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Haha.

In past threads on soft plastic and jig fishing, Catt has mentioned the rate of fall several times, as an important factor in getting strikes from bass. This info is right on, and 100% correct. I learned this concept the hard way. Drawing an older, more experienced angler in a club tournament over 30 yrs ago. My partners favourite bait was a Culprit ribbon tail worm, blk/blue color. Within the first hour at the start of the tournament, he clipped off his hook, and changed his weight 3 times. On the third time, he had it dialed in, and caught several fish, while I continued to fish with a 3/8 bullet weight. He later explained that he always did this, adjusting his weight until he hit the correct fall rate. Even though the Culprit was his #1 choice, he told me that the rate of fall was what caught the fish, and considered that the important factor, over color or bait type. A lesson learned, and filed away years ago. For the beginners here in bass fishing, try not to make the same mistake I made years ago. Carry several different weights with you, and don't hesitate to change to a lighter or heavier weight as needed. This concept holds true with t rigs, shakey heads, ball head jigs, and standard skirted jigs of all types. Dial in your rate of fall. It's a proven fact, and can help you catch more bass.

You must have taken 2020 straight to the head

Three at most, two preferably, and I can have a great day with one. Using the kayak means simplifying for me so I try to streamline it so there's less to get in the way and/or kick into the drink.

I have had a lot of success fishing in the rain I caught this one on a baby brush hog in the rain.

All winter long, I fished with 3 rods. Crank, jig, finesse. as spring approaches. I think I need two more. Punch, frog/top water. my wife was napping today and instead of messing with her, I tinkered in the garage. (She did a 10-mike mountain hike w friends). I came up with this! It works fine. A bit cramped with reel handle pretty close together but it should work fine until I consider buying something manufactured. me. Five rods is my max. Apologize if this in the wrong section.

One picture worthy fish today. Caught on a BFE in Hematoma off an old submerged pond dam with a tree on the dam. 4-10. Wife says I should pick a different hoodie, I just told her it must be lucky.

The Texas substitute for beef jerky is smoked, dried sausage. The best is venison (only feral axis deer can be sold), this is from Dzuik's meat market in Castroville and, IMO, the best offered anywhere in the hill country. This stuff's as hard as a rock - cut a piece with a sharp knife and throw it in your pocket. You have to take tiny bites and chew it a long time.

Yesterday I was fishing with Pepe Le Pew. Not even a nibble. Same pond. One day later. Big difference! Started casting a variety of lures but all they wanted were weightless Zoom Trick worms. Color wasn’t important. Caught them on Pumpkin and Green Pumpkin Magic. Hooked 9 and boated 7. No big gals but still a blast. My normal methods (slow drag or hopping it across the bottom) didn’t get one bass. I got the first one (smallest one that I didn’t take a pic of) when the wind picked up and my boat started drifting. I had the worm out and it dragged along and that’s when it got hit. So I started sweeping the rod slowly and that’s what they liked. None were deep. All were no more than 2’-4’ from the bank. FYI- the one with the little blood was fine and was released with no issues. Tried out my new Daiwa Fuego CT on the Fenwick HMX HF rod. I tried that Fishlab Bio-Gill swimbait. It casted that perfectly. Also tried a Mann’s Jelly Worm TR with a 1/4 oz weight. Casted that fine as well.

You can also change the plastics to get a faster or slower rate . I like to keep a 1/4 ounce weight minimum when pitching , so if I want to slow it down a switch from a worm to a lizard will do the trick

Simple answer. There is no “best” lure. If there was, we'd all own it and fish it exclusively. That’s a fact. Seriously, your best lure on Saturday may get no bites on Sunday, and the lure that caught nothing but weeds Saturday reels them in on Sunday. There’s a lot of variables at play, the biggest being what the bass are in the mood for on any given day.

Finally found a useful purpose for the single Dobyns rod I have, a Champion Extreme HP lure retriever with 100lb braid and a 20 year old Daiwa Procaster. "Seems some people are offended, it's all in good fun, it's a rod I didn't care for so instead of trashing it I found a more useful purpose for it, won it in a raffle no $ out of my pocket."

Only you yourself will know when it becomes too much, i have nearly 4 dozen combos that I have accumulated over the years and countless spare reels still new in boxes, they are all fun to use, some have sentimental value and I have a dedicated room just for tackle and rods so its not a problem, my wife doesn't care as we both have our own spending money, hers being her muscle cars we like to restore, so she can't complain. If storing them becomes a problem or you start suffering financially because of a hobby or causes marital stress then maybe then its too much.

