hoosierbass07

Along with feeling a bite on the bottom, how in the world do you tell what is on the bottom while dragging a lure? I see it mentioned in videos and on TV how bass fishermen can tell wants under the water - rocks, sand, grass, limbs, etc... just by dragging a lure. They make it sound like they have X-ray vision. lol. I'm always skeptical when they go on and on how can find out want is on the bottom by simply dragging a lure. If it's possible I would like to know how its done.

I recently noticed my local Walmart has a very small section, maybe containing six or seven different items, of kayak fishing accessories. There's not much but the packages do state it's for kayaks - kayak strap handle, some kind of paddle leash, and other stuff. The local Gander Mountain has a new section dedicated to kayak fishing too. More than Walmart. If a small town Walmart starts to carry a few items for kayak fishing and now Gander Mountain has a little section dedicated to kayak fishing, that tells me kayak fishing is becoming more and more popular!

I have a regular Triumph spinning rod I bought over the winter and I've been using it a lot this year and I've been very happy with it. I do want other St Croix rods but i can see myself buying another Triumph or two in the future. They seem like good rods to me.

When I go fishing I see little fish in the water, bass in the water sometimes, turtles and beavers and maybe frogs. But I never see crawdads. Where are they at? Do they stay hidden from sight?

He sort of looks like a modern day computer nerd with those glasses. lol. Yep, Bill is awesome.

My sister lives on a lake in Florida and she and her husband will find lures on their boat dock that get stuck from time to time. She collects them. She understands they don't own the water and the fisherman basically has the right to fish under the boat dock. Her husband on the other hand does not like it but I don't think he goes out and argues with them. Interesting thing, whenever I visit I don't see many home owners actually sitting on their docks.

And you got that yak in Dusk color too! I love that color. But, I noticed you car topped that thing. Anybody that can get a Ride on top their car must have the strength of the Incrdible Hulk. lol.

When you buy a used Jon Boat and trailer, is it best to get a tittle for both?

I think the most important trait is finding the right location to fish. How many ways can you work a crankbait or plastic worm? Maybe a lot but still not that many. The pros though can read the conditions and read the water and environment. I think that is what makes KVD and others so good in tournaments - they know how to find the fish.

If you are beginning fishing and from the bank, I would at first stay away from lures with treble hooks and even spinnerbaits. I would only cast Texas rigged soft plastics, split shot soft plastics, and weightless Texas rigged soft plastics. Great thing about the Texas rig is that it's weedless and you have a good chance of not getting it snagged, unlike crank baits. And, soft plastics are mostly cheap and affordable.

Very nice!

Yeah, I might be stretching it by wanting to take two others with me. A two person Jon Boat would suffice too.

I'm not looking to spend over $2,200. I looked online and found a bout dealership that sales 12 foot Alumacraft Jon Boats for around $800 and another $800 for some kind of bear trailer. Why are rivets bad? Do they go bad/leak over time? I'm not sure what kind of Jon Boats are at the Izaak Walton League but next time I go over there I'll take a closer look.

I hate to say it but after getting a fishing kayak and loving it I know want a Jon Boat to tackle larger waters and take more people. I figured I would never want one but it's been so much fun being out on the water I've been thinking the next step up is a Jon Boat. I don't know anything about those boats though. Are there good brands and bad brands? How much is a new Jon Boat? I see so many of them being pulled around that I wonder if it would be best to buy a used one. Also, are Jon Boats very durable? I belong to a local chapter of the Izaak Walton League and the club has four ponds/lakes. At the club/chapter, people leave their Jon Boats out by the shore chained up, out in the open to the weather. There are lots of Jon Boats there just sitting, chained up exposed to the weather. That has me thinking - do they last a long time when you store them like that? I have been looking at Alumacraft boats online and I see some for around $700. Is that brand any good? If I buy one I want one that can hold three adult men, fishing gear, a nice sized trolling motor and nice sized marine battery. Thanks!

I went night fishing from my kayak for the first time last night. A definent learning experience. All I had were two energizer head lamps. I was on the water as the sun was going down. I had on a frog (never caught a bass on a frog before) and tossed it near a bank and twitched it back and I saw a splash behind it. But no hook ups. It got dark quick after that and I switched back and fourth from that frog to a plastic worm. I had some bites but didn't get any hook ups. The cool thing, I paddled to an area and all if a sudden to my left I heard a big splash. A minute or so later I heard another splash to my right. Then another splash. And another. I could tell bass were coming to the top. But I could not get them to take my frog or worm. I then tried a jitter but but no takers. After it got real dark I had a major problem. They headlamp I was using was not helpful at all. It's three regular light settings simply flooded my face with light and would not project outword much. The only thing I could use was the red light setting and thankfully that provided just enough light for me to get back to the ramp. Also, I heard more animal noise while on the water and for a few minutes while fishing I though I heard some animal get closer and closer. Probably on the shore but I paddled away from there quick. Last thing I want to do is hook a beaver or something. Also, night time alone on the water is a little spooky. Wished I had a gun with me. Also, those headlamps attract bugs like crazy. So lesson learned - carry more lights (flashlights) and try to find some kind of light source I can mount above and behind me to illuminate me while keeping the bugs away.

I would focus on Texas rigged soft plastics because they are mostly weedless. When fishing from the bank you might get crankbaits hung up and can't get them back. Texas rigged plastic worms is my favorite way to fish from the bank. Also, if you want to get out on the water, have you checked out low cost sit inside kayaks?

Great interview!

On second thought, maybe my tests are not right. When I lift my bag with the line I then bounce it softly to see if the line and knot can hold up. I was just thinking, bouncing is going to increase the pull or weight on the line. I'm done with testing at home. The true test will be on the water.

How's the memory of the 8 and 10 pound mono ultra green? If I try this line it would be in the 8 and 10 pound range on a 2500 size shimano spinning reel. I currently have 10 pound Stren on my Symetre 2500 and it handles it well.

I've seen Maxima mentioned from time to time when it comes to fishing line. How come I don't see more talk about there lines? I was reading about their Ultra Green mono and read a few posts about it being very good in clear water. Anybody have any experience with Ultra Green mono? I think last year I asked on a board about the strongest six pound and four pound line and someone mentioned Maxima. Does Maxima have a good reputation for making strong line?

What is the proper way to test fishing line and knots? I took some of that 8lb Invixz line and tied one end to a hook using different knots and cut off about 2 to 3 feet of line. Then I hooked my tackle bag and grabbed the other end with my hand (using a glove). I weighed my bag fist and it was 10 pounds. The line broke every time before it lifted it off the floor. Then I took out some stuff and got my bag around 8 pounds and line still broke. Then I took out more stuff and got it around 5 and 3/4 pounds. I could then lift the bag but when I slowly bounced it up and down the line would break. Now what's the deal? Shouldn't this eight pound line be able to hold a six pound bag and not break? Was my line too short? Do I need more than 2 and 1/2 feet when I test line?

So what line do you use know?

$300? Yikes! Add another $300 to that and you have $600 and you could get almost get another Ride 115. lol .

I used 100% fluorocarbon yesterday evening from the bank. No bass caught, bad weather this weekend. 8lb on my spinning reel. I could tell right away FL is more stiff and you can feel every little tap. I felt light taps I never felt with mono. Also sinks very fast. I hope to give it a proper try next weekend from my kayak. I shall see how this 8lb line holds up compared to mono. I do have faith in mono, 6, 8, 10 and 12lb mono.

Is the San Diego Jam knot good for light fluoro like 8lb test?