the reel ess

I don't enjoy the flyrod that much either. It's OK for a mixed bag of small bass and bluegills. I won't use one anywhere there might be big fish because I want to LAND those. Mine is a little heavy. It's a #8. Using it feels like starting out with 2 strikes against you.

BTW, a cheaper alternative to a big surfcasting reel is that BPS. It holds 210 yds of 30#. But I have 20# on mine and it ate up a 300 yd spool. $50.

It's not overkill. People use them in the tailrace below Lake Wateree, SC. It helps bank-bound fishermen cast way up to the dam and has plenty of line for when they strike and run downriver.

http://www. basspro.com/Rainys-Pot-Belly-Foam-Frog/product/63576/ This one's tiny. I have it. Requires special rod, reel and line though.

Most people get really angry when a rod breaks. They go on the site where they bought it and proceed to trash the company and its response in a review. Have you noticed the added insurance being offered with high-end rods these days? It's almost always the user's fault. Sadly.

I have plugs. The scuppers are right under the seat though. Like the seat was an after thought after the kayak was designed. That's a good looking seat with cool storage.

Your line was probably breaking because they suck this bait down their throats. Then their "teeth" fray the line. It can happen on one good fish even if the line wasn't frayed before the bite. All you can do to stop that is to really watch your line and set if it moves at all-sometimes it won't. If you use a finesse or octopus hook, you don't need a homerun hookset. I use 17# Fireline for this technique and haven't lost one due to breakage yet. But I retie about every trip, stripping off just a few inches.

Yes, it's shallow. Most ponds around there are. And weeds at the surface almost everywhere, at least last time I was there. It looks like good fishing, but I know it gets some pressure, being a public place. Make sure you're legal. It's likely you could get checked for fish, PFD and license.

I have a MH spin combo with 17# Fireline that I've used for smaller frogs (Snag Proof). That line is the same dia. as 8# mono.

I have a big spool of BPS 6# in lo-vis green for panfish and small bass. But there's so much stretch in it along with the light action rod it's easy for bass to get off. Other than that, small line isn't really necessary for bass here because the water has a permanent stain.

I was going to say those el cheapo Uncle Buck's spinnerbaits for like $1.50 each. But I went on their site and the cheapest BPS brand SB is now $4.49. That's a shame. I still have some of those old ones and they still work fine. They had good hooks and blades. Realistic heads with holographic eyes are really not necessary. Go to Academy and pick up some cheap SBs with a variety of blade combos (right now willow blades are what you want) and a box of good trailer hooks.

I just looked it up. I have seen it before but forgot it. It looks good and versatile.

I've been there paddling with my daughter. Haven't fished there. I believe it's canoe/kayak only. You can look it up online. In fact, people from Camden have told me Kendall Lake is better. Godale supposedly has a gator in it. There are signs about it, but we didn't see any. It's very weedy all year. A frog could be a good option. I believe there are pickerel in it too. Have you ever fished Lake Shamokin at the Shrine Club north of Camden on 521? It looks like a bass fishing postcard. I've been told you can go in from the highway but not through the club property. I've been dying to try it. I've only seen kayaks on it once in my 44 years.

Blakemore made them. I found them on an endcap at BPS on clearance. I have posted about them too. If you expect to see bass busting shad on top you can have one rigged up. I used mine ahead of s full-size Spook on baby bass color so when you walk it the Front Runner looks like it's running from the Spook. I only got bites on the Spook, but there's the potential to catch three fish at once on this rig.

I have a Scum Frog too. The Pad Crasher, Jr 's body is about the same length but narrower as you said. The Pocket Frog is smaller, with the compact legs making for a smaller profile. I'm fond of the Snag Proof original frog because I caught my personal best on one and it's still producing. There aren't many with realistic legs anymore.

Here's the Pocket Frog vs the Booyah Pad Crasher Jr. Academy has the Lunker Hunt Frogs in all three sizes. Amazon has them too.

