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I have stalked these forums for a while. I have learned a lot. The following seem to be consistent themes 1. Rage tail yamamoto, keitech and zoom soft baits 2. Gamakatsu, owner, trokar hooks 3. People have very strong opinions about hook shape. 4. Natural or tranlucent colors in clear water (up north, out west), dark or bright colors down south in stained or muddy. 5. Jig fishing approaches a cult like status 6. Most people prefer to either fish fast or slow. Not both. Fast with spinners, hard baits, toads, and slow with worms or jigs. It is the rare and great fisherman who is good with both. 7. Braid requires heavy hoooks, 8. Seibert or Northstar jigs 9. Senkos might be all I need to buy, but that seems boring 10. Snell, palomar, improved clinch, San Diego, Albright, Alberto knots 11. Braid in dirty water, fluro in clear. Mono? Do I need mono? 12. GP, watermellom red flake, june bug, black plastics 13. Sexy shad, chrome black back, gold black/blue back, fire tiger, citrus shad, crawfish in hard baits 14 . Pay attention when Catt, Tom, Mike S, Big O talk. I also enjoy Sir Snook alot and Big Bill for different perspectives. Many others also, but these stand out. 15. Nearly everyone has too much stuff and has trouble organizing 16. Jerkbaits and cranks seemed straight forward, but now I realize they are technical to understand and use to their full potential! 17. Whopper plopper 18. Structure, cover 19. Big baits equal big bass except when they don't 20. Don't let Elastec touch any other baits. What am I missing?

- Fluorocarbon sucks - Braid is great, with or without a leader - Gliss is bliss - Yozuri Hybrid is better than all of them - Only Catt still throws mono - Problem is, there is no such thing as monofilament anymore. It's either a monomer, polymer, hybrid, copolymer or some other technical variation. Don't worry if you get them confused and use the wrong term; you will be corrected - Everybody fishes or throws at structure these days even though nobody can agree on its definition - You're either a practitioner of Midwest Finesse or a Ned Rig thrower, but likely not both - Everybody wants to know what the best " " is, but it turns out opinions suggest that everything is the best to someone - Everyone likes to know what your 1, 3, 5, 10 best lures (or models within a lure type) are, but in reality, nobody asking or answering the question has that few lures, or could ever live with such limited options; but it's always fun to dream anyway - Could someone please explain the relationship between IPT, gear ratio, leverage, and bicycles again? - Reel drags are the greatest modern innovation since channel lock pliers

It's never operator error, it's always the wrong rod, reel, line, or lure!

Where's the Shimano vs. Daiwa battle? Great post!

Took out the yak to my "home" lake, and caught twenty or maybe twenty-five (didn't keep track) in about four hours; which actually is only about average here (unless you insist on beating the banks). Bunch of dinks, a handful of 2#, and two over 3#- one short and fat and the other long and skinny. @CybrSlydr Gotta get that yak bro, the fish are waiting.

Some catches from the past couple days. Largest was 3.25, second largest 2.3(bottom right). I had 3 spit the hook, which is always frustrating. The 3lber hit the Senko before I could even close the bail. Just hanging out in about 6 inches of still water.

10% of anglers spend 90% of the total angling hours... oe

The other 90% buy 99% 0f the tackle

What about "Best rod and reel under $100" That's a staple in this community

I noticed that you neglected to acknowledge the thousands upon thousands of the great fishing reports, pictures & videos that are such a huge part of this great site. And how about all the great deals made and currently being offered in the BR Flea Market ? Good Stuff right there. So yes, Id say you're missing something. Interesting 2nd post (in 7 years) btw A-Jay

1/4oz head would be worthless in most of the places I fish a Ned rig. It would be snagged in the rocks or buried in the grass. It's hard to convince bass guys to go light enough, or believe that the Zman baits really make a difference, but once guys actually give it a try they're usually pretty surprised how big of a difference it makes.

