Koz

I absolutely get it. Previously I had posted here on BR lamenting that I probably should have bought a boat instead. Two things helped change that a bit for me. The first was adding a winch to my trailer as it makes it a million times easier to load up. The second was entering a few tournaments this year. Next year I plan to enter a lot of national and regional tournaments.

It’s not a cache or cookies issue and it seems to be happening only with the mobile website. I have only Safari on my phone and haven’t checked any other browsers. If I had to guess I would say that there’s an HTML error that is calling a CSS file or a JS file or it’s calling an old CSS file. If it’s not that then I would guess there is CSS that is breaking on Safari and you need to edit that call or add a line specific to Safari.

Is anyone else heading to Lake Fork for the Native Watercraft No Limit Big Bass Power Hour tournament on November 16th? Based upon the number of entries, they are paying up to $1,000 an hour for biggest bass of the hour and up to $3,500 for first place. This is a no limit tournament, so all bass over 14 inches are counted. I will be in that area around November 10th if you want to pre-fish or grab some dinner one night. Reply here or send me a DM.

OK - there’s now a 95% chance that I’ll be going to Texas and staying in the Lake Fork area. I don’t think I’ll make it to Rayburn or Toledo Bend, but I will fish Caddo and maybe Bistineau. And since I’ll be fishing a tournament at Lake Fork, I will fish with a guide before that. The tournament rules don’t have pre-fishing or guide restrictions. Hopefully he can find some fish for me and I can mark the locations in my One Boat Humminbird app.

OK, I just took a look at your profile and see you’re from NJ so that makes a lot of sense. I see that I’m spoiled here in the south with easy access to tons of big lakes. Have you looked into adding a stern mounted motor to your kayak? You can get 6-9 mph out of some of them.

That’s definitely true, but you have to start somewhere when you’re an unknown fishing regional or national events. Whether it’s baits, rods, or other gear the bait monkey has a hold over me so I’m more than happy to get 30% - 50% of my purchases and occasionally getting some free stuff. Yes, these companies are still making money off of me in exchange for me promoting their products. But my savings are a big win for me as well.

I’m pretty sure that you’ve been a lot like me with your kayak. You bought something that you thought you could live with forever and then you bought another kayak or kept adding and adding. If I were in your position I’d buy a gas powered bass boat and then add an electric outboard. This way you can have the best of both worlds. Sure, you could transform a jon boat and add a deck and storage. But in 2-3 - or if your fishing a lot of windy days - you’ll wish you had the bass boat.

Thank you. So far my plans are still up in the air, but I’m leaning slightly towards Texas. the last minute weather forecast will play a role.

Baby back ribs Baked potato Broccoli Beer and Baseball Go Yankees!

Geez, that’s nasty. I’m glad you’re on the mend. Last month I got lit up with 6 or 7 yellow jacket stings mowing over their nest. But that’s like a mild sunburn compared to what you went through.

After 4 months, what are your thoughts now?

Nothing. Got home late the next day and made a few casts with my new Cashion FFS rod and new Daiwa Procyon reel. I’ve been getting home after dark since. But I have two days off later this week and I plan to spend them fishing and watching the Yankees win.

If you can see they are interested but not biting, you need to change up your retrieve.

My new 7' 4" Cashion Icon FFS M/F spinning rod came in today and I have to say I'm impressed. I paired it with a new Daiwa Procyon AL LT spinning reel. Most of my arsenal is comprised of Exprides and various St. Croix baitcasters. In fact, before today I had only one spinning combo, a ML/S Falcon rod that I used for mainly drop shots. That soft tip on combo didn't do a good job with jig head minnows. But this Cashion rod really imparts the proper action when shaking a minnow and does it with minimal movement. It's light, and compared with that Daiwa it doesn't wear me out when shaking a minnow. The rod is designed to handle light jig heads and baits that are all the rage with FFS fishing. The diameter of the tip end is really, really small. I worry about breaking it off if I'm navigating under trees. I'm really going to have to watch out, especially since this rod is 7' 4" and most of my rods are 7' and 7' 2". The grips are comfortable and not bulky at all, another reason why it didn't wear me out while I was constantly shaking the bait. It also casted well (as did the Daiwa with 10 pound braid) with what I was throwing. It will be interesting to see how it handles the lighter and smaller jig heads and baits. After setting it up today I fished off my dock for about 30 minutes with a Dirty Jigs head and a 5" Damiki Armor Shad. The bass were once again blowing up beyond my casting distance, but I did hook up with one fish but didn't land it. It was actually quite odd because I neve felt the fish hit the bait. As I was shaking the minnow I felt tension in the line and reeled down. The fish came straight at me barely pulling, But when it did pull a little I realized I hadn't set enough drag and as the fish was near the dock it made a run looped back and the line slacked and I lost it. It never came to the surface so I assume it was probably just a 2 pound catfish. Anyway, I really like this rod and the reel as well. I'm going to try and get out on my kayak this weekend and put them both through their paces. If I still like it in a week, the next time I need a baitcasting rod I'll try another Cashion.

