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April 20 Fished with Brad B., an exceptionally savvy fisherman. I regularly address him as "Bassmaster Brad" because he is very good at a number of techniques. Gave him a couple of 1/8 oz. bucktails a couple of years ago and look at what he does with them: He had the focus and patience to work this little jig excruciatingly slowly at a depth of 20'. He was well rewarded, doncha think? I couldn't seem to get my jig mojo working this day so partly to help me keep awake, I went to a Lucky Craft Staysee 90. And this fully inflated football of a bass put me into the "4+ lb. Club" along with Brad. And Brad was still slaying monsters with the tiny black bucktail . . . We covered many miles for today's fish. One smallie here, two smallies there. And we (alright, mostly Brad!) put together a 20 lb. limit. April 22 I was fishing solo this day and headed back to a spot that had a very steep break nearby. Thought I'd start with a bear hair jig. Curious whether there'd be any difference in performance from the bucktail. The comb from my beard trimmer does a good job removing the underfur. Note no Krystal Flash or Flashabou along the shank. Therefore, this is called The Bare Naked Bear Jig. . . . Back on the water: The 1/8 oz. lightweight beat this 4.34 lb. heavyweight. And a hard fighting 3.52 lber: Then, since Quabbin ate the bear, I returned to bucktail for the rest of the day and it accounted for 1/2 dozen more good smallies. Time to wrap up this lengthy report. Tight lines, all.

My granddaughter and me got out for a little while before dark and she got 2. This is the bigger one.

Well that escalated quickly...................................... I have had 6 job interviews since my OP in this thread on Sat. AND.....start a new gig Friday morning. I am pretty excited. Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

Many people want to Learn how to throw swimbaits, but are usually intimidated by the price of gear, or simply the size of the lures. My goal is to clear up the muddy waters of swimbaiting for somebody who is just starting out. The first thing I want to get out there is you can throw swimbaits anywhere, you could be on the infamous clear lake, golf course ponds in Texas or backwoods lakes in Georgia and you can catch fish and big ones too. As long as your lake/pond/canal has bass over 4 pounds you can catch fish on a 8 inch bait (not saying a 2 pounder won't choke down a hudd from time to time). So why would you throw big baits in the first place? Well the obvious answer is big baits catch big fish, but you can still catch a ten pounder on a drop shot. So again why would you throw big lures when you can catch big fish on normal tackle? The reason is because big bass would rather eat once than 20 times in a day so if they see a 8" Swaver they are most likely going to want to eat it over a 4" shakyhead. But what if the bass in your pond don't eat big trout or hitch? You may ask, in my opinion this has a very limited effect how effective swimbaits will be. I say this because I've caught many fish in the southeast on trout imitation baits as well as glide baits that don't really imitate any natural forage at all. These baits have drawing power, what I mean by this is if you throw this bait around docks and grass lines big fish will come out of the cover to look at the bait simply because they are curious. Once you have got them out of the cover you and speed your lure, kill it or twitch your glide bait to get a big bass to strike. They is a lot to learn about big baits. Now let's talk about gear In my opinion keeping it simple is the way to go. Of course to throw big baits you need some lures, there are many videos and articles online about the best starter swimbaits, but I'll throw in my 2 cents anyways. There are two ways to go, you can either get 100-60ish worth of baits or upwards of 200. First we'll start with the bare minimum a glide bait (Swaver), a bottom bait (Huddleston) and a top water (ms slammer or a knock off version). You may or may not have heard of these baits but I'll try to describe how they work they work and when to use them. Starting with the Swaver this is a slow sinking glidebait, they are called glidebaits for wide s-shaped Gide through the water. This is one of the most versatile swimbaits I know of you can twitch it, count it down, wake it, or chuck and wind it and catch fish on all these retrieves. The Swaver comes in 3 sizes 120,168 and the 200. If you are just starting out go with the 168 it is plenty of bait, but not to heavy to where you can't throw it on a flippin stick, I think the 120 is too small and doesn't have the best glide, as for colors don't stress about it, if there are trout then match the hatch but it not that important. The next bait is the hudd there is not much I can say that hasn't already been told a million times but I would recommend a ROF 5 68 special this is just a soft plastic swimbaits with a subtle natural action that works year round. Again color isn't the biggest deal but if you can match the hatch. The ms slammer or any other top water wake bait should be used in warm water obviously, but there isn't much to it except chucking and winding (for this bait you need a specialized rod). The next few baits I would get if you have more money to spend or more experience after you got the rest I metioned earlier, are a Swaver 200 , 8" Huddleston, Lunker punker and either a Depps 250 or if you don't want to drop 200 bucks on a bait a the megabass 262T which is about half the price. Most of these baits you can find for cheaper in the forum called Swimbait Underground under the black market. For the rod and reel the best setup for people just starting out is a Diawa swimbait rod heavy (this rod can throw a variety of baits) and a shimano Cardiff 300 with 65pound braid and a 20lbs leader. As you get better you want a rod with a more parabolic bend for treble hooks and more back bone to set the hook on the hudds ect. ect. If you read through all my rambling great for you! Again I really hope I was able to clear up the water and help out some aspiring swimbaiters! Most of the baits I mentioned are on tackle warehouse, but some are found on swimbait city. The rod is on TW as well. Thanks for reading this and tight lines!!