I guess this is me ? Thanks guys - It's been more of a chill-axing kind of a day. But the night is young . . . A-Jay

We had my son's friend come over for the day this past Saturday cause his parents had to work. So I did what every responsible adult would do... we took him fishing. The kid never really been so this was great. Went to a couple of ponds I haven't been to since last year. All I caught was this. They caught these... Those aren't gonna be bait, just for observation... Lol, looks like the Bluegill smacked him in the face. My son's buddy had a great time. Nice to take the kids away from all the tech.

90% of the time im wondering why people are concerned with the success and failures of others. The other 10% of time im enjoying a cocktail

Well, Here's our catch of the day and this big girl went for that weightless yum finesse worm green pumpkin. My sister catch it and landed it. After we got it to shore we felt bad as this bass was hooked a total of five times by all the holes in the poor thing. After unhooking it we saw there was still a hook inside of it "not ours" and we pulled out our pliers and removed it. After that first bite, Things went real south for both of us no bites/no nibbles/nothing. As for myself, I've been in a rut, skunked, defeated and READY to throw in the towel. I haven't been able to catch a bass or any fish in some time after making the switch to a heavier bait caster setup. I have only caught two bass on this setup. With that being said, It could be my line,lure,weight,heavy pressured fish,not really sure what to do now. Regardless, Enjoy this catch.

Here's a 3 minute video I put together yesterday. I thought you guys might enjoy it. If you don't, it's free and short. It shows bass and walleye, sturgeon, and muskies, along with some baitfish. I will check back and try to answer any questions you might have as best I can.

You forgot the age old question that gets asked a dozen times every winter... "If you were stranded with only one lure..."

Honestly this post just shows where you browse the most. Fishing tackle and general bass fishing. There is something on here for everyone . From tackle making to help with your boat. And everything in between.

I'm guessing 90% of anglers exaggerate how many fish they caught and most of the remaining 10% exaggerate the size. So what? For me it does not matter which percentage I'm in - if I catch a few bass I'm good with my ranking!

I'd say that's a good number when the fishing is good. Once it's tough like now during the heat of the summer it's probably more like 5% catch 95% of the fish.

You just don't need a lot of weight to get deep in open water. General rule I follow is, I use the least amount necessary to get the job done. I typically want a slow fall through the water column so suspending fish get a good chance to look at the bait as it passes them bye. With plastics I often use no weight, 1/32, or 1/16 seldom more then that if the conditions are good. Conditions that will cause me to increase the weight are: 1). wind, 2).thick weeds, 3).little fish attacking at the surface, 4). strong current, and 5).certain fishing techniques. Regardless of the weight, it will get to the bottom, it's just how fast you want it on the bottom. If I am in search mode, I typically want to work the whole water column, not just the surface, mid range, or bottom. To do that with plastics, I need a light weight and a slow methodical fall. This gives fish, at all levels, a shot at attacking the dying bait. If I predict big fish hugging bottom structure, I may go with a good size jig, or a jig and craw. It will hammer the bottom fast, and hug the structure while working back to the boat. Before doing that I have to have a good understanding of where their hiding. Bass fishing is all about knowledge, strategy, and patience. You have to have a game plan, and a willingness to adjust to what they want that day, that hour, that location! Always remember that no two days are the same, no two locations are the same, and no two conditions the same. Its up to you to figure them out, and be willing to adjust!

With finesse presentations details matter. If you are serious the original of most finesse techniques Should be followed using the right line, weights, sizes and presentation as the folks who made work. The more wide spread a technique gets the more it looses it's unique fish catching quality. Tom

First time out in a bit, was a numbers game instead of size thanks to the past couple of days of odd weather...

I've seen a lot of posts on here talking about the Ned Rig setup so I went out and bought Z-Man jigheads, cut a Yum Dinger in half and gave it a try this afternoon. On the second cast I pulled in a 2+ pounder. On the 4th cast I caught a 1+ pounder. That was a pretty darn good introduction to the Ned Rig! After a few more casts I switched it up to my Pad Crasher and then a jig. Why change? I was getting greedy and looking for bigger fish. Of course, I caught nothing for the rest of the hour I was out there. But I'm now a fan of the Ned Rig and will throw it in some of the other lagoons we frequent. I'm pretty sure this is now my go to bait in really hot weather. Thanks to everyone here that suggested it.

Stop making sense. This is a fun thread

How can picture based weights not be on the list?

