AdamsEye

Cats like to claw the mother, to stimulate milk production or something. Bottle feeding a kitten is not the weak or squeamish. He is a lot like a dog, even greets people at the door. I was even walking him on a leash at one point, but now he just stays by my side. I never even thought to toss the hair jigs, went right passed them to the darters and maggots. Looks like you gave me a reason to bust out the ultra light, and I thank you for that!

Ah you gave away my secret with the Jigs, I got these from my Vet. I rescued my cat he was 3 weeks old, and who knows what happened to mom. After taking with the local vet, turns out he is a big fisherman too. Well I traded him some Gimpy lures, (Hand made saltwater plugs) for some of his own hand tied jigs. I was using ice fishing jigs a while ago, but they go right down the gullet. Then I got these and have yet to run out and need more!

I have had a ton of luck with the gulp maggots, what I use to take the kids fishing. I got a little demo pack when they first came out, and now I always have a jar on me. I have had some luck with the gulp 1" minnows too. Sometimes just a piece of a power worm will work like a charm too.

My waters have Pickerel, the little cousin. I don't go out to catch them, but they are often found in the same spots as the bass. Some times they are a good tell tale for me to slow down a bit, they tend to be more aggressive then the bass. I do not set out to catch them, but would rather catch something. They do like to shred plastics, and frogs, and line and eat paint! Which can be a real pain, but not as bad as going home smelling like a man instead of like a fish.

X2

I would put an anchor trolley, anchor and or stake out pole on that list too.

My mentor to Bass fishing, this is a touchy topic for me. Since I was about 7, I have been fishing for Bass, when I was 11 I got my first job at the same tackle store he used to work out so I could start buying better gear. This guy was a fish pimp plain and simple. He taught me most everything I know, from rigging a soft plastic to understanding the difference in a willow and colorado blade seasonal patterns and understanding conditions. I can remember going fishing with him would always start with a weather recap. From there he would predict water clarity, and devise a seasonal pattern before we even left the house. He would produce when others couldn't, and that was him limiting the tackle he had in his bag. He would grab a couple bags of plastics, and a few baits which all normally fit in a small pouch and out fish guys with everything under the sun. We would watch the fishing shows, and he would be quick to point out things others over look like how Bill Dance normally fishes private lakes that see little pressure. The man did not miss a beat. He passed away about 15 years ago at 28, and so did my passion for fishing. It has been a long hard road for me with out him around, he was far more then just a mentor. He was like the big brother that anyone of us have always wanted. Until the last few years, I hardly fished. I just pushed that part of my life out, so I did not have to deal with the pain. Lately I am feeling like that young man who can't wait to hit the water, funny because I just had a son and clearly have less time to fish then ever. I must admit that joining the forums has helped me rekindle that passion! Thanks for creating this thread, and sharing a passion!

Double post sry!

Does it come in green Ben?

Do you think the 11.5 tracks well enough to make long runs, or would the 13.5 be better? I do really like the electronics pod and have time to wait. I seen the stand up bar too, is that just for standing up with, or for leaning on while fishing too? I am guessing that a rudder will help the 11.5 track well enough to make longer runs?

Its a toss between that boat, or the field and stream at dicks when it hits $399 again. Or I am going to go for a Feel Free lure just don't know if I should get the 13.5 or 11.5. I want to get out and demo a few, I have the trip for now so I don't want to rush either. I had to hold back really hard that last sale at dicks. Most of the lakes I fish are about 50-70 acres, and paddle only. Some allow electric only, and I don't fish really any waters that allow outboards. One place I fish is like 600 acres, but they only allow electric. So rather then spend the extra $1000 for a foot drive, I would rather invest in a trolling motor setup and paddle when I have too. I don't mind the workout, but I don't want to drain myself getting across a big lake either. So many choices makes it hard.

I have a trip angler 10 sit inside as of right now, not mine but I get to use it as a starter. I am totally digging fishing from it, but I must say that this yak is not ideal for me. I have only paddled this kayak, but I would say it has poor tracking. It is pretty stable, but not near standing stable. It is easy to paddle, but does not track well at all. I find the boat likes to spin, and just fishing causes it to turn. I fish small lakes mostly, under 100 acres. Have yet to take it out to bigger water and have to paddle a big distance. But I don't think I want to do that in that boat. What about the seat factor, what seats, and or boats that have good seats? I see some seats are $100's, are you better off with that seat or a more expensive boat that comes with a nice seat? I am considering a lot of options myself, and looking forward to learning a bit more myself!

