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IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:Stradics are the poo poo. I just love them. Awesome picture, I miss spearing fishing a lot, that is by far one of the funnest variations on fishing I have had the privilege to do before. I haven't had a chance to hit the lakes yet this winter to chase the catfish around, between the wind being brutal and a new baby, time seems to not be on my side when it comes to fishing. On the plus side, Spring is almost here which means I can get me a lot of Crappie and Sand Bass for the dinner plate and some nice LMB, Carp and whatever else I can find for the photo books.
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Feb 21, 2013 19:00
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Water temperatures are hovering right around 50 degrees in North Texas right now, took the kayaks out with a buddy of mine to see if we could find and prespawn LMB. Managed to catch 4, 2-3 lb LMB, all in 10 feet or less of water using a crank bait off the bottom of the lake. I am thinking they where all males too, getting ready to establish their territories for the spawn, tried to work the drop offs and the rocky deep points with some big, fat plastics, trying to nab the big mommas, but there was nothing going on with the females right now. Going to head out next weekend to see what else we can find, I love this time of the year, the fish are getting active and starting to feed. Plus the crappie are starting to move out of there deep holes and starting to creep there way back into the shallower parts of the lake over the next month or so.
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Feb 24, 2013 23:36
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fknlo posted:Put a deposit down on a kayak today! Nice kayak there and welcome to the addiction. You are going to have a blast fishing out of your kayak once you get the hang of it (if you are new to the sport that is) once you do, you are going to want to be on the lake all the time. Post some great pictures of your first fishing trip when you can.
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Mar 8, 2013 19:32
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Let me know if I can lend a hand advice wise at all, I have been fishing out my Outback for 6+ years now, and while I am still learning some tricks here and there I have figured out some good things by trial and error for kayak fishing.
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Mar 9, 2013 08:25
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fknlo posted:My only real remaining "issues" are transportation and storage. I've got crossbars on my Golf, but the OEM kayak attachment apparently only has a weight rating of 55lbs. I'm pretty sure the Cuda 12 is over this without the seat in it. It also says "max length 8'2" but I'm pretty sure tying down the bow and stern would help with any issues due to length. I've had a bad experience using non-OE attachments, so I'm hesitant to go with something else. Right now I'm just leaning towards foam blocks on the crossbars with lots of tie down straps to get me by for now. I use aftermarket car rack bars from a company called Yakima and I put my 12 ft kayak on my little 4 doors Kia hatchback and have never had an issue while keeping it properly secured to my car. All you really need is 4 ties downs to secure your boat properly, one in the bow, one in the rear and have two go across the middle of the kayak and secured to the car racks. I have done this for 6+ years, I have traveled for 3 hrs at 80 mpg with no issues concerning movement and lack of security. Invest in a good set of ratcheting tie downs for the front/rear and a good set of locking tie downs for the middle of the kayak, buying the good ones will prevent you from losing your kayak from your roof. Storage is a bit of a issue when it comes to boats that big, try not to store it on its side over long periods, I find that method has a habit of warping the kayak slightly. If you can not get it off the ground with the J cradles, try to at least store it on some foam noodles so the kayak is not resting on the ground, this is the method I use in my garage.
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Mar 10, 2013 07:22
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coyo7e posted:Dang I'm jealous, I'd love a kayak but I don't think that my knees could take it. I really miss having a canoe. There is really not much strain at all on your knees in today's fishing kayaks, I am 6'3 and i can fit comfortably in almost every kayak, with plenty of room to stretch and fish for hours without worry. If you ever get a chance to borrow a buddies or do a test paddle from a local shop, jump all over that, you will be amazed at how nice kayaks are.
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Mar 13, 2013 17:46
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One of the better things you can do it have hooks that are barb less and I have seen other people remove the three prong hooks from their lures and replace with single hooks. All of this just minimizes the chance of hurting the fish any more than you will by catching it.
