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Switched spots and fished my freinds privat dock on the same lake. Caught my first bass. She’s a bit small. But size doesn’t matter to me. She fought like a truck so I thought I had a cat on.

Been doing really well with a jig lately. It is now a go to for slaying some Michigan hogs.

My post spawn smallies wouldn't respond to reaction baits shallow (10' - 15') this cool June morning, but a few were receptive deep (20'? 25'?) to bear on a ball. Bear hair on Do-it's 1/8 oz. round head jig mold with socket eyes. Trailer is a cut-in-half Leatherbaits Chunk.

This is a couple days old, but it was one of the last times I went out and one of the best fishing days of my life. It was my first frogging attempt of the year so my drag on my reel was still completely loose and I missed about 8 blowups on only a few more casts right at the start of the morning. When I finally realized the drag was loose, after a fish had held on to the frog and pulled out some drag and then spit it out, I started putting them in the boat, and they were good ones! After the sun got high I switched over to a magnum Christie Critter and started pitching it as far back in the reeds as possible and was glad I did! I caught my new PB for this state at 6.3 lbs (6 lbs 4.8 oz) and my best five fish were right under 28 lbs (2 of the 5+ didn't get recorded on the GoPro). Then I went back 3 days later after a little rain and cold front and found them roaming in the lilies with a black and blue chatterbait. Best 5 for that day were ~23 lbs.

So we have a baitcasting rod, reel with braid and a spinning rod reel with braid, both good quality outfits. Finesse spinning; my suggestion is a slip shot rig. 1/8 oz tubular mojo weight, Carolina Keeper, size 1/0 #5133 Owner drown shot hook and 6' of 6 lb test premium mono leader, not FC for this rig. Roboworm 6" curl tail in oxblood red flake. Weight about 24" from the hook. Baitcasting; jig. GYCB 3/8 oz Hula jig, plain black with Gamasktsu hook and 4" twin tail Hula gurb. Leader of your choice 6' of 12 lb mono or FC. The slip shot rig is very simple; cast as far as you want, let sink to the bottom and drag back by lifting the rod tip up to move the right a few feet, reel in slack linesand repeat. When you feel added weight reel fast and sweep the rod back. Jig is different, cast as far as you like, let the jig sink watching the V the line is cutting in the water closely. When the jig hits bottom or a bass eats it the line will jump slack. Lift the rod tip up and if you feel anything alive drop the tip and reel quickly and sweep the rod back hard. The retreive varies, short 1' hop rest, slower 2' drag and a short hop rest. Keep the line slack to a minimum so you feel the jig making bottom contact. Set the hook on anything different. Strike detection takes time unless the bass are aggressive then it's easy. Hula grub color 330 green pumpkin with purple-copper flake. Tom PS, bank fishing or boat fishing start by targeting points and fish all around them.

Just got back from Harlem Meer, and boy is that bite tough. At one point I literally hit a bass guarding a bed with a jig in the face five or six times but he would not bite. I tried a jig n craw, Texas Senko, wacky Senko, crankbait, and a bbz 40 rat to no avail. A friendly passerby asked if he could use my rod to tail hook the fish, but I kindly let him down. The guy then when on and gave me a five minute lecture on Louisiana Bass fishing, and I learned a few new things I didn’t know before. I have probably fished the Harlem Meer a dozen times this year, but today was the first time people were just coming up to me and trading fish stories. More than a few asked where they could get fishing gear or learn how to fish. I and up given a 10 minute seminar on how to cast a spinning reel and the behavior of spawning fish. I’m hoping that today I spread the fishing bug to a few new anglers. Picture of the Meer today.

