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My Buddy and I were out fishing and not doing particularly well. During the really slow period we started talking about different fishing techniques when he asked if I had ever caught a fish on an A-Rig. I told him I had an A-Rig (I bet all of us do), but never even fished it (like I assume a lot of us haven’t). He then said, “Well, if you have it, I challenge you to catch a fish on one today.” I figured, what did I have to lose as we weren’t really doing great on anything else, so Challenge Accepted. I untangled the wires from the hooks of other lures and threw on whatever paddle tails I had. Then I chucked that hunk of bent wire and flailing rubber out into the vast expanse. Well, it didn’t take long as this fish absolutely crushed that A-Rig on my second cast. She had a belly that was so abnormally fat, it looked like it is trying to bulge out of the picture. She went 6lb 6oz., which is a fish that will turn around any slow day. After I released the fish, I turned to my Buddy and said, “Challenge Complete.”

When I'm fishing them, it rarely touches bottom.

Had a fun time catching em on the ned rig lately! Had a good time sunday with a buddy of mine caught a couple nice ones biggest being 2.3lbs! Best part was we shouldn't have caught anything because the conditions sucked but we were persistent!

I drag jigs, swinging football heads, and fish T rigs on the bottom. Our lakes have tons of craws. No time is a craw more vulnerable than after it has flipped away and is floating slowly down to the bottom and can't use it's defenses.

I'd check out a Cabela's or Bass Pro. They have some good rods for around $100 in their house brands. They can be especially good bargains when you find one on sale. Their Johnny Morris line is pretty nice. If nothing else, it would give you a chance to get your hands on a bunch of rods and see what's out there. Maybe hit one up now to find out what you want, and then wait for a sale if need be. A lot of my local shops have been out of stock of most of the their gear all summer. But now that the weather has turned colder, they're getting their stock back in. Check around the first week of the month. At my local BPS, they've been pretty full of their house brand inventory around then, even during the summer when everything else was hard to find. Maybe even call up ahead of time if it's a long drive to make sure before you're not wasting your time. You might just need a stiffer rod. I find that softer rods don't transmit minor vibrations as well. It seems to me that the formula for best sensitivity is a lightweight and stout blank with fast action. Also, try this. Next time you're out in the weeds, try pulling the lure back with just the tip of your index finder straight on the line. The idea being that with the rod taken out of the equation, you'll get a sense for how much information your rods aren't passing on. If you don't notice a lot of difference in feel, then it's not a rod problem. It's probably just an issue of either your line or the bottom composition and softness of the vegatation eating all of the vibrations before they make it back to you. I learned to fish back in the days of fiberglass rods, mono line, and round reels, so we often kept a finger on the line during retrieve to feel what was going on below the water. It's a bit annoying to do it today with all of the advancements in technology that we have available, and I don't know how you'd do it with spinning gear, but little techniques like that did teach me that a good angler knows how to make their gear work for them and a bad angler only knows how to blame their gear.

The bad thing about paying $100 for a rod is that you get a $100 rod. You already know what it's like to have lower-tier problems. So, you'd probably be better off waiting for a good sale on a better rod, or getting a better rod used through the Flea Market section. jj

There is no correct way or wrong way to fish the little rig; if you keep it in the water it will get bit.

Care package from Lew's came in yesterday. I warrantied a TP1 Black and one of their little panfish rods. It took forever to get in touch with them on account of COVID, and their warehouse was pretty much bare even so. That said, once we got the conversation started, they were incredibly good. Didn't have direct replacements in stock for either, so I got a comparable Mr Trout model for the little rod, and a free upgrade to a Custom for my TP1. I gotta say I like the g-clutch handle.

You made my day seeing you still posting. God bless.

Wow.....just Wow. What a ride. Most have no idea. Did not think I would post again...to hard...to emotional...didn't want to show weakness and going down hill. I force myself to go fishing now...golf with wife too....do I still enjoy...YES....does the brain want me to get off I disagree....NO. It's amazing to be standing in one place looking at something and then have it dissapear...amazing. There are many going through much much worse so I am eternally grateful for you all and your friendship. I could go through lots of little side journeys....oh my....will not. I will look outside...at my my...my kids...neighbors...friends and thank God I've been truely blessed. Coffee is awesome this morning by the way by the way. I think I did pretty good in the spelling department this morning...my all of you and yours keep looking up.... Today see pretty clear....thinking part may not be the best.... I find on this new walk brain kinda comes and goes which is one of the big reasons I don't talk much....don't go out much either as people like to stare...now I know what my daughter truly went through on her cancer journey... Not gunna bore ya ll anymore....thanks for listening ...go catch a gig un. Hope somewhat understandable....now that I read it for the third or forth time....I'm not sure.

