If you watch him now late 2020 he still have pretty much the same gear, kayak included, proof of the old proverb, when you can do a lot with less then you have the right stuff.
@@bigtuna1 I just grabbed a bass x but I haven’t got it on the water yet. Gonna use it tomorrow tho. Mh casting. Gonna toss a Megabass swim jig with a sparkshad. It feels like a dream in my hands tho. I love my st croix triumph spinning rod too.
I’ve taken up to twelve rods, and 2 to 3 soft tackle bags in my hobie outback kayak, water, extra clothes in case I fall in! In other words way too much gear! It’s funny, but I’m trying to bring less gear ? Lol ! I love NDYangler videos, I’ve learned a lot! Thanks a lot!
I think you should do an updated video going over ur current gear, why u picked it etc seems like those videos kill it. Btw I’m up to date with all ur vids so now I’m watching ur older videos. Keep killin it dude !
I fish out of two different 12 ft Old Town Predator MX kayaks ( 2016, 2019) and I also use 7 ft and 6ft 10 inch length rods when fishing Smallmouth rivers!
I don't see you doing much live bait, if you do please consider Shimanos bait runners. 8 ball bearings, fluid transmission. Mine 200 bucks retail 160 ebay. They are fully salt water so even in fresh there bullet proof.
Try out the Keitech Jig. I made the switch from the bitsy bug myself. Nearly the same price and you get a sharper hook with a tungston head. Its a fine hook but found it works great for smallies. Curious to what you think.
I've heard good things about them but I haven't found them cheaper than $3-4 per jig. I might have to order a couple and try them though. I usually lose 4-5 jigs to snags each trip if I'm mostly jig fishing so the $1.10 or so that I pay for the Bitsy Bugs doesn't hurt the wallet as much. I do take my dremel tool to their hooks though and pretty much re-profile them so they're like a needle point with a knife edge on the leading side of the barb.
Interesting assortment there, gives me some good ideas for my own gear. I fish a lot of that stuff already, the underspin jig heads seem interesting with how stained the water here is right now, I've never fished one. I also have absolutely 0 confidence with a jig. Especially when it comes to detecting bites. The few times I've fished them I just get hung up because the boulders/rocks here are so massive. Even the football heads get hung up. I haven't set the hook into a rock yet though, so that's a plus. Might need to just fish a jig exclusively for a while. Would you recommend the black colors for that sort of water clarity? Ours is pretty similar and I've been fishing mostly green pumpkins or chartreuse if it's really stained.
I had a dang Drum knock my William Joseph hemocuts out of my hand yesterday and they're now at the bottom of the lake. I started looking for some replacements and they don't make them any longer. They cut braid and great for getting hooks out so now I need to find something else.
I just bought a revo x size 30 spinning reel. Put 10lb trilene on it as well. So far not that impressed. The line tangles in the spool a lot and not nearly as smooth on the retrieve as I thought it would be. Maybe my palette is too adjusted to lesser reels. Does the revo x really pale in comparison to the revo MGX for about 3 times more in price? If so i'll shell out the money. Didn't know if you have had the opportunity to use the revo x and can provide a feedback on comparison. Thanks for the video very helpful.
some of my best smallie fishing here in northern california is caught on a silver n blue popper and a roostertail, but when there is cold water they will only bite when i drag a lure across the bottom super slow, a ned rigged craw works good, but also ive noticed we have these freshwater clams that dig into sandy n muddy parts of the bottom. so i believe they feed on those at points in time in the cold water which would make sense as to why they stop feeding on fast moving baits and start feeding on the bottom more. i was wondering your thoughts on this and maybe get a few tips on how to imitate clams crawling on the bottom or any type of lure that imitates a clam. other fish in these creeks include spotted bass, largemouth, pike, and the occasional trout.
I’d be really surprised if the bass were eating clams. We have them on this river too, anywhere from little penny sized clams to half fist sized ones covering the bottom in spots and I’ve never seen a bass cough one up in my net. I just don’t think a smallmouth is going to crack their shell unless they’re swallowing them whole. As far as I know they move extremely slow too, at least I’ve never seen one in action.
@@ndyakangler thanks for the reply, i havent seen any get spit up either but i feel like they would still eat them. ive seen clams move after i dug them up and they actually move at a decent speed when they move (like maybe a foot in 45 seconds), and i noticed that the clams move all along the shorlines, if you see little lines in sand and mud (under water), thats normally made by the clams moving. also i thought fish wouldnt have to break the shell, cant they digest it like they would a crawfish?
@@ndyakangler im just trying to find out new useful ways to catch smallies and i thought maybe they will eat em, im going to try and use sum this fall when my creeks are open to fish. since you have them in your waters to i would say to give it a try sometime and see if it works and maybe give a little feedback if it does. and even if they dont bite the unbroken ones, i was thinking about cracking one so the scent is released from it and trying that to. i know catfish can digest them and eat them so why wouldnt other fish.
