How to Troll Spoons for White Bass

[@gonz8612]

Thanks a bunch for all your video's. Can't get on the water yet here in KS due to flooding, but your youtube channel keeps us going!!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you for watching the videos! Hope you are able to get back on the water again soon.

[@nealconner1939]

Thanks for the video. I recently added a trolling motor to my kayak and was surprised how many more white bass I catch trolling with it vs paddle. The white bass you catch tend to be larger to when you are cruising at 2-2.5 mph. I don't get as many hook-ups with spoons, but the bitsy minnow strike king chartruese-blue and green is deadly. I did remove the trebles on the crankbait and replaced with a size larger barbless trebles(ebay). Barbless trebles makes the fish a lot easier to unhook. I found I actually catch more fish using barbless. Even if a fish swallows the lure deep, it's still easy to remove the barbless trebles without doing further harm to the fish. I went to barbless trebles after a $1200 ER visit to remove a treble I couldn't remove myself without doing some serious tissue damage. That experience made me go barbless. This year I tried 6/0 circle hooks barbless fishing for blues and flat head catfish. I was skeptical at first about losing big fish, but found the experience has been the opposite. It seems I always catch the big fish and lose only the small ones. The use of the trolling motor/ hookups plus barbless treble hooks have made white bass fishing a lot of fun!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Neal! Glad you are enjoying your trolling motor. Sounds like you have a good system with your setup.

[@spyder8490]

That would be a good way to find skip jack in tougher summer months . very good video as always

[@KayakCatfish]

That is what I do to locate them in certain places I fish.

[@michaelgreen8106]

Back at it again with the killer videos. Nice man. Keep up the good work!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Michael!

[@MrZap765]

I really enjoy watching you catch white bass yellow bass skipjack just trolling it's very relaxing and I really enjoy it I wish you would make more videos

[@Apache-Adventures]

Dude im hooked on your channel like a fish, cant thank you enough for all this knowledge🙏, im not the brightest light in the house, and the way you break it all down...just amazing🤙

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks! Glad you find the videos helpful.

[@dylanboyd4212]

I love your videos, I caught 3 20+ pound blues last night on the Ohio river in evansville indiana. All on cut half into bluegill.

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks! Congrats on those fish!

[@JoeyDaytonaaa]

Just found your channel recently and really enjoying the videos. Thanks for taking us along with you and teaching us a few things while you do it!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you Joe! Glad you enjoy the videos.

[@cheza7061]

Good to see you catching bait too. Great video.🎣😎

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Cheryl!

[@SportsArbitrageUniversity]

Justin, Love all the videos and thanks for making a video with how you get your baits. I love the channel and will always watch! If I could have one request (not trying to be picky or pushy) could you please make a video on how you get your skipjack shad... cast netting, catching on rod and reel if thats possible, how to locate them visually, and how to locate them on fish finder without a down imaging, and best and most common places to find them on lakes/rivers. We seem to find schools and try to throw the net but just cant locate the exact spot we need to throw. This will help my dad and I greatly as we cant ever hardly catch any shad and use it for catfish bait. Thanks so much. Bryson

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you Bryson! A skipjack video is one that I will never make. They are becoming harder and harder to get here in good numbers. At least for me anyways. With the number of people who would watch that video to just try to spot the backgrounds of where I would be fishing, it just wouldn’t be worthwhile for me. I would quickly get crowded out of the places I catch them by the ever growing number of bait dealers who sell them for $4 to $7 each here locally. I am all for helping others but not at the detriment of myself.

[@erictorres4589]

Great information video I should be getting my kayak sometime this month been saving up for it for a 2 months

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks! Hope you enjoy your kayak when you get it.

[@terrydeaton9586]

Another good one, Justin. Many thanks.

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Terry!

[@Richhatfield9568]

thanks for the the info..great video....nice trolling set up on your kayak 👍

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you!

[@KoolKatsFishing]

Ok you covered about all my questions now. I have one left for u to do. The motor setup on ur rig. How is the charge time and how long does it last on an outing?

[@KayakCatfish]

It takes a few hours to charge. Not sure the exact time. I usually just plug it in the charger when I get home so it is ready for the next trip. How long the battery lasts depends on how hard you run it. For my needs, the battery lasts my entire trip.

[@burresscounty]

Great video! The bait struggle has been real for me this year. Having to rely on bluegill more than I'd like. I did get a very large drum (2 inches shy of a TARP) I cut up and put in the freezer.... He'll make some good bait!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Andrew! I feel you on the bait struggles. I just haven’t had the time to be able to invest into getting some quality bait.

[@rtvv5026]

You're pulling double duty with the bait fishing and catfishing, lol. No way I could talk my wife into letting me fish that much!

[@KayakCatfish]

Just tell your wife about all the money you will save by not having to buy bait. She will let you fish 7 days a week lol.

[@trimcoversit3971]

Get rid of the wife. Easy fix. 😆

[@travishorton8290]

Great video, been waiting for this one haha

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Travis!

[@rhinohd]

Wow I had no idea you needed to go that fast! No wonder trolling in my (paddle powered) Big Rig isn't as productive. Happy Fishing!

