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kayak
Kayak: Top Baits from Kissimmee Chain
Posted on
Written by
Marty Hughes
Florida is well known for its big bass and when the latest Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft event landed with perfect timing in the Kissimmee Chain as the giants came out to play! The weather was seasonable with overcast skies and no wind on Day 1 and increasing winds on Day 2 with temps in the 70’s and low 80’s on both days according to Bassmaster media specialist, Mark Cisneros.
Also known as the alligator capital of the world, this series of very shallow lakes is connected by a series of canals and part of the Everglades system. With its four major lakes (Tohopekaliga, Cypress, Hathineha, and Kissimmee) the total surface area is around 65,000 acres. Anglers were not limited to these major lakes which gave them numerous options for kayak fishing.
Florida native, Sherman Bishop led the charge with a whopping 204.75” to become only the sixth angler in the series history to surpass the 200 mark. He exceeded the century mark on both days! Following close behind was Texas hammer Guillermo Gonzales who is no stranger to catching giant bass, nearly surpassing the 200” mark as well with 199.5 inches. Another Floridian, Chris Mitchell who is well known in these parts for his bass fishing prowess finished in third with 197.25” in the two day event. In all, there were 158 bass caught over 20 inches with several in the 21-24 inch range by the 223 anglers. The biggest bass was caught by Jacob Berryhill of Tennessee a whopping 25 inches! The top used for the top anglers are shown below.
Sherman Bishop of Florida put together a top 10 all time Bassmaster Kayak Series limit of 204.75 inches taking top honors at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. His Spro Flappin Frog on a St Croix 7’4” Heavy Slop-N-Frog rod put some big bass in the kayak. He also threw a Gamber EZ Swimmer on a 7’1” Custom 407 Medium Heavy Rod. A third presentation by Bishop was a Mega Bass Uoze Swim Jig with a Gambler Little Swimmer trailer on a St. Croix Custom 407 Medium Heavy Rod. His final presentation was a ZMan Jackhammer with a black and blue craw trailer on a 7’3” Heavy 407 Custom Rod. All four reels were Shimano SLX loaded with 30 lb. Power Pro Maxcuatro braid. The Frog and Gambler Swimmer were the main producers in shallow areas with lily pads. The swim jig and Jackhammer were used for deeper hydrilla staging lanes. Sherman Bishop’s top baits used to take home the top “Blue Trophy” at Kissimmee. From the top, a Mega Bass Uoze Swim Jig with a Gambler Little Swimmer trailer followed by the Slop-N-Frog. Third from the top is a Gambler EZ Swimmer and at the bottom a Zman Jackhammer. A key bait for Sherman Bishop’s victory was the Mega Bass Uoze Swim Jig with a Gambler Little Swimmer trailer.Guillermo Gonzales of Texas used a ½ oz. double gold willow spinnerbait with a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog and a Yamamoto Speed Senko to finish 2nd in the Bassmaster Kayak Series event on Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Chris Mitchell of Florida caught most of his bass on a Zoom Magnum Speed Worm in Junebug. This presentation was outfitted with a 6th Sense 4/0 stout wide gap hook, and 3/16th oz. tungsten bullet weight with 17 lb. Seaguar Fluorocarbon. His fishing rod used was a 7’3” medium heavy/fast that was built by Mitchell. The reel combined with this rod was a Lews 7.5:1. He caught his fish on broken tree limbs and trees that fell over into the water and on isolated Spadderdock (pads). His secondary lure was a ⅜ oz. ZMan Jackhammer in black and blue color with a 6th Sense Black-N-Blue Bongo for the trailer. The rod used with the Jackhammer was an older 7’2” medium heavy/moderate St. Croix BassX. His reel was a Shimano SLX ST with a 7.2 ratio. This presentation worked