I’m not sure if they could digest a clam shell, they’re definitely more resilient than a crawfish exoskeleton. I’ve never heard of bass eating clams but they’ll eat just about everything else so I guess it wouldn’t really surprise me. I’m sure if a bass saw one pushing itself along with its foot out it would probably try to grab it just because it somewhat resembles a worm. I’ve caught plenty of smallies on catfish rigs baited with shrimp or raw bacon fat too so if you crack one of those clams open to release some scent it should improve your odds.
@@ndyakangler i just watched this video th-cam.com/video/I0YTBj0WHkU/w-d-xo.html and it made me think that they will work, cause even the young clams never get to the bass stomach and it does show small bass eating parts of them
Thanks! I tried flouro a few years ago but didn't care for it. Too expensive and too many downsides with it. I like mono, especially with those short rods. A little stretch in the line helps compensate for the short rods while fighting fish.
I see that your bait casting rod is about a foot longer than your spinning rods. Is there a reason why you chose a longer casting rod? I've been using 5'6" baitcasters, but I plan to go to a 6 footer. The 6 footers can be cast two-handed, but not the 5'6" rods. I like St. Croix, too.
All three of my St Croix casting rods are 6'8", that's as short as they make the Legend Tournaments. My old casting rod was 6' but once I used the St Croix there was no going back. I really don't mind the longer length though, I mostly use that rod for lures like the Cicada when I'm just looking to cover area fast and don't need the accuracy I get with the spinning rods.
What size Reef Runner was that when you were holding up that yellow one and talking about them for 1-2 minutes? I'm ordering some online and I wanna get the size you had but its hard to tell when buying online
I used ABS plastic. 1/8" for the main panel and I screwed a strip of 1/4" along the top and bottom of the back side. 4-40 machine screws with washers go through the crate wall into the ends of the 1/4" strips to hold the divider in place.
Do you have luck in muddy water..Getting heavy rain this year in Pa. Had no strikes today in the very muddy water.Not sure if anything would of worked?
Muddy water can make fishing tough. I'll usually try topwater first and if that doesn't work I'll go to the Reef Runner Cicada. That one puts out a lot of flash and vibration and I've done pretty well running it along flooded grassy banks when the water was high and murky in the past.
ok-thanks.The water is beyond murky.I was catching lots of fish in water that was murky and now it is "more muddy"..I was told to try black or purple/blue jigs/bucktails?
I did a lot of standing and fishing in my Tarpon this past summer. It’s not really made for it but it’s stable enough if you have good balance. I found it was a lot easier to paddle in a straight line while standing if I kept any heavy gear out of the front hatch and more toward the middle or rear of the kayak.
I never thought I’d pay that much for a rod, then I decided to give one a try. Now I have seven of them lol. The LTs are amazing rods! I do have a couple of the less expensive St Croix Triumphs and those are pretty nice as well.
Love your channel and much credit to your video production skills (and not to mention what your grandpa taught you). Aspiring to hunt fish via kayak, I was wondering if you tried a pedal driven kayak. Much respect and regards.
Thanks! I tried my friends pedal drive once and I could see it’s benefits for certain situations and types of fishing. I like to keep my rig light and simple though, plus I’d be pulling up the prop every five minutes on the shallow stretches of river I fish.
NDYakAngler Makes sense. Since it would be my first kayak, I’m slowly realizing (through research) that simplicity should be the way to go. Learn the gear and learn the self. Thank you, sir!
That is the truth! I spend way too much time getting ready! I started out with a Tarpon 100, loved that little yak, then went to the VIBE SG130, that was awesome and just enough of everything- Now trying to sell my Hobie Outback -Camo!! Think it's time to rethink what I like to do most - FISH not setup!! Great video and thanks for sharing!!
Their warranty is pretty good too. I broke the tip off one of my Legend Tournaments and all I had to pay was the shipping to have a brand new one sent to me.
I got mine from Amazon: www.amazon.com/WilliamJoseph-WHCUTS-William-Joseph-Hemocuts/dp/B002KGVHG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474090092&sr=8-1&keywords=william+joseph+hemocuts
You are my favorite video to watch! I really enjoy your personality and your narration skills! Your skills as a fisherman is absolutely unmatched and I have learned a great deal watching your videos. In my younger years I was an avid fisherman up into my late 20s; then my career took front and center. I sustained some serious injuries in the oilfield on January 6th 2022 and I am still laid up. I still have a ways to go before I am repaired, but when I am healed up, I plan to devote much of my time on the water. I would like to plan a trip over your way to do some serious fishing! Thank you for all the wonderful videos! I am always eager to see every new video you put out!
Pretty interesting that you find you're more accurate with spinning tackle. I used spinning tackle for most of my life (20+ years now) and since switching to baitcasters for a bunch of my setups last year I find I am much more accurate. One of my problems with spinning gear is stopping a lure that's going to far and about to hit a tree/bank. Do you keep your hand at the ready to trip the bail when that happens?
