the reel ess

I would use it if I was paid to as well. I use Big Game for treble hook lures, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It's extremely tough and dirt cheap. I use braid for all single hook baits. I just started using straight braid for jigs. I've seen no dropoff in bites. Before that I was using braid with a short leader of 15# Big Game.

So I bought a used Lure 13.5 back in the spring. It came already rigged with a good fish finder, a solar powered charger and a battery. There's a lot to like about this kayak. The seat is very comfy and it's so stable it's made for standing. The negatives are the weight (92 lbs) and the tracking is horrible. The rear has a built-in wheel but it's rounder there than in the front and the rear is always blowing around while I'm fishing. They make a rudder kit for it that supposedly fixes this issue. But i want some recommendations before I shell out more money and undergo the installation for an already expensive kayak. I'm finding myself using my older Perception Pescador because it's easier to manage (about 50 lbs) and tracks great. It has a molded-in skeg. A superior tracking design in a kayak that costs less than half of the Lure. If the lure needs a rudder, they should sell it with one. Has anyone done the rudder for the Lure and is it worth the money and time?

Size balance in a smaller pond can be almost impossible to maintain. There are a lot of factors that can be beyond your control. Take as many dinks out as you can. Bass from a clean pond are good eating. Get others to help you to the same end. Persecute them. Eat them, give them away or toss them over the dam. Make fertilizer out of them. As long as they're there, the average will always be smaller. I fish a dink factory on the regular. I fish the biggest baits I own and still get almost all dinks. They're starving so they'll take a chance on a big bait. Short of that, fish the traditional big bass baits. You can fish a bait that won't fit in a small bass. You'll probably get a lot fewer bites and you might even go days without one. If that happens you can always bust out the same old and get some action going. You can fish at night. Bigger bass are less wary at night, but you'll probably still be culling dinks. Go early and late in the day. That's about all I have for you.

Must be because there's one stuck to it now.

I'm looking for a technique-specific jig/T rig pitching rod. I fish from a kayak almost exclusively. I'm currently using a Falcon rod that's very sensitive, but is really made for big deep crankbaits. I don't want a rod longer than 7' because I like the ability to skip with some accuracy. I don't stand and employ the underhand pitch much. I mostly sidearm skip or just target cast so a bit of a tip is a good thing. My top budget would be around $150, regular retail price. What you got? Thanks

You can save some money on a topwater rod. The sensitivity of an expensive graphite rod is not necessary and can be counterproductive. It just needs to have the right action and be durable-weight is a consideration as well. I do understand the desire for quality though. Just my $0.02.

I got caught years ago when Iwas maybe 21. This was before the days where they can just look you up in the database and verify your purchase. I never have tried to get away with fishing with no license because I've always fished a lot. I was fishing the other side of Lake Wateree from the boat. I had accidentally washed my wallet in my jeans. My license was destroyed, apparently. I never saw it again. The game warden told me to go to the person I bought it from because he had to keep a copy by law. I went to he guy who runs the store where I bought it and he tells me he throws them all away! GRRRR! So I had to pay a rather large sum of money to the county on the other side of the lake though I actually bought the license. I had to mail it in because I was in the middle of a shift at work and didn't have time to drive all the way there, not knowing if the magistrate would cut the fine any or if he would even be there to pay.

I've always kept a few jigs after the skits came off and just put plain craws on them. They seem to get more bites that way. But I'm looking for size, not quantity.

Fish will compete for food when they're really in a good mood. Sometimes when they see a bait that appears to be "getting away" they'll jump all over it. As for the rod, absolutely do you need some backbone when fishing a single hook bait. I use a 7' MH F for jigs and there are still some times I just don't get a good enough hookset. Usually, the big fish give you a good anchor to set the hook against. but the dinks will just move with the bait.

Drive a little up the road to L Wateree. It's much less crowded. Or better yet, go on up to Stumpy Pond Reservoir, the next up the chain, and you can be alone. But beware, it earned the name Stumpy.

If you go three trips and don't get a bite while your buddy loads the boat, that's too big for me. I've tried some monster baits and haven't had much success with them. But the ol' jig and spinnerbait still catch bigger bass while supplying some bites along the way. So those usually stay tied on.

Yeah, that was my first kayak and I got a lot better at it since. The other rods in holders didn't come out because it didn't actually flip. But I had one in my hand that I did not want to lose.

I went for a swim once right after I started kayak fishing. Here's a tip. Try to avoid your fishing line. I was trying not to lose my rod and I got the braid on my spinning rod wrapped around my leg while trying to tread water. I didn't need to because I was wearing a PFD. But it was reflexive.

