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I don’t know the “official” name of this bait. A Texas-rig jig? A jig Texas rig? Something else? All I know is that I learned about it here from @A-Jay so I’m calling it an A-Jay Special. I tried one last week but no dice. Started off with a jerkbait but no bites. Switched to the A-Jay Special and also no bites. But I swapped out the 3/8 oz. bullet weight with a 1/4 oz. and that made a difference. All 3 were decent and caught right near the bank. Also caught one (smallest of the 4) on a squarebill. I like this bait. You can swim it like a swim jig, drag it through wood like a jig and it has a lot of action. I was using a green pumpkin skirt with a green pumpkin Rage Craw on a Gamakutsu 5/0 hook with the weight pegged. Beautiful day! It was in the low 60°s when I got on the water and about 83° now.

Well, this morning reminded me a day last fall where I managed to catch some fish, but never managed to find their pulse. I caught 25 total, all on a Dobyns spinnerbait with an orange Mayor and my Yo-Zuri popper, but nothing over 18 inches and eight of them came in two flurries. The first flurry happened when I was paddling across a rocky flat and a couple bass bolted from two reeds. "Hmmm," I thought, "so that's where you hang." So, I cast my popper to five other tiny stands of reeds and caught five smallies. The other flurry happened when I was paddling back and saw two loons diving and diving. "Hmmm," I thought, "bait." Yep, I hooked four lmb in four casts, but only landed three, each about 17 inches, all on the spinnerbait. All my other bass came here and there. No pattern, no pulse. My stupid, old camera stopped working (AGAIN!), so I used my cell phone, which takes much better photos. See? Then the Sun rose. To take a photo, I had to remove my cell phone from its waterproof pouch, rouse it, and then shoot, all while the bass was drowning in air, so I only took two bass pics, the first a typical fat bass and the second, a longer, skinny one that I caught in weeds. ^See^ my stupid, old camera? I shouldn't complain. I've used it for about 35 years. However, it is a slacker compared to my bike, which I've ridden for 53 years.

Well, my drift and cast idea didn't work. I did catch nine in two hours, but none of the four-plus-pounders I was targeting. It was pretty choppy with the occasional whitecap: I was mostly using a spinnerbait. My lipless caught nothing. This was the average size: When I was blown into a shore, I saw a bass feeding and pitched a popper to it. It was my biggest. The fish are fattening for the winter. Even this short one was well fed. Pretty pic! I'm launching again tomorrow morning in the dark. Fingers crossed I find a big one!

Fish long enough and It happens to everybody. Don’t believe them if they say it didn’t Mike

Hey, those without power! Almost everyone I know down here has a portable generator. I already spoke with family and some friends that If you want I can make the rounds and pick up maybe 4 or 5 of them and meet one of you guys somewhere in Central Florida who maybe can shuttle them farther north. Most will be enough to run your refrigerators, lights and small appliances. Let me know, it will take a day or so to round them all up. Mike

So I finally got my Birthday Box my wife bought from The Hook Up Tackle and for $100, I don't think I've seen a better deal, especially for OSP baits. The 4 packs of dice and the 5 packs of beavers alone are worth it. All together I got 25 packs of softplastic. The only thing that might be a bust is the micro MMZ worms. They are smaller in diameter than a spaghetti noodle.

She is....The Bass Whisperer

A couple rainbows were runnin:

Tammy whooped me again, for the third time in four trips. I don't know how much more my ego can take!!! I may need counseling. 😂 We got out for four hours after I got off work today. We caught three. 40.25" and a 30.25" for her, 35.5" for me. We also moved another six, including a heavy mid 40's. Water's down to 71 and things are starting to fall into place up in the creeks. Some quality fish starting to show up shallow. @A-Jay, Life's a b**ch and then you get the net. LMAO!!!

Note: I am not good fishing off-shore brush-piles. I am even worse fishing crankbaits. Yesterday was slow...so tied on a Shad Rap, and worked the brush-piles... Eight LMB's in a little over two hours. Ended with a 17", 17-1/2", and 17-3/4" in a ten minute span. Good fun!

Got some intel on a couple new spots…rumor has it they both are filthy with bass. First up is a creek that connects two man made lakes that I have fished previously. However I’ve never tried to fish the creek until now. Caught three small ones with the below fish being the largest. Next day I tried the other spot which is a reservoir. I had high hopes seeing as how it was off the beaten path. While the rumors were true that it was filled with bass but unfortunately they were all this size A little frustrated with the lack of quality I returned to the New Reservoir where I did slightly better from a size perspective and a lot better numbers wise.

A few catches from this morning.