It is a requirement that ANY threads that reference the Ned rig (poop jig) must be at least 7 pages long! I mean, it's a really complicated technique.

Yes, be careful with those and also tread lightly on ethics of bed fishing This might be one of the best posts I've seen in a while. This pretty much sums up about 70% of the content I see on a daily basis. Haha!

LOL... Dude, you are missing the wacky rig!

If I have to make a guesstimation it's more like 15-18%! A couple contributing factors are the growing popularity of kayaks & quality tackle at affordable prices. I'm seeing kayaks in places where you would never see anyone fishing. For years all entry level fishermen had was Zebco 202s & the likes which appealed to kids but not so much to adults. Now most major reel companies offer decent combos, I've recently seen a BOOYAH Padcrasher combo at Academy.

Who counted?

Thanks ~ Very happy to be celebrating my 29th successful trip around the sun - for the second time. A-Jay

Just watched a guy this weekend bury his F350 to the axles trying to pull out a boat on a gravel bank. Then watched the F150 start to get stuck when he tried to pull him out....and then another F350 spin his tires when he also tried. The dude ended up calling a tow truck, that ended up using a winch to get him out. 45 mins of priceless entertainment.

6-6 to 7' medium/fast rod and a 2500 size spinning reel. Pick your poison - everyone has good options for either when you get above the $100 mark. I'd be using 8# Tatsu or Invisx, but you'll hear a bunch of guys say braid, or braid with a leader. I just find fluoro is much more sensitive than limp braid. You're always going to have a semi slack line presentation with unweighted plastics. Braid does not excel in these situations.

I know most everyone has heard of Carrot Stix rods. I also know that there is a reputation on them for easy breakage, poor customer service and long warranty claims. I want to do this review because I have went back to using Carrot Stix again and want to let everyone in the community know my experiences I have recently had with them. I want to start by saying these are not the same as E21 Stix. Customer Service- I ordered three Wild Wild Orange casting rods 6'6" Med Mod Fast, 7' Med Hvy Fast and 6'9" Med Hvy Fast. A couple days after ordering their customer service called me to let me know that they were out of stock of the 6'9" MH did I want to swap it or get refunded. I ended up swapping it for a 7' Hvy rod. I got an email from them the next day saying that the 7' MH was also out of stock and that since there was a delay in shipping and an inconvenience with the out stock rods they were going to swap the 7' MH with an upgraded 6'9" Wild Wild Black MH. To me this is great customer service on their end and did everything in the power to make up for the inconveniences. Rods (Pros)- When I first received the shipping tube and got the rods out I was immediately pleased to see they came with their own rod cover to help protect the rods. Upon inspection I noticed that the guide rap seemed different than on my E21 Stix. Comparing them their seems to be more epoxy and less thread on each guide. This change makes me feel more confident when I was told that the breakage issues came from guides being wrapped to tight on the old rods. These rods are just as light and sensitive as they always have been. I enjoy the split reel seat on the Wild Wild Black over the One piece on the Wild Wild Orange. I have used all three rods for about a month now and really appreciate the lightness and sensitivity of them. They balance really nice with different reels but I feel the lighter the reel the better it balances. As for sensitivity I can feel little things that the baits are doing especially when I am using a moving bait ( I can feel every wobble the bait makes). I gave my boater one of the rods to use (I was fishing Co Angler) and he was also really impressed with the sensitivity it had. When fighting a fish I never once felt like this rod was going to fail me. I never boat flip a fish however because I feel like that is guaranteeing a broken rod at some point so I can't speak on the durability when boat flipping. Cons- With all three rods there is only one negative I have found and that is that the micro guides bend easily however I find that to be the case with all rods with micro guides. Carrot Stix also offers their rods in Microwave guides and I think the next time I buy a rod from them I will be using the Microwave guides. Warranty- You still get a limited lifetime warranty on all their rods. You have to pay $49.99 for each warranty claim however you don't have to fight with sending a broken rod back to them. I cannot speak on anything else about their warranty since I have not needed to file a claim. All in all I feel the rods that Ontario Technology Group has brought to market look and feel like the old Carrot Stix but they have made some serious strides of improvement to bring a better product and reputation to the orange rods. I would not hesitate to pick up another Carrot Stix in the future.

