the reel ess

Use this: L x L x L/1600. So your fish should be around 6.65 lbs. Nice fish. Here's a handy chart: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/catchrelease/bass_length_weight.phtml

I have a kayak that came with 1 flush mount holder. I added another on the opposite side and I rigged up a milk crate with pvc pipe and zip ties to hold 5 more rods in the rear well. So I usually take 6 or 7 rods. That's 4 BC rods and 2 spinning for bass. If I'm going someplace where the panfishing is ideal or the bass are stunted badly, I'll carry a light action spinning combo as well. I never change around my combos until I buy a new reel or rod and the pairing is just better for the combo's purpose. BC combos are for hvy treble baits like big cranks and Traps, topwaters, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, worms and jigs. Assortments of lines for different presentations. Spinning is for weightless worm, finesse C-rig and light treble baits, like a Rapala minnow. Braid on these. Light combo is for Beetlespin, baby craw crank, inline spinners, crappie jigs. This is rigged wioth 6 lb mono. I have a small clear Plano box that I put baits in that I think I might want to change to. I carry bags of plastics behind the seat. You usually ahve a good diea of what you need tied on the reels when you go. Any trash, used plastics or baits I switch out go in the crate until I'm home.

Yes, it is time to step up. Expect to spend more than $60 for a quality reel. You won't be sorry and you'll never go back to the Zebco. For the price of a really good spincast reel you can get an entry level baitcaster with a 1-piece aluminum frame and centrifugal braking system. This would be the bare minimum I would buy based on my experience with budget BC reels. This should last you years and be a good, inexpensive model to learn with. Nobody wants to spend a lot on the first baitcaster, but going cheaper than this would be a mistake. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h20-xpress-mettle-mt2-baitcast-reel-right-handed#repChildCatid=903506 You can get a whole combo for $90! This is a reel I am considering buying. And I have several reels over the $130 range. The Motive is a step up from the Mettle in speed and features and still well under $100. Great value at this price range and the reviews are great! If you want good quality that will last a decade or more, get a reel in the $130-150 range and you won't be needing to replace it for a long time. Good luck.

And it's cheap.

At daybreak, I like darks. After daybreak, I like lighter colors, but usually, the topwater bite is finished for me by then.

I despise them. I hope they all hit a stump. Interactions with, shall we say, JERKS is a major reason I bought a kayak and sought out local private places to fish. Getting a kayak is the single best thing I ever did for my bass fishing. I might be completely out of fishing by now if I hadn't done that. I only keep the big boat for winter fishing and I put it in a private reservoir.

I know a guy who just went on a camping trip there. He said he knew nothing about fishing and caught the most and largest smallie in the group. That's on the bucket list as well. I've never even caught a smallie. There are some in the state but limited to one river chain. I'll try them some day.

Of course fish will make a liar out of you. But in my experience there is no topwater bass will want in cold water. I know I'll get responses that disagree. And there are places with warm water year round. Just because the air might get cold there doesn't mean the water will for very long. And there are places with warm water discharges where bass remain active in winter.

I use black or black/blue in daylight so I'd probably use it at night. It's especially good for soft plastics around here. The water is always a bit stained. I've caught more bass on a single black buzzbait than I have on all others.

Pfleuger quality is certainly there.

I haven't had a Shimano since the 90s and it was good. But I LOVE my Lew's LFS Tournament MB. It's a great reel at that price point.

I have a black/blue Strike King Midnight spinnerbait with a black/blue Colorado blade that I like in the cold of winter. It slows the bait a lot and the color is very visible in the early season muddy water. I caught what was probably the biggest bass in my friend's pond on this bait last winter. I say probably the biggest bass in the pond because I caught a very similar one off the bed the spring before and the owner says she caught one almost that exact size before that. It's a very small body of water so I doubt there are many 5 pounders in there.

I like a MH spinning combo for lighter frogs. Some of mine are too light for BC gear and the Hvy/F 7-3 frog rod. My avatar is just such a light frog. It happens to be what i caught my PB on.

No and I've always wanted to get down to FL to bass fish, especially in late winter (FL spawn).

Flip the bail on a spinning reel and tighten the line a little all with your free hand before you start reeling. This will save you a lot of line. I have a buddy who never does this though I tell him every time we fish and he always has half a spool on the reel. Use braid on spinning reels. Less twist. You can use that same line until you get tired of it. Don't go after bass with an ultralight combo. You never know when the big one is lurking. (I still do this BTW because it's fun for the dinks) It doesn't really get too cold in the south to catch bass. That's what you tell yourself when you don't want to brave the cold. Instead of asking what they're biting, ask generally where they're biting or what they're doing. I can't say how many times I've been told they aren't biting and caught either a lot of fish or a big one using a technique I like. Downsize when they won't bite all the usual offerings.It's really fishing for smaller fish, but it works. Take days off from work to go fishing-or do whatever it is that you love. On your deathbed you won't say "I wish I'd worked one more day."

I'm looking for a place to go for maybe my 50th birthday with the possibility of catching a monster bass. I really like kayak fishing. Has anyone taken a fishing vacation they'd recommend? Private waters is not a negative, IMO.

99% male, huh? I'll bet the females are tired after the attempt to spawn.

On a budget? In addition to the kayak, paddle and PFD. A fishing rod. Maybe a beer. I don't use much more than that. I do have a milk crate rigged up with several rod holders and my kayak has 2 flush mount holders. I rig the rods with what I think they'll bite and throw several packs of soft plastics behind the seat. I have no electronics, no anchor trolley, no special rigging. I just go paddle and fish, mostly smaller waters where I know I can find the fish. I don't go on busy lakes or rivers.

I use a 7' MH/MF Lowrider BC rod with 30 lb braid. It's my jig and worm rod. But I use the Yamamoto Hula Grub, T rigged with a 3/16 oz tungsten weight.

The projected track is moving further away from us as the day progresses.

I'm in SC and as you may know we have a hurricane headed our way. I'm not on the coast, but about 100 miles inland. The latest tracking has it most likely running up the east coast parallel and then curling our to sea. What do you guys in more hurricane prone areas experience before and after a hurricane affects the weather pattern? Usually before a tropical storm we have muggy conditions with a southerly or SW breeze, but this time it's a stiff breeze out of the NE. Not ideal for fishing most of the time. And looking at the forecast, it looks that way for the next week or so. I need to kill some time off from work or lose it soon. And of course, I'd like to fish if at all possible.

Yeah, but I don't want to lose my PB because I'm purposely handicapping myself. That fish will be a challenge on any tackle. There's a place I'd enjoy fly fishing for bass and bluegill because I think now it only has small bass. But my PB came from there 13 or so years ago. You never know where your PB is lurking.

I've done it, but it feels like intentionally and unnecessarily handicapping myself.

I use an old 6-6 med, mod Lightning Rod for topwaters with trebles most of the time, but I'll also rig up a MH of the same size when I want multiple topwater rods or I have a buzzbait on too. This is not a presentation that requires a lot of sensitivity. And I use Big Game 15 lb. mono on both.