MIbassyaker

Trick worm (Pumpkin or watermeon with some kind of flake) Senko (Green pumpkin) Torpedo (chrome) Spinnerbait (white/chart) Frog

"New" is relative, and it doesn't mean the same thing as "advanced" anyway. At the bait shop I go to most often, it still happens pretty frequently that while I'm in there, I'll see one of the clerks (or someone else) showing a package of senko-style baits to someone who's never used them, explaining how a basic wacky rig works. Nothing "advanced" about that particular advice, but it's still new to someone.

Angling kayaks are a lot more stable than they look, and you get used to the motion quickly. I can stand on mine (I have a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120), but it's a little awkward to fish that way, so I don't bother since I typically don't have any need to. I don't use spooks much, but I've never had problems with hooksets on jigs, t-rigs, whatever while sitting. And I've never flipped except on purpose. I can get places in a kayak I could never go on foot, and I can get to hidden, underfished backwaters through narrow/shallow channels that no bass boat can go. I can launch anywhere I can carry down or cart from my car. I can float smallmouth and trout streams too shallow for anything with a motor, and I can maneuver much better than in a canoe or jon boat or rowboat. And, of course, I can just go kayaking too if I want, without the fishing. What I can't do is carry every lure and rod I own, or cover a lot of water on a big lake. I tend to stay off really big water (I live 40 min. from Lake Michigan) because i'm not well-equipped for it, and I avoid busy recreational lakes because people on vacation and constant wakes are annoying (though not dangerous, really). If a kayak will open up a lot of water for you, it can be a great investment...the only really "tough" part is figuring out how you're going to pimp it out...

I doubt the stress response is greater from a snag than from normal hooking in the mouth. I'd guess the most likely sort of extra harm from a snag is that there is an increased chance of infection.

And, of course, you're only waiting 20-40 seconds every cast if the bass aren't suspending. If my goal is to get down TO 20 feet as fast as possible, I'm not going to use a weightless senko; but I've certainly found them efficient at times IN 20 feet of water.

I always have trouble with buzzbaits for some reason...I actually can't remember whether I've ever caught anything on one or not. Usually I just lose patience after several casts and switch to something else.

First outing of the season: today I stopped at a little river bayou on my way home from work to toss a few baits from shore for about 20min. Was not really expecting to catch anything, but ended up with this chunky 4lb-er as my first fish of the year. It took a little 4" pumpkinseed power worm on a finesse head.