Hi, I'm... hm, sort of weird name for you guys... Well you may call me Yev, it much simpler I do fishing for whole my life, starting from bobber rod and then for predators fish, however, my experience is coming from Europe. Have some experience in fishing for european bass, pikefish, catfish, perchfish. My biggest trophy is european bass 5.4 LB And now I started my adventures here Will put some pictures later on I do my fishing at Piney Run Lake and Long Arm Reservoir in PA

2.2 pound white and over 16 inches. Beats my 1.5 by far?

So I post about froggin a lot. It's my favorite technique and I have spent years doing it and honing my timing and skill. I suppose my posts could even be read as "bragging" to those who struggle with it. Well...to those that may think that, this post is for you! I was out yesterday on what was probably one of the last truly nice warm days here in NOWEMO. My home lake still has a few remaining scum mats that I target but the frog bite has died off significantly with the cooling of the water. Yesterday, my froggin senses were tingling and I knew....KNEW...there were fish under one particular mat that I don't usually get to target during the warmer months. I made my way to it and started working it. I fan casted all over this thing and...nothing. I targeted stumps that I KNEW must be holding a big ol' girl. Nothing. This didn't make sense. I knew there were fish in there. Why? I know this lake like the back of my hand and based on conditions, time of day, time of year, etc., you just know. I turned around to the other side of my boat and noticed that I had missed a couple of casting lanes so I launched my trusty Scumfrog way out there, lit a smoke and started bringing it in. I brought it into an area and stopped it. Let it sit for maybe a 5 count and gave it a twitch...the biggest bass I have ever seen in this lake came completely out of the water to strike my frog. Although I have never seen one, my PB of 9.3 is from this lake so I've always thought there must be some DD's in there. Now I know. There are. How did I do? Well...let's just say that.... Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there was no joy at Happy Holler—mighty Jaderose struck out. I swung for the fences as soon as she jumped and had to duck to keep the frog from smacking me in the forehead. It also tangled my line so by the time I regrouped, she was long gone. HARD lesson to learn to practice the things I preach. Feel weight, set hook. Easy to say...still hard to do. The excitement got the best of me...lol. But she's still in there, and I'll be back. If not yet this year, then next spring. Call me Ishmael.

Yes (TRD), along with many others. Ned and friends primarily like curlytail grubs or swimbaits like the Slim SwimZ for the steady swim retrieve. The floating/stand up on the bottom deal is largely a marketing gimmick promulgated by others (...and Zman). Not saying it might not help at times, but it was never the primary reason for using it. It has also been commented that the buoyancy might help with the no-feel retrieve. The main argument for Elaztech (Zman) baits is the durability - being able to catch 30-50-100 bass on the same piece of plastic. As for the many retrieve comments above - lol - I find them all "interesting." There are (now) 6 retrieves for a reason. When you figure out why, you'll be ahead in the 'Ned' game

At $ 99.99 this is another option. I have 3 of these rods, cept in baitcaters. Read the reviews on TW.. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-DAIWAROD.html?from=basres

The 13 Omen Black 3 @$120 has a really nice 36T blank. Its light, sensitive and I really like the actions. The only thing im not 2 crazy about the black 3s is the eyes they use on the spinning models. They work good, but they look like older style Fujis. The iROD Fiber, Ive never used this rod but there are too many people who love them to be sub par.

try these hooks and gulp minnows, gills love them

I started with the Ned rig fishing like the YouTube legions, on the bottom like a shakyhead, jig, or worm. Doing so produced terribly for me and I decided the Ned rig was all hype. For me, I was fishing it incorrectly. Now I primarily swim and glide it in deeper water and swim it in shallower water. It's produced well.

