Kayak Bass Magazine

Kayak Bass Magazine Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Kayak Bass Magazine, Magazine, Roanoke, VA.

08/29/2026

I guess since he could swim he didn’t need to wear a life jacket🙄

There is a lot of chatter about urchin baits, but we don’t hear much about the Berkley Lab Series. The Lab Series has ti...
08/23/2026

There is a lot of chatter about urchin baits, but we don’t hear much about the Berkley Lab Series.

The Lab Series has time released scent in addition to the Berkley Maxscent formula.

They are just as hard to get your hands on as most of the name brand urchin style baits, so why is everyone so quiet about them.

What’s your experience with these new soft plastics? How are you rigging them?

Berkley Fishing

You have $3,000 to spend on a small boat to get you on the water, and you can only pick one of these two. Which one do y...
08/22/2026

You have $3,000 to spend on a small boat to get you on the water, and you can only pick one of these two. Which one do you pick and why? Sun Dolphin Boats

08/21/2026

Is Forward Facing Sonar Destroying Fishing? | When forward-facing sonar (FFS) first hit the water, anglers initially embraced the space-age technology.

What’s not to love about a fish finder that can find fish up to 200 feet from the boat? Forward-facing sonar allows anglers to see fish and structure on all sides of their boat. By turning the transducer, the angler gets a real-time image of fish and structure—he can see a fish dart out and hit his lure or watch a bass look at his lure and balk.

The love affair with forward-facing sonar didn’t last long. Social media is alive with criticism. One side supports the technology as a way to unlock the fish’s secrets. The other side of the debate protests against the changes forward-facing sonar has brought to tournament fishing. Anglers across the platforms have rallied to support either side of the debate.

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4mXjzqm

✍️: Ric Burnley
📷: Casey Reed
📖: This article was first published in Issue 53 of Kayak Angler Magazine.

Managed to do a little fishing this afternoon…
08/21/2026

Managed to do a little fishing this afternoon…

WHICH URCHIN BAIT IS YOUR BEST PERFORMERI haven’t used the Coike, but I’ve fished a lot with the Uni and the Moeba. I’ve...
08/15/2026

WHICH URCHIN BAIT IS YOUR BEST PERFORMER

I haven’t used the Coike, but I’ve fished a lot with the Uni and the Moeba.

I’ve caught a lot more with the Uni and it holds up better. The fish also seem to hit it harder.

I rig the Yamamoto Uni with a nail wait and then a 2/0 octopus circle hook through the center, much like a wacky rig.

I also fish it like a wacky rigged Senko.

I’ve been fishing the Berkley Moeba weightless and with a 3/0 octopus circle hook. I have rigged it with a frog hook, but I prefer the 3/0 octopus circle hook the best.

I haven’t used a treble hook with any urchin bait after hearing they lead to a lot of tongue hooks.

Which urchin style bait is your favorite and what rigging method works best for you?

Length Vs. Weight: Is one a more accurate representation of fishing skill over the other. Kayak tournaments measure by l...
08/13/2026

Length Vs. Weight: Is one a more accurate representation of fishing skill over the other.

Kayak tournaments measure by length and boat tournaments measure by weight. Is one system better than the other?

State regulations go by length and not weight. It’s been that way for decades, but it’s probably just because it’s easier to measure a fish than weigh one.

Largemouth bass grow an average between half a pound to a pound every year, and two to four inches. A 20 inch bass weighs around five pounds, but it could be significantly less or more, depending on lake conditions and food availability.

If an angler catches a starving, three pound bass that is 20 inches long, are they better skilled than the angler who catches a well fed, 19 inch bass weighing five pounds? Both of those fish would have significant impact in either type of bass tournament.

Kayak tournaments will never go to weight, but boat tournaments could go to catch, photo, and release… which is better for the fisheries. But, we all know that will never happen. Those weigh-ins are probably the best part of a bass tournament.

The differences, on average, might be relatively equal, but I really don’t know. Either way, both tournament types are a lot of fun.

What do you think?

Should kayak bass tournaments allow Jon boats with limitations? I never would have asked that question 10 years ago. It ...
08/10/2026

Should kayak bass tournaments allow Jon boats with limitations?

I never would have asked that question 10 years ago. It may sound like a crazy question, but hear me out.

With the evolution of kayak fishing (at least some call it that) we now have kayaks that border on the brink of being a skiff. For example, the Bonafide XTR 130 is 12 feet, 7 inches long, and 40.5 inches wide. The Tracker Grizzly 1436 Jon boat is 13 feet, 10 inches long, and 36 inches wide (on the bottom).

Then there is the Jackson Blue Sky 360 which is labeled as a kayak, and approved for kayak tournaments…at least for the KBF. This double hull, pontoon “kayak” is 13 feet, 4 inches long and 48 inches wide.

With the bigger kayak tournaments limiting HP to 3 and electric only, why not allow Jon boats. Especially, the plastic ones with an electric outboard. Newport Vessel makes a nice one.

The plastic Mila Light Skiff, at 12 feet, 8 inches long, and 42 inches wide, is more of a kayak by today’s standards than a skiff. What about a Pond Prowler or the Pelican Intruder 12 plastic Jon boat. I’m sure with enough pressure, we can get the manufacturers to slap a “kayak” decal on the side.

If you read this far, you may have figured out that I’m just trying to make a point. I’m concerned about the future of kayak bass fishing, and fear that eventually tournaments will be fished out of small skiffs (we’re already getting there). After that, what’s stopping it from “evolving” into bass boat tournaments.

Four kayakers have already drowned in August. How many kayak anglers actually wear a life jacket? We’re only in the firs...
08/07/2026

Four kayakers have already drowned in August. How many kayak anglers actually wear a life jacket?

We’re only in the first week of August, and at least four kayakers already lost their lives.

August 6, 2026: A Colorado man was found deceased after high winds capsized his kayak on Eleven Mile Reservoir. Although he wore a lifejacket, it did not properly fit.

August 4, 2026: A deceased kayaker was recovered from the Susquehanna River after authorities received a call that a kayak capsized, and did not resurface. The 61 year old had a floatation device, but was not wearing it.

August 1, 2026: Two 20-year-old kayakers went out on Lake Michigan without life jackets, and didn’t return. Their bodies were recovered by authorities the next day.

07/27/2026

Why did you decide to fish from a kayak instead of a bass/Jon boat?

Address

Roanoke, VA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kayak Bass Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Kayak Bass Magazine:

Shortcuts

Share

Category