My accuracy is getting better with the baitcaster but I still end up with loops on my spool making quick short casts while river fishing. I "feather" my cast with my spinning reel to slow down or stop a lure in flight. It's similar to what you'd do with a baitcaster, just using a finger or two to make light contact with the line as it's coming off the spool.
I cast with my right hand, so when I make a cast with my spinning rod, I circle the outgoing line with my left thumb and forefinger. I can easily feather the line and stop it on target with my left hand, and when the lure hits the water my left hand is in the perfect position to manually close the bail. Mike Iaconelli shows the technique in a TH-cam video about pitching with a spinning rod. I find it difficult to skip and pitch with a casting rod while sitting in a kayak.
St. Croix went back to the old handle style for the LEGEND TOURNAMENT® BASS SPINNING RODS. I just got a 5'10" skipping rod that I ordered from Bass Pro Shop, and it shipped to me directly from the St. Croix factory. I bought it based on your recommendation.
I like those 5’10”s so much I picked up a third one last year with that new handle style. The new one is my favorite of the three. They’re all really nice, the 2015 one just didn’t have quite enough to hold onto for fishing lures like the spook. I’m glad they went back to a handle like the older one, my 2012 versions blank is starting to splinter toward the tip after six years of river abuse so I’ll have to send that one in for a replacement soon.
Great break down on what you use. Clearly you are a st croix fan as am I. love the milk crate for carrying your stuff. i gotta do the same I end up fitting my stuff inside the yak on either side of my legs. Kind of messy. Also I use a stadium seat that inserts in over the crummy factory seat. Love it, I know I'd be aching in a lot shorter time otherwise. thanks again for another quality video. Also love your reference to Mille Lacs. I'm in Illinois but have been there a couple times. Awesome fishery and would love to hit in the kayak
Thanks John! All the rest of the gear I end up putting inside the hull, fish finder, etc I store in another crate, that way when I'm carrying all my gear to my truck I can set the two crates next to each other so the inside handles line up and grab them both with one hand. It's actually easier to carry two than just one! I've been wanting to get back to Mille Lacs but I hear there's been a ton of traffic out there since the AOY tournament. If I get a nice calm day on one of my days off during the week I might go give it a try. I'm thinking about picking up an ATAK 120 this winter, if I do I'll be adding a good side imaging fish finder to make finding the deep boulders a little easier on that lake. I have a few nice ones marked on my map now but good electronics are a huge advantage on a big lake like that.
Great video. You've got a nice simple setup. I need to continue to downsize after watching your vid. Several months ago I bought my daughter a tarpon 120 and now when she's not looking, I take it! Great all around kayak. Tight lines!
Thanks! I've been considering upgrading to an ATAK 120 next year but I think I'd still use the Tarpon most of the time. It's a great kayak for river fishing. I might just skip the new kayak and invest in a Torqeedo motor to increase my range.
I like a little stretch in the line to compensate for those short rods, it allows a little more give to prevent break offs. The Trilene Sensation I use doesn’t have as much stretch as most mono lines I’ve used either. Sensitivity isn’t really an issue, most of my casts are pretty short when I’m river fishing.
Dude you're talking Chinese, trying to understand what you're saying. LOL but I'm just not getting the lingo. I'm writing everything down maybe the fella at our local fishing shop will know what the hell I'm trying to tell him🤣😂 sorry. I just don't understand what you're saying. New fisherman. Don't worry I'll get there eventually🤙😎
Matt, do the 1/4 and 1/8 ounce bitsy bug jigs have the same gauge hook? I usually throw the 1/8 ounce on my medium light extra fast but I want to order some 1/4 ounce jigs to throw on that same spinning rod (if the hook gauge is the same). Thanks!
I like your Abu spinning reel on the left. I also like short 5'6 rods on a kayak, casting to the shoreline. my other kayak rig is a zebco 22 spincast reel on a short 5'6, old style bass one-handed grip. Very accurate and handy.
The video is a few years old but other than adding a power pole mount to the back the kayak is still set up the same. th-cam.com/video/AFiExSCntg0/w-d-xo.html
Great video, very informative. I have a ST. Croix Legend Xtreme M/EF 5'9" that I wasn't happy with the Shimano Stradic ci4+ 2500, I see your running a 20 size Abu Garcia Revo 2 MGX 20. I would have never imagined using a 20 size reel for bass fishing but I purchased one like yours and it's a perfect match...THANKS!
I bought that net per your recommendation. The 13x18”. Love it Works well for a kayak and Jon boat fishing 90% of what I do. I have a couple high-end bait casters as well. But my go to is the president Pflueger xt spinning combo with the fenwick hmx medium fast 7’ rod. There’s just something about that combo. I feel like it was custom built for me.