Based only on the information you provided I'm going to assume that the fish don't actually have the point of the hook in their mouths when you set the hook. Bluegill and other panfish typically have very small mouths and will pick at the hanging bits of the night crawler instead of engulfing the whole thing. What I do when fishing this style is this. When I get a bite I don't set the hook. Instead I very slowly begin to reel in my line. This is when the fish usually get more aggressive since they think the bait is going away. They will then usually hook themselves trying to get the bait before it flees. My hook up ratio this way isn't perfect, but it's much better than setting the hook on every bite like you would when bass fishing with a plastic worm.

Spend a little more and get a Dobyns Sierra they are outstanding rods.

I dont have one either . How heavy are they ? Seven foot mh rod is thee biggest rod I carry .

That's simple...its like almost everything else now days...if it was that easy and could be summed up that quick how could most of these people justify their jobs?

Thanks @Boomstick I managed to see them side by side in a store and that was my initial impression (also get that from Garmin's website setup too). I can see them both being great units. As I get older I gravitate to simplicity over most other factors, including customization.

Pretty sure they all flow into the lake except the big one below the dam.

To buff or not to buff.? That is the question.

Saturday produced the best outing of the entire season. My friend and I caught 25 bass and 7 pike in about 5 hours including several mammoth largies, and even a few good size pike on accident. We caught all of them on moving lures. They refused to bite a slower finesse presentation.

Just keep getting to that first cup of coffee every morning. We'll be here happy to still have you.

I'll be here to listen judgement free as I believe the rest of the BR family.

Initially, the industry was looking for and marketing a more PR/Eco friendly material. Brass, Bismuth and steel were tried, but they lacked the density, though you can still find these materials. Tungsten was more dense, but was much more expensive to produce. Marketing shifted touting it's smaller size and better sensitivity to convince anglers it was an advantage worth paying 4-5X as much. On hard bottom, you do feel more. Whether that means anything that translates to more bites is hard to prove. It does give me a feeling of confidence in what I visualize the bottom as, so I guess that's something. I will say this, I'm just as good with a drop shot using lead, since I abandoned expensive tungsten weights. I still use tungsten for bullet weights, simply because I like size profile. I'll also use steel if I'm using a large plastic and a very light weight since a tungsten would be too small. I don't feel like there's any advantage with jigs, and I really don't feel like there's any difference between the two. Maybe it's the hook transmitting the bumps on the bottom? Bottom line, it all feels like mush when the bottom is mush.

Wow...world is full of wow's....In God I trust.....everyone else pay cash!! Hope road smooths out for you and yours

Let me check with my wife. . . . . . . . . . Nope. No plan.

Getting pretty hard to focus and read and the harder I look at it the my cancer ridden brain isn't very positive and I'm not sure I'm thinking the right way I would want to anyway. Lot of good people on here with many ideas both young and old ....watching on the sidelines I see old values's go more to the wayside justifies by political correctest or other !@#$......... Thank you for the views...friendship and some good "BS" and such....Got nothing proverbial to say...except maybe hope your all looking up. Hope to see ya on the other side. Thank you "BR" for a clean scope

Fuji Kr Double foot 10, krb 5.5(2) kr 5.5 (6). rethink grip length too. I’d use a 12” or an adjustable cut down to 10-11” if you like the 9” that fine just be aware of what it is.

@snake95 The 7" is the perfect size if you mount it on the tracks on the side of the boat like most people do. As far as the EchoMap vs the Helix, they're kind of polar opposites among fish finders. Garmins are very easy to use, and do not require a whole lot of settings changes in different waters. Hummingbirds aren't as user friendly and are a bit more finicky, but they have some pretty amazing imaging. I went the EchoMap route myself, but my second choice was the Helix.

Blank tips are usually in 64ths of an inch I’d expect that blank to be a 5 or 5.5. The 1.7 might be millimeters. 8oz. Of epoxy is enough for a dozen rods or more. Size D thread looks like rope. Wrap with A. I wouldn’t invest in reamers until you’re sure you like it. Rat tail files will work especially for those grips. Turning a blank by hand to set epoxy is a pain but a great way to learn how epoxy behaves. I always recommend doing the first one at least that way. You can make a hand wrapper out of a couple shoe boxes with notches cut. Work into it gradually.

Go to Florida. LOL. I went there after last Christmas and caught 50 bass a day. Came back home and zeroed twice.

