How To: Trolling stretch lures from a kayak....

[DarkSkies]

When the water is colder and the fish are scattered, this is a very effective way of finding fish.

I found that out today when I scored some very nice fat spawners with them.

This method has some real challenges.
I know most kayakers will not try it, as there are several key things you need to do to have this work.

This method tends to be more effective where you may have a lot of open water to cover.
However, that's a drawback in itself.
Even with a Hobie, covering a lot of ground can be a challenge in itself.

My reason for this thread is to document my successes and failures using this presentation, as it's not a common choice for kayakers..
If some folks want to learn from it and catch bigger fish as well, I'm glad to share.

Some of my answers may be vague, and if that's the case as you read them, I suggest you PM me for further advice.

Hope ya's enjoy this, as I had a blast this morning,....
The adrenalin high should least me for a few days....

[DarkSkies]

I've watched shore anglers catch stripers and seen some of the nicest Spring and Fall bass get caught on bait....

When you're targeting fish 30# and above, live bunker, fresh bunker chunks, bunker heads, or live eels...all have a better chance of catching the larger bass.

What if you don't want to use bunker?
You're out of luck, pal...

Until now....
I've been obsessing over these "big fish haunts" for years...trying to figure out a way to consistently catch fish in areas that mostly have deep harbors and dirty or cloudy water.

Tube and worm?
normally a killer presentation.,....not so great in dirty water...

Shads?
Same as above...

Giant shads?
maybe slightly better chances, but hard to precisely control the depth you want them to be at...

Big bucktails?
maybe, but for some reason I've never done well in big areas with bucktails, finding them better suited for "pinch point" areas, and pitching to structure....

[DarkSkies]

So far, I've been able to get a fish with the stretches for every trip...
but one fish could be that "lucky fish" as it's usually possible to get at least one from a yak..if you try hard enough.


Some additional things to think about...

1. Does cold water affect activity and catching rates with these plugs?
Yes

2. How much does it affect the activity?
Still doing research on this.

3. So far it seems these plugs work for me (trolling from a kayak) better in low light situations, and not in bright sunlight...I know for the boaters trolling them., that doesn't seem to matter much for them...
So why would it be different on a kayak?

4. If the temp does play a role into this, at what temps will action turn from a slow pick into more robust action?

5. Is this the best way to get bigger bass using artficials from a yak in the early Spring?