IgotWood

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I can't seem to buy a fish on a frog. Nice work! When fishing on top, it's important to wait until you FEEL the line come tight, then set the hook. I certainly lack experience in the frog department, but I do have extensive experience in the spooking field. It took a long time to break the habit of setting the hook on the visual strike. But once I did, my hook-up ratio dramatically increased.

Thanks! Yeah, I snapped this one quick. Then I took one of the fish lying across my lap, which looked much better, but my phone was full, and it didn't save

I recently moved to Yorktown, Virginia, and have been kayak fishing the reservoir down the road from my house, and have been averaging between 5-10 fish per trip, most fish between 14-18". I fished yesterday for a couple of hours, and couldn't conjure up a bite. I was getting ready to pack it in when I finally got a tug. She taped out at 20", and fat. No scale onboard, and my phone was full, so this is the only pic I could get. She was way bigger in person (fishing story...lol). She ate a 4" senko green Pumpkin over chartruse (an odd color that I have never caught on). She towed me around a bit in the kayak too! Great way to close out a slow day! (Sorry...can't figure out how to rotate photos. Computer illiterate)

This is interesting. I prefer to use o-rings on my wacky rigs. Can you still get the right action on the Neko rig if an o-ring is used?

I do a lot of kayak fishing. I have seen many anglers hit the water with enough gear to stock a tackle shop. I too carried way more than necessary. It gets in the way, and it drags your boat down, making you work twice as hard to paddle. For me, there are two things I do to minimize my gear effectively.... 1. Try different style/techniques from your kayak, and figure out which ones are most comfortable and effective from your yak. Certain techniques that I use from shore or boat do not quite translate to kayak fishing, for me personally. 2. Know your water! Now that you know how you can/can't fish from your kayak, bring what you know works on that particular body of water. For example, a lake that I fish often and know pretty well, I know that it is shallow, and that I catch most fish on wacky rigs, keel-weighted swimbaits, and the occasional chatter bait. Not to say they won't hit anything else, but based on my experience, those baits work best. I usually only carry 3 different colors of each. I know the depth, therefore I know what sizes/weights I'll want. I carry Two plano boxes that conveniently fit behind my seat, and I can easily access them without tipping, or making any noise. I have a large ziplock bag in my milk crate full of bags of extra rubber baits, and a couple of back-up tools. THAT'S IT!!! I don't have any gear in my lap, or on anywhere on the deck in front of me when I'm fishing. I know what I need to bring. I leave a little bit of room in my boxes to bring a couple of experimental baits. Oh, and I should also add that I bring NO MORE than 3 rods with me. I have to make due with what I have. That goes along with rule number one, which i talked about previously. Hope this helps. Good luck!!!

So, I went with the St Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F, and I am super happy with it so far! I paired it with a Pflluger President, and 15lb Power Pro Slick. I comfortably fished senko's, jerk baits, and a spook. Now I need more rods so don't have to keep re-rigging every time I want to fish something different. Thanks for the advice guys!

Lots of info here, and I appreciate everyone's input! Thank you! I know well that there is no ONE rod that can do it all. I understand the "technique specific gear", but just for now, it's important to me to have only two rods just so I learn how to fish certain lures/techniques, and what features I would be looking for in new rods for those lures/techniques.

Thank you! I am in Yorktown. I was on Hardwood's Mill...

Most of my salt gear is Lamiglass.. I don't mind spending money, but for right now, I need to maximize my purchase because after all, I am just learning this style of fishing. Ideally, I would like to be in budget at around $200 with a reel, if possible. Also, if braid, how heavy? I like power pro super slick for my salt sticks, but no experience in freshwater. Please pardon my ignorance...what is finess fishing??

Hey guys. I am brand new to LMB fishing (I've gone once, but haven't caught one)..LOL! I have a light 6' rod which is ideal for trout, but not bass. I am fishing from a kayak on a small, shallow reservoir. I have done enough saltwater fishing to know that there is no magic rod that you can do every type of fishing with, however, I am looking for that exact rod. Just kidding. I plan on fishing some small jerk baits, spooks, and plastics. Can anyone recommend a rod that would maybe be the most versatile for what I am doing? Or, knowing that I have the 6' light rod rated around 1/4oz, what could I pair it with to be able to fish other types of lures? I am fishing 8lb mono right now, but I prefer braid. I have very little experience with baitcasters and would prefer a spin outfit. Any help here is much appreciated!

Hi folks. My first post here. I moved a few days ago from Connecticut to Virginia. I have spent my entire life striped bass fishing, and I know ZERO about LMB. I went out in my kayak the other day for a couple hours at daybreak on a local reservoir near my house. This was literally my first time targeting LMB, and first time fishing a lake....I have absolutely no clue what to do. Went out with the 3 lures I own, a chatterbait, a ShadowRap, and a spook. I worked my way close to the bank for a bit, but no activity. I moved to some structure/timber that I could see in the middle of the lake. I was in 10-12' of water with sunken tress nearby and was marking lots of fish suspended in the middle of the water column. I threw my entire arsenal at them for a while, but no players. I did meet a regular who said that the fish aren't quite on the beds yet, but that they should be within the next week or so. I suppose they could have just had lock-jaw. If the wind ever lies down, I plan on going again tomorrow or the next day. I bought a bag of Senko's, and rigged a couple wacky(??) and texas(??). Again, I have no freaking clue what I'm doing. I'm not used to being the googan on the water, but we all have to start somewhere! Just thought I'd drop a line, and say hello. Any tips/advice would go a very long way. Thanks!!