I've posted hereabouts of my post spawn experience of going from solid catches to absolute ZERO. This being my first season back after a decade and really my first serious foray into Bass I was at a loss as to what to do. Received some great advice from you all, THANKS. Last week I did a short stint trying topwaters but gavw up and went back to plastics which were always good for me. Day after day, nothing. Really felt just defeated. So this morning after an hour or so of the same tired thing I thought of that old adage; Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity..." And decided, as many here wrote, to go to Topwaters and learn to work them. Working a Lunkerhunt poppr for about twenty or so minutes and bam! A hit about 5 feet in front of me! YEAH BABY! My first topwater fish EVER!!!! Nothing big, maybe a pound and a quarter but d**n did that restore my confidence! I hit the back inlet and caught another, bout 1.5 and couldn't be happier. Thanks for all the help and advice! Eric J

CAJUN WARNING Due to the extreme drought in Florida, the following caution was issued: The Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising alligators both young and old to take extra precautions and keep alert for Cajuns while in Bay, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, Brevard, and Orange Counties. Alligators should recognize the difference between small young Cajuns and large adult Cajuns. The young Cajun will be the one carrying the Sauce Piquant pot and the adult Cajun will be the one wearing alligator boots.

I had an older fella blow up on me for fishing too close to his dock. I simply apologized, told him I meant no harm, and would move on. As I moved away, he got my attention and apologized to me for acting the way he did. Come to find out, he found a jig stuck in one of his boat seats with a sizeable tear. Maybe the property owner was being completely unreasonable, but I figure the fishermen didn't help the situation. If someone causes a stink, it's easier to just move on. There's plenty of water to fish.

Reading all the responses I don't know who to be more afraid of; overly territorial dock owners or the Johnny Rambo anglers who think shooting everyone they have a problem with is the one size fits all answer to disagreements. Makes me very thankful I have places to go fish that aren't heavily populated with either.

People throw around "I'd shoot that guy" like it's all justified and no one else would be affected. Nice and clean, one less idiot in the world. When someone is killed, it affects their entire family, your entire family and you. You'd never stop thinking about the life you took even if justifiable. Not to mention, shooting someone you didn't absolutely have to in most states will get you charged with some kind of manslaughter and you'll need a good lawyer and most of your savings to stay free. You could end up taking a plea to a lesser felony and lose your gun rights. I have a concealed carry permit and I do carry often. But with that right comes a great deal of restraint. You'd better know you're in grave danger before you pull a trigger on a human being. He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he Is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstance. David Hume

Some people just get crazy when they don't get enough fiber in their diet.

Yes the money is worth it as the components on the IRG series are of better quality. There is nothing wrong with a fiber rod but that series was brought out later than the Air and Genesis II rods. It was designed using the same blank as a Genesis II rod but uses less expensive components to compete in the lower price market. All the rod companies have been hammered to produce very high quality rods to fit in the $50 to $100 price range and then the $100 to $150 range. That is why Gary Dobyns worked on his Fury line of rods for over a year to find a rod blank material and group of components that would meet his strict demands before he would put his name on them and sell them. Now he pushed it even farther into his Colt series. Sometimes in order top get in a price range the factory will have to drop some of the "lifetime warranties" offered. Read each rods warranties carefully before making your decision. I own several Dobyns, Powells, and Irods. They have all treated me well. I have Dobyns Sierras, Champions, Irod Genesis II rods and a Powell Max I love. I would not hesitate to choose another one from either brand.

Someone requested one of my grips again. This is a variant of the design i did on @Lucky Craft Man's Sage ESN. It went out in the mail today.

Now learn to walk a spook and a hollow body frog and you'll really be hooked on topwater! Whopper ploppers are great fun too..

Unless something has changed, if you call in, everything is on sale.

My Calcutta's have a whopping 9.5 lbs! Bass aint the tough fighters most anglers think they are which is why a composite frame is fine.

Simms

Went to Dick's and got some Berkley Trilene Big Game (15ib). The sales guy was very knowledgeable about baitcasters and gave me all kinds of pointers. He even gave me a hands on lesson in using it. Of course I needed some more lures so I got some Strike King spinnerbaits and a couple of their squarebills. Went out and did some practicing and this thing is freakin awesome! A lot more finesse and adjustments can be made on the baitcaster as opposed to my spinning reel. I only got one backlash, but it wasn't that bad and I pulled it right out (remembering what you guys said about backlashes). Overall this is going to be an awesome setup and I can't wait to really spend a day with it. Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions!

You would use about 1/4 to 1/3 of the weakest rated part of the combo. Whether that's line or rod rating. So if you're using 50# braid on a 12-17# rod, you'd set it at about 6#. If you're using 12# mono on a 20# rod, then set it to around 4#.

