Darth-Baiter

I knew I was going to love it, but I had no clue HOW MUCH I was going to love it. I did okay fishing from shore at local ponds, but nothing spectacular. buying the kayak really expanded the experience for me. I can hit ANY lake I want in my area. big reservoirs are fair game. I crossed Lake Berryessa, and I have really explored Clearlake. I have yet to cross Clearlake, because I haven't needed to. the place is littered with boat ramps, and simply searching GoogleEarth can usually find me a ramp that is strategically close to the area I plan to target. I fish occasionally on a bass boat, and I am much more organized fishing on my kayak. pure necessity to maintain my housekeeping duties while fishing off a kayak. you simply cannot scatter stuff everywhere. in addition, it was interesting to fine my favorite lake is a PIA to even get a bass boat to, and as a result we kayakers get to fish it really all to ourselves. some adventurous boaters will brave the trek and get their boats there. I am still breaking the lake down to manageable parts, but I have already taken some whoppers there - blind fishing. this drought we are having. a boat ramp that is too dry to launch a bass boat is coincidentally easier to launch a kayak. it isn't busy anymore with boats, and the water is perfect to stepping into a dry kayak. easy peasy. I am having so much fun, and I am fishing more than I EVER have in my life. during the "Covid-Lull" I was fishing 3-4x per week!! I will tour the western states when time and life and pandemic allows. I am blessed my wife is totally on board. she loves to hear my fishing stories (or she fakes it well). the one Achilles to my kayak life is WIND. stupid wind. I am a hobby weather man these days. hahah..I watch NOAA like a hawk. wind almost killed me on Lake Camanche. lessoned learned. watch the weather, and know what to expect.

I love reverse. I use it primarily as a brake. I tend to get super enthusiastic when I get to a fishing spot, so I come in HOT! I switch to reverse to stop my forward motion. if not, I will park over the structure/fish.

Blanchard kills them on the finger lakes casting to a bridge there. up against the foundations. looks like a wonderful fishing venue!! great catch bud.

This makes little sense. First person at the spot gets dibs.

Nope. I never heard of the sealant until I joined the forum. My rods get rough looking for sure, but whatever. I don’t ogle them lovingly anyways. Tools.

True story. The Mepps catalog. Reading it as a tiny kid hooked me.

Here is a still shot. Hahaha. he was a nice kid. A newbie. He will learn. No harm done or felt.

I hit the lake this morning. No winds in the morning. Calm. Water was green, visibility about 1.5 feet. I didn’t look at the water temp. fish were chewing! I fished till noon and I got 15 very decent hard fighting fish. So fun. Was going tomorrow, but my friend is sick. I stay home since my day was such a success already. get out there Northern California folks!

Got it on video. Kid parked 6 feet in front of me and started casting. I Casted d**n near over the back of his kayak. And then caught a bass on that cast. Classic. I was not bummed. It all worked out

Water around docks are fair game. Bouncing your bait off a ski boat, not so much.

I only got dinks at mossdale. Blanchard fished there as well. And does much better. I actually think I skunked. Crazy tide swings there and it was busy. I am thinking of launching at Paradise soon. Not this weekend as I’m headed to Clearlake tomorrow and hike/wading the Russian Saturday for smallies and pike minnow. I didn’t like discovery bay. Too many giant ass boats. And my casting accuracy sucks when a homeowner is watching me.

No problem. I try to take it further by telling them what the fish are hitting on. Which by the way is always a 3/8 oz Lunkr-Buster in the ghost phantom color pattern fished using the St. Louis retrieve method.

No way. It can’t. I buy the high end ready mix stuff. High octane and ethanol free. A can last a year. No issues. plus guys winter their boats.

Hey Elias! Great to meet you virtually. im also a NorCal kayaker. Welcome aboard. Maybe one day there is a NorCal fish n meet.

Please don’t tell my wife. I don’t be able to explain my last Zoom purchase. Lizards and worms. By the fistful. I never thought they were going away anyways.

I only check for wind when I fish. I don’t have all the time in the world do what the barometer is going plays very little to if I’m going or not. Wind. Big winds, I stay home. on the CA delta I do check the tides but only to see what’s gonna happen. Not a go, no go type of situation.

Rora I love the drop shot. It’s my undisputed champion technique when it comes to putting a bass in my lap. I’m a kayak fisherman so I’m not fishing from shore. from shore i Texas rig a weedless finesse bait. Zman craw or TRD. I peg the weight to mimic a Ned Rig. I have never fished a DS from the bank because I bought a kayak. good luck. We don’t all start out great. It’s a fun trip as you get better and put more techniques in your wheelhouse

I have the SLX DC. I bought it thinking that it would be the silver bullet to my backlash problems. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Unless mine isn’t working right or something, it will still knot up angrily on me. I have it set at #4 max brake. At #3 I have to be on my game or it will b-lash. my other baitcasters. A Lews, Curado, and AbuG work just as well with respect to birds nest. I seem to be more careful and actually rarely screw the pooch on those reels. it’s a fun reel but I just treat it normally. I can’t get thumb free casting like I see on the tube.

I need to buy a mustang PFD for the days I step onto my friends bass boat. His doesn’t fit me well. I need to stay consistent with safety. thanks.

My friend is moving to Minnesota so fishing for big smallmouth bass at Mille Lacs is a real possibility. I’m going! I will also kayak some of Florida to catch exotics. Peacocks mainly. and way out there? I will catch top water tuna at the Ascension Islands when I retire. go big or go home ( before I die) in general once I put my mind to it, it’s happening. I caught a giant in Peru. And it changed my life. I want more.

I also wear the chinook. It’s pretty comfortable. I wear it cinched tight. I jumped off my kayak and it rode up on my body surprisingly easy. No good. So I cinched it down and jumped in again. Better. Climbing back in, the vest makes it easier. It pads my body as I squirm back in. my friend had to save a guy in the ocean when his vest didn’t inflate. That story alone made me pick a regular PFD.

User error. I’m using 12lb flouro on jigs. You’ll get into the rhythm of setting the hook. I’m learned that I have time. Feel the tic, crank up any looseness, drop rod and set. If I felt the tic I don’t have much slack but sometimes the fish is swimming towards me. it’s so fun. You’ll get it. I just figured it out this spring.

Rochester. I think Pretty sure

One of my “inner circle”. We share secret spots. We just met this year on our kayaks and we’ve taken a lot of fish together. Him and his wife are moving. Boo! I’m so happy for them but dang it. On the bright side I googled his new home and it is surrounded by juicy waters. Realistically I may get out there once or twice, but it’s far! Driving there with my kayak isn’t happening anytime soon. Haha. I’ll miss him for sure.

Nice!!! I didn’t expect the price tag to have that kinda magnitude. But really nice. id live to see if they fit my giant face. I wear Natives on the water. I have a back up pair of Oakleys I’m too nervous to use. I will soon. They fit better.