FryDog62

Best river fishing lure for me the last 10 years is the 5 inch Caffeine Shad on a weightless Owner Twistlock LIGHT 4/0 hook. Swims more horizontally, changes direction on its own, a couple twitches and it works like magic in 1-4 fow.

Yes, it's a Right-on Ruff Trailer - pics attached. Open to any/all suggestions - TIA https://rightontrailer.com/ruff-sport-trailers/

It probably is, although I’m living in temporary housing for a year, and most of my tools are in storage. And I’ve never made anything like that. If you want to volunteer, let me know 👍 Was thinking there was a solution like this out there with the rise in kayaking and all the various gear popping up..

The supports in the picture are for a truck bed - I'm looking for suggestions of something similar that could be affixed to the side of a kayak trailer. It will be used to attach an 18 inch wide Yakima Topwater rod box on one side of the trailer for easy access. Ideas/links?

Very cool, curious what time of year it was?

3 to 5 business days after Black Friday across America…

Good to know, are they catching redfish in the shallow/backwaters??

I was recently in Hilton Head - anyone had good luck fishing in that area? Looks like all shallow/backwater saltwater and very little to no freshwater. I would bring my autopilot kayak next time if worth exploring.

I looked at those “Rod Pods” and they sure look nice… but $500 to store only 4-5 rod/reel combinations is a bit steep!

Wondering if you have added a hull travel cover and/or rod tubes while towing? Your situation is different than mine in that you have a truck bed. I’m thinking of at least leaving the seat in, Blackpak box, cooler, 2 GPS units for shorter trips if under a cover. The rod tubes affixed to the trailer as opposed to inside my Jeep. Just little things to make it more efficient…

I spent the last 2 years wheeling my yak on a kayak cart 1/4 mile to a dock to launch. The good news was I could pretty much have everything attached (tackle, gps units, etc.). The bad news was hoisting it in and back out of the water. Autopilots are a beast! This year I got a trailer and I wet launch and retrieve at the ramp. MUCH easier on the back. The downside is taking absolutely everything off the yak (gps, units, motor, cooler, rods, etc) to tow… then put it all back on at the water, only to take it all off again to tow back home. Bottom line is that there is quite a process whether you have a bass boat or a fishing kayak. I’m still trying to figure out the most efficient method!

I’m not a tournament veteran, but I’ve told others a good way to ease into the tournament scene (at least it was for me) is to enter a well-run charity tournament. It’s competitive, but it’s not. Everyone is usually pretty friendly and you raise money for a good cause. You may not win any money, but there can be some really good prizes. You also get the whole tournament prep process down as well as on the water experience with the clock running.

This… I just sold my Lund Pro-V Bass due to a cross country move (and another move a year from now. Would sit too long in storage not being used). But nothing has the storage of the PVB… I will miss that. When I buy again I will consider another Lund although I miss aspects of glass. Aluminum painted boats scratch so easily where my glass boats still looked great after several years. In addition to Phoenix and BassCat, I would look at Caymas… don’t know enough about them. I like Skeeter, but the hulls are so heavy compared to other manufacturers.

I like 3 rods that fit your description although an inch or two shorter: ALX Enox Decoy - 7'1" MH Fast, but rated to only 7/8 oz versus your typical MH rod rated to a full oz or more. Extremely versatile rod, great with Texas rigs, Senkos, 1/4-3/8 oz jigs. Phoenix Feather - Also 7'1" MH but Fast and rated to 3/4 oz. This rod is described frequently as somewhere between a true M and MH, closer to a Medium IMO. I use it as my Neko rod or Free-Rigs. Daiwa Ehrler rod - also an XF and classified as a "Medium-Medium Heavy." I use as my dedicated Caffeine Shad (fluke) rod and it's always on my deck.

Not so much being intimated by a large reservoir in a kayak... but also wondering any smaller waters that would be great for a yak, maybe harder for some of the larger boats to access. I'm trying to maximize use of the kayak for 1-2 years before I buy another bass boat..

MN, WI, SD, Ontario, ND, MO, IA, SC, FL, CA, AR, MO. Best so far: SD, then MN, then FL… but I just moved to FL and am only scratching the surface. The best is hopefully yet to come 👍

Bluebasser, have you ever kayak fished in SC… or are there certain bodies of water that seem like they would be better? Their reservoirs are huge, maybe there are some smaller lakes/rivers too. I do plan to get to Murray (9 hour drive from where I’m living now in FL).

For those of you that have fished South Carolina - I’m driving up there with my kayak this winter/Spring… what bodies of water (large or small) would be good to hit?

As a fellow yakker originally from Minn, there are so many lakes… but if you are close, consider Lake Koronis in the central part of the state. Been a lot of good bass caught there in recent tournaments (LMB and SMB). And although a fairly large lake, some islands and points to get out of the wind if you need to.

They work extremely well for smallmouth in northern waters when the temps drop below 45 degrees. A friend of mine caught 94 SMB’s on a sonar a week ago river fishing. Here was the primary lure - similar to the Heddon, but a more robust "vibrato" on the upswing 👍 https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=20&searchtext=deps+circuit+vibe&_gl=1*1digy02*_up*MQ..&gclid=CJDT3-2SjNECFZCMaQodOJECzA In action: Another, less expensive version than the Deps that works well too: https://www.omniafishing.com/p/damiki-vault-blade-bait

Here is one for the state of Minnesota… breaks down the water and fish surveyed fairly well: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html

Yes, a taller seat and 3 pull out drawers might be about right 👍

Rookie Winners Free Rig - Geecrack Bellows, Dolive Beaver, Berkley Jester Scat/Poop category - Deps 3.5, Fish Arrow 3.6 and Missile Baits Bomba Losers Shimano World Pop (I like the flash, but it doesn't pop/spit or walk very well) Yamatanuchi was just okay, I need to give it more time...

1) Wacky 2) Ned 3) Drop Shot (rarely to never) not as effective as the above in current IMO. Still, by far the most dominating lure for me for smallmouth - is a 5 inch Caffeine Shad on specifically a 4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT hook.

Both the Dragger and Perfect Pitch are "Heavy" rods. Dragger rated to 1.5 oz and PP to 1.2 oz.