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Mar 25, 2013 16:13
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Drunk Badger posted:I'm thinking about updating my tackle box from more than some plastic powerbait and a plastic frog (found wrapped around a weed last year). Anyone around northwest MN have some bait suggestions for walleye or bass? Bass will hit a variety of lures from plastic worm, crank bait, spinner baits, rattlin traps and sometime just about anything you can toss at them depending on the fishes mood and weather conditions. I keep a variety of lures, including colors in my box just for bass, sometimes they can be very picky and you have to present different options. My go to baits are always a shad colored 6 ft crank bait and a classic Texas rigged plastic worm though. As for walleye, I always did great in the upstate NY area on those using nothing more than the classic silver spoon. If you can find what depth the walleye are hanging out in, you can suspend a spoon at that depth and do pretty well on walleyes.
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Mar 26, 2013 06:52
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Meat Mitts posted:Here's some quick tips on lure selection (its not 100% true all the time) This pretty much sums up what I would have said as a basis for weather, the only thing I would add is time of the year/weather effects my lure selection, especially when I am targeting pre-spawn bass coming off the winter into early spring in Northern Texas. I have found out over the last few years that as the days warm up and the water temp starts to get above 50 degeree the bass are going to move more shallow towards the rocks that are absorbing all the suns heat and the fish tend to be a bit more aggressive on the bite. On the reverse side of it, if a cold front is moving in, that tends to cause the fish to move deeper in the water and the fish seems to slow down on their bite so I tend to work bigger, slower plastics at depths.
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Mar 26, 2013 16:57
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fknlo posted:Finally picked up my kayak! Wow your water temps are still very cold, mine are hovering right around 52ish degrees and the pre spawn bass are going at it right now, lots of fun on the water. Nice color kayak too, I like that a lot, that should stand out a lot better on the water then my olive drab color kayak. That is a great idea to get your kayak on the water so you can test it out without any gear on it, it is always a good idea to get a feel for what your kayak can do before you take it out fishing. Does your kayak come with the ability to add a rudder as a after market add-on? I am pretty sure it does but not positive.
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Apr 4, 2013 07:16
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fknlo posted:Took the new yak out and paddled around a bit. Handles pretty well, feels stable, etc... I tried to take it pretty easy but still ended up with a blister. That'll be fun tomorrow when I actually take it out to go fishing! Should be a really nice day to be out. Except that it's apparently going to be pretty windy. I swear to god this has to be the windiest place on earth. I don't care what Chicago thinks. I leave mine on top of my car over night all the time for the last 6 years for early morning trips and have never had a issue with warping the kayak. The key is not to tighten the straps down tight enough to where the kayak is starting to bend/warp/give in at all, this will cause potential damage over time to your kayak. If you are worried about it, just toss it on the car, secure it loosely that night and just tighten the straps before you leave in the morning. Also if you haven't looked into a milk crate for your kayak, do a google search and get some ideas for one. You can buy them for $20 or so or make one for a few bucks, it is pretty much a milk crate with pvc pole holders attached to it. The crate is a great way to secure all your gear, loose tackle, odds and ends and it makes loading all your stuff to and from your car a lot faster. Kind of keeps all of your equipment secured in one central easy to reach area in the back cargo area of your kayak.
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Apr 7, 2013 02:57
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As long as the kayak is not resting on the concrete itself and yours is up on pool noodles it should be fine, I have kept my Outback like that for a long time with no issues.
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Apr 7, 2013 05:35
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Yeah wind is a pain in the rear end at times on a kayak, glad I have a Hobie though, the wind doesn't bother me as much when I am in my Outback versus other kayaks. A rudder will help with control a bit in the wind, especially if the wind is at your back and you can just let it push you down a shore line while controlling the boat with a rudder. Things like a stake out pole or a drift sock are really nice to have if you fish in areas that are constantly windy, I built a nice stakeout pole for about $6 in materials and it works wonders in my area for keeping me in one place with the wind. Keeps the kayak steady enough, I can fish while standing comfortably.
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Apr 14, 2013 08:03
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fknlo posted:I've gotten decent at controlling my drift when trolling for crappie just using my paddle as a rudder. Still haven't gotten it down when casting though. At some point in the near future I'll get an anchor trolley set up for a drift sock or stake pole. I was going to out today since it's really nice but I don't feel like dealing with a constant 20 knot wind. I need to get an anchor trolley one of these days, I can probably make one for a few bucks with some basic stuff from Lowes. Thankfully I can tie my stakeout pole off to a cleat on my kayak, let myself drift until the line gets tight, then I can just stand up to fish fairly easily. I do have everything loaded up on my car today, going to head out early tomorrow morning to get a few hours of fishing in before work. I want to host a fish fry sometime soon so I need to get out on the water to stock up on some Crappie and Sand Bass. Hopefully I will have a good report sometime tomorrow.