A dearth of tubes!! I'm amazed at how many smallies you manage to catch without tubes!! (Or perhaps this is part of a clever disinformation program? ) 😄😄 I enjoy your videos immensely!
you've got it whittled down to your favorites perfectly! I have a bad habit of buying tackle I don't necessarily need this time of year. then, I always end up using the same lures that always work haha
New viewer here. Great informative video. What river/rivers are your favorite? and what state are you in ?... I'm from Michigan and we have great smallie fishing on the Muskegon.
sir which abu garcia rod model u used for river fishing i want to purches rod and reel combo of abu garcia for river fishing in india and here the flow of river water is much faster so please suggest me abu garcias budget combo model for that which is avalible on amazon thanx
i still have my first abu garcia reel and some old shimanos with trigger fire buttons lol before infinite anti reverse was invented lol. im goin out today to deep water lake. gonna try my ned rigs and swimbaits. the river here is flooded like mad and chocolate milk sadly again
I've had good luck with the Mojo bass rods but am looking to upgrade. The tournament rods are definitely going to get looked at hard. I have some revo baitcasters that have worked well so I might have to check out their spinning reels. Wife might kill me if I spend 3 bills on one though. :)
The Legend Tournament rods are awesome! I'm pretty happy with my Revo MGX spinning reels too. They held up to river fishing abuse a lot better than my Patriarchs did. I was looking at the MGX baitcasters too but my Quantum Smoke's might have another year or two left in them.
I only use braid when I need it, mostly frog fishing and throwing catfish rigs. Most of the rivers I fish have clear water so I like to keep my line as invisible as possible.
I notice you seem to put your grubs on upside down from the way I've always been taught. I always have mine dangling downward. Am I seeing yours right?
I’ve seen people do it both ways. I prefer to have mine with the tail curled upward the same way the hook bends, that side faces up when the jig sits on the bottom and the way I see it the current will be more likely to move it around if I’m working it slow or letting it sit still.
I'm gonna get a new spinning reel before the season opens up in a couple weeks. Have these revos held up? I was gonna go back to Daiwa but I've been checking Abu out.
If you watch him now late 2020 he still have pretty much the same gear, kayak included, proof of the old proverb, when you can do a lot with less then you have the right stuff.
Only big differences I noticed is he has a Bass X baitcasting rod and a bigger net for pike now
@@bigtuna1 been wondering if he broke his legend tournament
@@bigtuna1 I just grabbed a bass x but I haven’t got it on the water yet. Gonna use it tomorrow tho. Mh casting. Gonna toss a Megabass swim jig with a sparkshad. It feels like a dream in my hands tho. I love my st croix triumph spinning rod too.
@@smallfish6355 where did you find a bass x in stock? Haven’t been able to find any
@@nathansheppard5449 Dicks Sporting Goods and Cabela’s tends to have a healthy stock of them if not check online I see them all the time
NDYakangler: Brings 3 rods and a single Plano and catches 25 smallies
Me: 15 rods and 300 pounds of gear and gets skunked
It's all about being in a small body of water with a lot of fish
Lol I know...but we can still try.....
I’ve taken up to twelve rods, and 2 to 3 soft tackle bags in my hobie outback kayak, water, extra clothes in case I fall in! In other words way too much gear! It’s funny, but I’m trying to bring less gear ? Lol ! I love NDYangler videos, I’ve learned a lot! Thanks a lot!
thanks for taking the time matt.
I think you should do an updated video going over ur current gear, why u picked it etc seems like those videos kill it. Btw I’m up to date with all ur vids so now I’m watching ur older videos. Keep killin it dude !
Thanks for sharing your knowledge on lures and all the fishing tips
Thanks for sharing your gear, Matt!
Always like to see what works for others... thanks for sharing!
Appreciate you sharing your set up
Great video! Love the St. Croix rods. Grew up in Northwest Indian....very popular in the north. Thanks for sharing
Always saw you catching bass on a the spook so i got one a couple months ago and it never worked. Finally caught my first spook fish this weekend!
Congrats! This is the time of year I start catching a lot of fish on the spook. Late August through early October it's one of my favorite lures.
My kayak is 12ft,my rods 7ft.
I feel the longer rods help me get control over the fish when they go behind or up front.
I fish out of two different 12 ft Old Town Predator MX kayaks ( 2016, 2019) and I also use 7 ft and 6ft 10 inch length rods when fishing Smallmouth rivers!
I don't see you doing much live bait, if you do please consider Shimanos bait runners. 8 ball bearings, fluid transmission. Mine 200 bucks retail 160 ebay. They are fully salt water so even in fresh there bullet proof.
Try out the Keitech Jig. I made the switch from the bitsy bug myself. Nearly the same price and you get a sharper hook with a tungston head. Its a fine hook but found it works great for smallies. Curious to what you think.
I've heard good things about them but I haven't found them cheaper than $3-4 per jig. I might have to order a couple and try them though. I usually lose 4-5 jigs to snags each trip if I'm mostly jig fishing so the $1.10 or so that I pay for the Bitsy Bugs doesn't hurt the wallet as much. I do take my dremel tool to their hooks though and pretty much re-profile them so they're like a needle point with a knife edge on the leading side of the barb.
