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New PB registering just over 7 lbs on the scales. Caught her on Lake Dora on a Spro Lil John MD in Chartreuse Fire Tiger. As you can tell by my hat and shirt...the wind was howling. I actually caught her on the end of that dock you see to the left in the background, with the 1 x 4 boards lining it. Caught a 4 lber off that pier the cast before...re positioned the boat and duplicated the cast and latched into this hog. What a great moment. We did put her in the live well to make sure we could get the bleeding to stop and then successfully released her back into the lake unharmed.

I got back from the FLW college National Championship on the Red River this Friday, and I was ready to go remember how it felt to catch some fish! I needed one rest day, but Sunday's forecast was rainy with a high chance of topwater. Lake Anna isn't a lake I enjoy fishing at all, I rarely go there besides in the winter, but with the fish being post spawn, and the conditions that I would be fishing, I decided to fish in a Sunday morning tournament that one of the marinas hosts all summer long. Lake Anna in the summer is pretty much a topwater for an hour then go finesse fish on brush piles from what I can figure, and I don't like that. The rain and clouds meant I could throw moving stuff the whole time which I committed to completely, I didn't even have a spinning rod rigged up. Our first stop of the morning after takeoff was at a marina for gas, the one we launched in didn't have ethanol free! After filling up, I put the trolling motor down and started fishing. I put a 2lber in the boat on a super spook within 10 minutes, and got on a pretty good bite for the next half hour, landing 4 decent fish in the 1.5-2.5lb range. They were all on two flat main lake points, which made perfect sense for herring eaters. I fished a couple more similar places after that with no love, so we headed to a creek to fish two pockets that historically have held nice fish this time of year. I always see the bass in these pockets, but can never catch them. I figured the conditions may give us a shot at getting them to eat. On the way into the pocket, we saw a 3lber cruise by that showed no interest in a senko, pretty typical for that spot. I then looked towards the bank and saw a bass lying motionless on the bottom, nosed up to a seawall. I told my buddy Ethan to cast to it, he had a senko in hand already. The fish moved towards the seawall when it heard the senko hit the water, but still didn't know where it was (behind his tail). Ethan twitched the senko a couple of times and the fish spun around, two more twitches and the fish bit. He was a little ugly, but ended up being our 2nd best fish of the day and our 5th fish. I bet most people wouldn't have thought to sight fish in the rain, but you can almost always stumble across a sight fishing opportunity if you are observant! I hooked up on the spook on my very next cast after netting his fish, which was a decent upgrade, putting us at about 10-11lbs. 10 will get a check almost all summer in the Sunday morning tournaments, so at this point we needed to go find a big one. It was 8am and we weighed at 11, so we had a good chunk of time to make it happen. I stuck with the super spook and decided we would stay on the main lake, I knew we could catch a bunch staying in creeks and pockets, but in a 5 hour tournament, you don't want to be looking for upgrades of ounces. Fishing for kicker bites is something I need to improve on in my tournament fishing, so this was good practice for that. From 8:00 to 11:00 I had two bites on the super spook, and hooked one of them. It was almost a 5lber, and was big fish of the tournament! We ended up with 15.15lbs, getting edged out by less than half a pound. It felt great to get back in the groove after a brutal week in Louisiana. Red River gets a 2/10, would NOT recommend!

Bluegill are done spawning for the most part, so moved on to another bite window...post-spawn walleye that are now recovered and feeding again. Managed half a dozen this afternoon.

Day started out pretty decent. Enough clouds and wind to warrant some top water action, so tied on the spook and went to work. 1 blow up but ended up being a jumper and shook it loose on the 4th or 5th jump., looked to be a 3lb largemouth so was pretty bummed about that. After that i think i caught a couple dinky bass, nothing even over a pound..kind of a crappy start. Sun came out, got hot, and wind went away....Now I thought I really wasn't going to catch anything. Got on google and found this post: One tip was to use senkos around lilly pads. I don't use them very much anymore but I had brought some senkos in colors I bought but had never used. One color was bright neon green, and the other was junebug. I know junebugs a well known color but I rarely stray always from the greens and browns for soft plastics (Not after this outing though!). SOOOO I put on the junebug color and started smashing LM, plenty in the 2-3lb range. Then hooked into the chunky smallie. It was one of those hooksets that were just so solid, where you're not initially sure if it was a sunken car you're hooked to or fish. Every time the fish got close to the boat ZOOM it would pull out another 10 yds of line. Over and over again. Hand started actually getting pretty sore. Finally got it in, weighed it, 3lbs, 9 oz. Seemed a bit light so I took the picture of the fish close to my torso so i could measure later. After measuring my torso in the picture for length comparison I got ~21 inches in length, and i estimate girth to be ~16 ....well that gives me 6.9lbs from the BR calculator!!! I like what the calculator says a lot more but i don't exactly trust that either haha. Gotta be above 4lbs though. I'll be buying a new scale today though so i'll have to try and catch this bigun again.