The spirit of Buck Perry is alive and well in central Indiana Snuck out after work for 2 hours. First structure spot, first pass (on the troll), this 4lb. plus largemouth engulfed the bait. Happy camper - picked up the crappie rod for the rest of the evening

Monday was a nice calm day on Lk St Clair. Had it been June it would have been a great topwater bite all day. Here's a chrome/blue Red Eye shad smallie.

Finally got back on the water for the first time in a month. On Saturday I hit a Lake O trib for some rainbows on opener. Did alright. Tangled with a whole bunch but only managed to land 4 and a bonus little brown. Sunday I launched the boat on Simcoe in search of some jumbos and got into a good school pretty quickly. Landed well over a hundred fish and got some real brutes. A weedline in 8-10 feet of water held the fish and a small finesse minnow on bottom got the bites.

Just trying to figure out how to post a picture. After being on BR for ten years or so, I figure it's about time!

Bet mine is bigger than yours

My only concern with that is that you are 16 and dont know where your life will take you. I thought at 16 that I would be in VA forever. Then in my 20s I thought I would never leave MD. Now im living in AL when I got a job offer I couldnt refuse. So If I would have pulled the trigger on the VA license, I would be out quite a bit of money. I would say hold off until your life has a little more direction.

DSG has some powerbait at 4 bags for $10, powerbait has a $10 rebate if you buy 4 bags. So after the rebate comes in, FREE BAITS! You can use up to 4 rebate forms. So 16 free bags of baits

A Tatula with a Fury is a great suggestion. A Tatula rod with a Tatula reel would be great too.

Check out Chad Hoover's "jig & twig" presentation. Genius. Has anyone used this before?

Finally able to hook a Michigan Brute! She weighed 6.26lbs

I've done similar but with a shaky head as the bottom contact bait. Worked pretty well & I caught fish on both, but not at same time.

Another interesting study I ran across. This one was specifically looking at whether or not a fish is affected by a lure left in their mouth. It's from a saltwater fishing group, but the study was done on a freshwater fish. https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fishing-lure-left-in-a-fishs-mouth/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Blog&utm_content=Fishing lure in mouth#content

Caught in Lee, MA on a submerged log. Lure was a 5.5" savage gear wide glide in chartruse flash color. This is my first year using glide baits and baitcasters and i am hooked. Will definately be getting a more natural color and other glide baits. Fish was 20.5 inches and 4.5-5 lbs

I use it all the time! In fact, here's a few videos I did on the topic.

My Diawa sv105 has been impressive. It's surpassed my expectations. That is my suggestion.

After Grove I headed to the big pond at Johnson... I landed a 4lb bass, a few nice 2-3lbs over the weekend and monday, but was skunked there today as well! And it figures your numbers dropped at the private pond. I guess it is the high pressure and sun following the low pressure overcast days we had. I changed my retrieve, depth, lures, I chanted, burned incense, did a fish god dance, screamed, yelled, cursed, begged, cried, and then had a sense of enormous peace and acceptance after talking to a couple of turtles about the meaning of life.

Thank you @Darren. what you explained about why you like XF is what I was looking for, your reason makes sense to me I will just have to find out if I feel the same since to this point I've never owned an XF spinning rod. As for line I want to say again I respect your and @NHBull opinion about line and while I don't disagree I haven't had had any negative experiences while using 20lb braid and until I do i see no reason to change. No biggie there though to each his own. Thanks again yall.

