Mary May, Bill Kohls and myself launched our mini-fleet of Jackson Coosas just after noon.  The wind, which was supposed to be 2-5 MPH, was blowing much harder than expected.  Waves were rolling and we knew setting up over the fish would be difficult.  This time of the year, I target crappie with minnows fished on a small baithook with 2-3 large split shot about 14″-20″ above the hook.  I use a technique called straight-lining, which means you try and set-up directly over top of the crappie and drop your baits straight down.  I let them hit the bottom, then reel up to the depth I see fish on my Humminbird 500 series depthfinder.  On this particular day, the fish I was marking were very scattered and most were within 5 feet of the lake bottom.
We set up over a channel and dropped our baits.  Within a minute, one of my rods bent nearly completely over and I lifted to feel a heavy fish – much heavier than a crappie.  The fish was fighting hard and caused me to set the drag back on my baitcasting reel (*note – I typically use spinning gear for crappie, but some random circumstances recently have me short a couple spinning combos).  Immediately I wondered whether it was a big bass, striper, or catfish.  Although I was hoping it was a bass of some sort, I had a sneaky suspicion it was a cat.  And indeed, as he came toward the surface I saw a huge grey flash and undeniable head of a catfish.  He continued to fight, pulling my kayak around as he saw fit.  Finally, the beast came to hand and after a short debate, was added to the stringer.

Within the next few minutes Bill hooked into a nice eater size channel cat and I followed with another channel.  Then it was Mary May’s turn.  She set the hook on what she admits she knew was a big fish, but she didn’t want to clue us in right away.  Her plan was play it cool until the fish came to the surface.  But, the fish – and fate – had other plans.  The fish happened to hit the minnow on her smallest rod – a 6′, medium lite action rod with a size 10 reel and 4 lb test.  She quickly turned to me and asked for advice.  I told her how to turn her drag down and to just be patient.  From there, she did the rest.  She fought the brute perfectly as it pulled her around and tested every bit of her gear.  It made one last run for the bottom, rooting down into the mud and sand.  But she turned him and he finally started to come to the surface.  After what seemed like an eternity, we landed the big blue and Mary May could finally exhale.

We landed another dozen cats and a couple of small crappie before deciding to turn south and look for a school of crappie.  We tried three other locations with little luck, so we returned to the catfish location again.  And sure enough, we found the fish again.  This time we were catching more crappie, although none big enough keep.  We also caught catfish regularly until dark.  My paddle back the launch required two strokes on the right for every one on the left due to the stringer of cats attached to the side.  As the sun began to set, we pulled the yaks to the beach, took a few photos, stashed our gear, and headed home.

Once home, we took a few more photos, filleted the fish, and prepped the oil.  After a quick soak in milk, the fillets were battered, spiced, and dropped into the hot oil for a yummy fish dinner!  It certainly wasn’t Plan A, but it was an awesome day on the water and in the kitchen.  I know the crappie bite will be picking up soon and a return trip to Jordan will be in the cards sooner rather than later.  I hope everyone else is still enjoying their time on the water, because for me this sport never stops!  Tight lines!

I met good friend and fellow Froggy Waters guide Gary Ribet on a stretch of local river we wanted to scout.  We launched and slowly pushed up-river.  Gary had 7 or 8 rods out trying for crappie (or anything else willing to eat a minnow) and I tied on a plastic worm to fish for bass.  On my second cast, I landed a 12″ bass and ten minutes later landed another short, but chunky largemouth.  We both thought for sure that we had a great day ahead of us.  But, then the bite got slow….VERY slow.  Gary couldn’t get anything to eat his minnows and it seemed like my plastic worm was invisible.  Finally, we decided to turn around and fish back down river.  On the way, we ran into a local fisherman who told us the best fishing is usually above where we had turned around.  We looked at each other, a little frustrated that we hadn’t fished further, but we weren’t turning around at that point.  After all, we had barely managed a bite in quite some time.
But then, suddenly, our luck started to change. I picked up a 2 lb bass, then another. As the wind started to pick-up, I threw my worm along a downed tree and wham – a big fish nailed it and started running like crazy. He tried to head for the cover of the log, but I managed to get him out into open water. My Coosa spun back 180 degrees and my drag was ripping. Finally, the brute surfaced and I grabbed him – a solid 5 lb bass.

We rounded the next corner and were at the launch area.  Suddenly, I look over and see 3 of Gary’s rods get bit at once.  While watching him, I hooked another bass.  Then I see 3 more of Gary’s rods start bobbing from bites.  After all of that time, Gary had found his honey hole….right next to the launch.

I fished through the area a little more and managed another 8 bass up to 3 lbs.  Gary was busy catching fish after fish after fish, often hooking 5 or 6 at a time.  I think the wind, which picked up in the late morning, was the key to getting the fish more active.  This is often the case, whether on a river, lake, pond, or anywhere else.  Eventually, I joined in the crappie fishing action and for the next few hours we caught fish as fast as we could reel them in.  By the time we got off the water, I would estimate we caught 70 crappie and a few more bass.