In the summer, on my home lake, I seldom catch fish below the thermocline. I usually look for cover at the same depth and improve my chances

bites been slow not getting typical quantities but the quality has been alright when they do commit. bonus fatty perch. slammed a 110 jerkbait

Find the depth the schools of bait are holding at (shad in Texas). Find the fish.

Just because I'm catching fish in 100' of water doesn't mean I'm fishing the bottom! It's not uncommon to catch fish suspended at 30-40' over a 100' river/creek channels.

Always 'file a float plan' meaning - tell a responsible adult where you're going, what ramp you'll be using and where you plan on fishing, most importantly - when you plan on returning. And if you change the plan - TELL THEM . It's also a very good idea to take a few minutes and collect the following info and leave it with them - as they will need it if there's a problem; Your Cell Phone number (if you carry one), A description of your tow vehicle (year, make/model and tag numbers) same with your boat, motor & trailer along with registration numbers, your description, age & any health issues you may have as well as a list of med you may be on & why, ***The Name & Numbers of WHO this person should call ( U S Coast Guard, State / Local Police, Local Search or Fire Rescue) if you do not return on time ***** And if you plan on staying well past this time - you're going to have company if you don't let them know. Also, check your states websites on boating safety and regulations. There may be requirements that you should know about before going out on the water. Check to see what type / sizes fuses you have and carry some extras. Have a reliable tire pressure gauge to monitor your tow vehicle & trailer tire air pressure. A portable 12v air compressor & a trailer Jack can come in real handy as well. Carry at least one spare boat plug and have it readily available. Ensure you know how & can get yourself back into your vessel in case you fall over the side, especially if you fish alone. Using the out board motors 'trim' to help lift you onto the stern is a good way. Have a spare 'kill switch' lanyard and always wear one when the Out board motor is running. And then there's this ~ https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/boat-products.html That should at least start you on your way. Good Luck and Congrats on the new rig. A-Jay

Another zoom lizard bass...

Another one on the zoom lizard. ?

me and my cousin got after them again today in the little johnny. this pair of largemouths came off the same lay down in 15+ fow. we caught 36 in all, mostly spots, from 6:30 til noonish.

Ok, need to ask forgiveness for doubting and for mocking. I've been on BR since 2015 and have seen threads about Daiwa Reel this, Daiwa Reel that, buy this Daiwa reel buy that Daiwa reel spend a little more money than your budget and get xyz Daiwa reel. Yada, yada, yada! Well I sold off all of my lower priced KK reels along with my Pflueger President spinning reels and purchased a Tatula CT, Fuego CT, and a BG 3000 Spinning Reel. OMG!! I can't believe how sweet these reels are! All of them are rock solid and smooth as silk!! As I write this I am bowing to the greatness of BR. I SHALL NEVER DOUBT AGAIN!!

beautiful evening in souther Indiana. not been catching goodies to photo for you hog slayers , I am enjoying fishing with my wife in the evenings tho.

We have lakes on the Missouri/Arkansas border similar to the OPs. The White River impoundments - Table Rock, Bull Shoals, and Beaver Lakes - are all over 200 feet at their deepest with lots of 60 to 120 foot depths throughout the lakes. The thermoclines on these lakes are usually deeper than I ever fish. As others have stated, it is best to find the depth of the bait and do your fishing there on lakes such as these. If you can find bait intersecting with structure at that depth then you have a bottom to fish which is usually what I try to do. Having said that, I have caught bass 35 - 40 feet deep in 75 - 100 foot deep water with spoons. Typically, it is best to avoid chasing suspended fish but when the fish are stationed in and above the tree tops chasing bait in the range that I am fishing, one can catch quite a few. Usually, the fish I catch in this suspended fashion are spotted bass and a few smallies. I haven't had much luck catching largemouth this way.

