Dens228

When I started in the kayak all my rods were MH/Fast. No issues at all. Now that the bug has bit I still usually have at least two, sometimes three, out of the seven I usually bring.

I used straight braid with crankbaits for several years, 20 lb test. Then I added a mono leader for no other reason that adding a bit of stiffness near the bait to minimize hook fouling with the line. Last summer I switched to flouro for cranks and jerkbaits. I don't really notice a difference between flouro and braid.

Like stated above, wind and water clarity are what I base my initial decision on. Calm and clear I try to go with a swim jig, add low vis or wind and it's a chatterbait. Of course also throw in vegetation. One of my most successful techniques is throwing a swim jig into the thicker stuff and ripping it through, not happening with a chatter. Now to add to the mix there's also the underspin which for the past year or so has been my first choice. A little more subtle than a chatter, a bit less subtle than a swim jig. The underspin is a no doubt first choice for me when bass are chasing baitfish in open water.

A tiny crack will become a big crack quickly. I had the Boonedox on my Atak and it started tearing. I will NEVER use the Boonedox again. Nice convenience but it takes five seconds to put my kayak on my Wilderness Systems cart. To store it on the kayak I just slide one of the supports into a rod holder on my crate.

I'm on my third year with my Bixby. Started it on a Vibe, half way through the first year switched to a SS127 that I put a Bixby rudder on.. I love it. Every so often I get an itch for a spot lock trolling motor but just can't justify giving up a power system where the motor and battery weight about 10 pounds total.

I've had several, the top three stability wise were.......... 3. Wilderness Systems Atak 120 2. Wilderness Systems Radar 115 1. Bonfide SS127. Just this past Wednesday I got stuck on a submerged stump in 18 feet of 42 degree water. I had a heck of a time getting unstuck. After about 10 minutes I strapped everything down, grabbed my paddle and walked up to the front just behind the hatch and lightly bounced while I paddled to get unstuck. I'm 5-09 240 pounds.

I use the rod/reel combo that I normally use for swim jigs and chatterbaits. M/H fast MB SpecR with a Diawa Tatula Elite 6.3:1.

They are my go to on line place. It used to be TW but their shipping time has plummeted beyond explanation as mentioned on other threads. Tackle Trap is fast with great prices.

A jig by far. Either an Arkie with a craw trailer or a swim with a Keitech Fat Impact. Both are always tied on and with me.

I love early spring and late fall for jerkbaits, occasionally throw them in clear water in the summer but usually don't think of them during the summer. I was really looking forward to the jerkbait bite last fall but couldn't buy a bite for some reason. My biggest bass of the year was caught early spring last year on one.

I use a MegaBass OrochiXX Diablo SpecR. It's 7-03 and I use it out of a kayak. My OrochiXX Tour Versatile may even be better. I may have to switch that up.

Rubber net combined with a larger sized mesh are perfect as far as I'm concerned.

90% of my fishing is quarries and I do well. A depth finder was great, side imaging brought my success to a whole new level. Structure..........in quarries that can mean old road beds, slight humps, rock piles, corners, depth edges. One quarry I've fished for years and caught probably my top 30 biggest bass there. First year with side imaging I was cruising through some 30 foot water from one of my spots to another when I spotted a small in diameter but high hump that rose up to 10-12 feet below the surface. The hump was maybe 10 feet across. Fish magnet, especially during the heat of summer. I another quarry one shoreline is 15-20 feet deep right at the shore for it's entire length. The sun was beating down on it, no shade and I was heading back to the ramp when I noticed a very small indentation in the shoreline, perfect half circle, about 2 feet across so I figured, "why not" and cast a t-rigged craw into it. Nice 4 pounder. There is no other discernible structure that I'm aware of within 50 yards of that spot.

This is how my kayak fishing has progressed. Two 3700 boxes, to rods. I somehow got up to seven rods, and six or seven 3700 boxes. Now I keep it to five or six rods, it's still six or seven 3700 boxes but they are the thin ones so hold half the lures. I used to bring everything I could in case I needed it. Over time I realized that what's originally tied on when I hit the water pretty much stays on unless I lose it. Towards the end of this past summer I started only bringing the boxes that contain what I know will work where I'm going. Hopefully I can trim down a bit more.......

I don't think you'll be disappointed. If I was forced to use one for both it would be the Versatile.

I use the Versatile for t-rigs, and I fish out of a kayak 99.9% of the time. I think it's the perfect rod for it. I do use a Braillist for jigs too.

I own and use all three you mention. I use the Tour Versatile is my t-rig plastics but I wouldn't hesitate to use it for jigs up to 1/2 oz. I use the Braillist for most of my jigs, 3/8 and up, I use 3/8 jigs 99% of the time anyway. I use the PP for spinnerbaits but could also use the Braillist comfortably. As a 4th I use a Spec R for swim jigs, chatterbaits. But I could use the Braillist for those too. I've yet to break an Orochi.........

Shad colors when the water is clear or fairly clear. Bluegill colors when it's murky. Sometimes I add a little chartreuse to the tail of the trailer. Same with swim jigs. Pretty simple and it works for me. I somehow doubt a bass swims up to take a shad colored bait and stops while thinking, "Hey, that looks a little different than the other shad around here" I also have a few places where shad is far and away the best bass catching color and there isn't a single real shad in the water.

TW's shipping is also back to normal. As far as pickles, they have plenty of pickles, no truck drivers willing to transport them, or many other things too. My son is a driver for FedEx. He does pick ups from businesses. They are so short on drivers his managers are always begging him to add to his hours and do some residential deliveries either before or after his regular hours and on Saturdays. He kept doing it until he was getting 70 hours/wk. He loads and unloads his own truck(s) so it makes for some long days and weeks.

I use underspins all year and have good success. I tend to use them in clearer water, or like said above, in conditions where I would like to use a crankbait but grass dictates that trebles will drive me crazy. I think of underspins/chatterbaits/swim jigs as the same thing with which I use dictated by the conditions. Two of the above three are pretty much always tied on and I let the bass make the final decision.

Having grown up on mono line I have only used it for leaders the last 5-6 years. I was all braid all the time. Tried FC and didn't like it and then realized I used the cheapest I could find to try it. Now I use braid for everything except cranks, jerks, and my contact jigs, those are FC. I also don't ever use leaders anymore.

My rods always have the same reels/line. Most will change lures depending on where I'm going and conditions but usually it's just color. My jig rod is always my jig rod My plastics rod is always my plastics rod Etc. I do have some rods for multi purpose.......my two cranking rods also get used for poppers, jerkbaits. I fish out of a kayak so try to limit what I bring to 6 or 7 rods. If I was on a boat I could easily see myself with a dozen.

Frog Deep crankbait Jig I went out yesterday under what would be considered pretty good conditions, moderate wind, cloud cover. I caught plenty of bass. I tried all sections of the water column. Only the opposite ends of the spectrum worked. About half were caught with a frog up tight to shore or on slop in 3 feet of water or less, and half were caught with a deep crank in 20 feet of water. Absolutely none were caught in between.

I was fishing for bass in July using a 3/8 oz spinnerbait and caught a 38 inch pike. Yes, it ruined the spinnerbait but was well worth the fun.

This is my third year in my 127, I love it.