I remember smallies going crazy just before a storm. Had to discipline myself to get out of the creek. I'm not convinced it had anything to do with barometric pressure. The time frame you mentioned was probably unrelated to your bite dropping off. Sometimes only the fish know.

Strangely enough, that is my dog's reaction when I am in the truck.

Hey I found putting a second washer after the two concave washers and before the drag star will help increase the drag pressure a bit. It's line the "spacer" washer. I just added a second one. You can take it out and match it up at your local hardware store for cheap. Try taking one from another Daiwa reel first to see if you are happy with it. Thanks

@Sprocket @Boomstick @RSmall @Bankc Thanks all. I ordered a Striker Plus 7sv. Members with opinions I respect also make excellent cases on the board for the Garmin Echomap series, the Humminbird Helix, and Lowrance models. I am still debating possibly going with an Echomap or Helix with maps. They are quite a bit more expensive than the striker plus. I learned that the Garmin can be used in conjunction with their Active Captain mapping app, which downloads maps uploaded by other Garmin users. You can also download maps, but they sure aren't cheap! When you look at the price of the maps for the App, the combo of Striker + App is not cheaper than just buying an Echomap. I will update once I figure out which route I am going to go.

I was already having the best season I've ever had so my last trip on Saturday 10/10/20 simply cemented it. My friend and I caught 25 bass and 6 pike in about 5 hours on a lake an hour north of the metro. It was pretty ridiculous. 7 of the bass were 17+ inches including three over 5 pounds. 4 of the pike were over 27 inches too. We caught all of them on moving lures. They refused to bite a slower finesse presentation. The top producing lure was a 3/8 oz white chatterbait, although other lures were also effective. The water temp was 57 degrees. My boat is being winterized now and heads to storage next week. This will not be a season I forget anytime soon. Its very satisfying to finish the season on such a high note. Good luck to those that are still out there fishing.

If you search here, you'll find lots of threads on beetlespins. For bass, I like the 1/4oz model. It's also a good one to experiment with. Try a grub, shad body, tube, or small fluke type plastic. As with other spinners, try different depths and speeds too.

At 14 years he knows what he wants, his dad knows what the budget is. I knew exactly what reel I wanted at 12 years old and worked as a dock boy to earn it. Why not start by asking the young man what he wants, if that hasn't already been discussed . Tom

Location is recorded even if it's not a live photo. I never ever have my location services on unless I'm using an app that needs gps location like maps. To much battery drain, too little privacy.

Hair jigs are killer man. They can be a pain to clean if they get slime on them, but they for sure work. Theyre surprisingly expensive and there isn't a ton of companies that put them out, I tie my own. I fish them most often in cold water, so I want to get the slowest fall rate possible. The Gamakatsu Round Jighead in a 1/16 is my favorite jighead to use. The longer collar allows you to add as much hair as you want as long as it has a light wire hook. I like to use synthetic craft hair because it seems to have more buoyancy then natural hair and you can get it in just about any craft store. You want to use the longest strands of hair you can get to create drag. Once you finish tying it, you can trim it down if you need to. I use wax thread to secure the hair to the collar, because I have it to tie flies with, you don't need to go out and buy it just about any kind of thread will work. You can use nail polish on the wrapped thread instead of fly cement. Once the hair gets wet it sticks together and the profile is much smaller. I like to cut 3/4" piece off plastic worm and slide it down the shank . That way the hair cant clump together tighter then width of the worm.

Sure, I think it would. With a drop shot the primary purpose of the weight is to get the bait to the strike zone (the bottom to a foot or so off the bottom ) asap. I wouldn't hesitate going heavier if it was windy and there was chop on the water. I'd lead off with at least 3/8 oz if I was fishing co-angler, just to give my bait more time in the chosen strike zone before the boater moved the boat.

Oregon native, I've often checked this forum just to read your posts, to be inspired by you. I wish the best for your family and peace for you.

Look, most of the higher quality reels these days are made in the Far East - Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and some in China. If you don't want to buy a reel assembled in that area of the world for social or political reasons, that's one thing. But if you are prejudiced for quality reasons, it's misplaced. Reels from any of the major companies like Shimano, Daiwa, Pfleuger, or Abu are designed and engineered in house and then their assembly may be contracted out to a company in another country or in a factory owned and operated by the reel company in another location. That's just how things are done these days. And quality is a heck of a lot better now than it was in the 70s and 80s.