Lunker Hunt Pocket Frog is 1/4 oz. I got one mail order recently but haven't used it yet. There's a video on YouTube of it being used.

I just keep trying things until either something works or I run out of time and go home. This is a time when I try a rig that I've been meaning to try but never got around to like the wacky rig. The night I pulled that out it saved me from a skunk. I caught 5 quickly and got the big one of the night. Beer is often involved. And even when you fail you've learned something.

This reminds me of a story from my childhood. It was a Friday afternoon. My dad, a friend of his and I were fishing along a bank as we came up on an old fence row that ran out into the water. It was a place in our normal rotation. There was a guy in a bassboat sitting there who was packing up. He told us in no uncertain terms not to fish that spot because he had a tourney the next day and that was his ace in the hole for a limit. We cleaned it dry. We came back the next morning but there were no fish and no fisherman. If he had asked instead of told us I'm sure we wouldn't have fished there. At the very least we wouldn't have spent an hour there.

I would have reminded myself of the time G-Man got DQd for buzzing full-plane past Edwin Evers and Evers said very calmly to the cameraman in his boat "He shouldn'ta done that." Seriously, it likely made no difference whatsoever to the fish but probably bothered the fisherman to no end. I've been there. I've been at an offshore spot when two boats split me at full speed. It's why I stopped fishing the big local hydro lake. But some of the boats that do that are bassboats and we all know that.

I like this because I just bought a Booyah Pad Crasher and a popping Pad Crasher on Amazon and won't get to use them for another week.

Can you take or rent a kayak? I've taken mine the last few times I went to Pawley's island. But they'll rent them at a local bike shop and meet you at the boat ramp. You can fish as long as you want then call them to pick it up. They also have up-to-date fishing reports. There is a really good creek/inlet behind Pawleys Island. I went into the Myrtle Beach BPS and collected a basket full of the best looking redfish and trout baits then asked for some advice. The guy kind of smiled at my basket and walked over to a gold Johnson spoon. Got one of those and he grabbed a bag of Gulp Mullet in white. He said this would cover both species and flounder. I caught 2 keeper flounder in a couple hours. I did see small reds and one trout but no takers from them. To be honest, just that Gulp mullet on a light jighead is good enough for the flounder. Just toss it out and drag across the bottom near a dock or oyster bank. They'll tap it and you wait about 15 seconds and start reeling. If you hire a guide there are tarpon down there in the summer.

I shift my fishing to morning and evening when the dog days are upon us. And fishing can be tougher, but they'll still bite. Since they're cold-blooded their metabolism is as high as it's going to be all year and they have to eat. But you have to find them and present something they want. It's easier to get a topwater bite early and late. My buddy tells me he's catching 4 or 5 10:00-2:00 in the afternoon, some of them have been good-he sends pics. But he doesn't believe in getting up early and works second shift. So it may be even better early/late. As it gets uncomfortably hot and fish are harder to locate, people stop fishing.

I believe your big fish died. If your pond is stunted and you introduce big bass to it, they can't compete. You need to manage that pond by harvesting smallish fish. You should probably keep everything you catch for a while. As you notice the size increasing, set a slot limit of maybe 2 lb max. As you remove competition for bait average size will increase. I'm also reading lately that you should feed the bream to help them spawn repeatedly in the spring. The healthier they are the more bait will be in the pond. A stunted pond is really hard to overcome without putting some fishing pressure on it. You might need others to help. But beware, the fish will become fewer and more educated. I have two friends with ponds and they both want me to keep fish. Both are a bit stunted. In one I've caught a 6.5# yeras ago but none bigger than 3 since. In the other I caught a 5 and a 3 this spring. But the average in both is less than 12".

An old man showed me once that bass will almost never turn down a worm, even when some are busting shad on the surface. But you can catch fish faster with hard lures when they'll chase them. I have fished a river like you're talking about mostly with a crankbait and caught them well every time there. I even caught a striper on a Rebel Wee Craw.