Sometimes it not about the performance of the reel as much as the enjoyment of being able to buy one and fish one (if you choose or want to). I love some of my cheaper reels and also love my more expensive ones. But refinement of design comes with a cost. People catch fish on Zebco 33 reels every day but some people choose to spend more money to enjoy the same thing. It's funny because I know guys with cheap tackle and bass boats. I fish expensive tackle out of a small boat LOL!

sv105 would be perfect, was throwing the 1/15oz shroomz head ned rigs on mine last night.

2.3 and 2.2

When I got into bass fishing in a serious way back in the late 80's, I remember people talking a lot about how these small lures would catch big fish! Do you guys still fish the Tiny Torpedo? For me, it still holds a spot in my tackle box but I don't seem to catch fish on it like I use to. But, they're still fun little lures to fish.

I've been fishing regularly for 2 years now, been lurking around here for about the same amount of time, lots of great info. I fish Pine Flat, Kaweah, and the Delta.

Looks like a drop shot rig with a jig on the end. If the bass are eating the jig mostly, during the fight back to your thumb / net, there may be a certain amount of collaterally lost Senkos. Some before they even catch a fish. I'll fish either rig separately but probably not at the same time. Places that I will want to throw that jig rig, the stick bait will surely hang up. A-Jay

Here is a fatty from yesterday.

I've never abandoned the split-shot rig, but gave it a major facelift. The split-shot is replaced by a 1/16 oz bullet sinker which doesn't crimp your line. A tiny Spro #10 Power Swivel serves as a sinker-stop. I tie on a 15-inch leader of P-Line 10-lb CXX copolymer (excellent abrasion-resistance). You can use a 12" leader for quicker response, or an 18-inch leader for a more finesse delivery. Any bait can be used, whatever floats your boat: > Zoom 4.0" Junior Fluke > Roboworm 4.0" Alive Shad > Reins 4.0" Bubbling Shaker > Zoom 3.0" Baby Brush Hog Roger

1 or 2 splits about 8" away from a tex rigged lizard. Soak that for a bit, bass love it.

I know this pond, as I fish a few of these up here myself. Are they on bottom or roaming?,.. Both, depending on conditions, with suspended added in there for giggles. These fish are bass, just the same as bass found on definitive structure/cover. They just have a different set of options available. Recognizing the cues and clues, or "ever so slight" changes, will answer your questions. Match their forage correctly, fish where they are, at the right time. As many will attest to, right bait, right place, right time. These shallow clear water mudholes are a task, I will attest that it seems the fish have been beamed aboard the starship Enterprise for the spring months, or have left for Florida over the winter like the geese, and retiree's, and have yet to return. But trust me, they are there, and as you move around the pond, casting away at the usual targets, the fish are usually right beneath your mode of floatation, hugging the bottom, feeding voraciously on something, be it baitfish, crayfish, insects,.. whatever. These ponds?,. this time of year??? Tough deal, but not impossible. "Follow the yellow brick road",... consider ALL of the variables to piece the puzzle together. And that right there?? is the key

I liked the sv105 enouh to buy a second one. It's a great reel and can go from casting a 1/2oz lipless to a 1/6oz inline spinner with just a brake adjustment.

Were have I been? Trying to balance work, hobbies, famliy, and the old lady. Then throw in winter, and loseing firefox due to a virus. Thus losing all my internet logins in the process. Most of which i just have been to lazy. To even reset the password. That includes this site. Before any one ask. Yes the old lady is real. No I dont pay her hourly. We are not related. Sorry WI tends to look down at inbreeding. This is not Alabama. She is also way smarter then what I am. Right now she is working on her masters, and once done might go after her Phd. To become a headshrinker. Yea the most messed up person on this fourm. Is seeing a future head shrinker. I really dont know what she sees in me. Its sure not my wallet. Other then that shes good to me. She makes me happy, and I make her happy. She understands I do dumb stupid stuff, or as she calls it "man things". She even supports my stupid stuff i do. Before i hear marry that girl now. She will be Mrs. Tipptruck. I allready know that. I think she knows that to. She will just regret that choice when we want childern. When she has to push my big headed demon spwan out.