Oh now you'll be hooked on topwater. I always work a popper back to the bank on the first several casts to see if they're active, or hesitant. A lot of times, like what you experienced, they'll smash it just 5-6 feet away from the bank and then you'll know what kind of mood they are in. Also, not all poppers are the same, some have loud rattles, some just a single bead. Some have higher pitches than others. I shake them in my hand and organize them by color, and loudness and try to remember the pitch. My understanding of sound is that, lower frequency rattles should travel farther in water, but I'm no expert. I think about water depth, structure, and color of the hatch when picking a popper. Keep at it, nothing beats topwater!

I would suggest buying the jigs without the weedguards installed. Put in Teflon pins in the holes so you can paint the jigs. Take out Teflon pins, bake and then glue in weedguards. I have had all the weedgurds start to curl doing it with the weedguards installed. If you need more instructions feel free to PM me and I will send you a painting sheet on how I do it.

If you want to go fishing, just start acting romantic and 4 out of 5 times she'll send you fishing.

If it is possible to stretch the budget, I would do so. IMHO your jig rod should be where your money goes ......and cuts can be made on the “moving” bait side of things The Avid x is where I would start

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

St Croix Avid 8' ML/MOD rod, Daiwa RG-AB 2000 spinning reel, 8# Nanofil line, 2.8" Keitech fat paddle tail.

Outkast Tackle offers the "Fieder Fly". Offered in a couple of sizes. Good Hook & a quality consistent tie. http://outkasttackle.com/feider-fly-2pk/ A-Jay

6/14/18 Called I’m sick to work today to get some shore fishing in Central Park. This kid next me was killing it, pulling in bass after bass with some bluegills thrown in. I had one bass chase my deep diver, but nothing more. He had the most lifelike swim bait I’ve seen, until I realize that’s because swim bait was alive. He was cutting the top fin off the bluegills and hooking them to catch some bass. A big no-no in Central Park‘s catch and release only/no live bait allowed waters. I asked him if he fishes here often, he told me he’s visiting from California, so I let him know the rules since it seemed unintentional. But all that means is that those bass we’re not going out to my Senko with what he was offering. I move to another spot that I thought was promising, i drop shot a trick worm wacky style and BOOM the drought is over, I catch my first smallmouth in a while. Always a great feeling. Now I just have to get better at taking selfie‘s!

I can see the news now. 64 year old man shot dead after pouring gasoline on angler near his dock. Consequently the angler burned to death as the muzzle flash from his gun discharge set the gasoline on fire. Darwinism at it's best.

My son and I had a pretty good night at my father in laws pond. We caught a bunch of little ones with a few decent ones mixed in. He caught his biggest on a wacky rigged senko and mine came on a black buzzbait.

7’1” MHF St. Croix Mojo Bass rod with a Lew’s 7.5:1 LFS speed spool.

I like to go there and look at stuff, impulse buy (especially plastics) , and pick up an occasional sale item. I like some of their BPS brand stuff. I seem to be buying just as much at DSG and Academy. One of our local Walmart's kicks butt wit the fishing section. The trend I don't like is that they (bps) are pushing other brands out in favor of their own BPS brands and those are going up in price. It has got to be getting tough for brick and mortar stores. I buy most of my rod and reels and major purchases on line, which is new for me. Younger people live on the internet. My kids had some groceries delivered from Amazon on Sunday. One of my kids works from home, or a coffee shop. Times are a changing. I think BPS is looking a lot like SEARS did a few years ago. Losing relevance and trying to buy their way out. Remember k mart?

And this my friends is how you get killed. Try that in Texas and you will not get a second chance to harass anyone. Cooler heads prevailed in this case but the land owner was lucky.

I love bass fishing as much as I do Bow hunting whitetails.

The thing that caught my eye is that the guilty party is 64 years old. How in the world do you live this long on this planet and still 1) Get mad at other people fishing near your dock & 2) Think it is a good idea to throw gasoline on anyone? If a 20-something had done it, I could have understood and chalked it up to stupid youthful bravado. But 64?!? C'Mon man...