Interesting assortment there, gives me some good ideas for my own gear. I fish a lot of that stuff already, the underspin jig heads seem interesting with how stained the water here is right now, I've never fished one.
I also have absolutely 0 confidence with a jig. Especially when it comes to detecting bites. The few times I've fished them I just get hung up because the boulders/rocks here are so massive. Even the football heads get hung up. I haven't set the hook into a rock yet though, so that's a plus.
Might need to just fish a jig exclusively for a while. Would you recommend the black colors for that sort of water clarity? Ours is pretty similar and I've been fishing mostly green pumpkins or chartreuse if it's really stained.
i use the 3/0 offset too its great for bass but ive missed a few on those for catfish and other species when wacky rigging
I had a dang Drum knock my William Joseph hemocuts out of my hand yesterday and they're now at the bottom of the lake. I started looking for some replacements and they don't make them any longer. They cut braid and great for getting hooks out so now I need to find something else.
WJ isn’t in business any more but Umpqua took the design of that tool and now makes one: amzn.to/30QdYtO
@@ndyakangler thank you so much, those are my favorite pliers / cutters
Hey great vid, thx!!! What kind of footwear do you use? Waterproof boots?
I just bought a revo x size 30 spinning reel. Put 10lb trilene on it as well. So far not that impressed. The line tangles in the spool a lot and not nearly as smooth on the retrieve as I thought it would be. Maybe my palette is too adjusted to lesser reels. Does the revo x really pale in comparison to the revo MGX for about 3 times more in price? If so i'll shell out the money. Didn't know if you have had the opportunity to use the revo x and can provide a feedback on comparison. Thanks for the video very helpful.
NICE SET UP, I HAVE THE SAME KAYAK.
some of my best smallie fishing here in northern california is caught on a silver n blue popper and a roostertail, but when there is cold water they will only bite when i drag a lure across the bottom super slow, a ned rigged craw works good, but also ive noticed we have these freshwater clams that dig into sandy n muddy parts of the bottom. so i believe they feed on those at points in time in the cold water which would make sense as to why they stop feeding on fast moving baits and start feeding on the bottom more. i was wondering your thoughts on this and maybe get a few tips on how to imitate clams crawling on the bottom or any type of lure that imitates a clam. other fish in these creeks include spotted bass, largemouth, pike, and the occasional trout.
I’d be really surprised if the bass were eating clams. We have them on this river too, anywhere from little penny sized clams to half fist sized ones covering the bottom in spots and I’ve never seen a bass cough one up in my net. I just don’t think a smallmouth is going to crack their shell unless they’re swallowing them whole. As far as I know they move extremely slow too, at least I’ve never seen one in action.
@@ndyakangler thanks for the reply, i havent seen any get spit up either but i feel like they would still eat them. ive seen clams move after i dug them up and they actually move at a decent speed when they move (like maybe a foot in 45 seconds), and i noticed that the clams move all along the shorlines, if you see little lines in sand and mud (under water), thats normally made by the clams moving. also i thought fish wouldnt have to break the shell, cant they digest it like they would a crawfish?
@@ndyakangler im just trying to find out new useful ways to catch smallies and i thought maybe they will eat em, im going to try and use sum this fall when my creeks are open to fish. since you have them in your waters to i would say to give it a try sometime and see if it works and maybe give a little feedback if it does. and even if they dont bite the unbroken ones, i was thinking about cracking one so the scent is released from it and trying that to. i know catfish can digest them and eat them so why wouldnt other fish.
I’m not sure if they could digest a clam shell, they’re definitely more resilient than a crawfish exoskeleton. I’ve never heard of bass eating clams but they’ll eat just about everything else so I guess it wouldn’t really surprise me. I’m sure if a bass saw one pushing itself along with its foot out it would probably try to grab it just because it somewhat resembles a worm. I’ve caught plenty of smallies on catfish rigs baited with shrimp or raw bacon fat too so if you crack one of those clams open to release some scent it should improve your odds.
@@ndyakangler i just watched this video th-cam.com/video/I0YTBj0WHkU/w-d-xo.html and it made me think that they will work, cause even the young clams never get to the bass stomach and it does show small bass eating parts of them
Nice vid, do you prefer mono or fluorocarbon?
Thanks! I tried flouro a few years ago but didn't care for it. Too expensive and too many downsides with it. I like mono, especially with those short rods. A little stretch in the line helps compensate for the short rods while fighting fish.
I see that your bait casting rod is about a foot longer than your spinning rods. Is there a reason why you chose a longer casting rod?
I've been using 5'6" baitcasters, but I plan to go to a 6 footer. The 6 footers can be cast two-handed, but not the 5'6" rods. I like St. Croix, too.
