TheSwearingAngler

Saw this thread the other day and just got around to coming back to post… read Columbia Craw’s post and no longer think my most memorable fish is even close to as special. Thank you CC for being a kind individual, not enough of that anymore.

My father had a Ranger in the 90s, it was beautiful… when he went to sell it we took it out in the ocean once just to say we did.. it jumped from swell to swell… it was bananas. He’s really been trying to get me to get one but I’m just gonna keep collecting canoes.

TushGuard Seat Cushion - Memory... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5SW6381?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share what I use in my canoe

Welcome, I’m on the south shore… some great fishing here.

AlabamaSpotHunter put me onto the Armor Shads, I use the 2.5 and 3 inch.. I also really like the fish or die dagger, they’re a little more spendy but super durable as well.

March 15-16 from the canoe, creeping a flatsided crank.

I really need to stop checking this page, DSG just got me for $150 in Elite Evos.

My father fished tournament when I was a kid so fishing with him was not fun for me.. it was too serious, too competitive. Too much like work. Which is from 16-41 I didn’t even touch a fishing rod… I got my license and was gone. This will be my 4th season back and I’ve been eyeing kayak tournaments since about the beginning of my return. Unfortunately my competitive nature has prevented me from getting involved. I didn’t want to get involved unless I felt confident my abilities had improved enough to MAYBE be competitive. That all said the local kayak series is doing a tournament this season on one of the lakes I consider home and I plan on fishing it. Last year, I planned on just showing up on tournament days and fun fishing, keeping track of my results and then comparing them to the results posted online. I didn’t do it, but seems like a possible way to measure yourself against others unofficially without $$$ on the line.

The question seems to be geared toward quantity of fish.. I’ve found with big numbers quality happens too…last season went like this chatterbaits, full size and flashback minis… flashback mini caught more, I caught 2 MA trophies on full-size and 2 on the mini. Countless fish just shy of trophy class. booyah pond magic.. big numbers every year, 2 trophies last season.. 1 just shy.. same fish hit my next lure 5 days earlier. Catch and release works and I have photographic evidence. Lunkerhunt Compact Frog (smaller of the 2 sizes).. lots of fish, 1 trophy class… 1 just under, same one that hit the Booyah 5 days later 4 inch Yum Dinger, weightless, texposed on an EWG.. lots of fish every year.. a couple just short of trophy class last season. Small squarebills… I think they’re the 6th sense crush 25… 1/4 oz if I recall.. lot of fish.. nothing memorable size wise. runner up is a ned rig, I had less success with it this past season but in the past it’s been my #1 producer by a wide margin. The pattern in these baits is they are almost all small… small catches numbers here and with enough numbers size is usually mixed in.. For reference a MA trophy fish is 21 inches or more. Catch and release. PB on the pond magic

My last (Massachusetts) trophy fish of the season came from the bank on my lunch break… I caught 6 more through the season from my canoes. I’ll never not fish the bank but I do significantly more damage from the canoe.

Best. Fishing. Platform. Ever.

Redbug was my standout color this past season.. the only soft plastic I really throw is a 4 inch dinger But I have about 10 other colors that also did well.. -motor oil red flake -junebug -black and blue -mardi gras -california craw -Green pumpkin purple flake -Carolina or green pumpkin with chartreuse tail all come to mind.. my goal for 2025 is to throw more styles of plastic.. I want to work on pitching and flipping.

Great haul… I find that same 90 whopper plopper in “I know it” color every year at one of my favorite ponds.. always makes me wonder A. Is it the same guy? B. Did he catch his PB on one years ago and so now it’s all he throws?

Beautiful canoe… I bet she takes you to your new PB.

I have the Sportsman 119 from the first post which is the offspring of the NEXT, I’d love a NEXT btw, great pickup Swamp Girl. On the topic of paddling, I use a kayak paddle, you may want to try one with the NEXT. It takes a little getting used to but is significantly more efficient than the single blade.