I'm a big Boga Grip fan. I'm using the smallest (15 lb) model - The 'gripper' part of the unit doesn't really use pressure to hold the fish. It's more of an 'open & close' deal. I've used the 15lb model to maintain control of some hefty Pike & Musky. May not be the best way to weigh super heavy toothy critters but seems to work well on bass. Really love it to help keep me away from treble hooks while I'm removing them and I use it faithfully. A-Jay

One of the biggest puzzles of bass fishing at least for me. How will frontal conditions affect the bass? There's no way to predict before hand, ya just gotta go to find out.

If you don’t want to use a spinning rig, then don’t. Use what you want. There is no law that states you have to use a spinning set up. One plus however, with a spinning rig is that it is “more convenient to make your lure have a more vertical fall with the bail still open if you want to do that. To do the same with a casting set up you will need to strip line off manually or cast ahead of your intended target to compensate for a slanted descent. That is to me one difference. I drop shot with both. What do you mean by soft? Whippy perhaps?

No worries. Just don't mix colors or other manufacturers plastics in with them.

Well...My opinion is it's all in your thumb anyway, it shouldn't matter what reel you use for pitching. I have at least 2 brakes on every reel I have and 1 has 3, but when pitching I just loosen the cast control knob to get a free fall and then tighten back up if I decide to cast with it. The size, style or manufacturer doesn't matter. Mike

^ Previous [June 03, 2018] WolfyBrandon

Took the family out to a small local lake for a few hours for pike. Caught a half dozen, lost a real nice one at the boat, but still a lovely afternoon on the lake. This little guy didn’t want to be held for a pic ?. Moved so fast my wife got 2 action pics of him before my facial expression even changed!

Went back out to the creek and got a nicer one today. Would have killed for some casting gear in the murky water, the vines hanging down really made the fly rod a struggle. Never thought I'd get my first smallies in a jungle in Hawaii.

Little Hawaiian smallmouth on the fly, also a new species for me. (Hope this pic shows up, I’m still having trouble posting pics)

Hahaha, thanks. It was a rush for sure. There's a small backstory to this: The week before we were fishing about 100 yards down the bank from this...where we found a honey hole. We were catching largemouth pretty much back to back. I latched into a fish bigger than this one that broke my line and got away due to my drag being too tight....so catching this fish was not only exciting...it also brought with it a great feeling of redemption.

Though probably not an option for everyone, but the bright, warm, sunny days of summer is when I fish rivers. Just find some fast current or riffles with deep holes nearby, and you’ll find smallmouth bass shallow and willing to bite.

I've been using the 15 lb Boga for a few years now. It's a great scale and gripper. The only minor complaint I have is that as my eyes get older it is more difficult to make an educated guess for the ounces when the measurement is between the quarter pound marks. I guess I could just always round up.

I've caught 25+ lb. king salmon on the same rod and reel I fish for bass with. I'm not afraid I'll lose anything on that rod. I prefer spinning for finesse. 8 or 10# fluoro isn't what I'd consider finesse, but it's perfectly acceptable for drop shotting. The "drop shot" is a terminal rig, not a specific style nor does it dictate what tackle you use. I do a lot of deep, clear water drop shotting - sometimes 40 FOW or more, so I have 6 spinning rods rigged for DS. That doesn't mean I won't tie up a medium power casting ring to use a drop shot. Or my flipping stick.

I have both the 30 & the 15. The 15 weighs in 1/4 lb increments & the 30 weighs in 1/2 lb increments. I have used the 15 on fish up to 18 lbs without any problems. If you think you will be landing a lot of esox I would go with the 30 lber so you can be able to weigh those bad boys & girls.

And don't forget to put a heavy duty float on them. With what they cost, you don't want them falling in the lake!! On edit, Junger beat me to it!! BTW, Bass Pro sells a float designed for them for about $8.

I get flamed at local tournaments for plipping and punching with spinning gear. I dont care. Use what you want and what you feel most confident in

Definitely going into her stocking this X-mas.

