hoosierbass07

I'm not sure. I'll try it again and see how it holds up.

I'm going to try Seaguar InvizX in 8lb. From reading those two sites and from what I've been reading from other sites - my best knot will probably be the improved clinch knot. I did some knot tests last night (very rough and un-scientific) using my new InvizX 8 pound line and trying to lift my ten pound tackle back with a hook and the fluoro line. Using a palomor knot, the knot seemed to break at the knot or right on top of the knot. Tried a uni knot (not sure I tied it correctly) but that knot slipped. Then I tried the simple improved clinch knot and that knot held.

I've had my eyes on this premium spinning reel. Finally got one! I can 't wait to try it out. Got the 3000. I was after the 2500 but after holding both and feeling how light both were I went with the 3000. I'm going to put on Invizx fluorocarbon and see how how like it.

I would start with - how you going to transport it. Sit in kayaks are usually a lot lighter which means easier to load and transport. If you have the right transportation for a heavier kayak I would check out a sit on top. Still, get what you want. Wilderness Systems makes some nice sit in side kayaks.

I'll admit I didn't wet my line much when using P-Line Floroclear. Also, I probably didn't pay much attention if my palomar knot was tied correctly. On the bass I lost when the knot broke, the knot never broke while fighting the bass, only when I pulled the bass out of the water and I grabbed the line a few inches above the hook or maybe a foot or two above the hook. If the bass jerked any the knot broke.

I'll admit I hate to bash P-Line Floroclear although I do bash it. I did catch a lot of nice sized bass on it. I never lost a fish because the line broke, only knot breaks when I was trying to land the bass. And, when I got snagged it took a lot of effort to break that line. So for line strength, I think it's tough. But those knot breaks ruined it for me. That's why I'm very skeptical of fluorocarbon line. My two biggest bass I caught this spring have bee on mono and I'm glad I had mono on because I had to grab the line by the hand to pull the bass up and out of the water. Really, I miss fishing P-line Floroclear but I don't want any knot breaks.

Is fluorocarbon line really an improvement and does it make fishing better? From what I've read, the water refractive index is 1.33, fluorocarbon is 1.42, and nylon mono from 1.53 to 1.62. Is that really such a great improvement? Many say they like fluorocarbon because it is stiffer and transmit the bite better. OK, I'll give you that. But if you read fishing boards for a few months your are bound to see posts such as "I've had it with fluorocarbon" or " My knots keep breaking." I don't see too many people bashing mono. I've had experience with P-Line Floroclear and I don't care to go back to that stuff again. Too many knot breaks. Since I've been using mono - no knot breaks even when I grab the line near the hook (something I try not to do). When I get my new spinning reel I'm thinking of putting eight pound pure fluorocarbon on it and trying it out. But any knot breaks and it's coming off and Sufix mono is going on.

No need to worry about other boats. The place I want to night fish on is a strip pit lake/pond that is trolling motor only and I've never seen a boat on it at night before. Still, it would probably be a good idea to find some kind pole or rod to hold up a light so I could see and keep the bugs away from my face.

So all of you love FL. Now my question - how did fisherman catch big bass in super clear lakes before bass fisherman started using FL?

I have a cheaper regular life jacket that I'm going to try on the weekend. Then I'll see if it's the life jacket or not. I'm willing to bet it is.

Do the lights (say on your head or on a pole in a kayak or boat) affect the bass, as in scaring them away?

Now that I've got my milk crate rod holder made and used and found it works good, I want to try night fishing from my kayak. Do any of out there ever go night fishing in your kayak or hybrid? What are some of the things I should know before I attempt fishing at night? Also, do you only go out when the moon is out? I've looked at the calendar and the moon will not be out at night (11pm+) till mid August. I'm wondering if I should try my first night kayak trip next weekend or wait till mid August for the moon to be out. But I don't want to wait till mid August, too long. I figure I will only use spinning reels. I have one head lamp and I'm thinking of getting another for back up. Any advice?

Nice but I'm not too impressed. A bug hunk of plastic! Make that kayak with the same strength, weight around 76 pounds, and under $1,100 and then I'll be impressed. Those big kayaks look more like fancy one person boats than simple kayaks. Definitely not the kind you throw in the back of your truck at a moments notice and do some quick kayak fishing for an hour or so. Still for what it is, it looks nice and I would probably enjoy having one if I lived on a lake.