Braided polyethylene is kite-string that wears like iron and lasts indefinitely. Once you load your spool with braided line you've embarked on a long-term contract. You will not have to replace your fishing line until cumulative break-offs and cumulative knots from hell have finally taken the spool level too far below the spool lip. Roger

Oh boy! If you take a few minutes and read through, there are tons of threads covering this subject. Having said that my preference for reels is the Daiwa Tatula CTs and I would pick a 6.3-1 as the all purpose reel. Others would pick a 7.3-1. Either of these reels retail for $126. They can be found online for $110 to $120. There are terrific rods in the $110 range like a Dobyns Fury series rod, or a Powell Inferno, or for a little a bit more look at a Powell Max 3d, Dobyns Sierra , Irod Genesis II series rods and even the Daiwa Tatula rods. I would pick a 6'8 to 7'3 medium heavy fast action rod as that is your most versatile rod. A few specific examples would be a Dobyns Fury FR 704C or a FR 734C. Take a look at a Powell Max3D 683 CEF. An Irod Genesis II IRG744C is another super rod choice. Your fishing area and your style enter into the choice of what is best as well.

I fished them with great success as a kid in the small mountain rivers. When I started fishing bigger bodies of water I forgot about them for a while. Then, while fishing with one of the greatest fishermen I've ever had the privilege of sharing a boat with on a tough lake, he dug in his box and tied on a clear tiny torpedo. He drove out to the middle of the lake, made a couple circles with his boat that got the water choppy, then proceeded to catch a limit. I was stunned. When the bite turned off, he made a few more circles, and started catching them again. By that time I had tied on an old torpedo (I think it was baby bass) I had in my box, and started chunking it. Nothing. So I tried another one (I believe black). Nothing. Finally, the guy asked me if I had a clear. When I told him that I didn't, he got back in his box and gave me one of those little majestic baits. He taught me how to get the blade to spin without moving the bait, and I got to join the catching party. For the past 20 years, I've never been fishing without one. And, on a tough day, it gets brought out, and typically catches them. I love those little things!

If you get hung up again just tell us a huge fish broke your line

The Grizz giving The Spurs are hard time! Gonna be tough to win another in San Antonio though...that Fizdale rant really lit a fire under that Grizz team. Take that for data!

Caught these two sealions napping and sunning themselves as I went into a marina to fish some docks. I'm guessing they had a bass breakfast because I didn't even get bit. They're not a rare sighting on the Delta, but thought some of you might appreciate the photo. This was taken 15 minutes north of Stockton off the main channel.

It's always fun to see them light up. Last year we were fishing off a bridge into a "river" and my wife broke off so I was at the truck tying a new hook on. My 6 year old son grabbed my bait caster and made a cast without me knowing. Then all I hear is "I got one I got one"! To my surprise here he is with my rod reeling in a smallmouth! He managed the bait caster pretty well a little nest but not too bad. The rest of the night he was strutting around thinking he was cool.

3.7lbs on the Strike King burner. because speed kills.

I have absolutely no idea...but since you didn't land it and barely saw it, I think the fish will get bigger and bigger each time you tell someone the story at least I would hope so. I'd probably start at "at least 6 pounds" and begin working my way up from there.

There's always that one guy.

@Sam I get where you're coming from.. and I agree about the confidence but no. Lol you did a good job explaining why higher end reels cost more than lower end... But you didn't really point out what the main difference was between the 2 reels I provided .. and justify the 250 dollar difference... Here's what I got... A little lighter/ more compact frame.. a lighter spool.. a little more quiet and possibly a tension knob cap... Pretty much have my answers. Some good replies. And I can easily tell who likes what and how they feel about this

Interestingly enough I watched a youtube video from Rick Clunn, he was talking about the dis-service the pros have done making everyone think you have to have a $80K, 21 foot , 250 hp powered rocket ship if you want to catch a fish. He mentioned he has caught just about as many fish out of his Tracker Guide V boat. He also surprised me when he said he purchased it with his own money. He talked about how stable the boat was and how good it fished. Now I am positive the Lund's are much better built boats. It is just interesting that with all of the money he has made he enjoys fishing out of that old aluminum boat.

Depends on how long your going to live. With me, it's about day to day around here.....especially if my wife is mad. So forking over the cash for a lifetime license might not be a wise move.

My 2 cents... If you are deciding between a couple of fish finders that are different screen sizes, always pick the bigger screen size. I've never been on my kayak and thought, "I'd sure like to be looking at a smaller screen right now".

A-Jay

Retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1995. I have seen the very worst parts of most countries earth. Started off in the infantry but learned quickly there was not much future in that. I went on to repair and fly helicopters. After retirement I created maintenance manuals for aircraft and components. Fun when you're young! Now I am an ornery old man that harasses his grandchildren. After a number of replacement parts the good Lord allows me get a line wet every now and then.

I'm a big fan of pink, especially for smallmouth. I make a bladed jig in a color I call Funky Chicken that they really hammer at times.