[@KayakCatfish]

It can be hard to maintain the needed speed while paddling. I didn’t do much trolling in my old paddle kayak because of that.

[@rhinohd]

@@KayakCatfish I slow paddle troll for crappies under cigar bobbers (weighted). Two jigs on each line and I'm good to go. Once I locate them I head back over and vertical jig them ;)

[@OutsidewithTom]

Thanks for the tips. Surprised to learn that you're trolling at 2.5mph. I haven't had much luck trolling for yellow bass, but maybe I've been trolling too slow. I'll try a bit faster (with a paddle). Thanks!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Tom!

[@scottiesimms5373]

Sweet video and informative buddy! About how much line you letting out with that spoon?

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks! I continue to vary the amount of line out until I figure out a pattern for the particular day.

[@jokingbutnotkidding2607]

Love the intro!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you!

[@WashingtonFishing]

Great video thanks for info 🎣

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you for watching!

[@georgefranklin2738]

Instead of using weights I use a deep diving lure like a Fat Free Shad with the hooks removed. That way when you slow down or turn, the lure doesn't end up on a snag. And I prefer speeds between 1.7 and 2.3 MPH trolling for White Bass.

[@briansuttles492]

Besides bass what other fish have a size limit before you can use them for bait? Great video, keep catching and be safe

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Brian! Bass and crappie are the two baits that I use with size limits.

[@honeybadgervoodoooutdoors7305]

Great video as always. Love the combination of instruction and action. Have you retrofitted a seat? Is there a video that shows what you've done?

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks! I wasn’t able to find a good way to alter the seat. I tried several different things but finally just succumbed to the realization I was stuck with the seat it came with.

[@honeybadgervoodoooutdoors7305]

@@KayakCatfish I see. I remember watching one of your videos where you were having some trouble with your back. Glad to see it's resolved itself.

[@KayakCatfish]

It would help me greatly to have a seat that sits up a few inches higher but I haven’t found a suitable replacement that doesn’t throw off the balance of the kayak.

[@jameshollon8144]

great video. thanks for the info.

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks James!

[@survivingwith812catfishing]

Super informative thx man !

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks for watching!

[@survivingwith812catfishing]

@@KayakCatfish always !

[@TheReelFishermen]

2.5 all day! Love how you say spoon lol That Tennessee accent

[@KayakCatfish]

Haha!!!

[@genelamb4427]

What battery or how many batteries do you have? You seem to be able to cover more ground with your Hobie Evolve then I can. I have the standard battery that comes with it and can only go about 1 hour at 4 mph or 45 minutes at full speed (5.4 mph).

[@KayakCatfish]

I have the standard battery. Full speed only gets me around 45 minutes but I can go 3mph for almost 8 hours.

[@genelamb4427]

@@KayakCatfish Thank you. That makes sense.

[@Jerryshipping12]

Looking like some good cut bait to me!

[@KayakCatfish]

Absolutely! Thanks for watching!

[@Jerryshipping12]

Absolutely, I got to watch, never know what kind of fish or equipment your going to be showing off! Lol

[@vincebeneke1615]

What do you do for work Justin if you don’t mind me asking?

[@KayakCatfish]

I work in healthcare.

[@DirtMacGurk1]

Nice man. Just recently have been messing around with trolling but I’m using a paddle so it’s a bit different. Love the concept though.

[@kaydengarcia5156]

Hey I’m a huge fan of the channel I was wondering what are you working towards by doing these videos

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks for watching the videos Kayden! That is a great question and one that I have been struggling with myself. This started as me just posting a few videos to help people shorten the learning curve to catching catfish from a kayak. Somehow that morphed into me posting videos all the time. I don’t have a real plan as to where it goes from here. I have basically just been pausing at periodic intervals and asking myself two questions: Am I still having fun? Is the channel growing? Thus far the answers to both questions have been yes so I continue on. When the day comes that the answer is no to one or both questions, I will have re-evaluate and decide if it is worthwhile to keep investing this much time into doing these videos.

[@chrisreumont]

Where you able to spot them on your sonar? You did pretty good today no golly whoopers maybe next time.

[@KayakCatfish]

I didn’t see them on the sonar. Most days when I am trolling, I don’t even turn my sonar on. I can monitor my speed on the Torqeedo control box.

[@pamela8570]

Awesome info thank you

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you for watching!

[@MRSludgedude]

What's the best spinners for them? I always get spinners that are not heavy enough and the blade don't turn.

[@KayakCatfish]

I don’t use any spinners with them.

[@MRSludgedude]

@@KayakCatfish i fish shallow so I don't use crank baits or deep spinners. If they deep I use white jigs or little cut shad

[@shuyostarwind6157]

So what is your faverite bait shad, blugill, or white bass?