Retiring to Florida is a mixed bag. I have lived and fished in Florida all my life. I'm 74 and my wife and I are both retired. You don't want to retire to the most populated areas. They are too crowded, expensive and the lifestyle is too hectic. This generally disqualifies most any place south of Lake Okeechobee. The far North end of the State and the panhandle are less populated. In the panhandle, you will be dealing with major hurricanes. It's very quiet and pleasant between storms. Be prepared to be totally wiped out if the right one comes along. This leaves Central Florida. While the I-4 corridor is heavily populated, the numerous small cities around this area are pleasant. It may be best to rent a house before you buy in any area so you can find out what it's like. We live in the Mount Dora, Eustis, Tavares area and we love it. We don't wait for an hour to eat dinner in a restaurant and we are close to good medical doctors and facilities. The Villages is the largest retirement community in the country. The lifestyle in the Villages is not for us, you may like it. One of the major problems we fisherman have in choosing a place to retire is our wives. If you are like me, you would live in a fish camp. My wife would not. She wants things to do and people she can be friends with. This is one of the major reasons people move to the Villages. In the Villages, you can stay busy 24/7 if you choose to. There are fishing opportunities everywhere in Florida. Some of it is better than it was 50 years ago. From my home in Eustis, I am 45 minutes from Rodman, the Harris Chain is in my backdoor and the Kissimmee Chain is less than an hour away. There is no end to the number of small lakes, canals and rivers. All of them contain nice bass. Living on a major lake in Florida is very expensive. Homes on the Harris Chain start around $500K for a fixer upper. Most are nearer to a million. A better option is to buy a home not on the water and store your boat in a marina. In season, there is a waiting list for dockage. My boat is moored on Little Lake Harris. I pay $175 a month for dockage with a lift. I am 5 minutes from some of the best bass fishing in Florida. Hurricanes are not as big of a problem as most people are lead to believe by the news media. Unless you live near the coasts, they are more of a nuisance than a danger. In 70 plus years, I have been through many a hurricane. Andrew was the worst. I am yet to have any major damage to my home. However, anything is possible. Winters in Florida are pleasant. Right now the temperature at my home is in the sixties. The summers are hot and humid. If you have allergies, living in Florida is a challenge. Thankfully, we have airconditioning. Florida is a microcosm of the US. We have every race, nationality, economic class, educational background and social group possible. If you don't like diversity, you don't want to live here.

A thread whose only purpose is to irritate others. What a pleasant contribution to bass fishing. Looks like someone needs to get out of the house and go fishing.

If I could give you a hug I would buddy, I promised I wouldn't hurt anymore Dobyns rods, if I ever win another in a raffle I'll send it your way, if that happens do you have a name picked out for it, would you send me pictures of you and the rod on vacations and outings so I know its safe and happy??

I don't think that I have ever once even looked at the line ratings on a rod.

I know this is correct. I know rate of fall is crucial and adjusting can make all the difference. My struggle is maintaining confidence in my choice of location long enough to cycle through several different weights/styles. If I've tried two different presentations (or changed one presentation a couple times) then the doubt starts to set in. Did I read the variables wrong? Are the fish not here but over there instead? I would experiment more with rate of fall and color of the plastic if I had more faith in my ability to find the fish. But when I switch spots without being thorough and then get on fish it reinforces that I was wrong the first time when I may not have been. I'm either going to be one of the best fishermen to ever wet a line or I will be confined to a psych ward.

It’s one of the considerations we need to focus on all the time, but it’s also one of things that most folks don’t. We get so hung up on location, size, action and color to form a pattern but sometimes the rof can be the only change needed. Mike

My buddy Doug is in it. We fished a team trail together 4 years ago. Last year he was very consistent locally, won a few times also! He’s a marine vet also. Wish him the best!

Same ones that work when it ain't raining!

In a larger lake, yellow bass will "raft", or form dense horizontal schools. Hitting one of these rafts with UL or L spinning tackle is about as much fun as a person can have with their clothes on. ? jj

I would suggest a ST. CROIX XLC71MHXF Legend X 7ft1 MH extra Fast paired with a Steez A. Or a GLX 853C paired with a Metanium MGL You can't go wrong with either, both awesome for what you want, solid warranties.

