the reel ess

This is a clear case of fish organ harvesting. Went to sleep in a bed and woke up in a tub of ice.

A big bird probably

Florida has the most places for you to fish that don't freeze of any state I know of. Water is everywhere. I fished with a guide there who drove us an hour, mostly on dirt roads, to our destination. He told me we probably passed a hundred places I could put the kayak in and catch good largies or peacocks.

I guess that would be the state of Sinaloa

Up until about a week ago it was the Cordell Super Spot in gold/black. It caught me a 7.2 lb two weeks ago. But last time I went, the crappie were spawning and I jigged the shallows-I also caught a bunch of bass on the crappie jig on light tackle. That was a hoot. I only caught one on the Spot that day. Spawn will be upon us very soon here.

I haven't tried it, but bet it works.

I only plug the scuppers under my seat because they'll wet your behind with the seat in the lower position. My current ride is a Pescador Pro 10, which sits a little higher than my last one. The fore scuppers don't usually take on any water. I don't concern myself with the aft ones.

As light as wind, current and the depth you're fishing will allow. But I have from 1/8-1/2 bullet weights in the bag. I prefer tungsten when I peg the sinker because it's smaller. You can force a fish's mouth open with a larger weight. Lately I've not been pegging my T rigs and I'm using 1/4 oz. lead. 3/16-1/4 is the go-to. I didn't believe when I started fishing jigs that they would bite a 1/2 oz. and hold on to it. I was wrong. The big ones will try to take it back from you even after they feel resistance.

It's always that way in early spring. Can't tell you how many spring breaks at the lake house have been ruined by cold weather. Work keeps getting in the way of good fishing days. But daylight saving time is here now and it'll be warm soon enough.

In addition to live bait that's already been mentioned, crappie jigs, Rooster Tails, Beetle Spins. These are also good for a mixed bag.

I love them too!

It's never too early to plan. My buddy told me he found 2 bluegill and a frog the bass had spit up in his livewell yesterday. But then I live in SC. As for the reel, I use a Lew's LFS Tournament MB 7.5:1, I think. If I was to buy another it would be in the 8 range. The faster, the better for frogs.

Good way to lose an eye

I used to hear bass boats running high speed in fog so thick we needed a compass to get across the lake. Very irresponsible. But people have a tendency to push the envelope after the do something and don't get hurt, like so many reckless motorcyclists or street racers.

I have one of their Walking Boss walking baits. It had two sounds it makes. One sounds like a cricket and the other sounds like rushing baitfish. It worked well for me when in FL. But I haven't caught anything off it back in SC. It was about $14.

Fill in the blanks in your current arsenal with these. If you like a particular specialty, go that direction first. I take 7 or even 8 combos with me now. But 5 is usually plenty.

Aww shucks!

This was the only way I could stand to fish anymore when I had my fishing boat. Sometimes I'd spend Friday night at the lake, have my boat in and ready to go, get up with the chickens and someone would still be sitting where I wanted to fish when I got there. That's what changed the way I wanted to fish for the rest of my life. I'm not a pro. If I want competition, I'll take a buddy in my spare kayak.

Reel it so slowly that you can't feel the vibration of it when the water is below 50 degrees. As the temp increases, obviously, you can reel faster. I caught some fish in Jab-Feb reeling it so slowly, it was probably just dragging bottom. The big deep diving Shad Rap is a good one for cold water as well. It will dive on a very slow retrieve. I like the lipless better because the water is always muddy in winter here and they can hear it coming. You basically have to put it in their mouths because they won't be chasing it.

I've caught more bass on the gold/black CC Super Spot than anything else this calendar year. The runner-up has been the black/blue T rigged craw.

I know it's selfish of me, but I really like to be alone when I go fishing. I seek out and ask permission to go places that I can do that. I have access to three private ponds and a reservoir that has very limited pressure. The most boats I've ever seen there is 4. I'm usually one of 2 there. My days of fishing crowds are hopefully over.

I was told by a guide to absolutely not do it. Ever. But then I see pros doing it. Now that I usually fish in a kayak, I either net or lip the fish or, if it's being difficult, I get my hand under the belly and hold it against the side of the kayak until I can lip it. It's amazing how this calms them. It's also a good tactic when they have a face full o' trebles. I don't even care if I lose small fish at the boat. I was going to toss them back anyway.

I've been into baitcasting gear since I was a teen (1980s). But I do own a 7' MH-F spinning rod that has whooped a bunch of good bass. It's a BPS Viper combo rod I bouth about 15 years ago. The reel wore out a few years ago, but the rod keeps ticking. Use a pretty good reel. The one on my combo is a Pfleuger Trion size 40. I use 20 lb. braid on it. If I didn't own a BC combo, this is the one I'd use for jigs/T-rigs. Matter of fact, it's my go-to for dropping Trick Worms into spawning bass beds.

Berkley Big Game 15 lb. But I've just about switched to all braid except for leaders. The only rod I have mono on is for spinnerbaits.

They must be black with blue flakes. ? Because that's what catches more bass for me than any other color.