neocrunch

I am really excited for you, Alan. Good luck!!! I would love to see a Hoosier bring home the trophy.

I just did a search on here for "Ike delay" and I've seen you post several positive comments about the 6'4 jerkbait rod. I see that the rod is rated for 1/4-5/8 lures. How does it handle jerkbaits at the top of that range? I'm looking for a new dedicated rod for lures like the Megabass Vision 110, Lucky Craft Pointer XD, Jackall Rerange, and Deps Buzzjet Jr (all of which come in around 5/8). I will be pairing it with a Daiwa Tatula. [I already have a dedicated spinning rod for smaller finesse jerkbaits.] I fish from a kayak and the short handle seems like it would help with jerking since I'm so low to the water. On the other hand, I might not be able to cast as far with such a short rod. Thoughts? [Edit] Also, are there other baits for which you have found the 6'4 a good fit?

Arrrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!! [shakes fist angrily] I just unloaded my kayak & gear from my SUV. Somehow I managed to break three guides on my iRod frog rod and busted out a ceramic insert in the tip of my "Lucky" rod. I don't have a clue how or where it occurred. I was pretty exhausted when I came off the water... maybe I dropped them or knocked them around when I was loading up. Or maybe I did it just now as I pulled the rods out of my car (although I don't think I did). What a bummer. Any advice on how to proceed? Best place in central Indiana to get 'em fixed?

I took my kayak to Westwood today. I got there at about 7:00 AM and stayed until about 2:30. I caught just over a dozen small bass (12-14 inches). I didn't have any luck on the whopper plopper but I did on the ned rig, black & blue spinner, and green & orange chatterbait. Check out Westwood Lake. It doesn't have a lot of BIG fish but it gets a lot less boat traffic than Geist and Morse, and less tournament pressure than Summit. Also, check out the Indiana Kayak Anglers.

I went back to the covered bridge at Matthews this morning to fish the Mississinewa River. It was muddy when I got there -- and got even more muddy once the rain started. I stayed for three hours (until the lightning & thunder started) and only got one bite. I tried a black & blue spinner, a neon green & white squarebill, and a ned rig. Oh well... a bad day of fishing still beats a good day at work.

Hello from Muncie!

Hello from Muncie, IN.

Took a little drive out to the covered bridge in Matthews this morning and hooked into a few more. There were snakes EVERYWHERE. I'm not kidding... I must have seen at least 20 snakes during the hour I was there.

I have T-rex arms so I have to hold the fish close or I can't get them and my big 'ol head in the picture.

I got into some bass on the White River right in the heart of Muncie (under the Washington St. bridge) this morning.

I just took a look at the results. Hot diggity! You came in 21st out of 71 anglers - That's a great start to the season! I plan on being at the next event -- on Morse Reservoir. Give me a shout if you're going to be there, too.

I decided to upgrade my finesse rig this year so that I can focus on more techniques (ned rig, drop shot, wacky rigs, carolina rigs, and hair jigs). Last week I caught a sale on a 7'2 13 Envy ML-finesse spinning rod ($150, down from $225) and a sale on a Daiwa Ballistic EX 3000 ($119, down from $200). They have arrived and I'm impressed with both, although I might have been better off getting the 2000 size reel (the 2500 was not on sale). The 3000 might be overkill(?), especially for the ned rig which I've had a lot of luck with over the last year ---- and I'm less fond of the T-handle than the smaller handle on the 2000. But overall, I love the rod & reel and I feel like I got a heck of a deal on them. So, here is my question. The line sizes for the 3000 reel are 8 lb and 10 lb. Given that Yo-zuri hybrid tends to have a larger diameter than other brands, could I get away with 6 lb on my 3000 size reel? Or should I just go with 8 lb as the reel suggests? I'm very open to suggestions regarding brand, type, diameter, color, etc. Thanks!

Are you going up for the Indiana Kayak Anglers' tournament on April 15? I've never fished Lake James -- and my wife is expected to give birth to our 2nd kid any day now so I probably won't make it to the tournament -- but if that's where you're headed, good luck!

+1 I've had better luck fishing at Summit but my kayaking experiences have been more enjoyable at Westwood. Sometimes it feels like you're getting walked all over at Summit. I'd love to meet up with some other kayak anglers in the area.