It was a fantastic day of scouting some new, local water filled with quantity and quality.  Small flows rarely surprise me anymore, as I have caught a pile of big fish from small rivers this year, but I must admit I was a little surprised at how well we did on that stretch.  Hopefully I can manage another river trip or two before winter truly sets in.  Until next time, tight lines!

Selecting tackle can be very difficult. Matching the right rod and reel to a particular lake or fish can be easy. However, for most, it is not cost effective to have multiple rods and reels for various situations. Therefore, there is usually compromise. Most anglers pick a rod and reel combination that can work for largemouth bass, pike, trout and other lake fish.

Once you know the type of fish you will go after, spend sometime in a good bait and tackle shop. They will help you select the right rod and reel combination.

The next step is to select a few line test strengths. You never want to go too strong or you won’t be able to tell if you are getting a strike. If you know you are going after lunker sized bass, use a high test line, say 16 pound. If you are going after bass that are no more than 8 pounds in your area, try a six to 10 pound test line, 12 maybe as well.

Read more here: http://bassfishing-gurus.com/florida-largemouth-bass-deep.php

In a previous KayakBassFishing post, I revealed my new spinning rod lineup for 2012.  It consists of three different Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Spinning Rods, which are designed by Gary Loomis; a 7′ ML, 7′ M, & 7.5′ ML to throw a multitude of baits.  Here’s a pic of them all spooled up and ready to go.

My choice to go with the TFO line-up was from last year’s use of the 7′ ML rod.  I purchased the rod from Tackle Warehouse in December 2011 & paired it with 30#/8# diameter high vis yellow Power Pro.  I used this rod with a variety of lures in lakes, ponds, & rivers while chasing smallmouth and largemouth.  I dragged 1/8 oz jig heads and plastics, tossed weightless 4″ & 5″ senkos in subdivision ponds, buzzed smaller profile buzz baits, & worked smaller Lucky Craft pointers.  The 7′ ML handled all of these applications without fail to land both nice smallmouth and largemouth.  That’s why I picked up two more rods to throw both lighter and heavier lures while I’m out.

Now for the reasons why I back these rods.  One is that these rods have very nice sensitivity, especially when paired with braid.  You can feel your jig head hit the rock and wood while dragging the bottom.  You can feel the light bites that might get un-noticed by a two piece or lesser quality rod.  I can recognize that “it doesn’t feel” right bite that can be typical of winter smallies.

Second, these rods have the backbone to land the fish.  You can set the hook & know the rod won’t let you down.  First pic is a 18.75″ largemouth that I pulled out from under shoreline brush & second pic is a 17″ smallie that also tried to best the TFO rod.

The final reason I like these rods does go back to my original thought of being a budget angler.  I wanted to invest in better quality without breaking the bank.  These rods currently retail for $100, with another Tactical Series at a slightly higher price.  I would rather invest majority of money in the rod vs the reel, & the TFO rods allow me to do this.

So if you’re looking for a quality rod at a quality price, check out Temple Fork Outfitters.  I believe that you’ll be extremely satisfied also.

Nothing excites me more than inshore water temperatures reaching the low 60’s. That is the time that big redfish stage inshore and in easy paddling distance off the beaches here in Charleston, SC befre they move out to join the breeding colonies. For natural baits the best choice is large chunks of cut mullet on 3/0 to 7/0 circle hooks. For the fisherman who likes artificial baits, 5 inch swimming mullet patterns or paddle tail grubs on a 4/0 ½ ounce jig head hopped along the bottom should be your first choice.

Look for above water structure such as rock walls, steep embankments, or docks adjacent to creek mouths or inlets. Then, use your depth sounder to locate deep holes or steep ledges. Keep scouting until you find the subsurface structure that makes a good area extremely special. When you find the right spot, chances are good that large fish in groups of 3 to 10 fish will show on your depth sounder just off the bottom. My favorite spring hole lights up the fish finder like a Christmas tree with big reds forming the base, cob mullet in the mid water column and menhaden 3 to 5 feet below the surface.

My favorite place inshore is one that I only share with a few friends and clients who know how to keep a secret. It is an area on the Stono River that is just loaded with structure described above, so it is a fish magnet. A rock wall, a dock, a 35 foot deep hole adjacent to an inlet with major flow all combine to make this spot the most prominent feature for several miles on the Stono River. The interesting thing about this spot, like so many others, it only shines when the tides are just right. The results speak for themselves. This hot spot consistently gives up redfish over 30 inches with the best day being 6 huge reds boated in an hour.

Tactics beyond the breakers are remarkably similar this time of year. The larger redfish are staging beyond the second bar and in the deeper holes along the North jetty, so they are too far from the beach for surf casters. They set up at breaks in the outer bar where wave action creates a non stop buffet line of disoriented bait fish. Slow trolling large swim baits or soaking large mullet chunks on 7/0 circle hooks produce redfish in the 30 to 50 pound class.

For information about a guided kayak fishing trip, contact Tommy Samuels at Kayak Fish SC through the website www.KayakFishSC.com or e-mail TooBusy@KayakFishSC.com.

