sm bass fishing on the dan river! first time yaker!

[xdss]

OK guys gonna make this short as I'm on a tablet. This will be my first time fishing from a yak in a river for am bass. I'm leaving tomorrow morning.. Today is July 17th, and I'm going tackle shopping as soon as I can get some responses on what I should use, I was thinking maybe some white curly tail grubs on jig heads maybe? I'm fishing the Dan river in va from about 10 to 5 its going to be extremely hot! I'm taken my new Stella 2500fe on its first big trip... I'm using 7 lb sun line, If anyone can tell me what they would use lure/plastic wise that would be super awesome! Thanks!

[ppFishing]

My experience with river fishing is that you're going to need heavier sinkers than normal (jig heads, bullet, etc.). When the current is moving, and you want to get to bottom you need a heavier jig heads. Good luck.

[xdss]

My experience with river fishing is that you're going to need heavier sinkers than normal (jig heads, bullet, etc.). When the current is moving, and you want to get to bottom you need a heavier jig heads. Good luck.

So jigging would be the way to go?

[MondayMonkey]

Every river is different but I do a lot of kayak smallie fishing on a local river here. It's always good to have an anchor system on your kayak for river fishing and to make sure it's quick release with a float. As for lures I use a lot of crawdad imitation plastics like R2S Yabbies and senkos here they work well for me. Watermelon and pumpkin style colors. This is on a slow moving large tributary of the Columbia. I've fished on faster moving smaller rivers for smallies and surprisingly here panther martin spinners are hot on those in the summer.

[xdss]

Every river is different but I do a lot of kayak smallie fishing on a local river here. It's always good to have an anchor system on your kayak for river fishing and to make sure it's quick release with a float. As for lures I use a lot of crawdad imitation plastics like R2S Yabbies and senkos here they work well for me. Watermelon and pumpkin style colors. This is on a slow moving large tributary of the Columbia. I've fished on faster moving smaller rivers for smallies and surprisingly here panther martin spinners are hot on those in the summer.

Its a rented fishing yak.. What do you mean quick release with a float, I know nothing about yaks

[MondayMonkey]

Quick release means you lash your anchor line to the boat buy using something that if you're in trouble you can release quickly regardless of tension on the line. Something like a clam cleat http://kayakfishinggear.com/clamcleat-small.aspx The float is on the anchor line so you can paddle back and retrieve the anchor if you have an emergency and need to release. For me this is important when I'm fishing for salmon and sturgeon from my yak as I want to be loose and not tangle in the line. For bass not necessary really but it's a good safety precaution. Important for fast moving water or if there are large boats around.

I also use a custom anchor trolley so i can position my anchor anywhere along my boat sometimes you want your bow pointing into the current sometimes your stern some times you want to be perpendicular. An anchor trolley system allows this in a quick and easy fashion. Of course this is all advanced stuff you probably won't need to worry about until you own your own yak. So just ignore most of that lol.

What are they renting you? Hopefully it's a SOT (sit on top) even better if it's a Hobie mirage drive. Make sure you have a rod leash of some kind. If that combo goes overboard we'll all cry for you.

Fishing from a kayak takes some getting used to. But being close to the water in the quiet with no motor noise or fumes is addicting. Figuring out how to deck your boat to accommodate your fishing style takes some time though lol.

[xdss]

EPIC FAIL! 6 hours without even a bite! Very different water then what I am used to! That and it was a thousand degrees, oh excuses excuses...... I was yelling at my girlfriend about paddlen all loud so that was my excuse to her haha

[CALL ME RIFLE]

I rarely ever use a yak on lakes, almost always rivers with decent flow...places I wouldn't want to take a big boat. Typically class 1-3 rapids, makes the whole thing a lot more fun...do a lot of it thru the heat of summer, and I have found that on warmer water rivers, like my somewhat local Juniata, or much closer Cheat River, smallies will hit appropriate top water lures all day. If we're talking late June into August, definitely the way to go...fly fishing is actually ideal if you are capable, but of course that would be a serious PITA while yaking..just go with small poppers,tiny torpedoes, lures like the rebel bumble bug (twitched and allowed to flow with current)...you can still catch some fish on jigs and such, especially crawdad plastic offerings IMO, but those are better used when the water temp drops. last time my yak partner and I floated the Juniata was middle July, air temps near 100 and water temps unmeasured but worthy of "bath water" rating...I used a Lunkers Club K's lure popper, #6 fake specifically, and caught bass all day, while my partner used x-raps, daiwa peanuts, and curly tail jigs with 1/8th oz. lead heads...and he only caught a couple. I remember being there on a different July day, and must have been in the middle of a dragonfly hatch of some sort. I was fortunate enough to have some River2Sea dragonfly poppers with me that color matched well, and had a heck of a day then as well...lol, even tho the damn things always landed wrong side up...that is another important aspect to river fishing, being conscious of what hatches may be happening at what times.
I fish another local river a good bit too, the mighty Youghiogheny, and it tends to run considerably colder than the other two at the areas I fish...topwater rarely works well there. Definitely a place where we fare better using cranks and jigs year round...one consistent thing tho, between them all....realistic presentation,with current, is crucial, as is using realistically colored offerings. Not saying that you couldn't catch fish with fire tiger and other loud colored lures, but definitely seem to do a lot better with natural hues.
Sorry your trip didn't pan out, but I hope you'll give it a go again. Plan the right trip with the right folks on the right water, and catching fish is a bonus to an awesome trip kayaking in and of itself. Best of luck to ya!

[MN BassFisher]

Rivers can be tough on kayaks at times but don't give up! Kayak fishing especially for Bass is so much fun!