On Monday on the B.A.S.S. website, Mike Iaconelli posted a column about the Ned Rig. It had some misinformation and I found it a bit misleading, especially when compared to the advice I got (and used) from people like Bluebasser86, Team9nine and IndianaFinesse on this website. While I applaud Mike's effort to get this information out, I believe the problem is if a person follows his advice directly, the results will be less than they could be. They will put a small Senko on a 1/4 oz jig, fish it like a shakey head and then say the Ned Rig is overrated. I think part of the problem is Ike's loyalty to his sponsors. He basically just made his version of the rig using parts from his sponsors and so he then states that it doesn't matter what type of plastic you use. I believe Mike is talented enough to get results throwing just about anything, but folks like me aren't. If my initial trial had been based on Mike's column instead of a post from Team9nine, I doubt I would have had the success I did. Further, I would have likely lost interest and not had this technique in my repertoire.

Don't know, but @Team9nine did some research on this.. http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/mythbusting-10-of-anglers-catch-90-of-fish.html

Those cones are up to prevent "turnarounders," since I am the first driveway on a dead end street. I've even had people run over the cones, right in front of me. Here's how the day progressed:

Is the old adage that 10% of anglers catch 90% of fish- still true? Perhaps, and with the advent of the information high way the number of successful bassheads might be somewhat higher. I'll say in my particular case, on any given day, I'm routinely fishing for only 5% of the population as it is. I think that may decreases my probability of success but not my enthusiasm. A-Jay

Don't you hate it when you're fishing down a bank and someone else decides they need to fish there worse than you do?

Depends on how much the "weightless" soft plastic weights, you can cast a 5 inch "weightless" senko with a H rod anytime simply because the "weightless" senko is pretty darn heavy ....

Pulling up to the ramp and seeing the lot empty. Getting slack lined on a bladed jig. Them big girls that live in bad places that make you work to get them out. Taking my son fishing.

I'd just about guarantee that the rejection of the experts advise is written into the script to add drama to the show. "Reality" TV isn't actually very real.

Last Friday I took the kayak out to an 85 acre lake and shortly after I got there the winds were hitting 20 mph, I stayed close to shore as I worked my way around the lake trying to stay out of the wind as best as possible. The water obviously had a good chop and water vis was next to nothing. After a couple of hours of not even a nibble I remembered reading that such conditions called for a loud and flashy bait. I put on my biggest buzzbait, silver blade, bluegill skirt, and started casting it into a shallow bay, 3 feet of water with weeds to within about 6 inches of the surface. I really cranked it back hoping to make a lot of commotion and get a reaction strike. Third cast I caught this nice bad boy at 17". It's my first ever on a buzzbait.

I know this ain't considered slaying them, but for me it's very exciting. Can't seem to find where they all are. Just one at a time...lol. I've now caught 3 bass in 4 days. Add another one to the list of junebug red Ol' Monster catches. Caught this earlier this evening back at Lake Buhlow. Guess this lake is becoming slightly promising after all. I feel like I'm learning something from all you good folks on here. Thanks a million everyone, y'all ROCK!

Walked the banks for a few hours tonight and caught 8 or 10, all dinks. Forgot my jerkbaits, so the fish had a rather easy time. The biggest and the smallest.

Ive had solid catches since i got my slayer 10 but they were in NY. this is my first decent sized catch thats local to me. on a black buzz bait.

Visited a friend in Baltimore and we went fishing at Loch Raven on a rental boat. It was kind of rough without a depth finder. Had a bite or two shallow, but everything else was 20-30 ft water. No luck with black/blue jig or watermelon/red worms. They seem to only hit shad color baits (drop shot fluke + vertically jigged swim jig). I didn't think they could even see color that deep. I guess deep water bass fishing could be fun with the right gear and technology, but Florida seems simpler. Bass were about 1.5-2.5 lbs.

That moment when you're turning into a secluded cove...and you can see that the whole pocket is empty....when you really, really have to take a leak....it's like 'Yeah!'