Darth-Baiter

Low hanging fruit in April. Great choice. I’ll be there.

I’m inviting myself with this guy. 4 days. Go big.

Yea around here people come n hard on rocky beaches. Oyster shells etc. it will eat thru anything.

My friend wore thru his Hobie pro angler. Almost went thru. It was a soft spot for sure. So thin. It happens. He fixed it with a BerleyPro

I do have a Berley Pro (looks like Kydex) keel guard glued on my older Hobie. My new one, I haven’t gotten around to ordering one. In the meantime I do this. I ran this tape on my older boat for months and it lasts maybe 20-30 outings before I peel it off and put on a fresh layer. On the back of my older kayaks by the rudder; it’s the same application that’s been there for 8 months. Pros: it cost $5.99 per roll it’s very durable and can tolerate several “hard beach landings” it peels off clean! it’s waterproof and won’t come off when wet. Cons: you will have to replace it periodically. (Honestly I think a person can wear thru a BerleyPro - thinking about peeling one off installed with marine goop gives me anxiety. Ironically this tape will not stick to the BerleyPro)) it’s not flexible so you will need to trim it to wrap around corners. as it wears, it does create a spot your fishing line can hang up on. kinda ugly. It’s plumbers pipe wrap after all. It’s blazoned with the company logo. pics.

I learned that I’m a better kayak fisherman than I thought and that there are still days that make me think I suck at catching fish. So focus on the fun-aspect. It truly is better than doing yard work.

Victor wood snap traps with the gooey insides of a snickers-bar for bait. I squish a gob of nougat pranuty goodness under the bait tab. Only downside is you need run the trap line all storage season. That could suck.

I’d Google that rod to see if it’s in their inventory. I don’t think it would be worth the drive. I have one in town and I rarely go. But they do carry my rod brands. Dobyns and Phenix.

The pedal drive keeps popping out on the right side. I called my shop and he said they sometimes need to shave some of the kayak material so the drive can push down enough to engage the lock. I did manage to fish 8 hours today. I would have to heel-kick the drive lock mechanism to lock it back in occasionally. Super annoying. At home I locked the drive in and “flossed” the gap with a section of paracord. There’s clearance, so shaving won’t do the trick. I think I need a replacement d**n. should be an easy fix. If they have the part (ice cube chance in hell, I imagine). Overall the Hobie Outback is great. I can stand way easier than on my Compass. It was so stable I got cocky and turned 90 deg to pee and almost fell out. Okay too much too soon. The tool layout is incredibly well thought out. My pliers and cutters had a secure place. I can jab a rod into the side rail while I tie knots. It is fast as heck. I kept at 4.2mph super easy for about half a mile. Adjusting the seat height and settings is possible out in the water. My Compass was one size fits all. This is going to work. I did nanage to bounce a 2 lb smallie on the deck today. So no skunk and my boat got bass smellie.

100% PFD. I put it on/off at the truck. No exceptions. one lousy fish today. A fishing guide on his own time got skunked. Brutal. (But mission accomplished )

I’m fairly nervous for a full-grown adult. Haha. Tough bite everywhere, and im headed to a lake I haven’t fished for a long time. Last rain brought the giant lakes level up 12 feet. I gotta see it with my own eyes. lipless crank drop shot jig! weightless worm for now. On deck: jerk bait. Friend has and a-rig. One I can borrow as well. I’ll update tomorrow. How I find the smallies

I started trail-jogging thanks to the pandemic. My jog sent me past a small lake. I started bringing a two piece UL setup. Tiny Neds caught me a lot of bass. Got me thinking, “mmm I should buy a boat!” I ended up with a kayak and all bets are off. I’m hooked. (Now I have two kayaks). yea. While I fished before (and stopped); clearly the pandemic brought me back. Social distance is the game in a kayak. I don’t litter or destroy the environment in my new found frenzy. I pick up trash. Especially discarded fishing line. Drives me nuts.

I did 8 miles a few days ago. Slight breeze. I had a few sprints to spots and got my HR up, but I’d say effort-level was acceptable. A motor would be sweet. I could cruise and tie knots at the same time. motor isn’t a necessity yet. I WANT to do a few tournaments without a motor. I’d love to place higher than a few motorized people first. sorry. I scratched out some names to preserve anonymity of the place.

All good points. I just got my kayak 1,5 years ago. I’m still homing in on the type of fisherman I’ll be, I suppose. I have my favorites for sure. Even at this point.

I see the rod as the “shock absorber” for the system.

Daiwa Fuego. I admit I can’t remember his much my 1000 cost me, but even the 1000 hauls in bass. I have it on my light 2-piece that I pack into distant hike in only lakes. It’s an enjoyable reel.

Not me. I want to expand my bass skill set.

Solved my storage issue. Kayak bunk beds.

wow. I am shocked how fast I got it. it's been a whirlwind. no fishing yet, since I need to go buy some lumber to make accommodations to store both boats. I am keeping my kayak in the meantime to see if I can get my wife on a Clearlake bass in the springtime. and it would be nice to have a loaner boat anyways. there is a fishing lake that you have to torture your boat trailer/truck to get to...a smaller 4x4 with kayaks is "low hanging fruit". it is a gin clear lake with very low pressure since it so is remote. I do see the occasional bass boat and the entire conversation must be "how are we going to clean this boat?" I named my old boat the Green Basilisk. this one might just be Basilisk. they are fast. here it is. my new Hobie Outback.

if I couldn't fish anymore, at least I would have cooking to keep my mind and hands busy. Chicken Moco Loco.

at 40 with a family, with kids. dang...it isn't all about ME at that point. I would proceed carefully. I was a late bloomer so I kinda know the feeling. I went back to school, which was an easy decision since I was bascially solo at that point.

its just me, but I kinda think a kayak with hull numbers looks kinda cool. it looks so "serious". hehe.

Yea. Texas rigs, jigs and drop shots bass are a moving target.

We have an invading ant here in CA. It’s a special ant from Argentina. The colony has more than one queen. Super colonies. there is no beating them. Only control. They virtually killed all of our native ants according to the Google, and my pest control friend. Tiny, fast running ants. Thankfully they prefer to live outdoors. Only coming in during floods and droughts. Haha. We are always one of those two. Mofos! with our recent rains. They are back. I baited them and wipe out a colony in about 38-48 hours. Then I seal the entry point w silicon. If I had ants I felt my 92 year old neighbor would have ants. So I gave her a visit. Yup, I put down baits. I couldn’t control them. I realized she was spraying the conga lines with Raid! The superpower of the Argentine ant is the multiple queens. The feel an attack, the colony will split up to increase the odds of survival. Game over at her place. I told her my limited skills are no match. She will have to call a pro. She has lots of ants.

I will add the # of fish caught Wake bait: 0 chatterbait. 3 swim jig; 1 big plastic swim bait: 1 whopper plopper: 0 megabass dark sleeper: 0 (this one is embarrassing). Carolina Rig: 0! spinnerbait: 0! year 2022, I’m looking at you! I’ll try to change some of those ZEROS..