FishTank

I have the best luck with a wacky rigged Senko. My buddy fishes a 7in Power Worm. By the numbers (when we fish together), I out catch him 5 to 1, and that's being generous. There are days when he does catch some good ones and does catch more than me but those days are inconsistent and few. I just wish he would switch up when the bite slows down on that bait.

I charge mine as needed but also charge it at least once a month in winter in my heated garage. I haven't had an issue yet. I can say from my experience and two fishing buddies, don't charge them when they are cold. I don't know why but it ruined two of ours. Dakota sent my buddy a new one which took months. Also dont store them in outside in the cold or on a cold garage floor. Also, I'm not sure what the OP charger does exactly but mine says to charge lead and lithium separately.

Avoid large bodies of water with big boats. The wakes will put you into the bank. Also, fast moving streams. The risk of puncture is greater with moving debris. Wind will blow those things a mile. Pay attention to the weather. Buy a kayak specific life jacket. Limit the amount of gear you take. Have a patch kit. Think safety first and have an emergency kit as well.

One of my all time favorites. They also had one with a black and blue flake body and a blue tail. Both colors are killer. The closest I have found is this guy from Geecrack. They are not round like the Ika but oval.

I think inexperience is the real culprit. Plus the lake I usually fish has a forest below the water, especially in the shallow spots.

I stole this Pic and I can't say FFS was involved but I have seen it happen a few times. Guys watching the screen, turn thier trolling motor up full blast and snap or damage the shaft on a tree stump. Stump whiplash is real.

It depends on how and where I am fishing so I usually take long rods and short rods, up to 6 total. They range from 6' to 7'6''. If it's a short trip, I might only take two or three. Those rods will be more all purpose rods and less than 7'.

I have both. The smoothest and furthest casting too me is the Antares. It's also great to work on despite the tight tolerances. Downside is the finish. When it's cold it's like holding an ice cube. Otherwise, it's a pleasure to fish. On the other hand, the Steez AII is a workhorse and it feels more like a big lure reel. It's definitely a bigger reel. I liked it so well I bought two of them, one for deep diving crank baits and the other for heavier Texas rigged soft plastic and some topwater. In the end, if I was only buying one, I would probably get the Steez but if I was looking to add a pleasure reel, I would go with the Antares. I would also think of which reel would fit your needs better and which reel palms better for you. To confuse things some.... day in day out, you should also consider the Metanium. Great reel as well.

A plastic ribbon tail worm. It's usually a summer staple for me but nothing this year. Also, a big spinnerbait. Not a single bite. A smaller, compact spinnerbait has caught a few but it too has been slow.

I finally gave in and bought a fanny pack from Fishpond. Looks goofy but it works great. It has a ton of room. I also use a sling pack for longer trips and on my kayak short runs. I am retiring my 7 year old Simms pack and got this one. For short pond trips I take a small pocket size box. It holds some terminal tackle and few small baits.

I just got them and haven't tried them yet. I plan to Free Rig the 4in and fish 5in weightless.

Some more 4th of July sale stuff.

I have two of them now. I was going suggest the JDM Zillion but at that price, in mint condition, this would be a good deal. Great reel. It's smooth, easy to cast, perfect for deep cranks and built like a tank but still light. The new price is pretty low as well on these. Around $300

I have always wonder about the YouTube videos that test leader knots. They don't really replicate on the water results so here you go. PE #0.6 and 8lb leader with a Carrot knot. Granted it took me 10 minutes to get it in the kayak. I was using a G. Loomis NRX+ 821S and a Vanquish C2500S. The leader knot is still good. My drag washers might need to be checked though. If I had to guess, it's about 12lbs.

I buy these from a local fly shop. I believe they are made by Orvis. They come in 1/16 and 1/8oz heads. The cast pretty well on BFS gear or a hair jig spinning setup.

Braid usually for me at least backlashes the most, mono the least but I tend to like FC the best. Confusing for sure. Braid, depending on brand, can retain water changing the weight of the spool and how your braking system will work and react to casts. Braid can also flatten causing line to dig in but this takes time. Braid digs deeper into the spool and can be harder to get out. On the other hand, mono is softer and will cast better and further but breaks down faster. Some FC can kink and become weaker with backlashes. In my opinion, I would stay with a good quality mono if backlashes are the concern. I would suggest trying to grab a spool of Sunline Defier Armilo as it has been discontinued or Sunline Machinegun Cast. They also have Super Natural but it does not last as long as the aforementioned two lines.

I picked up a 4th of July Bento Box from the Hook Up Tackle. For $100, this is best box ever. All good stuff and great colors.

I've had good luck with gold colored crankbaits on few lakes I fish. They seem to work best in lower light conditions and stained water. Depth and size hasn't really been a factor, action has made a difference. Despite my luck, any time I look for a hot, new crankbait, gold is the last color in stock. Why is that? What do you guys think?

I use to fish those and you have to have light line, around 6lb and you have to run them slow (like dead slow). They are great for shallow water bank fishing so it's really just a niche lure for me. The ones I had rusted and got pitched. Not the best quality bait in my opinion. I really haven't bought anything to replace it in an 1/8oz. I pretty much stick to a 1/4oz now. I like the OSP High Pitcher. It's bigger but still small. But for pond fishing for bluegill, crappie, and bass, this lure has out produced the small spinnerbaits by a mile. It has been my cheat code as of late. If you want to just go out, have fun and catch some fish this thing below is a blast. It's the Z-man Flashback Mini. It's doesn't seem well made but I have caught over 100 bluegill on it. The supplied softplastic is not the best and will fall apart but they make a bait called the Shad Fry Micro. It works great and lasts.

I caught two on the 6in Silver Shad a couple of days ago at my local pond. It was a struggle to get the fish to commit to it. I had a lot follow it but not bite. The two I caught crushed it though, which was fun. This pond is full of bass. If I was fishing something else, I would have caught several fish.

Thanks for all the support. My break from fishing only lasted two days. I got out yesterday and caught a few. I will be revisiting the spot I hooked into this fish many times over. Maybe I will get lucky. @A-Jay I don't think I had a state record but it was definitely bigger than the 10lb 2oz bass I caught 18 years ago. I would say around 11 to 12 but not any bigger. I am still kicking myself for not grabbing the net but I will remember how this fish felt different and even looked different from any other bass I have caught. It wasn't as violent and the bite felt more like a snag. It looked almost sold black on top and almost solid white on the bottom. It was a genetic freak, at least at the lake I was on. Seeing this fish and hooking into it was awesome but it also gives me hope for future outings. Who knows, maybe this fish has some friends. 👍

I have tried several knots and this has worked the best so far. It needs to be tied exactly like this.

Usually when fish are feeding in grass this time of year, at least in my neck of the woods, they are chasing small fry. So, I will rig a small 2-3in paddle tail swimbait weedless or a 4in with a weighted ewg hook and fish right through the weeds (if it's not too thick). Around the edges of the grass, I fish an ewg ned rig.

Straight FC but I will use braid to leader on small BFS plugs and little jerkbaits from time to time.

Over the years I have noticed their baits soften up in the heat. I don't know about a new formula. I bought a few packs of Skinny Dippers back in April. They worked fine then but now in 90 degree weather, they seem squishy. Sitting in the garage, they're fine.