With the technological advances constantly happening around us, it’s often hard to teach children the love for the outdoors that many older people have grown up with. It’s sad to say that I see more kids going on the computer after school, or playing video games than I see enjoying the outdoors. It’s also sad when I see children who want to go outside, but their parents make them stay in and watch TV because they don’t feel like watching them. Even on the hot days of summer I’ve seen parents make their kids stay inside instead of swimming in their pool. Because of this I do feel that... Read On

As a way to say thanks to the KBF community I decided to do a giveaway for my 3000th post. The prizes consisted of a HOOK1 Prize Pack and a 2012 Bass Pass. The rules were simple: Post a picture of you or a family member holding a fish caught out of a kayak  or of  a picture of you or a family member fishing out of a kayak. Only one photo per post and no back to back posts. The 300th post would win the HOOk1 Prize Pack and a random number generator would select the winner of the 2012 Bass Pass. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.... Read On

The Tiny Torpedo is manufactured by Heddon Lures is one of my top producing “top water baits” for river smallmouth bass. The bait is shaped like a stubby cigar and has a metal propeller at the tail end that creates bubbles and spits water when retrieved properly. The bait is approximately 1/4 ounce and 1 7/8 inches long which makes it great for spinning tackle or  some of the high end low profile bait cast reels on the market. The Tiny Torpedo is the idea size to entice a wide range of smallmouth bass from a 15 incher up to the much sought after 20 inch citation class brute. ... Read On

Swimming plugs, wiggling as they are pulled through the water. When at rest, they will either float or sink, dependent on their design. The best way to use them is to cast them out and then reel them in using various actions such as changing the speed, changing their movement by jerking or yanking the rod. BassFishing-Gurus.com recommends finish minnows, alphabet plugs, flat fish and lazy like if you have never tried these plugs as we have had great success with them. Read more here: http://bassfishing-gurus.com/fishing-lures-plugs.php Read On

During a high water event, fish are forced into predictable foam eddies.  Cast a tube or jig just to the other side of a well defined eddy line, and it will likely get thumped.  As the water recedes, these tight eddy lines blur and relax. Smallmouth are again able to venture mid river to eat.  But when they want to just relax, look to find them in long shoreline lanes that my buddy Rich Coffman termed “soft wash”. Rich does something that relatively few river smallmouth anglers do: he spends about 2/3rds of his time on the water not casting.  He leans forward with his oars at the ready. ... Read On

Square Peg…….Round Hole! Each time we head out, we do so with a series of preconcieved notions and a game plan of varying degrees of complexity. Often, we find a different reality from the glamorized notion we had positioned in our noggin. Recently, it occurred to me that many times I have a square peg into a round hole hard head approach. I headed out fishing with a good friend of mine, Ray Montes, and we were fishing somewhere he had previously been very successful. I had never fished the area. I had, though, scouted it virtually via satellite photo and bathymetry data. I had found success in the nearby... Read On

With world renowned paddling instructor Tom McEwan looking on through the lens of his video camera, I sprinted toward the eddy.  The phrase “speed, angle, lean” ran through my head.  Crossing the eddy line at too shallow an angle, my kayak wavered and stalled.  When my momentum eventually carried me into the soft dead water, I failed to lean into the turn.  This forced me to slap my paddle on the surface to keep me from toppling over. The awkward brace caught the attention of several other students floating in the large Potomac River eddy.  We were all trying to obtain Kayak Instructor Certification.  My flubbing the maneuver clearly... Read On

On March 24, 2012, the Hard Core Kayak Anglers Club, based in West Central Florida, kicked off their highly anticipated 2012 Tournament Series presented by Hobie Fishing. The Tournament Series consists of five individual inshore slam events (Snook, Redfish, & Spotted Seatrout) over the course of 2012 in the Tampa Bay area and promotes the sport of kayak fishing and conservation through a catch, photo, and release format. The 1st place winner will receive a new Hobie Revolution 13 courtesy of Hobie Fishing and a cash award from the HCKAC. 2nd place will receive a $500 prize package courtesy of sponsor HOOK1 and 3rd place will receive a $500 prize... Read On

It definitely seems like all the local migrations are happening earlier this year.  The warm water temps are expediting the process and I, like most fishermen, am not complaining.  The magic of this time of year is more than welcome as many of the popular sport fishing species enter our local waters and get our juices flowing. Reports of bluefish, puppy drum, flounder, speckled trout, and stripers pepper the local forums.  Togs are also readily available, but remember the closed season starts on April 16th this year.  A few regulations have changed for some of the species, so check out this site if you’re not up to date. The... Read On

The best way to catch Florida Largemouth Bass in deep water is by appealing to the sense of territory and annoying them. They may not be hungry, but a lure dropping a few feet from them and swimming by them will cause them to strike at the lure. Use a 1/2 ounce to one ounce weight 4/0 to 6/0 hook with a craw styled bait. Worm baits work well too, but make sure you choose a thick weed mat made from hyacinths, Kissimmee grass and alligator weed. Another great lure to use is a spinner bait with a plastic worm. Read more here: http://bassfishing-gurus.com/florida-largemouth-bass-deep.php Read On