Got this little guy tonight, had a chance to get out in the kayak. Hit Lake Manetta, and fished it from 7-9. I fished down the lake with a frog and t rig with no luck, fished back with a weightless swimming fluke and swim jig and did ok. I caught 3 pickerel and that little 1lber on the fluke, and I lost a better fish at the kayak ripping the swim jig. So I learned on my 4th kayak trip to calm down, leave more line out, and keep it away from the paddle when landing a fish lol. Swim jigging is new to me, only fished it twice but I like it a lot already. I was tossing that thing through everything and might have cleaned it 3 times. Most of the time's the lakes around here are pretty weedy, and I would not think to throw a swim jig. I think I just might be addicted to it already. 1/4oz with a chunk seems to work well but I have not tried an 1/8oz yet or a swimbait trailer. Now I just need to get better fishing out of this kayak, but I got the hook set down now. I have only fished stone tavern twice, and I don't have electronics. Watermelon seed works for me, but I do seem to catch a lot of shorts there. I was throwing a 4" watermelon seed centipede last week, and did ok. The other guys fishing that area reported no bites, I did see one guy catch a pan fish on a inline spinner. He said he was bored lol! I caught a lot of fish, but only one or two of any size. Both times I have been there, most guys were throwing senkos. That's what prompted me to throw the centipede last week. I was in the fish, but didn't get any size either but I was only out there for two hours or so. Next time I think since it's summer I am going to go with a larger plastic, maybe a swim jig for a bigger presentation. See if I can't weed out some of the smaller fish. But I will probably throw the centipede again too.

The cheaper reels work well, they are just not quite as well built and durable. They have plastic bodies, and cheaper made parts that wear faster. In general the more bearings the smoother the reel will be, but don't count on smooth bearings per say. Having said that it sounds like this reel is going to be your workhorse, and get used a bunch. The higher quality reels will last you years, and could save you money over time. If you have to stick to a budget, look for the best deal you can get! Hoosier pointed out a nice sale that could be worth going over budget for. Might even get the best deal picking up a used reel.

If you were casting well, and the line still flared my hunch is the line was going on the reel to slack/limp. What were you throwing before the spinner bait, and what kind of winds were you fishing?

Holla, might as well rep the hood, Lakewood. Most guys are to worried to fish my local waters, Lake Shenandoah is a great fishery and I have never had a problem. I mainly fish Carsaljo, Shenandoah, prosper town, and stump tavern from kayak or the bank. I will hit the Manasquan a few times a year to, some great fishing there too! Pretty much a bunch of decent spots to be had with in 30-1hr drive if that. I'm like Ike too, I'm loud and like rap music, but I drive American cars. Tight lines fellas!

Thanks for sharing, I love fishing with gill!

Let's just say my Niners have a lot of room in the salary cap....

Some great results for a first attempt, pretty impressive. You got nice clean lines and smooth fades, with tons of detail. Keep up the good work!

I can pull small trebles out with 12-14lb mono on a 6-8 m action rod. I don't ever really set the hook when fishing a treble, I find fish tend to hook themselves. It could also be your technique while fighting the fish, and I am not assuming that is the case. But that is a factor, just did not want to over look a possibility. It can be hard to keep a jumping fish hooked up. You could start with a mono leader, and experiment with different lengths, the longer the more stretch. You could back off on the drag and let that provide a cushion too. To be honest your best bet is using floro or even mono over braid. If you like the braid a leader is the second best option, followed by loosing the drag, and lastly trying to play the fish more then land the fish. You have a few options, play with them all and pick the one you like the best. Hope next time you get to lip that fish!

Normally if you burn the line, the line will tend to coil when you put slack in it. Kind of like how you take a straight ribbon across a scissor to curl it. So after you tie one on (hehe), hold the bait in your hand and let the line go slack. If you notice a difference in the straightness in the line in the last few inches, cut it off and try again. If you don't see any change, then your knot tying should be okay, which leaves two other factors. The line, or the knot itself. Some lines get really weak when you fold them over, Palomar knots have a lot of right angles in them, making it hard on some lines. Experiment with other knots, like a clinch knot. See if you still have that problem. If you do I would suggest trying a new line.

I just snagged a couple LH frogs to try, but I find the spro's to be the best bang for buck and seem to revert to them.

My favorite is finessing a weightless soft plastic in clear water with a reaction color. Watching those strikes can be just as exciting as topwater. I don't really have a least favorite other then live bait. As long as I can fish it, even if it means dead sticking a bait, I find it all rewarding (When it works).