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[August 19, 2018] This year is really flying by quick, I can already see it's starting to transition from summer to fall with the shorter days and colder temps. The forecast for today shows partly cloudy with a high of 88F, low of 59F, with falling pressure. That doesn't tell the whole story though, as the conditions lately have been heavily impacted by the smoke from the local wildfires... It's been twelve days since our last fishing trip, and today we finally had the opportunity for another one. It was on our weekend, so I met up with Jeremy at his place around 6:00am to gear up and head out. We arrived at the ramp and noticed it was pretty busy, which was expected being a Sunday. Water temp was ~71F, and had a little color to it probably from all the boat activity over the weekend. First location - we both quickly hooked into our first bass of the day, and Jeremy also landed a nice pike. We left in a hurry this morning so I didn't have a chance to change/retie baits from our previous trip like I usually do. The bite seemed to slow down so I made a minor change swapping my current squarebill (KVD 1.5) to my new 6th Sense Crush 50x (Live Baby Bluegill) that I wanted to try out. The main difference between them that I noticed was the KVD is silent, where the 6th Sense has a faint rattle chamber. We fished our first location for an hour and a half, and the only other thing I caught was an 8 & 1/2" yellow perch on the new squarebill. Time to move... Second Location, 8:45am, Water temp 71F, Clarity 10ft+. First cast with the grub, I hook into my "fish of the day" that was followed by one of equal size to the boat. 17", 1 lb 12 oz As we were moving along I saw a lot of activity out deep on the graph, so I made a short cast behind us and pulled up an 11 & 1/4" Smallmouth out of ~30ft. I did try working a lipless out deep along the bottom, but it never resulted in anything. Continuing to throw my new 6th Sense Squarebill, I hooked into something big... and told Jeremy to head for deep water. After a good long fight, it turned out to be my very own "freshwater cuda" aka pike. 9lb, 10oz It was now after 11:00am, I made a long bomb cast with my topwater popper next to a dock as we were moving to another area that resulted in a 12" Smallmouth exploding on it, and becoming my 6th bass today. 11:30am Jeremy hooked his 3rd bass on a Spinnerbait that had ~7 followers with it. Around noon he hooked into his 4th on the Spinnerbait, this time Largemouth. We decided to move again, but sadly our plans were cut short as the pull cord on the big motor broke (luckily it started on that pull). A change of plans put us at a different location within range of the ramp using the electric motor. Third Location, 12:45pm, ~3ft Clarity, Water Temp 73F. Worked a Horny Toad across the entire field of pads within the area and only had a single small bass blow up on it multiple times, but no hookup. Using a grub, Jeremy made a perfect cast into an open boat house and hooked into his 5th bass today... We fished our way back to the ramp and decided to call it a day at 2:15pm. All in all it was a good day, we each caught 5 or more bass, no giants unless you count the sizable pike. Had to deal with the wind a bit during the first part of the day and waves from boat traffic during the later. Actually had one wave come over the front of the boat a bit... It's too bad the pull cord broke on us, was really hoping to continue on to some key locations, but at least we were able to catch something when trying to salvage the rest of the day. The smoke from the wildfires was thick on the drive home, this is the worst I've seen it this year... WolfyBrandon

Went out to Caney Lakes lower lake side this morning around 6am. The day started out kinda slow, I was throwing a Texas rigged drop shot with a 6" Aaron's Morning Dawn Roboworm tied on and a 1/4oz drop shot sinker. Got tons of bites, but nothing doing. Had to be bream or something pecking at my bait. Some of the hits were pretty hard too. Decided to go to the pier around 9:30am. Kept throwing the drop shot, because I was determined to catch something on it. Persistence and the virtue of patience paid off as I finally caught my first bass with a drop shot. It weighed in at 1lb 1oz. After several more bites and nothing doing with it, those darn bream...lol, I decided to start chunking my munky butt 110 Whopper Plopper. Made about 4 casts before this hawg sized bass annihilated it. When I got it on the pier, I just knew I had a new PB. Put it on the scale and was surprised to see it only weighed 3lbs 6oz. I weighed it several times just to be sure. It was pretty skinny. All head and no body...lol. Didn't get a measurement, but I guesstimate around 20" or so. If it had been eating good it surely woulda been a new PB. Probably woulda weighed at least 5lbs. Oh well, it was a great day out there all by myself. Plus I didn't break any rods this time either. I learned my lesson and when I got both bass close enough to the pier, I reached out, grabbed the line and pulled them up that way. All around great day. Now it's time for a shower and play some Yahtzee with my beautiful baby Linda! ?