Ivie would essentially add another day of traveling and I’d lose a day of fishing. Going from GA to TX is already a long trip. But it would probably be epic to go there.

Tonight around sunset I took my dog outside and as usual I saw dozens and dozens of baitfish balls near the surface throughout the creek channel. But this time bass were just blowing up everywhere on the baitfish, Some of the bass looked to be good size as they launched themselves out of the water. I ran inside and grabbed a rod and a tackle tray with lipless crankbaits that I can cast a mile. Unfortunately, none of the action was within casting distance. I thought about my AP 120 kayak, but it was trailered and with the water level low I didn't feel like hauling it over the sea wall. What I forgot about was my old pedal drive kayak stored in one of my sheds. But tomorrow night I'll be ready of the bass are blowing up again.

Thanks. I'm going to make a note of those in my phone. So far I'm leaning towards Texas as I begin pricing out places to stay. I was thinking of staying in Tyler or thereabouts in an AirBnB so I'm fairly central to the lakes where I want to fish.

I prefer the warmer climates this time of year. But I do have family throughout Ontario. Years ago I did some pike fishing up at Lake Nipigon.

Already done. My new Cashion FFS spinning rod, Daiwa Procyon AL LT, and a bunch of soft plastics are already on the way! While a guide would definitely be a help and I’d catch more fish, my goal is quiet time and some self care. In my job I constantly deal with people. That’s part of why the slow pace and isolation of kayak fishing appeals to me.

I live in GA and I’ve fished almost all of the larger lakes and a lot of the PFA’s. Spotted bass have taken over most of the bigger lakes. Between formerly living in SC and fishing tournaments of fished all of the major SC lakes as well. On this trip I’m not looking for good fishing- I’m looking for giants.

Knowing my luck one of the cartels would get me. No thanks. I’ll stay stateside.

But you can make bank as a good welder. I’m tired of running hotels at the property level. That, and when I took over this hotel in early 2021 we were supposed to completely renovate by the end of 2022 and we’re not even close to that. This property should be a gem, but it’s not. I’m looking for a Regional VP position instead. That would mean no more 24 hour work days and having to work 7 days a week. I wish I had the money to retire.

Over the years I have been to Florida a lot and done everything other than fish. Fishing is the sole purpose of my vacation. I’m also making this trip solo and using it as a time to think and decompress. Running a hotel is a 24/7/365 job and it’s stressful as it never ends. With that, I’m deciding whether or not to quit my job and do something else.

It's been years since I've taken the time to go on a real vacation and I'm bound and determined load up my truck and kayak to head somewhere next month (November). Originally I planned to fish a handful of Florida lakes, but after the hurricanes I'm rethinking that. I don't want to be in the way of any cleanup efforts, ramps may be closed, and the lakes may or may not be in good shape. My goal is to make this a bucket list of fishing vacation and I'm planning to be gone anywhere from 8-14 days. So, of these destinations, where would you go? Option 1 - Florida Trip The first stop would be Orange Lake. It's only a five hour drive so I could fish the same day I left. The other lake I definitely want to fish is Toho. Depending upon how things are going I might add Istokpoga and Panasoffkee to the trip. Option 2 - Texas Trip The two definite lakes on my list are Lake Fork and Caddo Lake. I missed out on the Bassmaster Caddo event because of work. Depending upon how things are going I may also fish Toledo Bend and Rayburn. I thought about OH Ivie, but that adds a lot of driving. If I go to Texas I may also enter the Native Watercraft No Limit Big Bass Event on November 16th. I'd get there to have 2-3 days of practice before the event. In this event, all your catches 14" or more count and there's a $1,000 big bass prize each hour. But gong to Texas I lose two days of fishing because it's a 10 hour drive just to get to Caddo. So, among these choices would you choose Florida or Texas?