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2023 Fishing Thread

Andrew920 said:
Anyone fish from a kayak? My buddies have been trying to talk me into one. If I’m honest seems like the saddle of the fishing
World. This is what they’ve got me looking at.
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I’ve been eyeing that boat as well. Just hate the two color options but think it’s the best trolling motor location hat I’ve seen


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Gator said:
I’ve been eyeing that boat as well. Just hate the two color options but think it’s the best trolling motor location hat I’ve seen


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Here’s another I was looking at
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Nutterbuster said:
Just to clarify, you've owned and used a boat, motor, and trailer combo, and prefer a kayak?

My fishing time went up exponentially after I bought my first "real" boat. I still own kayaks and canoes. But the only way I fish out of one is for kicks, because I'm canoeing and brought a rod to kill time, or to fish somewhere I can't trailer
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Yes, used to have a wooden 14 foot boat on a trailer that I designed/built myself, it got destroyed in a hurricane, might have been salvageable but I was moving and it was always planned to be somewhat temporary. Post move got the kayak and the other Jon boat, have had a driveway and funds for a boat for a while and I do want to get or build a larger boat again, but more to be able to take the kids along more easily, the kayak is great to slip in and out, not have to wait at the busy ramps by just using the bank next to them etc.

Don't get me wrong, having a boat is great but I am also just a huge kayak fan. Something about being drug around by a big fish and feeling the bite through the whole craft just does it for me, but catching fish out of boats is great too. I also have more access to kayak launches, and also likely since I have a ton of experience with kayaks generally have just leaned that way. If I was closer to the Chesapeake bay or had a boat slip then I'd sell the kayak and go all in on boats likely. What it all comes down to is ease of use. If it's easier to get out on the water with it, you'll use it more, whatever it is.
 
Anyone know much about panfish/ mainly crappie fishing this time of the year? Newer to fishing, especially this time of the year. Never fished in weather or this time of the year. I’m from Ohio temps are around 40-50 degrees so idk about the water temps. I don’t have a fish finder to tell me water temps yet.

I’m curious about where they go in cold water, what they like to eat, should I fish super slow? General information.
 
Bowtie747 said:
Anyone know much about panfish/ mainly crappie fishing this time of the year? Newer to fishing, especially this time of the year. Never fished in weather or this time of the year. I’m from Ohio temps are around 40-50 degrees so idk about the water temps. I don’t have a fish finder to tell me water temps yet.

I’m curious about where they go in cold water, what they like to eat, should I fish super slow? General information.
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Down here during colder weather they tend to be deeper. Like right on the bottom. I catch bream with a live worm on a jighead or splitshot rig. Crappie usually come up shallow earlier and I catch them either jigging or with live bait after lunch around woody structure.
 
Nutterbuster said:
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Took the increasingly pregnant wife fishing. Caught a couple dozen crappie, a pickerel, and a few bluegill.
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Catching crappie in shorts, you know how to make a man jealous! We got a bit of snow yesterday and 40s today. I'm guessing someone from the Midwest will be a long to chime in about how they are living inside a deep freezer as well lol. Looks like a great time
 
Andrew920 said:
Anyone fish from a kayak? My buddies have been trying to talk me into one. If I’m honest seems like the saddle of the fishing
World. This is what they’ve got me looking at.
3724c3a71c2c4e814e61ea3f3f9e1fee.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

If you want to make a road trip @Bowtie747 has the paddle version for sale on the classifieds. I have had the same model for a couple of years. The pedal drive would be nice at times but it’s also heavier. The price also doubles. It has a built in spot for a transducer. So it’s pretty easy to mount a fish finder.
Kayaks really don’t have any maintenance, are easy to transport, and you can fish a lot of spots you can’t with a boat. For a big body of water I would probably want a motor though. I would also like to eventually be able to take my whole family out fishing. So one day I’ll probably get a boat. But nothing says you can’t have both.
 
Andrew920 said:
Anyone fish from a kayak? My buddies have been trying to talk me into one. If I’m honest seems like the saddle of the fishing
World. This is what they’ve got me looking at.
3724c3a71c2c4e814e61ea3f3f9e1fee.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I just bought the same yak. It’s awesome. I currently have as mentioned the paddle version for sale. Used it for a year and loved it. Just wanted the peddle version because I fish off a kayak a ton.
It does have a similar feel to like saddle world. Kinda trendy rn but to me I have a bunch $$ in a yak but it’s cheaper than a boat and I don’t need a truck.
I will say something not many people mention. If you’re used to fishing a boat minus a decent percent of fishing time, lure in the water than you’re used to. It takes more effort and time to setup and stay in position. That’s where the peddle comes in handy. This shouldn’t ruin it for you but I did want to mention it. With that said I love it and even if I wanted to spend the money on a boat I’d probably still use a kayak.
 
Nutterbuster said:
A kayak is much less fishable than a boat. Maintenance for my 1436 with a 9.9hp merc this year cost me $200. I can run 15-20mph in it and stand or sit to cast. Can fish solo or with the dog or wife.