I know I'm about to step into the Twilight Zone here, but do you ever know when a bass is about to hit your surface lure? I do know, about once or twice every trip. I'm not talking about the obvious line in shallow water where a bass is charging your lure or FFS, where you see a bass rising to your lure, but that little flutter inside, much like Spiderman's tingle, where you say, "Hey, a bass is about to hit." and then it does. It could be I'm seeing a shift in the water made by a bass around my lure that I can't actually to define it with words because it's so subtle. It could also be that my lure is sitting, structure, cover, and weather-wise, in a situation so similar to others where I've caught bass that I'm making a very good guess that one is about to strike. Or it could be straight-up Spidey-sense. Whatever it is, it feels a little like a pigeon is fluttering inside of me and I prepare to set the hook because a bass is about to strike.

I totally agree with you. And my feeling is that is that farm raised fish are even more contaminated than fresh wild caught unless they have a way to constantly change the water source by flushing dirty water with clean. I also know you eat a lot of fish that you catch. I have no problem with that. I eat fish probably two or three times a week but I'm selective with my choices. My original comment was regarding a change in behavior. I don't think the percentage of people eating fish will change much from present. That differs with more people leaning towards eliminating chemicals in their food purchased from the grocery store. And I don't think creel limits will be raised because of it. Just my opinion.

Rockhopper, I admire your sharing the skunk. Sharing the bad times makes the good times that much sweeter.

Several members on this site claimed September can be a very slow month. I paid mind to it as I fished quite a bit this month. Have yet to put more than 3 fish in the boat fishing 5-6 hrs. Hang in there.

I’d rather be stuck with only a spinnerbait

The cost of premium spinnerbait hook from Gamakatsu or Owner in 25ea is over $12, Highend blades like Hilderbrandt are $1.50 ea., titanium wire frame, tungsten molded 1 1/2 oz head, premium swivels and hand tied skirts all add up. Add supply and demand for artisan skilled workmanship custom JDM spinnerbaits demand a high price Be glad we have Mike at Siebert Outdoors! Tom

I'm sure you could also say that about road kill raccoon too. 😂

We look for clues and tells Two different things. Why else did you stop where you did, and use what you tied on? Taking advantage of what you’re seeing and putting those pieces together is the recipe for success. But when nothing tells you anything and you set the hook because it just feels right sometimes that’s the best feeling of all. Mike

Sounds like when Nadine inhales a jig & just sits there. No thump-thump, no line movement, nothing, but I set hook anyway! My grandson Aiden: You wasn't even paying attention. Me: Yeah I was, that's why I set hook! If the bass is big enough I can tell when it's trailing my spinnerbait/crankbait.

What you are discussing is a gut feeling or intuitive thought you know a bass is going to strike without conscious awareness. intuition is something we have to some degree, not always a good feeling. Bass fishing for some means getting in touch with surroundings looking for clues for activity and when everything is in focus undistracted your intuition kicks in and know where the bass is and when it will strike so trust you gut feeling. Tom

From hurricanes? Look it - there are large parts of western NC that don’t have power or internet or water and likely won’t have those things for days and in some cases weeks. People are asking fly fishing groups on Facebook is anyone is in the area of loved ones that they can’t get in contact with, and frankly won’t be until the above is resolved and maybe never in many cases. So maybe we hold off on any political/government criticism for not protecting us from a catastrophic storm.

2nd biggest fish caught this year at the dam on the Sheyene river in ND. Caught while fishing for whatever wanted to bite using 30LB 832, 15 LB flouro leader, 1/8 ballhead jig tipped with a minnow using a bobber.

No birds were harmed while making this video. This knucklehead took a poke at my Megabass topwater Bait and I wanted it back. Some days it just goes like that. A-Jay

Security detail. 😆

I can’t believe the videos and stories coming out of TN and NC. I’m at a loss for words.

So glad you came through. Very happy for you!

I priced getting my XJ Jeep done once and it was very expensive, $5-6k for a small SUV. I found for the price it’s very fragile and easily damaged, especially on a kayak. What you saved in buying it on sale you’ll easily spend on the wrap and create a future maintenance project . Weighty considerations……………

Pick up a 5"-6" floating swimbait. A 6th Sense Trace is affordable. Both can be thrown on a typical H rod rated to 1 1/2 ozs if you don't have a swimbait setup. Buy some 1/4" wide lead self-adhesive tape. Apply to the bottom of the bait in front and behind the first hook. Wrap the shank of the front treble too. This will give you a slight nose-down presentation. Add strips until you achieve about a 1/2' foot per second sink rate for the current water temp. Cast past them and play with the retrieve where you see them suspended. You can stall the bait in their vicinity, then twitch and vary your retrieve. Basically, present them a sitting duck or a fleeing fish. Bait typically darts then stops, so try to replicate that with pauses in between.