When I'm worm fishing there is usually going to be some pitching involved into heavy cover. I cant pitch with a light weight and bait . So its give and take . I found a 1/4 ounce weight with an eight or nine inch worm performs well . If I want a faster fall a 5/16th ounce and a six inch worm works . That sounds like too much weight for such a small bait but I have caught thousands of bass on that combo .

Yellow bass taste better than white bass and there’s no creel limit, at least that’s the draw in this region

As I think back to when I first started I had two rods and wondered why guys needed more than that. Now I fight to keep it to 6-7! LOL Granted there are a couple setups that I have two of but with different lures on them.

Yellow bass I have caught one time . They look like a white bass with a yellow tint and the ones I caught were smaller . I found them in a shallow backwater area off the Mississippi river .

Last year I would throw out a weightless plastic worm, and it wouldn't get bit. I put a small split shot up the line about a foot, and started catching bass. Same bait, only difference was that split shot.

I only bring two, usually a heavy and a medium. Kayak fishing for me is about simplicity. I leave my pile of rods for the bass boat.

9 months out of the year it’s fine and during the week those other 3 weeks are fine too. Just stay off it on the weekends and holidays during the summer. Otherwise it’s one of the best fishing lakes in the Midwest. It’s party boat central in the summer. They have yatchs that put ocean going vessels to shame on a narrow Ozark lake. It’s not uncommon to have 4’ swells on a busy weekend. Not a place for any bass boat. Springfield is an amazing place to live. You have all the White River reservoirs super close to the south, Pomme and Stockton to the north. Lots of great fishing close by.

Too many drug cartel types around there. ??

Third most dangerous body of water in North America Check out Lake Guntersville in ALABAMA.

What shade of green? Now I gotta go make one up.....

Putting Dobyns in the same sentence as those other brands is an insult. I don't know how Gary Dobyns hurt you but I'm so sorry.

That is correct there will always be someone that like Dobyns, 13 fishing, Kastking, Favorite, etc. As long that individual likes it and it makes them happy, that's all that matters.

Did my research, reading, watching vids. Tried topwater, sub surface, cranks. No bites. Switched to jig fishing pulled out 2. First rain fishing trip of the year was a success.

The rumor I had heard last year is that Loomis was changing their new stock to a 15 year warranty similar to St. Croix when you mail in a rod but they will still offer the Xpeditor service. Old rods will be replaced with the new version but the new rod will have a 15 year warranty instead of lifetime.

@operationgrass & @A5BLASTER That's part of the reason why I started this thread.

Like the ‘do not remove’ tag on a pillow....

It makes you wonder. Why? Why does the rate of fall matter to the bass? If you’re looking at ROF in 45° vs 75° water temps it sounds understandable. But it makes a difference day-to-day even when conditions are basically the same. Why? It really makes you scratch your head how the same bait with a 1/4 oz weight is good one day but not the next with all other factors basically the same. I know the bass bass have a reason, lol. I’d just like to know what it is!

I feel like I have better luck with a slower ROF. I usually use an 1/8 ounce sinker for most of my T rigs. I will use heavier sinkers if throwing around heavy cover. I probably need to be using heavier sinkers a lot more than I do.

Got on a Toledo bend fb page earlier. Don’t mention grass they will fight for hours.

@BigAngus752 About the time I think I have them figured out they prove to me I don't! While I do adjust ROF, don't constantly do it. Ya gotta start somewhere With Texas Rigs I usually have two setups, one with 1/8-3/16 oz & one with 1/4-3/8 oz. With Jig-n-Craws, one with 1/4-3/8 oz & one with 1/2-3/4. Everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion!

I can certainly appreciate that, I can honestly say that you’re definitely doing your homework because I never heard anyone specify the stainless steel component. To me there’s a trade off with the wire frame. Thinner gauge wire = more vibration. Conversely , thicker is less. It comes down to do you want a spinnerbait that is durable - thicker wire, or something with more vibration that is susceptible to getting mangled? The latter will give you more bang for the buck. The former will give you the components back to put on a new wire frame. Post up your spinnerbait when your done. Would love to see it man. ?

Help us indeed. This thread serves a new purpose for me. I will bring it up if I am ever hungry while fishing. The sight of the chicken feet soup and Balut will kill my appetite for sure. ?

Started the year off with a PB spot. We don’t grow them like TN and AL lol. Caught on a 3/4 oz single colorado spinner bait. Weighed 3.57lb

Throw it away and buy a tube of MegaStrike.

Complete with the hole-in-one skirt, I really like the way this turned out. Allen