Darth-Baiter

Dang effective drifting a worm thru trees. I used a o-ring and a Moto hook. My worm lasted 9 hits. So much fun! my first wacky bass. And my first ever bass from Clearlake.

For sure. The State Park. I saw lots of shore access. And two beaches.

That lake is tough! But paddling around studying my fish finder I found a submerged tree. That tree was loaded! I hooked 10 - boated 8. Zero dinks. One (maybe) a four pounder! the smallest of the day.

There’s an equation. It basically says the longer the spring, the more stretch. 6 feet of any leader isn’t gonna be the shock absorber you think it is. Having said that, I run two rod lengths of leader at the beginning of the day. It gets shorter as a break off lures. right now I’m experimenting with 10lb power-pro to a 10LB Seagar flouro leader. My rod (med-fast)feels too stiff, but it’s holding up okay. I’m running my drag a scooch on the losses end. there is a small lake I hike to. Smaller bass. I use straight 4lb flouro because of the soft mouth and my own hammer fist. It tempers my enthusiasm.

Condolences. I’m new here on the forum. I didn’t know. the bass? What line are you running? I would go full power and hork them in next time . Sounds exciting nevertheless.

As I’ve gotten older, I think I’m just more stubborn. I keep trying different things until I crack the code. Covid -19 got me fishing again. The boredom. I would hike up to a small lake and chuck Ned-rigs and kill the bass. So much fun. I would try Texas rig the z-man baits, pegging sinkers, and catch fish. It got me thinking “what if I had a boat?” enter my Hobie Kayak. I would drive by a kayak-able lake. What the heck?. go for it. I tried all summer. Nothing but dinks. I hear stories of big bass...I dug in as I watched and felt autumn approaching. I don’t know how to catch fall bass! I kept at it. I am CRUSHING IT. I am catching fall bass. i have three Goals. A frog fish, a punch fish, and a jig fish. I’ll stay with it until I figure it out. today. It was deep water Drop-shot.

I’m getting it! Today I went back to my local lake and crushed it. Everyone was casting to shore and I was in the middle casting to deep structure I find while paddling over. My first cast was my new California PB. Prob 3 lbs. (I need to buy a scale STAT!). The best part I caught five of his slightly smaller friends. my kayak is becoming a GREAT purchase.

I crushed them this afternoon. All my fish were within casting distance of the shoreline you can cast from. The further dam The clearing closest to the golf course. Cast a drop shot towards the horizon.

not enough info. what kinda of fishing are you doing? i backpack for native trout. i am now rocking a 3-piece Okuma SST UL, simply because i can store it in a tube and hook it to my backpack.

you fished that pond near Bear Republic Brewery? or is this the heroin needle lake? how about Fountain Grove lake? decent shore fishing, and i just say a guy pull out a big bass near the dam. dont forget the Russian River! you can hike for a day, casting to deeper pools and pull out smallmouth bass.

i really want a peacock bass. not sure the Amazon River is in the cards, right now. altho i have fished that river, but in Peru. my options are Hawaii, or Florida. is this an easy fish? easy access? Florida is an attractive option due to the LMB as well..and the stuff i dont know anything about..the FLATS.

the first ever time i fished for bass was in Tuscon. Pena Blanca lake. (i got skunked, but my mentor caught a giant. i never forgot that fish coming out of the water!) i made a vow to drive my butt over there with my kayak to revisit the venue that started all this madness for me. soon. i will be there bowhunting deer in January, so i might roof-top my kayak.

awesome welcome..truly appreciated. i want to contribute as much as gather..so i can help. anyone wants to hit up the Delta or Clearlake or Berryessa, or Hennesey..(man, i have options!!) on a kayak, let me know.

i live and fish..maybe should say, FISH and live in California. i am also a total newbie. especially to kayak fishing. i dont plan to shut it down this winter. i got some Clearlake Intel, and was told Nov/Dec kicksbutt - with the correct bait. what i am gonna do, i am going to buy some immersion clothing should i take an unplanned dip into the cold water. i'll buy a Farmer John wetsuit and wear it in the freshwater like a total rookie. whatever, i dont like killing myself. i know how to climb back onboard my kayak. i've practiced enough.

i actually had 20lb braid bury in on itself on my Lews speedspool. it's barely noticeable, but i noted erratic casting. its just enough on my reel to jack things up. i unspooled it thinking i could reel it all back in "gentle like", but it was tacky feeling to the bottom of the reel. i took it out and put in 12lb sunline flouro. i'll go 30lb braid next time to try it. i am learning as i go.

haha..yea, i dont lie about fishing. i dont need that type of karma following me around when i fish. :)

i am a new kayak bass fisherman. i picture myself hauling out 7 lb bass - I'm gonna need a net!! so i buy an inexpensive short net, and it was not good enough. in my excitement, i leaned way out with my short net and almost fell overboard. (it was a small bass) totally unacceptable. so i went to the hardware store for some stuff. glue, pipe, saw blade, pipe glue. i seroiusly could have bought a net for cheaper!! but it was fun. i even injected it full of foam so it wont hold water and cant transport invasive zebra mussels from one body of water to another. it floats!! the Frablil net, labeled a trout net and was $14 at Sportsman Warehouse. it fill the bill simply because it has rubber mesh fabric. after my modifications! (oh yesterday was my best big bass day, and i forgot my net!! and my cellphone)

i just flip the handle..and i just had to clear out the mother of all knots. my friend was, "did you just backlash a spinning reel"..just to mess with me. i'll retrain my brain. thanks for this.

my friend gave me his budget Garmins Striker 4. i had to jerry-rig it into my Lowrance ready Hobie kayak, but that was simple. i built a simple bracket out of a piece of plastic. my Hobie is not Side Imagining friendly. the tranducer sits up in a pocket. SI needs a tranducer that pokes out right? my set up is very basic, but it has helped tremendously in finding me some fishy spots. i will upgrade to a RayMarine DRagonfly 5 one day. maybe for Christmas, but my wife is horrible at blatant hints.

i love my Fury by Dobyns. it is my favorite rod. the grip is right..perfect thickness for me. the shorter handle is easier in a kayak. i am gonna buy another one. it punches way above it's weightclass.

i'm new to kayak fishing but i tend to obsess. so here is what i know. i think bass fishing, it is really great to be able to stand up and fish. standing up has a few components. you can stand, yea. can you cast? can you set the hook hard? you have to look beyond the boat length. i ride a 12 foot hobie compass. i bought my boat in the hopes that i get into the ocean for some Ling and rockfish. (it could happen) BUT standing in my Compass? i can, but the seat is so low that it is very difficult to stand up. once up, i am okay. but getting my feet under me is worst than the worst squat. summary, look at the seat height!! if i was to only fish small ponds, i would look at a smaller boat. a 10 footer. buy any boat i buy needs to fit in the back of my truck..i am not buying into a trailer.

okay. apparently, i cannot spell "backlash" without my reading glasses..now my username is a typo! hahah.. (off to a smashing start!) anyways. i live in Sonoma Wine Country. covid-19 caused me boredom. so i rekindled my fishing thing. i started off by hiking to a lake and catching lots of bass. no boats allowed, only inflatables, and shore fishing. i did well!! smaller bass tho. i used UL gear. 4lb line and trout stuff. one thing led to another, and now i have a fishing kayak. and a fist full of new rods and reels. yesterday, i caught my PB and in the FALL! i have never caught a bass outside of spring and summer. i boated a big-un, and lost two bigger-uns. lucky i have a wonderful and loving wife. looking foward to upping my knowledge, hench the forum joining. some other forum, never let me in by sending me an email to validate. (their loss :))