The current standings from those that have made entries as of the end of May. A lot more people entered, so I'm not sure if they haven't been fishing, or maybe they enter all their fish at once. Their total is a bit off from mine, not sure what happened there except for the smallmouth I guess didn't have it's mouth closed all the way so I lost an inch there, but that still leaves 5" unaccounted for. I added 4 more species and around 4' total length this weekend also. 9.5" White Crappie 7.75" bluegill 8.5" redear sunfish 27" channel catfish

Gill's moved off the beds now, but still had a good day to start my grandsons summer vacation, he's primed for the summer now. Supper over a campfire after hammering out a limit of big O'le gill's has em always want'n to go back to fish camp with grampa,, I love spoil'n em,,,,

Big ole Perch I caught while kayaking this Sunday. First time fishing a Ned rig on straight 20# braided line this weekend as I was too lazy to tie a leader. I felt every tick, bump and nibble. I was getting a lot of bites but came up short on the hooksets. Not at all like a Smallmouth Bass which was what I was targeting. It wasn't until I landed this big guy that I realized it was Perch that were messing around with my rig. Most were small and unable to take the bait in fully to get them hooked.

PB Rock Bass. This thing inhaled the jig that I pitched into a laydown.

Wind was gusting yesterday, so stayed close to shore. Caught just 4 LMB on a senko and spent most of the time having fun with the ultralight setup catching dozens of good sized panfish. Couple pics of one of the many colorful sunnys, as well as a massive crappie caught near the end of the day when wind went down. A bonus was sighting a fawn laying in the high weeds close to water. Was able to paddle my kayak into about 6" of water and zoom in with my little point and shoot camera.

For me to pick one up, there would have to be a significant difference in technology and performance. I think i’ll just save my money this time around

https://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/product_Patagonia-Men-s-Tropic-Comfort-Hoody-II_10300536_10208_10000001_-1_?hybridPLA=true&ad_id=GooglePlusBox&utm_source=GooglePlusBox&utm_medium=PLA&utm_campaign=Patagonia&scid=scplp3411188&sc_intid=3411188&adpos=1o1&cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-SC_Shopping_Brand_Terms_Desktop|SC_Shopping_Brand_Terms_Desktop-_-google|762455646|39930674093|182268966899|pla-446776665828|t|9002321|3411188&gclid=CjwKCAjwpIjZBRBsEiwA0TN1r0fjcbdrJDvTR_Hr88hsuqA58Qy9YlWJLsT4kzYlYJz4yYB_s5C_WBoCuDYQAvD_BwE http://www.orvis.com/p/men-s-drirelease-pullover-hoodie/18YX?item_code=18YX0551&adv=127748&cm_mmc=plas-_-MensClothing-_-18YX-_-127748&gclid=CjwKCAjwpIjZBRBsEiwA0TN1r0MoaY0L3oRxUG1KPO9OcnSciBMqliGyzp2kl_7uuHDs5QQxDvIUghoCL44QAvD_BwE i have both and they are awesome

those Dicks/Strike King Banshee spinnerbaits with the hook guards have awesome trailer hooks and trailer hook keepers. That is what made me create this thread, i want to find out how to replicate it best. At least SOMEONE knows exactly what I am talking about!

As far as I can them. Varies, sometimes I cast 30', sometimes 150'. I am always in contact with jigs and worms regardless how far away they are. Tom

NO! as evidenced by my recent $400 BPS order....

@1201vilbig thanks for the input. I’m about to check that out. I like large hook idea.

Bass Pro used to be able to get baits "drop shipped" to the store directly from the manufacturer but not anymore. If you go in and ask for a specific bait and color chances are they will not be able to get it for you. If it is in their on-line site, they can probably get the bait shipped to the store. Like I posted on the other thread, they are limited to what the corporate buyers order (no buyers in stores) and your store's rank in the pecking order. Stores order from a BPS distribution Center stocked by the Corporate buyers.

Wouldn't worry about breaking it on a fish unless you "high-stick" it, over bending it. I use a 7ft 4in ML for 4in senkos, shakey heads, and dropshot. Caught fish up to 6.5lbs on it with no issue. You won't be able to horse them in quickly but the fight is a lot of fun.

Great drop shot, light shakey head, weightless plasic, and small topwater rod!