well in open water and areas where the fish weren’t locked on their spawning structures. A key bait for Mitchell was the Zoom Magnum Speed Worm paired with a 6th Sense 4/0 wide gap hook and a 3/16th oz. tungsten bullet head weight. The ZMan Jackhammer paired with a 6th Sense Black/Blue Bongo trailer provided bites to help Mitchell finish in the top 3 and take home a trophy. Garrett Wade of Alabama caught all of his fish on Day 1 with a hand tied spinnerbait whipped up in practice. On Day 2 a weightless Senko Wade mixed in a weightless Senko to keep him in the top 5 of 223 anglers. Both presentations were thrown on the Temple Fork Outfitters Option Series 7’3” medium heavy rod. A hand tied spinnerbait and Yamamoto Senko were the most productive baits for Garrett Wade of Alabama. Abby Abbondanza of Pennsylvania threw the ZMan EVO Elite ⅜ oz. Chatterbait and paired it with a ZMan Green Pumpkin Razor ShadZ. He kept this bait in his hands the entire time other than for about ten minutes on Day 2 when he went to a 4” ZMan Jerk ShadZ in shiner on a ZMan EWG NedLockZ to catch a 20.5” lunker bass on the only spawning bed he was able to find during the tournament. Abbondanza’s rod setup was a 7’3” medium heavy Proteus made by Little Miami Outfitter Rods. He paired it with a Shimano Curado DC spooled with a 20 lb Gamma Edge fluorocarbon. His pattern was fishing the EVO Elite chatterbait parallel to the outside edges of the Kissimmee grass with long casts. This was his first trip in his new Bonafide XTR 130 kayak, and said “I can honestly say this kayak is made for the tournament angler!” He added, “The spacious open deck and the stability makes it a tank in the water, but with smooth maneuverability!”Abby Abbondanza threw the EVO Elite ⅜ oz. chatterbait with a ZMan Green Pumpkin Razor ShadZ.Ken Wood from Massachusetts rotated a ZMan Chatterbait and Yamamoto Senko while occasionally mixing in a Fat Ika with some decent results on Day 1. With heavy pressure on the fish from other anglers, he figured the bass were conditioned to the vibrating “sound” of moving baits and adjusted his tactics with a MegaBass Uoze Swimmer in Hasu color. It had a similar profile but was completely silent subtle change that made all the difference in catching bass. He used a Yakrod brand X-Chatter 7’2” medium heavy/fast action rod. With this adjustment, Wood hooked a solid 19.5 inch bass and just a few minutes later landed a 21 incher. After catching those two lunkers he stuck with the Uoze Swimmer the rest of the day, catching numerous bass and culling multiple times. The MegaBass Uoze swimmer was the ticket for Ken Wood’s success on the Kissimmee Chain of lakes Bassmaster Kayak Series open event. Jimmy McClurkan of Tennessee used a black/blue along with a white ZMan Jackhammer both tipped with a 4” Strike King Rage Menace as a trailer. Alternating these two presentations around pads, submerged grass, and reeds McClurkan found holes that played a key role in his catches. The Rage Menace trailer allowed the ⅜ oz. Jackhammer bait to ride high in the water column which produced the bites. McClurkan with his most successful baits, the ZMan Jackhammer in Blue/Black and White tipped with a Rage Menace trailer. Casey Reed from Virginia used a ZMan Golden Shiner Jackhammer with a Diezel MinnowZ trailer in Gold Rush for the majority of his bigger bites. This bait has been very successful with catching Florida bass. He threw it on a Cashion Icon Chatterbait 7’1” Moderate-Fast Medium Heavy rod with 18 lb. fluorocarbon line. By ripping the Jackhammer through the grass this particular rod gave plenty of backbone to horse the fish out of the vegetation. The ZMan Golden Shiner Jackhammer tipped with a ZMan Diezel MinnowZ was the most productive for Casey Reed. A closer look at the ZMan Golden Shiner Jackhammer tipped with the ZMan Diezel MinnowZ that Casey Reed had success throwing.