All three of my St Croix casting rods are 6'8", that's as short as they make the Legend Tournaments. My old casting rod was 6' but once I used the St Croix there was no going back. I really don't mind the longer length though, I mostly use that rod for lures like the Cicada when I'm just looking to cover area fast and don't need the accuracy I get with the spinning rods.
Do you ever use braid? And what recommendations you have concerning line management
Awesome... thank you!👍
What size Reef Runner was that when you were holding up that yellow one and talking about them for 1-2 minutes? I'm ordering some online and I wanna get the size you had but its hard to tell when buying online
I use the 3/8oz size.
I can't find the video where you explain your crate. what did you use to separate your tackle box from the rest of the create?
I used ABS plastic. 1/8" for the main panel and I screwed a strip of 1/4" along the top and bottom of the back side. 4-40 machine screws with washers go through the crate wall into the ends of the 1/4" strips to hold the divider in place.
Do you have luck in muddy water..Getting heavy rain this year in Pa. Had no strikes today in the very muddy water.Not sure if anything would of worked?
Muddy water can make fishing tough. I'll usually try topwater first and if that doesn't work I'll go to the Reef Runner Cicada. That one puts out a lot of flash and vibration and I've done pretty well running it along flooded grassy banks when the water was high and murky in the past.
ok-thanks.The water is beyond murky.I was catching lots of fish in water that was murky and now it is "more muddy"..I was told to try black or purple/blue jigs/bucktails?
great video
What is your Rod name please help me 🙏🙏
I’m looking at the same yak. Do you miss being able to stand in the yak ?
I did a lot of standing and fishing in my Tarpon this past summer. It’s not really made for it but it’s stable enough if you have good balance. I found it was a lot easier to paddle in a straight line while standing if I kept any heavy gear out of the front hatch and more toward the middle or rear of the kayak.
nice set up ,
Bought a few yum plastics before.. not a huge fan myself
I was looking for a spinning rod setup and was gonna take a page out of this guys book till i saw the price he paid for them... Damn!
I never thought I’d pay that much for a rod, then I decided to give one a try. Now I have seven of them lol. The LTs are amazing rods! I do have a couple of the less expensive St Croix Triumphs and those are pretty nice as well.
Love your channel and much credit to your video production skills (and not to mention what your grandpa taught you). Aspiring to hunt fish via kayak, I was wondering if you tried a pedal driven kayak. Much respect and regards.
Thanks! I tried my friends pedal drive once and I could see it’s benefits for certain situations and types of fishing. I like to keep my rig light and simple though, plus I’d be pulling up the prop every five minutes on the shallow stretches of river I fish.
NDYakAngler Makes sense. Since it would be my first kayak, I’m slowly realizing (through research) that simplicity should be the way to go. Learn the gear and learn the self. Thank you, sir!
what size cicada do you use?
I like the 3/8oz size. Also make sure to add a split ring or crankbait snap to the lure, you don't want to tie directly to the blade.
yum craws are great ,,,
Why red hooks?
I’ve always thought red hooks look like a trail of blood coming from the lure.
night time I throw black spinner bait at times catch smallies
Anyone have a link for those forceps he usue?
Here they are: amzn.to/3jpAwic
@@ndyakangler thank you love the content btw got my first kayak today because of you
The more you talk the more I realize I have quite a bit to understand🤣 don't worry I'm paying attention hahaha👍😎
Second best thing to fishing is watching you fish. Thanks for all your information
Thanks for sharing your insight! Some of the best smallie footage ever seen and the gear that gets 'em.
Matt: Thanks. Very informative. Much appreciated.
That is one heck of a rig. Love the videos amazing fishing wherever you are.
I would love an updated version of this!
Agreed!
Me too
Thanks for that tour. Now I need to find the kayak setup video you mentioned.
seems like the best thing to do fishing out of a kayak is to keep it simple!
That's my goal! If I'm not on the water 10 minutes after pulling up to the launch I brought too much gear!
That is the truth! I spend way too much time getting ready! I started out with a Tarpon 100, loved that little yak, then went to the VIBE SG130, that was awesome and just enough of everything- Now trying to sell my Hobie Outback -Camo!! Think it's time to rethink what I like to do most - FISH not setup!! Great video and thanks for sharing!!
St. Croix is definitley the way to go, i love all of my st croix rods. Love them also because its a local company!
Their warranty is pretty good too. I broke the tip off one of my Legend Tournaments and all I had to pay was the shipping to have a brand new one sent to me.
Just bought my first St.Croix rod...you really haven't fished until you use one..its that good
Thanks for taking the time to show us your gear! Really appreciate it.
I trim the legs on my frogs and use a lanyard for and forceps
I feel like you’ve really evolved over the years with your approach but still stay true to your roots
Agreed
I really like your pliers...anyway you can drop a link on where I could find one for myself? Thanks
I got mine from Amazon: www.amazon.com/WilliamJoseph-WHCUTS-William-Joseph-Hemocuts/dp/B002KGVHG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474090092&sr=8-1&keywords=william+joseph+hemocuts
Thanks bro.