Someone peeked in on me while I was fishing.

Curado DC with a few subtle changes.

Jigs are one of my favorite baits to fish at night. Don't fall into the misconception that it has to be black and blue or black to work at night either. While it's a solid color choice, the same colors that work in the daytime will work at night.

My son went with me to Lake Cumberland for a three day pre-fish trip for the TBF semi finals. First I would like to say this is a BIG body of water.....52 miles long. Reminded me of Powell and the Columbia for sure. Fishing was tough as they said it would be but had some great help from a couple of locals while on the water and did manage to catch a few. We fished upper...middle...and lower and the lower was by far the best for numbers. Caught a ton of spots and it was a giggle fest at times.

you have no idea how long this has been bothering me lol so glad we "got to the bottom" of this.....see what i did there? lol

It was just a matter of time before Pythagoras got involved.

Totally different tools. Neither cancels the other out.

Heard about a guy that had a non boater start dating his sister a year or two ago. He still threatens to throw me off the boat every now and again.

My jig rod & my worm rod are identical, both have the same reel attached, both spooled with the same line.

I've fished buzzbait with success for 30 + years.I havnt bought a whopper plopper yet , and probably won't. Between these two, I'll stick with buzzbaits.

Time flys! Everett and Archer

Buzzbaits can be fished in heavy cover (laydowns) where a plopper's trebles will get snagged.

There is this little spot next to a creek that I drive the Jeep to when I'm out riding with the wife or daughter. Last time i was there I had my sunglasses on and I could see a few small bass swimming around. I made a mental note of that and went back on my lunch break today. I caught 4 including a bass. there were bigger bass there and there were more pools to wade, but it's a lunch hour. I'm going back when I have more time to kill and can walk further.

New video! Let me know your thoughts!

The history books tell us that Pythagoras first used his discovery to reestablish property lines in the Nile Valley after floods. I think we all know that what he was really doing was calculating the position of structure and cover before the flood so that he could fish it during the flood.

I am getting a headache but this topic is extremely interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Scary but unbelievably delicious creature. Just like with several species, this is one we thought needed protection 20 years ago and now we are the ones that need protection. Sounds like they should raise the amount of harvest permits issued. People always have and always will underestimate animals. There are packs of feral dogs in some parts of the world that kill people

@Brett_Hebert ya might wanna ask @Bass_Fanatic @Nitreaux won my first tournament sitting on top of that hump south of the boat lane!

Oh, did my heart sink when I saw the title of this thread. I have tried whopper ploppers's and they just don't fit for me. Dust collectors now. I had better luck with them for largemouth but for smallies, The buzzbait is king. There are times when I will fish an entire day with the same Buzzbait tied on and never think about taking it off.

Clear water, dingy water, heavy cover, no cover, a buzzbait stills outfishes a WP for me almost every single trip. And yes, I usually have both tied on, and throw them both quite a bit. (I'm a die hard topwater guy) The buzzbait consistently has a better hook-up ratio for me too. I like the WP, but the hype around it still surprises me.

Yeah, you're wrong. Buzzbaits will never become obsolete -

Minnetonka was quite the experience. We had our final Greenhorn TOC derby yesterday. It seems that most people had a terrible practice. Ours was garbage. We fished twice after work and got probably 5 bites.. one keeper. Going into the derby we were pretty depressed. Then the magic of the Minnetonka morning bite kicked in at 7am. That lake is a whole different animal before all the boat traffic fires up. We went to a few of the spots in Crystal bay that we couldn't fish during practice due to the chop/traffic. First spot we pulled up on we caught 4 fish, all over 2lbs.. within about 20 minutes. We were just flipping a super bug D-bomb (best color ever btw) on a powershot with a 3/4th weight. Making a lot of quick pitches close to the boat. It was so much fun. We ran the powershot/dbomb + coontail pattern all day and ended up with 16.6LBS and a 5th place finish. We did get tired from flipping all day so we mixed in dead-sticking some jigworm senkos.. and caught a few nice ones on that. Same spots.. just letting the worm sit and do-nothing. I still hate that lake.. but the tournament ended up being super fun. 17lbs won it, and 2-5th place were all 16lb bags so the competition was TIGHT. We caught a ton of 2 & 3lbers. That +4lb kicker elluded us. Our biggest was 3.85lbs. I got a new found respect for the Dennys Super 30 series guys who fish Tonka all year, and do it at such a high level. That place is a beast. So much water, so much structure, so much pressure, so many boats. Plus one part of the lake is muddy, the other part is gin clear.. it's like 10 different lakes in one. A buddy of mine who fishes tournaments all around the state (and fishes Dennys) says Minnetonka is the single hardest tournament lake in the state. That was probably my last tournament of the year. Now on to fall fun fishing!

