HTNFSH

Hey All, Thanks for the all the advice. So here is a short recap of an event I did a couple weeks ago. Day 1 Winds started NE up 15mph and fished my #1 spot on a breakwater that was protected from the wind. Current came around the corner and set me up for a good bite all morning. Got my 5 fish limit. Day 2 West wind started 15mph and rose to 25+ sustained. It was insane. It paralleled the the opposite breakwater I was fishing on day 1 and was pounding the rocks at a slight angle. Fished downstream behind a dock that broke the surface waves, but still had lots of current and got two back to back. The last and largest fish of the day was a LM that hit a chatter bait up against the rocks that were windswept. Only could get one or two casts before losing position, but it paid off. Even in high winds, both a finesse dropshot and powerfishing a chatterbait played. I read the water was able to fish it with confidence.

Ok, lets say you fishing this weekend. Forecast is rain and high winds 10-20mph from the south. You have 3 options. Fish the southern shore line and structure to stay protected, but in theory bait is pushed to the northern shore and structure all within a big bay that is just as wide as is long. Some grass, some wood and some sandy bottom. The 3rd option is to fish the southern shore line of the main lake, again protected by trees until you get 1/4 half mile from shore. What would you do and why?

I have a picture of myself holding a nice walleye when I was 5. I can remember my dad talking about big eyes on Lake Erie and watching him leave the house at 6am with a buddy or uncle. Ironically, there are only a handful of memories of fishing when I was a kid. You could say I quit and had zero interest from HS through the beginning of career until I bought my first boat at 28. I started taking my dad fishing and began to realize why he enjoyed it and the outdoors so much. I was shopping for a little bigger more comfortable boat for us and some family friends when he died from cancer in 2007 at 57. Since then, hunting and fishing has taken a new meaning. I was fishing last May over Memorial day weekend when I got the news my mom lost her struggle with cancer at 68. The sport has more meaning to me than ever. Life is so short...grab a rod and hold on.

Well the weekend has come and gone. I put 35-40 hours on the water from Friday to Monday. Waiting on results, but expect to finish between 10-15 out of 62 for a club event. Given where I was fishing, I expected a top 5, but the big girls were not biting my line except one fish. My go-to style is a texas rig of some sort and Monday was no different. Sunday and Monday I sized up from a 4" tube to an 8" lizard and the size of fish increased from 14-15" to 16-17". It was clear I found a spawning and staging area and fished it hard. I fished the edges of lilies where it transitioned to grass or a weed of sorts. Changing things up I moved off the lilies to more open water and into deeper 5-7 ft of water thinking maybe the bigger fish were deeper. The sun was high (noon) with clear bright skies. I was drifting with wind and making a long cast quartering with the wind a dragging back slowly through the grass when my rod hit so hard I thought it was a pike or smallmouth. As I got it closer the the yak, disappointment set in when I thought it was a big drum (or sheephead we call them). I didn't bother with the net only to see the biggest darn bass I've ever seen on the right side of the boat. As I reach down and grab it with my right hand by the mouth, my left hand (with the rod) leans over and creates enough slack for her to hop off. I was devastated. I spent two more hours circling the area after setting 3 waypoints. (100ft radius) I had 3 more bite that felt the same but could not hook up again. I tried the same area again a few hours later without success. My guess is I hit her bed the first time and either found a school or got lucky enough to hit her bed 3 more times. That bass could have eaten every other fish I caught all weekend. I am guessing she was 5-7lbs and 21-23".

Thanks for the honest feedback. Lots of ways to look at this situation and trying to be open minded. I hope to put in to practice this weekend.

I'm a fan of Old Town myself. My first kayak was a predator mx and now old a predator pdl. Backpedaling out of a hole or positioning a spot is soooo easy with pedal drive. The mx was very stable, but the pdl is even more so because there is another 10lbs below the hull witht the pedal drive in the water. My buddy had a Topwater PDL and loves it. Lots of great options out there.

Hey Guys, I've been chasing bass for just over a year now. I also jumped into the tournament seen (kayak) right out of the gate and really enjoy it. I know I'm competing against the best of my region or state in most cases and thats ok. Where I fall down is not even catching a 5 fish limit. When 60 guys are catching 5...I get 3. When the bite is tough and 25 get 3-5 fish, I skunk. Time in the water will come, but I also fish a bunch of different lakes from Texas to New York. How do you guys keep it together and not spin out chasing different locations. My biggest lesson so far is more casts...more fish. Thanks

Thanks Fellas... lots of great info here. Don't laugh but I thought forums were dead...haha.

Been fishing on an off since I was a kid, but never could see the appeal of bass fishing. Not sure why, perch, trout, steelhead and wallaye were always my favorites. Been fishing for black bass for two years now and can't get enough. Funny how tastes change with age.