You are my favorite video to watch! I really enjoy your personality and your narration skills! Your skills as a fisherman is absolutely unmatched and I have learned a great deal watching your videos. In my younger years I was an avid fisherman up into my late 20s; then my career took front and center. I sustained some serious injuries in the oilfield on January 6th 2022 and I am still laid up. I still have a ways to go before I am repaired, but when I am healed up, I plan to devote much of my time on the water. I would like to plan a trip over your way to do some serious fishing! Thank you for all the wonderful videos! I am always eager to see every new video you put out!
Pretty interesting that you find you're more accurate with spinning tackle. I used spinning tackle for most of my life (20+ years now) and since switching to baitcasters for a bunch of my setups last year I find I am much more accurate.
One of my problems with spinning gear is stopping a lure that's going to far and about to hit a tree/bank. Do you keep your hand at the ready to trip the bail when that happens?
My accuracy is getting better with the baitcaster but I still end up with loops on my spool making quick short casts while river fishing. I "feather" my cast with my spinning reel to slow down or stop a lure in flight. It's similar to what you'd do with a baitcaster, just using a finger or two to make light contact with the line as it's coming off the spool.
I cast with my right hand, so when I make a cast with my spinning rod, I circle the outgoing line with my left thumb and forefinger. I can easily feather the line and stop it on target with my left hand, and when the lure hits the water my left hand is in the perfect position to manually close the bail. Mike Iaconelli shows the technique in a TH-cam video about pitching with a spinning rod.
I find it difficult to skip and pitch with a casting rod while sitting in a kayak.
Wow, the 3 rods alone cost more than that Kayak. And that's no knock on that awesome kayak.
I think a video with your updated set ups would be much appreciated!
St. Croix went back to the old handle style for the LEGEND TOURNAMENT® BASS SPINNING RODS. I just got a 5'10" skipping rod that I ordered from Bass Pro Shop, and it shipped to me directly from the St. Croix factory. I bought it based on your recommendation.
I like those 5’10”s so much I picked up a third one last year with that new handle style. The new one is my favorite of the three. They’re all really nice, the 2015 one just didn’t have quite enough to hold onto for fishing lures like the spook. I’m glad they went back to a handle like the older one, my 2012 versions blank is starting to splinter toward the tip after six years of river abuse so I’ll have to send that one in for a replacement soon.
You said you really like the Yum soft plastic worms. How do you fish them mostly? Drop shot, wacky? Loving your channel, new sub!
I mostly wacky rig them. I've caught fish using them on a drop shot too but I'm usually not fishing deep enough water for that.
Great break down on what you use. Clearly you are a st croix fan as am I. love the milk crate for carrying your stuff. i gotta do the same I end up fitting my stuff inside the yak on either side of my legs. Kind of messy. Also I use a stadium seat that inserts in over the crummy factory seat. Love it, I know I'd be aching in a lot shorter time otherwise. thanks again for another quality video. Also love your reference to Mille Lacs. I'm in Illinois but have been there a couple times. Awesome fishery and would love to hit in the kayak
Thanks John! All the rest of the gear I end up putting inside the hull, fish finder, etc I store in another crate, that way when I'm carrying all my gear to my truck I can set the two crates next to each other so the inside handles line up and grab them both with one hand. It's actually easier to carry two than just one! I've been wanting to get back to Mille Lacs but I hear there's been a ton of traffic out there since the AOY tournament. If I get a nice calm day on one of my days off during the week I might go give it a try. I'm thinking about picking up an ATAK 120 this winter, if I do I'll be adding a good side imaging fish finder to make finding the deep boulders a little easier on that lake. I have a few nice ones marked on my map now but good electronics are a huge advantage on a big lake like that.
Loved it!!!! Great video, I've been waiting for this on!!
Great video. You've got a nice simple setup. I need to continue to downsize after watching your vid. Several months ago I bought my daughter a tarpon 120 and now when she's not looking, I take it! Great all around kayak. Tight lines!
Thanks! I've been considering upgrading to an ATAK 120 next year but I think I'd still use the Tarpon most of the time. It's a great kayak for river fishing. I might just skip the new kayak and invest in a Torqeedo motor to increase my range.
IS there anything you can recommend on a MUCH MUCH tighter budget?? That reel is big$$$
You like mono over fluorocarbon? I think it feels like fighting a fish on a rubber band also like my spinning setups with braid fluoro leader
I like a little stretch in the line to compensate for those short rods, it allows a little more give to prevent break offs. The Trilene Sensation I use doesn’t have as much stretch as most mono lines I’ve used either. Sensitivity isn’t really an issue, most of my casts are pretty short when I’m river fishing.
just goes to show you only need so little gear if you know what your doing
Dude you're talking Chinese, trying to understand what you're saying. LOL but I'm just not getting the lingo. I'm writing everything down maybe the fella at our local fishing shop will know what the hell I'm trying to tell him🤣😂 sorry. I just don't understand what you're saying. New fisherman. Don't worry I'll get there eventually🤙😎
Matt, do the 1/4 and 1/8 ounce bitsy bug jigs have the same gauge hook? I usually throw the 1/8 ounce on my medium light extra fast but I want to order some 1/4 ounce jigs to throw on that same spinning rod (if the hook gauge is the same). Thanks!