I like them. They're actually the first stick bait I caught a fish on. They seem to be more durable than the Senko. And they ALWAYS seem to be on clearance. The crazy colors work.

My dad and I did the same thing. I had a bass break my Spook Jr off and jump later and spit it out. I retrieved the Spook. I was fishing one night with my buddy about sundown and we spotted an owl in a tree close by. The owl swooped down for my topwater and I yanked it away at the right moment. About 2 minutes later it swooped back the other way and I yanked it away again. I really did not want to be fighting an owl.

I haven't caught anything on mine. I tried it a couple times only to cut it off and put a frog on and then have success. I'm sure it can work at certain times in certain places. I did catch about 12 one evening at my buddy's pond on the SPRO Rat. Bass in deeper lakes are less likely to be looking at the surface for a meal when there's so much forage below. But ponds and shallow waters are a different story. I've caught bass on the SPRO Rat in ponds. But the hollow body mouse has not been as good to me as the standard frog.

No, never did. I did catch a few prespawn bass on the original 130 though.

But they work upside down too.

Just throw that hollow body frog in the weeds and twitch it back. I don't get too many strikes during the walk in open water. Occasionally, I'll get a strike as soon as it hits the water. I use a Booyah Pad Crasher and it walks OK. None of them are easy. I use a Hvy-XF rod made for frogs and it's about as stiff as a pool cue. You'll get a feel for it after a while, but it's not an easy thing to do. Keep in mind, they won't want a frog every time out.

I like the Rage Craw. I was using the Berkley Chigger Craw and it surely works, but I went through a lot of them. Zoom Super Speed Craw works as well.

Jig and craw and the spinnerbait caught my last 3 PBs. But more importantly, go where you know there are fish bigger than your current PB.

I take combos rigged with topwater, spinnerbait/buzzbait, lipless crank, jig/trailer and hollow bodied frog. I try these every trip with the exception of the topwater & frog when the water is really cold. But I will try it early spring and late fall just to be sure. Conventional wisdom says the topwater won't work well when the sun gets high, but I've been able to pick off a few fish later with it, especially if a cloud rolls over or the water gets choppy-make it a noisy one like a Pop R. If it stays overcast you might catch fish all day on it. Anywhere with shade is worth a throw. And if you see bass busting bait, even at high noon, throw it and make some noise. What I find later in the day is not that they won't bite it at all, but they'll strike short on it. The spinnerbait tends to excel when there's a breeze as well. But I'll always try it because the bites tend to be bigger. I toss the jig at laydowns, overhanging brush, docks, stumps, etc. any time of day. Mostly targets. I catch fewer bass on the retrieve than I do on the drop. I throw the frog at shallow water cover or vegetation. Anywhere vegetation and cover/structure converge such as the shallow end of a dock can be killer. You'll be surprised how often bass will be very shallow, even in summer. Throw it all the way into the weeds and retrieve it into the water if you can. If you walk the bank, throw it parallel to the bank and walk it back. I'll also take some other baits that I "guesstimate" are seasonally appropriate or that I just feel like using. I like to try new techniques from time to time. Often times you have to adapt to succeed.

Weightless Trick Worm! I also like a paddle tail swimbait like the Zoom Swimming Super Fluke with the lightest bullet weight in your box. I can't tell you how much time I spend pulling weeds and snotty algae off my jig. But if you deliver it to a good spot, there's a good chance of getting a bite on the first drop. Just as stainless steel can stain, weed-less doesn't mean weed-free.

People will say walk the dog and that's good in open water. But for me most strikes come pulling it over vegetation where you can't really walk it. At those times, I put my rod tip up at about 10 o'clock and just keep it steadily twitching over the mat. The reason is I'm usually fishing it over pads. If you keep the tip low as you would for a walking bait, you'll have the line caught on a bunch of pads when you need to set the hook. The idea when you set it is to get the fish to the top and skate it back to you. When it gets out of the slop, I'll drop the rod and walk it a bit and if it gets no bites in a few feet, I reel her up and go again. There are lots of good YouTube videos on the technique.

Stay back for the first few casts, then approach that spot and fish further out from it. I like to fish parallel to the bank after I've approached the spot. If you do spook some, not to worry. Bass have about a 20 minute memory if there was no negative stimulus to go along with the "spooking". I have spooked a big bass off a log at the bank and came back later in the kayak and caught it. Reasonably sure it's the same fish because this is a little pond. There can't be a ton of 5 pounders in it.