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I decided to ignore doctor's orders and went fishing this morning. Caught a 5 lb bass and 15 minutes later a 7 lb bass. Needless to say I was STOKED. Beat my PB twice in a matter of minutes. I was able to bump the hook out of the 7 lber's mouth with my palm.

Got out to Sam Rayburn for the first time today. What a day. Not much in the way of bass, I caught 5 or 6 little super dinks like this. That said, I caught one at every park I went to. I went to every part of the lake except the deep middle where the rivers meet. There are bass all over this lake. I lost some better fish but that's OK. Some days are like that, those are just the test runs for when one finally sticks. At one of my stops in the morning, I met an older gentleman named High Fin. I ran into him again at a different park like eight hours later. Apparently he lives super close so he went and got his boat and we did a little night fishing. We didn't stick any but we got bit and I made a new friend and got to see a glimpse of Rayburn's might. Sometimes it ain't all about the fishin. I'll say this. If I lived as close to rayburn as I do to roberts, I wouldn't fish anywhere else and I would be hard pressed to drive away from it. There are points and timbers and creeks and structures ALL OVER. The entire lake looks fishy. And it's HUGE. 111,000 acres of surface area as of today. That's about 5.25x the surface area I normally fish at Roberts. I had a burger made of brisket and bacon. Not WITH, but OF bacon and brisket. What an incredible place. I have to come back very soon.

Jerkin and fluking and frogging my way to September success! Been a fun past couple days and I'm hoping this warm spell has em chewing on the big little lakes this weekend! Found a new lil retention pond next to my son's soccer field and found out the bigger girls in the lil 1 acre mud puddle definitely like frogs 😃😃😃🐸🐸🐸

This is why I'm now and forever known as Swamp Girl:

Two trips here. First was a short bank beater session. They were ignoring the usual 10” so figuring I had nothing to lose I put on a 13” and it got picked up before hitting bottom by this 4lb 4oz fish. Last worm fish of the year for me. That bite is pretty much done. Caught a lot of 4s on them this year but nothing I would consider big. Second trip I found two different groups of fish. First group I caught in tree tops dropping a jig through the branches. Second group was hunting gizzards on a flat adjacent to a ledge. I was fishing a heavy saltwater jig with a 7” fluke trailer, giving it 6’ rips off the bottom. Got 4 cookie cutter fish in about 10 minutes doing this before I had a guide ring fall out which made it difficult to land any fish. I dumped 3 more then they moved off.

All you need is to figure out how to make scissors out of zebra mussels and make your own million dollars. Those cut through anything.

Did some full moon fishing yesterday evening after work, Josh was putting it on us with a popper. No long arming detected……

I got out on the water the other day as a low front was moving through with a forecast of unstable weather. Lots of schoolie stripers were in the system working shad with the bass feeding underneath. I must have caught 30-35 fish on a Provoke 106DD with this 3.17lber being my best bass of the day.

Don't get to do this often, but made an unplanned stop at the river on the way home this afternoon. We haven't had much rain in quite a while, so it's running low and slow. This isn't really a high-productivity stretch, but there's always something in there. Today it was a few largemouths - two keeper-ish sized, and three pretty ittle guys. Broke off something larger that managed to wrap me up on a rock. Venom Lures Super Do and a little #2 Black Fury. The Super Do is not a bait I ever hear anyone mention but they're a pretty good finesse option, especially in rivers where the tentacles can catch the current -- I put them on a slider head, and scoot them along the bottom.

Is there a prize for the smallest bass? In trying for my GA Bass Slam I was Redeye Bass fishing from the bank, because I can't paddle my kayak, and caught my only Redeye. BTW they have to be 8" and this wasn't near that. Swamp Girl is more appropriate than Old Crickety, I like it.

My Father caught this runt and he was seemingly proud of it too. 😵‍💫

Had to go back and check the schooling area again since I’d have a bit more time to fish them. Fortunately, they stayed put and I was able to catch 55 more in just over 3 hours. Was a nice chance to chase numbers and take a break from quality. Back to the grind chasing the 10 percenters now that I’ve had some fun.