Yours truly, more than 40 years ago.

I am addicted to the topwater bite. My new Whopper Plopper 75 loon color has failed to produce a fish for me. I had one fish on my very first cast with it. That one shook the hook at shore and nothing since then. My Whopper Plopper 90 Bluegill color however is a solid producer.

Got out today for a quick 2.5hr. After work bonus trip. Got 7 pitching a double wide beaver with the best checking in at 6-1

update from this weekend. the 3.24 from last report had a tag for the bass cash bash and im ordering a trolling motor.? this past friday i fished early on the same point in mill creek that i got the tag, but only 4 short fish. saturday early i tried it again just at sun up and again 3 short fish. by 8 ish headed over the crossover to the cove that the cross over goes almost into. i went into the arm to the right and worked the grass and trees and caught 4 fish in there. 3 were small 1 to 2 pounds but i was able to land a 4.72 pounder on a hula popper. that was something seeing that get ate! man i forgot how good a fish that size can fight. when i can figure out how to resize the pic i will post it. just would like to say thanks to Catt and all the rest for the info.

As it says in my tag line, I'm always good for an alligator story. I've been chased by gators, had them eat my lures, and had them steal bass right off of my line. On occasion, my job also puts me in the path of alligators. My posts here about alligators have been a mix of humor, frustration, and sometimes downright fear. This one is a tale of caution. I have a healthy respect for these beasts and I try to never put myself in a position where they can surprise me or I don't have a quick escape route. Of course, there are others on this board that live in alligator territory as well, and many are more fearless (or reckless) than myself. To each his own on that topic. This morning we had a tragedy just down the road from where I live where a woman was killed by an alligator. The details are still coming in, but it appears she may have been dragged into the lagoon while trying to protect her dog. There's no word on her identity as to whether she's a resident or a tourist. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/20/woman-walking-dog-killed-when-alligator-attacks-drags-her-into-south-carolina-lagoon-police-say.html So, this is not a lecture - just a friendly reminder to all those that participate here to always be aware and don't put yourself in a bad position here on our southern shores and waters. When motivated, those slow drifting alligators that you see are blindingly fast. It takes mere seconds for a gator to hit the shore and drag their prey underwater. Even smaller gators are strong enough to drag a human and quickly disorient a person with a "death roll". Be smart. It's very easy to get complacent on the water. Don't be a victim.

I'm going by the documentation for my pre Mega Helix. It's probably narrower than my diagram, somewhere between yours and mine? Maybe this will help? the bait is below and to both sides, all the way to the surface.

Bass Patrol Deflection Jigs from TW. 2-pack for $4. It has a recessed line-tie, and it's a good value. VMC hooks. I tend to leave quite a few of these in the Mississippi River rocks, so I appreciate the price. Biffle Hardheads are a good choice if you're not digging them into sharp rocks. It doesn't have a recessed line-tie. 2-pack for $5. They have Owner hooks and chip-resistant paint, not that the paint matters much.

Good video! In relation to your problem of them not running straight when useing a twist lock hook, that happens when it is not screwed in EXACTLY straight. You think it is but all it takes is just one spiral just a little off, which happens most times with the last few turns, and it will track to that side. Useing the centering pin type helps to get it started but the final turns most likely is your problem. Mike

Love...Love....Love the fall....can hardly wait. On lake Cumberland this last weekend there was one day where while my son and I were running we looked at each other and went .....ohhhhhhh...there's a little nip in the air here.

I use the same rod for both those baits. You'll get more bites on the worm. But the jig bites will average better in size unless you're using monster sized worms. This might help determine which one to start with. If I was trying to cull the dinks in favor of size, I'd start with the jig. On the other hand, if you have one hour to fish a 6-8" worm will probably fit the bill. I have gone all day without a jig bite. Be careful about the drag. If you're fishing a jig you can tighten down the drag. With a worm, usually the hook is lighter wire and will bend more easily. It has cost me a fish before.

Storm Suspend Dots were invented for this.

I have SV TW's, a Zillion SV TW, and just got the Curado DC. Your topic is asking about skipping weightless lures, but your post is asking about distance casting for weightless senkos. For skipping weightless lures, I'd say the SV has the edge when set up correctly. I find it almost impossible to backlash the SV TW on a weightless senko when skipping with a moderate tension and brakes in the middle. For distance, I'd go with the DC. The DC system's advantage is spool correction on a long cast where there's enough time to adjust the magnets while rotating. When I'm loose with the tension knob with the DC, I can see my overruns correct themselves on long full casts.