I love it. Just the right size for me
I like your Abu spinning reel on the left. I also like short 5'6 rods on a kayak, casting to the shoreline. my other kayak rig is a zebco 22 spincast reel on a short 5'6, old style bass one-handed grip. Very accurate and handy.
Could you please do a kayak setup🛶
The video is a few years old but other than adding a power pole mount to the back the kayak is still set up the same. th-cam.com/video/AFiExSCntg0/w-d-xo.html
Great vid, I think I definitely need to slim down my gear more lol.
just thinkin the same thing
I think barrel of monkeys is the only thing I am really understanding. LOL it's okay I'm just trying to catch up with the lingo.🤣😂
Great video, very informative. I have a ST. Croix Legend Xtreme M/EF 5'9" that I wasn't happy with the Shimano Stradic ci4+ 2500, I see your running a 20 size Abu Garcia Revo 2 MGX 20. I would have never imagined using a 20 size reel for bass fishing but I purchased one like yours and it's a perfect match...THANKS!
I bought that net per your recommendation. The 13x18”. Love it Works well for a kayak and Jon boat fishing 90% of what I do. I have a couple high-end bait casters as well. But my go to is the president Pflueger xt spinning combo with the fenwick hmx medium fast 7’ rod. There’s just something about that combo. I feel like it was custom built for me.
It is all a right-hand drive.
I am all a left-hand drive of Daiwa.
It is custom.
A dearth of tubes!! I'm amazed at how many smallies you manage to catch without tubes!! (Or perhaps this is part of a clever disinformation program? ) 😄😄 I enjoy your videos immensely!
you've got it whittled down to your favorites perfectly! I have a bad habit of buying tackle I don't necessarily need this time of year. then, I always end up using the same lures that always work haha
Love your videos man! Quick question...whats your thoughts on Berkley Trilene XL vs Berkley Sensation? I tend to use mono on all my setups.
New viewer here. Great informative video. What river/rivers are your favorite? and what state are you in ?... I'm from Michigan and we have great smallie fishing on the Muskegon.
Do your self a favor and buy some small rubber bands, it will keep your treble hooks from connecting with everything in your tackle box. Tight lines.
I have not seen a better more knowledgeable fisherman in my life - AND MY GRANDPA FISHES WITH JIMMY HOUSTON
sir which abu garcia rod model u used for river fishing i want to purches rod and reel combo of abu garcia for river fishing in india and here the flow of river water is much faster so please suggest me abu garcias budget combo model for that which is avalible on amazon thanx
i still have my first abu garcia reel and some old shimanos with trigger fire buttons lol before infinite anti reverse was invented lol. im goin out today to deep water lake. gonna try my ned rigs and swimbaits. the river here is flooded like mad and chocolate milk sadly again
Nice collection of tackle! I like!
just bought myself a Jackson Coosa, cant wait for the opener to come along.
Awesome video and products.
With that spinning setup i wouldn't fish it costs so much I'd cry if i scracked it
Using the tube jig for the yum craw is something im definitely doing
Thank you ND Yakker man 🙏 I'm about to owe a lot of fish to you
Love fishing with the spooks also, the bone coloured one does it real well.
Just wondering why you use mono over fluro or braid?
Do you get line twist using mono on spinning reel?
Good suff!!
What river do you fish on
Love your videos.. Thank you..
I've had good luck with the Mojo bass rods but am looking to upgrade. The tournament rods are definitely going to get looked at hard. I have some revo baitcasters that have worked well so I might have to check out their spinning reels. Wife might kill me if I spend 3 bills on one though. :)
The Legend Tournament rods are awesome! I'm pretty happy with my Revo MGX spinning reels too. They held up to river fishing abuse a lot better than my Patriarchs did. I was looking at the MGX baitcasters too but my Quantum Smoke's might have another year or two left in them.
why dont you use braided line?
I only use braid when I need it, mostly frog fishing and throwing catfish rigs. Most of the rivers I fish have clear water so I like to keep my line as invisible as possible.
Great content!
I notice you seem to put your grubs on upside down from the way I've always been taught. I always have mine dangling downward. Am I seeing yours right?
I’ve seen people do it both ways. I prefer to have mine with the tail curled upward the same way the hook bends, that side faces up when the jig sits on the bottom and the way I see it the current will be more likely to move it around if I’m working it slow or letting it sit still.
I'm gonna get a new spinning reel before the season opens up in a couple weeks. Have these revos held up? I was gonna go back to Daiwa but I've been checking Abu out.
They’re still working great after a few years with very little maintenance.