First keeper striper of the season this morning on a duo pencil 110. Had a head and shoulders but was dang skinny, surprising with the amount of baitfish in the water right now. Donated to one of guys bait fishing the bank for dinner vs sport. Had another 7-8 rats on a tailspin, underspin & finesse swimbait

Probably nothing you could have done. With that much bait, the chances were slim they would even see your lure

About 2 yesterday afternoon, I was at the mouth of a creek off the TN river. Saw the biggest bait ball I’ve ever seen, literally there were millions of shad. There were a couple of small (8-12” maybe) bass lurking around and corralling them. I threw everything at the bait ball… lipless, chatter/spinner, umbrella rig, top water, jerkbait (soft as well), wacky and drop shot. I know there were fish under the ball, as I was marking them. No takers. The only thing that I can think of now looking back is that I maybe should have downsized as the shad were fairly small?

It’s almost autumn, but you’d never know it in this part of Texas. I was on the water at 7:00 and out at 12:30. It was 94° and sunny when I hit shore. I caught six 1 lb’ers, so not a great day. But holy heck did it sap my energy. I turned 64 four days ago. I feel it today!

I’m 72 and it seems like the heat gets to me more each year. I launched the boat this morning at daylight and by 12:30 the heat index was 98 degrees so it was time to call it a day and head back to the camp. I figure I have caught enough fish in my life that anything I catch from here on out is just a blessing.

There have been times on the Harris Chain when if you weren't fishing a Rattle Trap you weren't fishing. Most of these times were back when the water was murky. Since the water has cleared, the Rattle Trap bite has diminished significantly. Almost all of my double digit bass came flipping heavy cover.

I’ve been awol so long, I thought I was gonna run out of “likes”. And who the heck is @Swamp Girl 🤷🏼‍♂️😆 @Peacedivision Nice job on the new PB. Impressive to keep pushing that long, but funny how often it happens like that, or on a first cast or last cast when you least expect a record to get broken. I just haven’t been feeling it recently, but I think Wes and I are gonna dust off the boat this afternoon.

Communication is key! Before you book a guide, make your desires and expectations clear. Do not assume all guides are the same. Boating as many fish as possible is a different goal than targeting large fish. Live bait fishing is easier than bass fishing with artificial lures. Some guides are entertainers, others are not. Some guides are teachers, others are not. What is important is that you and your guide are on the same page. Do your discovery before the boat leaves the dock.

I like Catt's answer. Also I like a something sub 6:1 for cranking.....less wear on you with bigger baits and most of us are notorious for going too fast turning the handle so that 22-24 ipt is a big difference when you think about most are now 27-32 ipt. And for cranking, find something in a composite, or a "softer " action graphite rod. Cranking doesn't need a $200 rod, you're better off with a slower action rod.

Swamp Girl wants in!

At 73 heat zaps my energy faster than anything! Ain't been on the water in month ☹️

I love most vegetables except eggplant, okra, and rhubarb. Zucchini is a "meh" for me. As mentioned - don't overcook them! That's the #1 way to ruin them. Brussel sprouts? Yes! Bring it on! I like them split in half and pan fried the best. However, I remember coming home from school and boiling up some brussel sprouts with melted butter - great snack! Corn on the cob - sure, people put butter on them, but have you tried adding a little salt and pepper on them too? My wife thought I was nuts until she tried it. Now that's the only way we have corn on the cob. I like it raw too. Well...ok...I like most veggies raw in addition to cooked. I have a fresh salad full of cut veggies just about every day. Street corn, grilled corn, really any kind of corn and I'm game. Corn chowder? Yes please. Frozen sweet peas and snap peas during the summer is a treat! I used to love asparagus, but I guess my tastes are changing because I don't like them much anymore. Green onion sandwich? Yep. Just mayonnaise, cut green onions, and salt. Sounds nasty, but it's not bad. Grilled Walla Walla sweet onions on a burger is the bomb! Ever tried chili potatoes? It's a baked potato, split open and filled with chili. Dang hearty! And completely vegetarian unless you add meat. Stir-fried veggies with garlic and ginger can be awesome if you do it right. It's easy to over-cook them. Leeks and bok choy are great in stir fry. I can keep going, but I'll stop there.

Sometimes there is such a thing as too much bait in a given space. Not for the fish obviously. You get enough forage in one spot and sometimes you just can't throw anything that looks like an easy enough meal

Forgive me in advance if this comes across as offensive but great googly-moogly is it really that bad that a fishing rod company tried something outside of the conventional thinking while still offering a heck of a lot of the conventional reel seats and handles in the rest of the lineup. Jeez so what if they took a swing and missed with a certain amount of people, they didn’t stop building the rest of the rods that a lot of people seem to like and even if they did 🤔 move on as last I checked at least on Tackle Warehouses page there are 65 different casting rod brands, if you can’t find one you like then people really aren’t trying. I don’t know maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve tried and failed at a few different careers in my 55 years of living but jeez none of my swings and misses killed me but instead have given me a new path and a past to reflect on what did and didn’t work out which in my humble opinion changes are what pushes all of us forward including the fishing industry.