Sunday evening I went kayak fishing for a few hours for the first time in a few weeks. It was very calm out and very nice and comfortable. No bass bites though. Anyway, since I started kayak fishing in the spring I have dealt with a sore right shoulder. I've been trying to figure out why. At first I thought it was my heavy Ride 115 that weighs 78 pounds. I'm not a kid anymore but I don't consider myself old either so I found it perplexing why unloading and loading this kayak in the back of the bed of a truck was making my right shoulder sore. I also do all my casting with my right shoulder. So I figured it was the weight of the kayak, my casting over and over, and paddling, that has made my right shoulder very sore. I should say that my left shoulder hardly gets sore at all. Anyway, I went out Sunday evening and started casting and noticed pain in my right shoulder again. I thought - what's the deal? I've only paddled for a minute or two and only made a few casts. Then I starting thinking carefully and studied my motion when I cast. Then I zeroed in on something - my Stohlquist Fisherman High Back Life jacket. I noticed my right arm can not make a normal cast forward because of the right front pocket that sticks out. That pocket seems to be blocking the full motion of my right arm/shoulder. So, I took the vest off and laid it on my legs and went on fishing. The pain lessened and when I got home I had no pain at all. Ever since I started kayaking fishing I've had this Stohlquist life jacket. It's the one thing that I have always had on. Now I'm thinking it is the cause of the pain/discomfort in the my right shoulder. So the next time I go out I'm not going to wear this jacket. I'll take it with me but I'm not putting it on. I will fish and cast hard and see how my right shoulder feels. But I'm willing to bet I will feel fine. I had some anger with my kayak being so heavy. Now I think it was not the kayak at all but that life jacket!

I tried my milk crate rod holder out this evening in my kayak. It worked very well!! Now I would like to do some night time fishing in my kayak.

I've had my eyes on the Boo Spin rig since I started seeing them at Walmart in spring time. I've not bought one yet but will this weekend. I was wondering if anybody out there has tried this lure. It looks pretty cool to me. I've not noticed much talk about this lure here. So what's the general opinion on this lure? Is it easy to use? Does it catch bass?

I have a Ride 115. I love it once it's on the water. Super stable. I've never felt like I would tip over while sitting and fishing. I don't stand up much because if I fished standing up I would want to sit down to unhook the fish and it's not that easy to sit back down. I think standing in the Ride 115 is a little over rated. Only big negative about the Ride 115 is the weight. Be prepared to move a heavy load of plastic.

What kind of video is that? He used a sit-inside! Lets see him use a Ride 115 that weighs 78 pounds. lol.

I took the spool off and watched a couple of videos on oiling up spinning reels. I wiped it down a little and put some new oil on. I've not fished with it yet since I put the oil on but from cranking the handle it seems to be working fine.

I took my nephew out canoe fishing for the first time last week. I was mostly focused on him not dumping us over than actually fishing. Anyway, I let use one of my Shimano Sahara spinning rods on an Ugly Stick. He caught a couple of bass. But, one time when he had to fix a the line at the top of the rod, he put the reel in the water so he could reach up and grab the rod tip and get the line untangled. I told him to pull the reel out of the water! Reels don't belong in the water! OK, that was last week, the last time that reel had been used. I went fishing last night for a little bit and used that reel a few times an I could tail it was wanting to freeze up sometimes. It worked but when the handle got to a certain position it seemed like it wanted to get stuck and took more effort to move it. I figured it was because of the water dunking. I took it home and oiled it up and from what I can tell it seems OK. My questions - how much harm can a dunking in water do on a spinning reel? Will a good oiling solve most basic reel problems or will I have to take the reel apart and and give it a good cleaning? Thanks!

When all of you talk about watching your line on the drop, are your bails closed or open on your spinning reels and are you in free spool on your baitcasters or are they already engaged while the lure is dropping?

Sort of sad but probably very true.

This is my second year of fishing and fishing for bass. I quickly learned the number one lure out there is the plastic worm/lizard. I can buy a bag of Yum-Dingers for $3.00 that come with eight (I think) Dingers. That's .38 cents a piece plus cost of hooks and bullet weights. Texas rig it and cast it anywhere you want and you have a great chance of getting it back. I did catch my personal best this spring on a soft plastic lizard. I caught another personal best (did not weigh it though) on a crankbait and I have video of that on youtube. The funny thing - that was my first and only fish I've caught with a crankbait! The only reason I was using it was because I didn't think I would catch anything that day and I was more interested in trying out my new kayak. But since then - no more bass on crankbaits. Worms and soft swim baits - yes.

I think one if the lakes I fish at has shad because the state puts in those hybrid striped bass to control the shad. But when it comes to shad - I have no idea what a shad looks like.

I went night fishing from the bank again a few nights ago - took my nephew. Fished around 9:30pm to 11:30pm. He caught the only one. Not a big one but larger than the ones we catch there during the day. I had some bites but no hook ups. He had more bites too. So from fishing in the late evening twice now I'm starting to believe it's definitely worth fishing at night. Now I'm thinking of doing some night time kayak fishing. We both had led headlamps. Can bass see those lights and can they spook them? We turned them off for most if the casts we made but had them on a lot between casts.