Greetings from the cold hard plains of central Indiana. My wife's parents live in Collierville so we bring the kids down there a few times a year + a special visit whenever my favorite band plays Memphis. I've been thinking about hauling my kayak down there the next time we visit. This thread has been very helpful locating spots to fish. I'm hoping y'all might be able to give me some info on the Wolf River, too. I came across this video and now I'm dying to paddle it. How is the fishing on the "ghost" section (or any other section for that matter)?

I believe that's a type of thistle. Nasty stuff. The farmers hate it, too. Yes! I spent several hours on the St. Joseph River in Fort Wayne and didn't have much luck. I caught a few white bass and a few bluegill... but no smallies... or pike... or anything else.

Westwood doesn't produce a lot of big fish but you should be able to find lots of foot-long bass. I've had my best luck fishing along the dam, particularly around the intake box (where the water goes to exit the lake). I'm not sure how to get there by foot but I've seen people fish from the dam so I know you can access it. I've had my best luck on the Ned rig, a white spinnerbait, and even a squarebill fished parallel to the bank.

I don't have much experience fishing rivers from a kayak but I'd like to go up and kayak fish the three rivers area in Fort Wayne soon. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the St. Mary's, St. Joseph, or Maumee rivers. Am I best off planning separate drop-off and pick-up points... or is the current slow enough that it's easy to paddle upstream? It looks like there's an easily accessible launch on the St. Loseph at Schoaff Park (and maybe take out at the ramp on California Rd. (right before the river passes under the pathway bridge). I'm not sure how long it would take me to fish that stretch. Or I could launch on the Maumee just below the Hosie Dam at Anthony Blvd (and maybe take out at the Rivergreenway Boat Dock). Or maybe fish the St. Mary's between Foster Park and Guildin Park. Thanks in advance for any advice or tips you might have to offer.

I caught a couple of good looking bass from a farm pond yesterday on a brown SPRO rat.

Oh, wow. 120 lakes in Greene-Sullivan State Forest. I'm definitely going to check this out. I'll have to do a little research to figure out which lakes to hit. I don't have a kayak cart so I'll be limited to the pits that are accessible by road.

On another note, I'm looking for suggestions on new places for me to do some kayak fishing. So far, I've fished Geist, Summit, Westwood, Salamonie, and Mississinewa lakes. Where should I go next? I'm having fun exploring the state. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I went to Westwood Lake in New Castle. I figured it would have a lot less boat traffic than Summit or Geist. In hindsight, maybe I should have gone to the bigger lakes to find the bigger fish. I caught a ton of 12-inch largemouth. Unfortunately my biggest fish of the day was only 15.5 inches. Still, I managed to come in 12th place (out of 28 anglers) with my top 3 totaling 40.75 inches. How did y'all do?

FYI... It's the last day to register for the Midwest Madness Kayak Fishing Tournament hosted by Wildcat Creek Outfitters & the Indiana Kayak Anglers. You can fish any public water in Indiana (check-in is at WCO in Zionsville). Registration Rules Wish me luck!

I spent about nine hours kayak fishing Summit Lake yesterday. It was cool and very windy. By the end of the day I was exhausted and sea sick. I could barely get out of bed this morning. LOL I caught a few bass on a whopper plopper early in the morning before switching to the Ned rig. Several times throughout the day I had large bass hooked on the Ned but they tossed the hook when jumping out of the water. It seemed to be more frequent when using a mushroom jig with weed guard wires so I switched back to a 1/15 without the wire guards. On another note, I feel like I'm suffering from tunnel vision. I've gotten so hooked on the Ned rig that I'm not fishing with my other tackle as much. Like I've learned how to use a hammer and now everything is a nail. I really need to force myself to develop more skills/confidence using jigs, swimbaits, jerkbaits, texas-rigged plastics, etc.

A lousy day of fishing still beats a good day at work. That said, today was a lousy day of fishing. I got to Summit at dawn. There must have been a couple of different tournaments taking place. It was packed. I really tried to mix it up - trying different depths, colors, and presentations. I only caught a few tiny bass and lost a larger one at the kayak (I really need to get a net). I just couldn't find the fish. Not even the Ned rig could save me. After nearly six hours of fighting the wind and getting cramped by inconsiderate tournament bros, I packed up and came home. I'm going to try to get back out on the water again on Tuesday. Not sure if I'll go back to Summit or try my luck somewhere else.