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Apr 14, 2013 21:24
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^^^ not to bad for some early season bass, it is crappie spawning season in North TX now, just need to find some time to get the kayak on the water and catch myself some dinner.
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May 11, 2013 02:50
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fps_bill posted:I have a question for the yak angling goons. I've decided to get a kayak to fish from, and paddle around local lakes and rivers wishing i was at the ocean trying to get more in touch with my inner parrothead. A 14 foot kayak will be great for lake and most river fishing, they will paddle well, track easily and handle great on the water. Even if you plan on fishing streams and small rivers a 14 foot kayak should not be too much of a issue on the water. Decide what your main body of water is going to be and get a kayak for that, if you are going to spend 90% of the time on big lakes and rivers, I wouldn't worry about size to much then. If you have the cash take a look at the Hobie Outbacks, they have a nice wide body, 21 ft long, and can support a fair amount of weight and they are a outstanding lake and river kayak. Kind of sucks you don't have the chance to get inside of one and paddle it before making a purchase, it is really nice to give them a test drive before you make a big purchase.
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May 12, 2013 17:54
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Drunk Badger posted:Any tips for fishing walleye and largemouth bass in cold water? I'm in northern MN, so the ice took a while to come off and it seems like the fish have slowed down a bit compared to previous years. How cold of water are you talking about? I was able to target early season LMB in North Texas with water holding around 51 deg or so by working the biggest plastic worm I had, super slow, focusing around drop offs and extended shore line points.
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May 25, 2013 20:43
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Wow that is a hell of a good deal there, that should easily keep you in crank baits for the next few years and then some. Drunk Badger, for North Texas, like I said before I was able to target the big momma bass on the drop offs and points with a big 10 inch worm hooked through the middle and I worked that really slow. I did have decent luck with a shallow diving crank bait too, caught a few pre spawn males that way, small ones but not to bad. Not sure about the walleye, I remember using a spoon in upstate NY as a kid, to almost vertical fish drops off where the walleye where hanging off of, need a depth finder for that or good local lake knowledge though.
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May 26, 2013 03:50
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DixielandDelight posted:Went fishing at the marinas at Lake Ray Hubbard in DFW today went I caught the biggest bass I've caught Whats up fellow DFW angler, I have caught some great sized LMB out of those marines along with some fun school of sand bass for the ole fish fry. When it comes to reel selection, I really prefer my bait casters, especially fishing from a kayak. They are smaller, lighter, more compact and the bait casters are very accurate from numerous casting positions. I do keep a spinning reel on me though, that is my ultra lite that I use to target sand bass, crappie and other small species of fish. Texas Rigs are the way to go for most of your plastic worm use, it is a weedless rig, easy to do and a cheap set up that catches a good amount of fish. With a little practice you can be very accurate with that rig and once you get the speed/motion of the retrieval you will do fairly well with it. I do not use a wacky rig a lot, I mainly use it early in the season with the water cold still, normally in pre spawn conditions. I use it to try and target the fat momma fish that are hanging off of the drops offs, you can normally entice the big ones to go for a strike if it is worth it for them, so a big, fat slow worm is a nice presentation.
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May 31, 2013 02:28
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I normally use SPF 50, rub on kind, before I hit the water and re-apply with a spray type sunscreen every hr and half or so to keep myself protected. Just wait until you get a sunburn on your inner thigh, that happened to me on one of my first kayak trips out on the water and that is a horrible pain, never wearing board shorts again in the ole kayak. On another note a set of the SPF clothing, sold by Academy, Bass pro, etc is a worth while investment. I can handle wearing pants and long sleeve shirt in the middle of a TX summer on the water, the pants and shirt breeze really well and add another layer of sun protection, also one of those big goofy, floppy hats that have the extra cloth that comes down over your neck is really nice too.