Many women claim to “love to fish” and that may be true, but the real question is do you have a passion for it? Are you able to go a week fishing everyday without catching anything and still want to go out the next day? Do you have the patience to wait for a fish without getting tired, or annoyed? Are you able to endure the blistering heat, shivering cold, or the darkness at night when you can’t even see your own hand in front of you?

Passion isn’t about what you catch, or how big it is. Passion is about the love for the sport, the good times spent with family and friends, and the beauty of the great outdoors. Then there is, of course, the feeling of your adrenaline pumping as the fish strikes your bait and an even higher increase of adrenaline when you set the hook and know the fish isn’t coming off.

My question for the women out there is: do you have a passion for fishing, or do you just love to fish? If you just love to fish that’s great! But, do it as much as you can. Become familiar with the types of baits and the types of knots used. Go to a bookstore and take in as much information as possible on fishing. Buy an identification guide to learn the differences between fish. Learn as much information as possible because knowledge plays a large role when fishing. Learning information on fish can help you predict their patterns and you’ll learn what types of bait to use in different water types and areas.

Now for the women who have a passion for fishing: don’t ever feel ashamed for loving the sport. I’ve been fishing since I can remember and I’ll admit it, I was never really open about it. This is because in middle and high school those who fished or hunted were referred to as “rednecks” or “hillbillies”. Then one day I decided I didn’t care about what people said anymore. If someone makes fun of you for loving to fish then ignore them! It’s as simple as that. In fact after admitting that I had a passion for fishing, I met many new people who enjoyed it as much as me. This then led to having a great group of friends taking me out fishing every night during the summer leading to memorable moments and wonderful times. So to all of the women fisherman out there: turn your love into a passion, learn as much information as possible, and don’t be ashamed for it!

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.

Fish from the bottom by lily pads or reeds when fishing floating cover such as hyacinths. Pitching and flipping to the reeds is an effective means to cause the Florida bass to strike out of anger for approaching it’s territory. Another good method to use is to jig the lure near the bottom, then pull up to the mat and then jig a few times more.

Read more here: http://bassfishing-gurus.com/florida-largemouth-bass-deep.php

But we’ve got a $25 gift card burning a hole in our inventory and we want to give it away, thus Swag for Shots Pt. 2!!

Here are the rules:

• To enter, you email me (zach.yurchuck@gmail.com) pictures of how you’ve rigged your kayak.  Be sure to include a list of the items used in the email.
• You can send up to 5 picture per kayak.
• Every picture you send gets you one entry.
• Every picture you send that includes a product HOOK 1 carries but has not already been used in a rigging shot in this Facebook album (and hasn’t already been sent in by another contest): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.350772028275782.90630.208664295819890&type=3  earns you 2 entries!
• The contest closes on Friday the 17th at 11:59 PM EST or when we reach 100 entries, which ever comes later.
• A winner will be randomly selected and receive a $25 gift card to HOOK 1!
• Full contest Terms and Conditions can be found here.

So get those entries in!

Unfortunately, the one that I had for years was heavy, and often, too short. The only really unique benefit was that, because of its size, it fit in a paddle holder perfectly. Enter the YakAttack PARK-N-Pole. This isn’t just a stake-out pole, although it is a great one. The benefits of this stake-out pole over my previous one are;

1. It is longer. I find I can now stake my kayak in places that were previously too deep.
2. It is lighter. When you carry as much gear as I do, every ounce helps and this thing weighs next to nothing.
3. It floats. This may not seem like a big deal, until the first time you somehow let it get away from you.
NOTE: Even considering items 2 & 3 above, this thing is as strong as can be! Don’t let the diameter fool you.
4. The Foot. This gives you a larger surface to grip when driving this pole into a hard bottom, such as an oyster bed.

The feature that keeps this product from being directly compared to my last stake-out pole is this – I can pole with it! During the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association annual Fish For Charity tournament to support Heroes On The Water and Project Healing Waters, September 2011, I was in the salt flats looking for redfish. I was standing in my 2012 WS Ride 135 and the water was just deep enough to float my kayak, but not deep enough to effectively paddle. So, I grabbed my PARK-N-Pole and just poled along. It was stealthy, efficient and easy. Now, fast forward to last week. I was chasing crappie at some local lakes and there are cut-throughs from one lake to another that are just wide enough to get a kayak through, but a real challenge to paddle in. Again, the PARK-N-Pole came through like a champ, allowing me to pass through these twisty, overgrown channels.

The PARK-N-Pole has an additional feature that is pretty handy – The foot has 2 grooves molded in where it meets the shaft. These are great for grabbing lines, like the anchor that you jettisoned to fight that huge fish, or the lure that went chasing squirrels in a tree (No need to explain – We’ve all sacrificed a lure to the tree gods if we fish freshwater!

If I had any complaint, and this is a REAL STRETCH, it would that the PARK-N-Pole doesn’t fit in regular paddle clips because it is a much smaller diameter. That’s probably a bonus, but in the world of pros and cons, I had to come up with SOMETHING.