The only way a kayak is practical is if you don't have money for a boat, don't have a place to store a boat, or want to fish somewhere you can't back a trailer.
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i‘m mostly on board with all of this. I have an old town autopilot 120. It’s a fantastic fishing machine. I fish for bass here in NJ. It is stable as anything and I fish standing up the entire day. The trolling motor is awesome for bass fishing. Spot lock is great, cruise control and heading is a great way to work down a bank casting. I got a kayak for a couple reasons. First, our garage is only 19’ and change deep With 94”doors. That limits what you can put in there. My wife didn’t want me to get a boat also, so that really limited what I could put in there. She was fine with a kayak, so I went big on the kayak and got the all singing and dancing one. I’ve fished it for two years now and really tuned it to me. I know what I can fish and what works. For most of what I fish here it’s a pretty decent choice. Mostly I am fishing 300 acres or less. I will fish up to 1500 acres pretty well and have gone up to 2700 acres. But for a kayak, 500 acres is a good upper limit for moat things. All in, it’s an incredible fishing machine and I’ve caught a lot of bass from it.

that said, if I could swap for a 16’ aluminum with a deck, storage and a 9.9 I would. I’d still want a spot lock trolling motor (non negotiable), but the ability to leave the boat loaded and launch it would be great. dry storage is a thing. A small aluminum with a high end trolling motor and a small outboard is a very versatile fishing outfit. My kayak maxes out at 4 mph. A modest aluminum will do 15-20. That makes a big difference. The dry storage would be huge for me. Not having to unload and reload the boat every trip would be awesome.
 
Man I used to be a kayak fishing fool. Prostaffed for Feel free kayaks for a while, and had their 13.5' lure yak. Snagged spoonbill, bass fished, bowfished, striper fished, duck hunted, it was a do all boat for me. Super stable boat, could stand up and bed fish bass.

Now I have an Old Town NEXT for river fishing and built a blind to duck hunt out of it. Slick, lightweight boat.
 

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You guys are really making me want to get my hobie outback out of storage, but so far I've been too wimpy to go out in the wind/cold. I'll do it for a deer but not for a fish apparently
 
thedutchtouch said:
You guys are really making me want to get my hobie outback out of storage, but so far I've been too wimpy to go out in the wind/cold. I'll do it for a deer but not for a fish apparently
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There is a big difference sitting in a tree when its 30 degrees and on the water at 30 degrees, especially when you're in a kayak with water spray continually splashing around. On the water you get cold REAL fast and then there's the consequence of falling in. I went out last monday since I had a day off and the forecast was good. The water was 41-43 degrees and the wind took longer to let up than forecasted. It was a cold afternoon on the water.
 
casts_by_fly said:
There is a big difference sitting in a tree when its 30 degrees and on the water at 30 degrees, especially when you're in a kayak with water spray continually splashing around. On the water you get cold REAL fast and then there's the consequence of falling in. I went out last monday since I had a day off and the forecast was good. The water was 41-43 degrees and the wind took longer to let up than forecasted. It was a cold afternoon on the water.
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True. I own and used to use a kokatat dry top with belted waders (I've personally tested them, they don't fill when swimming with the belt and top on) and merino/fleece layers under. But I am truly just being a weather weenie right now lol.
 
Messing around with some little bitty Bobby Garland jigs on a roadside ditch creek. 1.25" instead of the usual 2".

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Anybody mess around with Tenkara rods/flys? Been eyeballing them for a couple of years. I think it'd be fun to have something you could stick in a pack for little duck ponds and deer woods creeks. And since I can't for the life of me work a western style fly rod it may be my only shot for trying out a local fellas mayfly imitation when they swarm the rivers every summer.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Messing around with some little bitty Bobby Garland jigs on a roadside ditch creek. 1.25" instead of the usual 2".

View attachment 82161View attachment 82162

Anybody mess around with Tenkara rods/flys? Been eyeballing them for a couple of years. I think it'd be fun to have something you could stick in a pack for little duck ponds and deer woods creeks. And since I can't for the life of me work a western style fly rod it may be my only shot for trying out a local fellas mayfly imitation when they swarm the rivers every summer.
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Nutterbuster said:
Messing around with some little bitty Bobby Garland jigs on a roadside ditch creek. 1.25" instead of the usual 2".

View attachment 82161View attachment 82162

Anybody mess around with Tenkara rods/flys? Been eyeballing them for a couple of years. I think it'd be fun to have something you could stick in a pack for little duck ponds and deer woods creeks. And since I can't for the life of me work a western style fly rod it may be my only shot for trying out a local fellas mayfly imitation when they swarm the rivers every summer.
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I have a tenkara rod (tenkara USA sato I believe) that I’ve caught everything from brook trout to bluegills to largies on. Love that thing. The simplicity is great but the tip can be very fragile and I’ve had to replace mine. Plus it takes some real enhanced awareness to fish it around brushy spots. I know for a fact you could easily get proficient with a regular fly rod but tenkara does seem perfectly niche to be up your alley
 
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