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Jun 11, 2013 04:40
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Water with a great deal of vegetation is very hard to fish in my experience, I have had success from two different methods and lures in most of my time fishing a lake like that. First the weedless frog/rat always worked pretty well for me in early morning sunrise conditions with a fairly calm surface the second was working a Texas rigged worm on the outskirts of the weed beds. Most of the time you can entice a fish to strike from the cover of the weeds, you have to be fast on the retrieval so they do not bury themselves to deep in the vegetation. Typically I fish from the kayak so I can find those open spots in the water, from shore it might be a bit harder but doable if you scout the body of water some.
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Jun 15, 2013 05:10
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fps_bill posted:So what do you do with your paddle when you're fishing and not paddling? Also which tackle boxes fit well in a milk crate? I have a Hobie kayak so I do not use my paddle all that much since I use the Mirage drive most of the time, if I do not use that I just keep the paddle across my lap, attached with a leash while I use my rudder to maintain my position on the lake. For tackle boxes that fit into a milk crate, I just use these http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_12171_-1__?N=272574547&Ntt=tackle+box+sleeves&Ntk=All , pretty much just a skinny, white tackle box sleeves. The nice thing about those is, I can customize them for the type of fish I target and can just grab the right box and just go. Koivunen nice pictures and even nicer fish, I really miss catching Northerns, those are a blast to catch and a great eating fish. If you have more pictures of the lake post those up, the water looks great.
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Jun 17, 2013 23:01
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fps_bill posted:I couldn't find a milk crate so I picked up some kind of rectangular storage crate at Walmart that's like 14x17. Then eaded over to sporting goods and found out the Plano 3700 waterproof trays fit nicely long ways. I used a 3lb circle weight for an anchor, attached to a trolley line for a while and that seemed to do pretty good at holding me in place for almost everything but the toughest of winds. It also has the advantage of not getting snagged on anything like a traditional anchor might, so it is a bit safer for kayak use. I stopped using one after a while though, they got too cumbersome, had to carry to much line with me and just made a tangle of a mess and I did not like how to boat rocked with waves hitting my broadside. I built my stake out pole for shallow water fishing and I use a drift sock for the most part in deep waters and I have been pretty happy with that set up.
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Jun 18, 2013 02:49
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I use a 30 inch drift sock and that pretty much keeps me motionless on the lake with a decent wind trying to push me along, I have mine attached with a anchor troller. When it comes to a paddle board, I do not have a clue on how to safely rig one of those, I would do some Google research to see what kind of ideas you can come up with. fps_bill A 3 lb weights was all I needed to keep my kayak stable in 15 mph winds or so on a lake, not sure on a river, I would imagine the weight would be dictated by the current on the river and how strong it is.
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Jun 18, 2013 11:43
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Unperson_47 posted:I exclusively tie the Palomar Knot just because it's so drat easy to tie. I use this on just about every single fishing lure that I use, it is super fast, efficient and I can use it with a heavy lb test line fairly easily.
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Jun 25, 2013 11:40
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fps_bill posted:So apparently I'm a pussy and don't know how to land a big cat when on a kayak. I just accidentally cut my line trying to poke a hole in this things lower lip so I could put it on my stringer without pulling it onto my yak. Ohh that sucks a lot there, can not say that has happened to me yet thankfully. There is a certain logistics issues at times when it comes to big fish and kayak fishing, especially on the part of were are you going to keep said big fish when you do catch it. Fish grippers are really nice and I have a set installed on my kayak for just those occasions of a unexpected big fish, same with a cheap $5 trout net for other fish species.
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Jun 30, 2013 04:42
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Just got back from the Florida cost doing some salt water fishing the last two weeks, to bad I didn't have my kayak with me, regardless had a blast and caught some great fish. Now to get the kayak out on the lake and fish in fresh water, at least in fresh water I have a general idea of what I am doing. Hopefully I can get out this weekend and chase some Sand Bass or deep crappie for dinner.
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Jul 23, 2013 05:02
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Jasper Tin Neck posted:I would like to upgrade my catch storage from a styrofoam cooler to something a bit sturdier and easier to clean. I've been looking at this one, does anyone have any experiences with that one or alternative recommendations? As long as you can keep enough ice in your cooler to keep the fish cold you shouldn't have a problem with your standard cooler options. I use this cooler in my kayak.  (I put the rod holders on separate to add some additional storage/flexibility.) I fill this cooler half full of ice and I can normally get about 6 hrs of fishing in the middle of the summer before the ice melts to much and that is with a dozen or so 12inch fish inside of it too.
