chang127

No secrets here, man. I've just found what works for me and stuck with it. I used to fish the 250 religiously for years with little to show for it, mainly OG's but a couple of new styles here and there. Then, one windy day while messing around, it just clicked, and now those are the conditions I specifically look for when fishing the 250. I can fish it in dead calm waters and get followers for days, but my catch rate in those conditions are like less than 10%. Heavy winds blowing across the right structure is where it's at! More specifically, I look for prime areas where the wind is blowing perpendicular to a break or drop-off connected to shallow water. When in the kayak, I like to position myself far upwind from the deep water side and let myself drift towards the shallow water. I try to position my drift so that I don't blow over the spot but get within casting distance of where I think the fish are. I usually target right at the edge of the break where the shallow and deep water meet. I have found that this approach, combined with high winds and lower water visibility from the waves, tends to spook the fish less.

Good stuff, man! And your suggestion is spot on! That's exactly how I fish the 250. It's literally the only time I ever use it anymore, high winds blowing across shallow water with adjacent deep water nearby. How were you working the bait? I have a lot of confidence in working the 250 fast with aggressive reel chops in these conditions.

Ah, that makes sense now. You have it installed backwards, which turns it into what you described, a wake bait. If you flip it around, it will become a deep diver, but if fishing it as a wake bait works for you, then by all means, stick with it. The cool thing about Klash baits is the variety of ways you can fish them and still catch fish. I've never really fished it wake style much since I prefer to keep it lower in the water column, but I've heard others use it that way and have great success with it too.

Do you have a pic of your wide lip installed on your TK? I’m curious because my wide lip runs way deeper than the stock lip.

Maybe it's the profile or the squeaky joints that mimic a scared or injured rat, but the Baby Possum consistently gets me the bigger bites.

I think you would be okay with that 30lb braid for those size baits, but I personally don't go any lower than 50lb braid for any of my setups. When selecting braid, I prioritize the diameter and feel of the line over its strength or visibility. Two critical factors for me are how well the braid casts the baits I intend to use and how it sits on my spool. I've noticed that thinner braided lines tend to dig into the spool a lot more than thicker ones, which can cause backlashes and lead to snap offs. I've learned this from first hand experience, which is why I avoid using anything lighter than 50lb braid. I typically aim to match the diameter of the braid with that of an equivalent monofilament or fluorocarbon line I would use otherwise. For instance, the 80lb braid I use has a diameter of .018 inches, which is the same size as the 20lb PLine CXX leaders I tend to use. However, I haven't conducted extensive testing with different lines. I've simply found what works for me and have stuck with it. Obviously, there are many variables that could make your experience different from mine, such as your casting style, rod/reel setup, how you like to work your baits, etc. So, use what works best for you! Edit: Also, I'm not sure what the size of the stock hooks are on the TK but maybe someone can chime in on that.

Yes, I forgot to mention the line. It's Sufix 832 80lb braid, which is quite overkill for the TK, even the 300MD is pretty excessive for it. However, this is more of an all-around setup that I keep in the car for greater flexibility in fishing various baits & species on the go (bass, striper, & musky once in awhile). The straight braid was purely because I didn't have any other line with me at the time. I typically like to use a short mono or fluorocarbon leader, depending on the lure and presentation. For the TK, I prefer to use 15lb P Line CXX or 15lb Seaguar Abrazx leaders if I aim to fish a little deeper. I have also been known to fish with straight braid when I'm feeling lazy (and have caught fish like that in clear water too). Honestly, I don't really get too technical or scientific with my lines especially if I'm fishing more of a reaction type bait.

Congrats on the PB! What kind of retrieve were you using?

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Congrats on the PB! How'd you work the lure by the wall when you got bit? Were you casting your lure parallel with the wall?

Good stuff and great breakdown! Regarding the Citizen fish, you mentioned being surprised to catch one in shallow water at this time of year. Do you have any theories on why the fish might have been in that particular location, rather than its typical location this time of year?

If you often fish in areas without detailed maps, getting a unit that lets you create your own maps is invaluable. The Autochart Live feature is one of the most valuable features I utilize on my Helix 7 MSI. I even use it to remap areas I already have detailed map cards for. I found that I often discover hidden spots within a spot that aren't shown on my Lakemaster or Navionics maps. It also gives you the ability to adjust the transparency of the AutoChart map, allowing you to overlay it on top of another map card you're currently viewing. Another useful feature of AutoChart that I frequently use is the bottom hardness and vegetation detection. When creating maps, it also identifies and highlights areas with vegetation and differentiates between hard and soft bottoms, which is great for locating weed lines and hard bottom areas in your body of water. The specific depth highlight options are cool too. The downside to it is you can only record 8 hours of data before you need a zero lines card, which is an extra expense. I will say that the extra add-ons for Humminbird products are kind of cash grabs, but I guess you have to pay to play. I've spent an extra couple hundred dollars just on various add-ons, like map cards, external GPS, etc. I only have experience with Humminbird units, but I recommend getting the best and biggest unit within your budget, regardless of brand. In hindsight, I wish I had saved a bit more to purchase one with at least a 9" screen and with Mega 360/Mega Live support.

Nice fish! What kind of structure/cover were you fishing?

Congrats on making the DD club! How were you working the glide?

Congrats! What kind of structure/cover did you catch her on?