I’d loose them within a month. 😲

I dunno, but can I get my entry in?

Got my annual Musky Quota checked off this morning. What Brute ! Thanks for the inspiration @T-Billy A-Jay

It definitely ain't August anymore. Fish are scattered everywhere, and everyone I've talked to is struggling to get bit. It took me about 15 hours of grinding over a couple days to come up with this little 32". We need some cooler weather to bring 'em shallow. Some rain would be great also. We've passed severe drought and reached exceptional status, and there ain't much hope in the extended forecast.

Always fun on a popper

Obsidian blade 😉

Lew's Tournament TS1SMP 5.6:1 ratio Rod would depend on what ya cranking, shallow or deep.

I have a St. Croix Legend Elite Panfish 6' UL. I pulled a 7-8lb catfish in. was crappie fishing with 1.5in tubes on a kayak. you would have thought I caught a whale. took 10-15min to get it in. St. Croix has several Panfish UL and Trout UL ranging from $120 up to $400. I know i can feel a trout sucking an egg off my hook at 40ft. Ultra light = Ultra fun. 7lb catfish feels like 70lb tuna.

Orrrr, add 19 of these for a total of $12 (after the 40% off), and then get the 40% off a reel, rod etc. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Tackle_Warehouse_Boxfish_Stickers/descpage-TWSS.html

I have both baitcasting and spinning Trigon rods, and have used them quite a bit. I like them. I don't notice the handle too much, but I do notice my hands aren't tired at the end of the day. Ergonomics work that way. If I had one complaint, it would be they are a bit heavier than other St. Croix lines like the Victory series.

Ya, Zman sucks because of that. They wind up like a rubber band on screw locks. Oh, and they melt everything they touch. Ever tried using JJ's Magic on them? They dissolve! LOL I gave all my Zman baits away and won't use them again. Too much hassle.

