I learned as a kid a couple things. 1) Lures are the best. 2) Lures don't always work. I know ponds that refuse to hit ANY bait unless it's real. So, not knowing what you're fishing for, I'll give you my go to for both. From Bluegill, Catfish & Bass to Redfish & Flounder. Chatterbaits & Skirted Jigs are amazing, (esp the ones that make noise w/ the beads - blanking on the name). You have two options here, both work in both scenarios. My favorite is Squid! Nothing beats it imo. It has its own action, & you have the benefit of scent. The trick is, hook it through the beak*. Me and a buddy would catch 50+ Bluegill off a single squid if we used the right hook/method. You'll know when you end up trying to take it off the hook & you have to flex to get the damn bait off. Option 2, soft baits w/ a lot of action. (Berkley Chunk w/ the arms comes to mind or Ragetails). 3) During the right time of year, nothing beats top water pop lures for Bass, it's just too much fun. During Bass spawn season, sometimes you won't get a hit on anything but a worm (plastic), as I had to learn the hard way, as I prefer more active styles. Probably caught my PB using a red/blue Culprit worm w/ no idea of what I was doing, (wrong hookset, guessing @ the action) at a new pond w/ 0 knowledge of structure, beds, etc. Cork fishing is tried & true, can't mess up in salt water or fresh most of the time. Springed treble hooks for cheap catfishing using only bread (or pellets) on one rod as you cast w/ the other. Caught grass carp using that method as well however. Me & a buddy just got a kayak, he knows nothing of fishing used the skirted jig w/ Squid (or shrimp), last summer in the Bayou we caught some annoying hard-heads but that's par for the course when the salt levels are normal. Twitch, twitch, pause & jump jjgs jnstead of dragging, that does a couple things dragging won't. Hope any of that helps, & you have access to squid or that was kind of a bust. Oh, always watch the action of your softbaits & test em pre cast or a reel in to see if you're getting desired motion, don't be afraid to switch up colors/baits (divers), black/blue skirts works even in this MS muck. We're new to kayaking (& basic bitch ones @ that), so wish us luck, cheers.

Awesome! Thank you!

You're welcome

For sure and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the sub!

I personally use both but gravitate more to the seven footers.