I tried to convince my wife that this was the answer: https://www.cabelas.com/product/Little-John-Lady-J-Female-Adapter/747125.uts She said "No friggin way!" The real answer wound up being shorter trips of 2 or 3 hours.

I wouldn't fear "the one" with spinning gear. Fully confident in my setups to handle any bass in freshwater, and that with 1000 size Stradics. No worries for me As for using casting to drop, sure! I bought a 6'6" ML BPS Carbonlite casting rod to pair with my Chronarch 50e, which is tuned up with ABEC7 bearings, etc. That setup can cast some "weightless" baits. I was even able to cast a Zoom Tiny Fluke - weightless. Yeah, didn't go far, but in my experimenting, it worked w/o backlash. Issue with casting is pendulum swinging if you're casting out a drop shot rather than dropping off the side of the boat. The way to sort of compensate is to pull out line right after you stop the bait (thumb) while it drops. For spinning advantages, wind is another. And I know how to cast in the wind with casting gear. I do not believe casting gear is better than spinning. I don't buy that argument any more and I set out a few years ago to go ALL casting, which is why I bought the ML and two Chronarch 50e reels. If you want to use casting gear, go for it.

3 rods (1 spinning, 2 BC) Tackle Bag filled with some confidence baits, Drinks and Lunch with enough food to share and some gas money to give my host.

Best thing about pitching is you can just go stand in the yard and practice lol putin a little more time with that set up and it might all come together for ya. I still go out in the yard and pitch at objects when I get bored

I generally start at 3/8 oz. and move up. I rarely throw 1/4, though 1/8 can happen if I'm feeling like a more horizontal approach. It's not an Ish thing. Whether there is heavy weed cover or not, up here, it the speed of the drop. Something big goes whizzing down, and a fish has to do what fish has to do to get a quick meal. Think of it like a "reaction bait" - a term I hate - they have to react quick, if they want that meal.

I own some EWGs like this , too, various manufacturers and I see more and more innovation in hooks. But, for me and just my own personal experience, the "angle of attack" I suppose I might call it takes precedence over the several issues EWGs solve. It can be seen below in my attached little mock up of a straight shanked worm vs. an EWG side-by-side. If you thread the hook on a straight shanked worm hook, leave it just below the plastic's surface, when a fish takes it in its mouth, when you feel it and set the hook, it comes thrusting out an an angle that will catch . . . something. i'm not alone in thinking this isn't always the case with an EWG where, just personal experience, I just don't have the same percentage of successful hook sets. Brad

For me, when they go deep I rely on 2 things. 1. They will come shallow to feed at different times and 2. Find the bait they are feeding on and fish that depth. Remember they use flats, points, channels, etc., as highways to get to where they are going either for seasonal movement or feeding. That being said, I have never caught a bass any deeper than the 30 foot range although I do know they pull smallmouth out of lakes like Erie at 60 feet +.

I have zero issues with the knot. Try to cut the tag ends as close as possible.

I'd keep the Daiwa, sell the rest.............and buy more Daiwa's.

I would not make any changes to your setups. You are using your best reels on your two setups.

tubes work excellent in cover

I took my son and my nephew fishing Saturday morning. The bass weren't cooperating, so we ended up trolling for sand bass (white bass). They had a blast, but my nephew really wanted to catch a big bass, so we spent the evening fishing at one of my favorite farm ponds. Altogether, the boys caught around 20 sand bass, 10 largemouth, one catfish, and one crappie, and Waylon caught his PB largemouth. I think I managed to catch three fish all day, but it was the most enjoyable fishing I've done in a long time!

Yes ~ But you may not have to limit yourself to paddle tail trailers only. And in my area natural colors produce best. A-Jay

Hit another lake for some pike today, no monsters but my son got his first of the year. On the hunt for a biggun.

same knot, different name... welcome to the world wide web.

Congratulations! My Lure 11.5/overdrive is OTW as I type this. I recived the overdrive today abd BOY is it substantail: all metal less the prop. The lift mechanism is nicely damped. Can’t wait to get the big pastic part and get fishing. I started with an Ascend 128T in ‘14, moved to a Lure 11.5 and now to a second one. Enjoy your PDL! Here’s the new Lure as I rigged it. Took it out for its maiden pedal tonight (5/24). Woke up a group of leg muscles I’ve neglected for a LONG time....