I have previously commented from a guides perspective on this thread, now I will tell the other side of the story from my limited experience as a client on the subject. My first ever experience as a client was six years ago, fishing for bass here in Mexico. For my birthday may wife bought me a weekend bass fishing trip at a local lodge. I had zero expectations, and was determined to have fun regardless of the number and size of bass. At the time the Bait Monkey had not found me hiding in Mexico, and I didn't have much in the way of bass tackle, so I opted to use the lodge equipment. The equipment was good, and a small box of soft plastics, 3/8 oz bullet sinkers, and hooks. was all they fished with at this lake, and the bass didn't seem to mind hitting the same thing every day. My guide was pleasant and spoke English far better than I spoke Spanish. He drove the boat to a bank on the other side of the lake and pointed at the shoreline. First cast I hooked a bass. I caught bass on every few casts. The bass were plentiful, but all of them were small. Around a pound with a 1.5 pound bass being a big one and nothing over two pounds. The guide was quick with the net, and counted every bass with a clicker he had in his pocket. When a plastic worm would get tore up he simply broke off some of the worm and I fished with a shorter worm. He wouldn't change worms until what started as a 7 inch worm was about one inch. To this day I refer to that common practice as a Mexican Ned Rig. The clicker counter was because at the end of the day it was important for the guides to no the exact number of bass caught. I assume the quality of the trip was gauged solely on the numbers of bass landed My guide positioned the boat with a tiller controlled electric motor on the stern. He did make a cast now and then, but was to busy driving the boat to do much fishing. I considered him more of a boat driver than guide. When I would ask him if I should fish faster, he would say yes, when I asked him if I should slow down he would say yes, deeper yes, shallower yes. He had the same answer for every fishing question I had. If I had been a complete novice angler, I doubt he would have done much more than point at the bank and drive the boat. A complete beginner would have caught some bass, but not near as many as they would catch if the guide would have been an excellent instructor. I got the feeling that he thought his job was to position the boat, net the fish, keep count of the number of bass, and try and save as many inches of soft plastics as possible. I caught lots of bass, had a few laughs, and had a great time. I learned very little about the fishery but had a good over all experience The guide did what the lodge owner expected of him, so in the end I felt he did his job well. If I were the owner of the lodge, I would hire guides that were more enthused about fishing and were always striving to perfect their guiding - teaching skills, but I don't own the lodge, and all the guests seemed very happy. My next guided bass fishing trip came a year later on Lake Chapala. My guide had his own bass boat, and was not associated with a lodge. He was an excellent guide that was a true professional. His knowledge of the water, and techniques to catch the bass were excellent. He was able to teach me a new technique with precise, and patient instruction. He loved to fish for bass, and did fish while I was fishing, but he always fished in order to help me with my fishing. The bass were located under thick matts of grass, and in tall tulles. I had never punched matts before, but had been instructed to bring the proper gear for this technique. I borrowed a heavy rod from a friend, and brought my own reel loaded with 65 pound braid. It didn't take long for me to get the basics down and land a few 2-3 pound bass. My guide was constantly telling me where to pitch, and what kind of abnormalities in the matt to look for. He would pitch his bait to targets, and quickly reel the line in before a bass could get to his lure, when he saw movement in the reeds. I would then pitch my bait in and catch the bass that moved after his bait. This worked many times I appreciated how hard he worked to get me on to fish. He also would cast a spinnerbait out on the other side of the boat, looking for bass in the more scattered grass towards open water while I punched the thick cover towards shore. He caught one bass while doing this and I quickly switched over to a spinnerbait and landed some of the biggest bass of the day. Towards the end of the day he took me to a place where he thought we might be able to catch a larger bass. The spot had a couple standing trees, mixed in with a couple of boulders. I switched to a square bill and he lined me up for a perfect cast that would go over branches on both trees, and make contact with the a boulder on the retrieve. For once I made a perfect cast and caught a 5.5 pound bass which was my big fish of the day. I fished a few more times with this guide and always landed quality bass, greatly improved my fishing skill, and as a bonus he provided a nice lunch. He was an excellent teacher without becoming overbearing, and was always trying to get me more and bigger bass. He did fish, but never to my detriment. He was not fishing for himself, he was only fishing to help me catch more and bigger bass. I told him I didn't care if he fished for fun, and he said he might if he had a chance Unfortunately a quality guide costs more than I can afford. I decided if I wanted to get back in to bass fishing at my new home, I would have to find a way to fish on my own. I couldn't afford a boat so I bought a kayak. I told the Chapala guide that I had bought a kayak, and wouldn't be able to hire him any more, but would try and send him some business. He thanked me for fishing with him, and even told me of some great places to kayak fish for bass. Like I said at the beginning of this post I have very limited experience as a client but feel I have had examples of two extremes. One guide was mostly a boat driver, and the other a true professional fisherman. Both were great experiences, both took me to the bass, but I prefer a guide who wears more than one hat.

@sllymz I don’t own a boat and don’t want one. I’ve been a tournament co angler for years either with friends in team tournaments or in a blind draw but the “rules” are always the same for me. 1) Talk to your boater before you go. Confirm your meet up time and place and don’t be late. *Ask about how he expects to attack the day. If he pre fished he probably has a pattern or 2 in a few areas that he will hit first. If not what you bring will be a little different. *I always offer to buy ice, drinks and a sandwich for him. But that’s just me! *Offer to launch the boat. If you’re not comfortable doing it tell him up front. It’s usually no big deal. 2) Personally I always bring 6.. If the boater has a plan or not I only pre rig 5 combos. One for each level of the water column plus an extra bottom contact with a heavier weight and larger bait and a top water frog. One rod I purposely leave empty, that for me is the most versatile one I have. That way I can just tie something on quick if you’re on a pattern he didn’t expect. 3) Don’t bring everything you own. You don’t need a duffel bag either. I use a small bag that fits between my legs when we’re running and will fit on my seat when fishing. 4) Tie your rods down against the gunnel next to your seat. I have a small bungee cord (Newer boats have some type of apparatus but older ones may not) 5) Have your PDF on EVERY TIME the big motor is on regardless of what he does. It’s your life! 6) Never cast in front of or over his line. “Your area” is from the steering wheel back. The front deck is his. Some boaters will offer to switch, some will not. Some tournament rules specify that a co angler should be given the option. 7) Always start with something different than what he’s throwing until a pattern emerges. Here is where it can get tricky.. Some boaters don’t like his back seater using the same baits, I don’t care. If he’s on a frog bite, there will be some he missed or didn’t present it right that you can pick off as long as you cast away from him in water you’ve passed. 8) Ask about netting his fish. Some won’t want you too, some will. Just be sure it’s understood. 9) Be ready to pack up on a moments notice. Try to be in your seat by the time he gets to his ready to run with your PDF ON and secured. 10) Always offer to pay for fuel or reimburse him for anything he gives you during the day. How much is up to you. What I do is always add 10.00 more than what I think is fair. We may fish again sometime or he may know your next boater. Again that’s just me!! Notes… * If you smoke ask permission. Be prepared to repair his carpet if you burn a hole in it, flick ashes down wind. * NEVER use dye inside the boat! Always dip or apply over the water * Keep an eye on the fish in the live well if that kind of tournament. * Check them once in awhile always listening to be sure the pump didn’t shut off unexpectedly. * Be careful when opening as some fish may try to jump out, then you have a problem!! Just crack it open enough to make sure thier gills are moving Anyway, these are just some of things I do every ones different. I know it’s a lot and there are more but I tried to give you some things just from my perspective. You already got good advise from others. Above all have fun, enjoy yourself. Don’t give yourself added pressure because there really isn’t any. Just go fishin and don’t worry about procedure too much. Most boaters were co anglers at one time too, they understand. I’ve struggled and been embarrassed more times that I’d like to remember. It happens. But I’ve also been fortunate and lucky enough to win a lot of money and a few accolades Just remember you’re just 2 guys in a boat who just met doing the same thing. Just be sure to be respectful of his time, and his property when you’re in his house. I’ve never had a problem keeping that in mind. Best of luck to you and report back. Mike