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Jul 27, 2013 06:30
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fknlo posted:Finally broke down and ordered an anchor trolley and drift chute. I was going to put it off till next year, but I'm sick of not being able to fish how I want because it's always windy here. Any tips for installation? Just check youtube, there are plenty of great videos on there on rigging your kayak and especially for installing additional gear, that is what I typically do too. As for jetty fishing, just be careful out there, I have fished on those a lot on the east coast of Florida. The jetties I fished where a good size, went out pretty far into the ocean, they could be slippery where the waves managed to splash on top of and had big giant gaps at times between the rocks so just watch where you are walking and be safe.
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Aug 15, 2013 17:58
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Planet X posted:Did y'all see the record halibut? I saw that the other day and that is a massive fish, I have caught some decent size fish deep sea fishing that were a fight to get in, I can not imagine pulling in something that big. I wonder if the meat on that would be worth eating?
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Aug 18, 2013 14:37
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I am mostly a CPR myself, the only exception are crappie, sand bass and cat fish in the 2-5lb range, most of those go home with me for dinner since my family eats a lot of fish and I can not say no to a free, healthy meal. Everything else, gets a photo and a nice safe release back in the water.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:41
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DixielandDelight posted:
You and me both, this heat has been so horrible, even fishing at dawn has been horrible. On the plus side with winter right around the corner, that means catfish season will be upon me and I am looking forward to that.
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Aug 24, 2013 02:57
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Koivunen posted:Picture flood incoming.... Sort of cross-posting from the Canoe/Kayak thread. I had no idea we had a Canoe/Kayak thread, need to find that and give it a read. Your pictures are always amazing, I would love to put my kayak into those lakes you are posting about and spend a few days fishing and camping. I need to get stationed some where remote enough to still have locations like that.
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Sep 3, 2013 02:25
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Cast net + time = finger mullet. Finger mullet + time = Mangrove snapper. Actually if you catch a few of the bigger mullet and smoke them, they turn into a great meal in them selves. A cast net + time will net you all types of goodies for the dinner table.
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Oct 6, 2013 02:50
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Farking Bastage posted:The only one I have is me getting the poo poo scared out of me when they ripped up a school of mullet 50 yards away from me and I screamed like a girl and hauled rear end home. If it makes you feel any better, I had the crap scared out of me earlier this year when a beaver smacked the water with its tail about 15 feet in front my of kayak. I jumped so high out of my seat I almost fell out into the water.
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Oct 26, 2013 16:43
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What type of bag is your fishing laying in? Is that some type of cooler/insluated bag? By the way I am super jealous you get to fish the tides, I have at least another year before I get a chance to move back to a coast line.
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Nov 17, 2013 15:54
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Does that bag keep your fish cold for a good while on the water? I am trying to find a replacement for a cooler with a ton of extra weight in ice for my kayak.
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Nov 17, 2013 22:37
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Nothing I have used in my years of fishing and kayaking really work all that well to keep crap out of your shoes other then a nice set of waders. I have a cheap set of 2 mm neoprene waders and I can use them in the summer time without dying too much to the heat.
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Jan 25, 2014 05:34
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I have a fairly cheap Eagle Cuda fish finder myself on my kayak, between the fish finder, battery and materials to install it, I manage to do everything for $100. It is a low end fish finder but it tells me depth, temperature and can point out structures and if something happened and my kayak got flipped and it got dismounted I am not out a ton of cash. On the plus side, installing them is fairly easy on kayaks with some PVC pipe and a bit of ingenuity.
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Feb 17, 2014 04:14
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 09:46 |
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If you have a rear storage area with a scupper hole in it, you can mount the transducer through that, I used a bit of PVC pipe, electrical tape and some silicon glue to mount it all and have been going strong for 3 years now and still nicely in place. This is my actual set-up I rigged a few years back and have had zero issues with it and cost around $8 to rig.  ^^^ that is seriously a long twist tie I doubled back on its self a few times for proper length and covered in electrical tape.   
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Feb 17, 2014 06:08
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