[@KayakCatfish]

Skipjack is my favorite bait

[@shuyostarwind6157]

@@KayakCatfish i font think i have those in ohio

[@210fishing6]

Do you have a video about you’re kayak setup

[@KayakCatfish]

Yes

[@beconsumptive]

How do you keep the spoon lower in the water collum? Whenever I troll castmasters on my kayak, they more or less skip on the surface

[@KayakCatfish]

Slowing your speed and letting more line out will drop them lower down. If you are wanting to fish them more than a few feet under the surface, you will need to add a split shot or lead sinker above the swivel.

[@davidcheser713]

Question already asked on how long charge last,,,but could you give a better estimate on that,,,,,how long do you think (estimated) would the charge last at a continuous trolling speed

[@KayakCatfish]

It varies depending on how fast you go. If I ran full throttle continuously, it would only last around 45 minutes. At 3mph, I can get around 8 hours. The control box constantly updates the range you have left based on your current speed.

[@stephenhair5501]

Everything likes to be Spoon Fed! 😎👍👍

[@KayakCatfish]

Haha! Very true!

[@troutmagnetman]

Another one in the books.......the way you been on the catfish I think you're gonna need some more bait....LOL.

[@KayakCatfish]

I need to hire you to catch my bait lol. You catch enough fish in an hour to supply me for a week.

[@MrFrozensmoke]

How do you store your bait for later use?

[@KayakCatfish]

I just put them in a plastic zip lock bag and then pack the bag in ice.

[@1850Niko]

Are you re-using any of your baits? There are times I don't catch anything and I hate to throw away the cutbait. Idk if you have any experience with refreezing bait or if it should be thrown away after using it. Thanks!

[@KayakCatfish]

Skipjack is the only bait I freeze and I never refreeze them. They tend to get mushy after being thawed a second time.

[@1850Niko]

@@KayakCatfish Appreciate the fast response! How long do you leave your cutbait in the water before replacing it?

[@KayakCatfish]

It depends on the type of bait and if it is being chewed on by small fish. Sometimes I will leave the same piece of bait soaking for hours if it hasn’t been touched and I am short on bait.

[@1850Niko]

@@KayakCatfish you've mentioned in some of your videos after catching bait like white bass that you're going to use them the next day. Do you keep them in a livewell at home and keep them alive for the next day of fishing? Thank you again for your help!

[@KayakCatfish]

I just put them in a zip lock bag and pack them in ice. They will keep fresh for a few days.

[@keepitreelcatfishing5883]

How deep in the water column do these spoons lie ?

[@KayakCatfish]

It varies depending on speed, amount of line out, and any weight you have added to your line.

[@lkncatfish7586]

thx for your videos

[@KayakCatfish]

Thank you for watching Robert!

[@kompwizbasha]

Which motor do you use on your kayak ?

[@DavidsOutdoors-of1vs]

How often do you get hung up when making your turns using spoons?

[@KayakCatfish]

Very rarely. I can’t remember the last time it happened.

[@ocshaman7323]

Have you ever tried trolling a sabiki rig?

[@KayakCatfish]

Yes, I do it sometimes.

[@ocshaman7323]

@@KayakCatfish If you need an idea for a video, I would like to see how you do it. I'm not seeing much on KZbin for freshwater sabiki rigs.

[@11golfnut11]

what size battery do you have? how long does the battery last? What king of motor is it?

[@KayakCatfish]

Check out my Hobie Evolve video. I answer all those questions about the motor and battery in the video.

[@toddpowers8742]

Hey bro those white bass oily like a skip jack or shad?

[@KayakCatfish]

No. Skipjack and shad are much better baits.

[@toddpowers8742]

@@KayakCatfish thank you....

[@craigbryant9811]

Do you freeze your baits or try and use them fresh

[@KayakCatfish]

I freeze skipjack. Everything else I use fresh.

[@tonychristianson7866]

Is it not illegal to use game fish as bait in your area?

[@KayakCatfish]

Perfectly legal here

[@moziasgezias]

Anyone have some tips for keeping my kayak from spinning while anchored?

[@KayakCatfish]

If you have some current, you can deploy a drift sock off the front of your kayak which will help offset the wind and keep your straight. If there is no current, you pretty much have to either use a two anchor setup to keep still or just suspend your baits and let the wind spin you.

[@moziasgezias]

Thanks, I fish a lot of ponds so I may go the route of 2 anchors. Btw your vids are what encouraged me to get a fishing kayak and it's some of the most fun I've had fishing in years.

[@anthonywaldo6956]

Thats 2 mins from my house 😁

[@KayakCatfish]

Cool

[@SalineScott]

Just pick up your phone and you’ll get a bite. Lol. At least if your looking for large mouth. Lol.

[@KayakCatfish]

Haha! That was a secret I wasn’t going to tell people but it works lol.

[@myadventureoutdoors]

This video wasn't long enough.

[@KayakCatfish]

I kept it short because I know your time is limited these days. You’re welcome.

[@racinjayson8817]

Second

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks Jayson!

[@countryboysandcatfish1448]

Looks like your hauling ass how fast you going

[@countryboysandcatfish1448]

Never mind should have watched the whole video before asking lol

[@KayakCatfish]

Haha! No problem. Glad I was able to answer your question.

[@jaredsmith6272]

First!

[@KayakCatfish]

Thanks for being #1!