I use one of these with a 1 or 1/0 depending on the thickness of the tube. Owner Ultra FInesse Ballhead.

I use InvizX for those. As for line stretch? I'm not concerned about it. I have no problems hooking and landing fish using fluoro, braid, co-poly, or mono. I think it's one of those things that we bass anglers tend to overthink and emphasize too much. There are other, more important factors to focus on, such as proper hook and rod selection, hookset and fish-fighting techniques, etc.

The struggles continue here. I’ve pretty much been camping out at the crappie hole since I can’t catch numbers anywhere I figure I might as well go for the big ones. Unfortunately the big ones did not cooperate today. After two big hits on the Mayor, but nothing to show for it, I switched to the Ned hoping to avoid the skunk. It worked but I all I caught were dinks with the below fish being the largest.

Haven't fished for bass much the last couple weeks. September is historically the hardest month of the warm water months for bass fishing for me. I also have a couple tournaments coming up the next couple weeks, so I'm kind of trying to get my mind ready for that. Getting out and chasing these guys is my favorite way to sit and think, while still being able to fish. It's not lazy, not the way I do it. 1 mile down a creek from the launch, then 1.5 miles against a pretty strong river current in the kayak to get to my area I like to fish. I don't usually sit anywhere too long. A lot of loading and unloading the kayak, checking spots for fish, changing baits, catching bait. I did a lot for this one bite, but it was worth it.

I just fished my pond for one hour and fifteen minutes, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. As I've been doing lately, I only took two lures, this time a 4", bubblegum pink Senko wacky rigged and a brass-bladed Mepps spinner. Both caught three bass, which surprised me, as I was fishing under a high Sun on a pretty cloudless day. Maybe I've gained a little insight into catching bass under a high Sun. I caught one bass on a weed line, one approaching a shade line, three in the deeper water adjacent to a dropoff, and one in the middle of nowhere. I didn't put the fourth bass on the bump board so you could see the weather conditions. Nothing big, but all chunky except for the fourth, lip-gripped bass. I used two, little lures because of @Glenn, who coaches us to downsize in the fall. I figured my Mepps would imitate a shad and the little Senko would appeal to sluggish bass.

Quick trip yesterday morning started with a nice fog and overcast. Tried to make topwater work but no success until I started throwing a spinnerbait. Caught these two and a few pickerel.

Been a little while since I updated the folks here - but it's been real fun this month! Been eating frogs and buzzbaits/buzzing plastics and lipless crankbaits and Jerkbaits (soft and hard) and swimming jigs. 😎😎😎 Already lost two big fish on jerk and lipless and seen some huge ones bail on my spinnerbait right at the bank which is a good sign 😂 - big fish are showing you interest in fast moving reaction baits again! 😎🤙🏼

Stream yellow perch and some lake toothies in my bud's vessel

Leaders are not a requirement. Braid is not a requirement. Many, many times you can use straight up fluoro or co-poly and catch plenty of fish.

I'd say loose the leader and fish your heart away. I once leader'ed up out in the glades for whatever reason but not anymore. Glades is about as stained and full of grass as it gets. Not worth the trouble, imho. More knots to worry about. More prone to failure, espeically with floro! Strait braid for me. No difference in the amount of hits, either, even from trophy sized fish.