A buzzbait thrown back in stumps and brush is one of the most, if not the most, exhilarating experiences a basser can experience. Feel sorry for those who have never had it...at night from the bank it can flat out scare you close to the bank...man vs. the bass beast... good fishing...

Saying "the sv system" isn't apples to apples. There's countless SV spools that all perform differently. Gonna have to be specific about which spool. Any baitcast reel can cast a senko (a 5in weighs almost 3/8oz) "into the next county" It's the Indian not the arrow.

@PolarKraft195Pro She was a Bulbous 7.29 lbs or 7 lbs 4.64 ounces. Basically a 1/2 goby short of 7-5 And my Personal Best. A-Jay

Wow, picked up the heavy rod and threw frogs all weekend... It had to be one of the most fun fishing experiences to-date. I worked the weeds/bulrushes with a white frog and boom, boom, boom. lots of action. So, I know what i'll be doing next weekend! Still trying to figure out how to get more bites midday in deeper water... Only landed one on a white chatterbait. tried shad raps, and a couple different worm presentations as well. ? i guess i'll keep reading and experimenting. Riggity

Exactly. Bring a jig and worm rod, and let the fish tell which to tie on.

Got out this weekend and had my best day from the kayak yet. Got my PB smallie along the way with this one!

Not the biggest smallie by any means, but the first one I've ever caught on the fly. Here's to many more! Also didn't manage to get a decent picture of it because the darn thing flopped out of my hands and into the water right as I got the hook out.

My beautiful baby Linda and I celebrated 4 years of being together today. Thank You Lord Jesus for her being in my life! ?

Miss BreeZo's "Adventure in the Woods" today A-Jay

I think I fished Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and friday night on Silver. Monday and Tuesday SUCKED.....I tried to force the bite I had going last Friday, and it wasn't happening. With me struggling to put a couple of keepers in the boat each nite. Thursday was good, I played around with the new Berkley max scent general baits and caught a bunch of good ones in a few hours. See my post in the baits section for report/review of the night. Friday was on fire. I got there around 1pm after an early day at work. I had another one of "those days" that only happens a few times a year. Without going into too much detail....the highlights/best five largemouth were a 6-2, 5-7, 4-11, 4-3, and a 4-1....yeah it was good. Then there was yesterday. If last Sunday I started to throw dirt on my Conesus struggles with my 3rd place finish and 6-4 lunker in a tournament, yesterday (with BIG BIG help from my partner) we buried them....for now LOL. I fished the annual big Dash for Cash on that lake with the kid whom had to cancel on me last weekend. We started right, as I caught a 4+ lber early and we each contributed to a solid limit in the boat of mixed bag lm/sm in the first hour or so. Then the wind really started whipping. We went to one of my best areas for big fish on the lake, and had a magical 20 mins. He put a 6.5, 5.5, and 3.5 in the boat in short order, and I culled out one of our smaller fish with solid mid to upper 3lb fish fishing behind him. That put us well over 20lbs when combined with the 4lber I got early. We ran in and weighed his 6.5 at the bottom of the hour, waited 2 mins and weighed in the 5lber at the top of the very next hour. The 6lber took that hours big fish prize, but the 5 was JUST clipped by some one with a little bit bigger one. Oh well....we could have waited and won almost every other hour after that, but we wanted to get them weighed, on the board, released, and get back to that area before the bite died, or someone else moved in on it. That's all part of the dash for cash game. Anyways we won the entire event in the overall weight department with 22.84lbs...got some $$ for the win and his hourly winning fish, a couple of cool plaques, and bragging rights for a year over a lot of the top guns on that lake. What a day.

Big mouth billy bass on a little brush hog. Also, I think I finally found a swing jig head that I really like for fishing vertically in different types of cover and then swimming the bait back. (Zman makes these.)

small lake fishing in the little johnny this morning. warm and muggy early with a nice SW breeze building as the morning progressed. numbers were down slightly but the quality bite was good. i caught a solid bag of largemouths to go along with this 5.12 kicker. life is good!

Surprise catch of the day a smallmouth a rarity in this lake! 16" 2 pounds used Keitech salty core tube, 16# sniper fc, Tat SV reel, Quantum Smoke 7' M/F rod. This 20" 4 pounder used 16# sniper fc, Chronarch CI4 reel, Okuma Helios 7' M/F rod.