rig and made a couple of casts and had a small bite. I cast again in the area and reeled in a nice sized bass (under two pounds but sill nice sized for the area). It might have been a pound and a half. It didn't thrash around but it sure bent my rod some. It had some power. Once I got it on shore I noticed the Gopher jig head hook came out real easy.

I just got bank fishing at a nice city park pond that the state stocks trout in and bass. They usually stock the trout in early March. So in early March I discovered kastmaster spoons and how effective they are for trout. The only problem is that when I cast them out I immediately real them back in so the treble hooks don't stag anything. So I can't really stop and go and let it sink for a bit. I'm always working it. Today I tried something different. I had a Ned Rig on my six pound line rod. I had this on for bass fishing (I've not caught my first bass yet this year) but I decided I would leave the Ned Rig on and see if any bass would bite it. I have never used the Ned Rig before. To my surprise the second cast I caught a trout. Then more bites. Then another trout that jumped off the hook at my feet. Then another trout that I landed. For about one hour and thirty minutes of bank fishing I landed three trout with more bites. I let them all go though, I'm only into catch and release. The cool thing is that all the trout were hooked in the upper lip. What I did was cast one out and let it sink. Wait a few seconds. Then make two turns of the reel handle and stop. Then repeat. Over and over. The soft plastic I was using was a Z-Man ZinkerZ in Dirt color. I cut it in half and put it on a Gopher jig head with an exposed hook. The hook was red colored. I'm not sure if that helped the trout see and go after it or not. Anyway, it was fun using this lure and I can't wait to catch some bass on it. I'll have to wait and see how it does with bass but I get the feeling this could go right up there with Texas Rigged Senkos/soft stick baits as a great way to catch bass. Also, I noticed it was pretty easy for the trout to hook themselves on that exposed hook. I wonder if I should start running exposed hooks on my soft plastics for bass. Something I'll have to try and experiment with.

Go Cubs! I used to be a big time Cubs fan but have lowered my passion for them since they lose so much. Not only that, with the new owners, the local FM radio station that used to carry all the Cubs games here in west central Indiana did not renew the Cubs broadcast rights. So that means no more Cubs on FM here. Plus, the powerhouse WGN AM station in Chicago lost their rights to carry the Cubs. Plus, the WGN Super Station on cable TV has lost their rights to carry the Cubs (only local WGN in Chicago has some of the games). If the new owners of the Cubs are telling me and other fans in the midwest to go jump off a bridge then he's doing a good job at it. It's getting almost impossible to follow the Cubs. I do get the MLB channel on cable but I noticed some of the Cubs spring training games have been blacked out. I don't get that since I don't get any other channel that airs the Cubs games.

I'm a bank fisherman and kayak fisherman. Come to think of it, maybe I should have tried to have found a place to kayak to and fish from bank. I'll keep that in mind next time it's windy out.

Here is a video with Gary Yamamoto talking about his new line of crankbaits. He's fishing with some guy (Tom Moonsor) that has a nice green and blue jersey on. I love that color and the look of that jersey. Is that jersey available to buy with the decals on or without the decals? I would take either one. https://youtu.be/IlP0xbflOdY As a side note - this video is one of the most honest videos I have ever seen. Yamamoto admits he didn't have a need for crankbaits because he could do almost anything with his soft plastics. But he's putting his name on those crankbaits anyway. Very honest. Thanks!

Jerbaits from a kayak are not very fun. I find jerkbaits very user unfriendly. I got one stuck to the tip of my kayak and I had to craw to the front area to get it undone. Luckily I installed new scupper plugs that same day so I did not get wet or take on water. I think my three jerkbaits are staying home next time.

Yeah, I've been looking to make an anchor trolley but I've not picked a plan yet. I don't really want to drill any holes. I think my Ride 115 has enough attachments to make it work if I use the front carry handle and one of the bungee attachments in the back.

Three times the depth? That means I would probably have to have 90 feet of line.