Maine might be at its most beautiful when it's snowing, Alex. I've planted a mound of red twig dogwoods and another of yellow twig dogwoods, which are bright red and bright yellow in the winter. They're both backdropped by giant arborvitaes, so the red and yellow stems are frosted with white, glistening snow. I just smile thinking about it.

When they ask me if it tasted good , I can often say “it sure did “

Sometimes you'll make a good cast to the perfect spot, and get a quiet bait entry. Then, you get that gut feeling that a bass will hit. I've had it happen. Not often, but it does happen. You've got to be really tuned in and focused on everything. The bait, cover, wind etc.

I went for about 3.5 hours this morning targeting largemouth. I was pre-fishing for a derby on Monday. A friend and I caught about 20 fish in 3.5 hours. A few early on a buzz bait and a spinner bait, but by 9:30am when the sun had risen higher, that bite was done. Moved deeper, found some good green weeds, a nearby school of sunfish, and did some damage with a jig worm. Several doubles, and at one point I caught 3 in 3 casts. Size ranged from 15-19 inches, with one bigger than that which jumped and spit the hook. By 11am we were pretty toasted out there. Hot, sunny, no wind, and still plenty of pleasure boaters out there. Jet skis, wake boats, and pontoons were all out like it was the middle of July. Water temps are still 72 degrees.

No, and I've never had issue. And I've never needed a switch to back reel on a spinning reel. And I've never had a rod take a bend from leaning against something. And I've never had braid put grooves in guides. Or anything else people say can happen, other than storing wet tackle and baits causing rust if not dried off first.

One of the most exciting things that happens is when you’re throwing a frog in a pad field, a prop bait in scattered grass or a Magnum Speed Worm over topped out vegetation. Then out of the corner of your eye about 20ft away you notice a pad move down or the grass is pushed just slightly to the side. You stare at it for 3 seconds and realize its getting closer. You grab the rod a little tighter, your reel hand tenses, you breathe faster, you plant your feet harder on the deck all the while never taking your eyes off whatever’s coming towards you. You don’t even watch the bait anymore. Then nothing. No movement. Everything is still, while your whole body tenses up. You see the splash but don’t hear it, you hold your breath and BAM!! Yeah, you’ll know Mike

Anything becomes worth the price tag if people pay it. Would never be me.

First, myself and my family are doing good. We all live on hill tops, so no threat of flooding. We've got no electricity but have generators going. It's a mess around here. Power is off EVERYWHERE. The Lake Lure dam is failing, or has failed. This morning, before I even heard of the dam problems the Broad river at Gaffney SC was within 10 feet or so of the I-85 bridge. There's several small dams down the Broad river. I hope none of them fail. At 99 Island reservoir the Broad river is 10 feet above full pool. There's trees down everywhere around here. I'm still not good due to my kidney stone, but I saw some kids with chain saws clearing trees. I was able to sit comfortably in my truck and pull some trees out of the road with my tow strap. It was nice to see young people out working for the "greater good". The truck stops along I85 are packed with travelers out of gas. There's one exit with power on. The line from the Interstate to the truck stop was at least 1/2 mile long. I suspect they'll be out of gas and diesel soon. Lake James (the first lake on the Catawba river chain) is a little over 10 feet above full pond. Rhodhiss (next lake) is 7 1/2 feet over. Lake Hickory (next) is at full pond. Lookout Shoals (next) is 8 1/2 feel over. Lake Norman is basically full. Mountain Island is 4 1/2 feet over. Lake Wylie is full but not over. The power company had been pulling the lakes down for several days. Lake Wylie was 6 feet lower a couple days ago. As I said earlier, myself and my family are doing good. Everyone impacted by this storm will be in our prayers. Internet is out. I have limited cellular data so I won't be posting much.

Last salt trip of the year for me. Conditions were different, we got a lot of rain that raised the water about 2’. Grass was also starting to die back. Fish were not in the areas I found them previously so I had to do some exploring. I found a lot of fish concentrated in a small area sheltered from the wind. Every 30 seconds or so I would see a fish boil or a back or tail sticking out of the water. However they were not biting very well. I must have cast at 30 different fish before one finally hit. Fortunately it was a nice one(didn’t have my measuring board on me but I believe it was somewhere in the 28-30” range. Overslot!). I stuck around for a while trying to get the breaking fish to bite. I ended up with one slot fish and 4 undersized. Pretty surprised at how tough it was despite seeing fish all around the area.

Had to return to my pal's pond to flip the canoe with rain coming. While there, I fished the last 1.25 hours of light. Caught eight with a spinnerbait and popper. All the same size. Only photographed the last four, as I was hoping for something bigger with the first four. When I realized it was going to be a Same Size Night, I thought, "I better photograph something!":

Great pictures, everyone! I've been having a heck of a time getting anything of decent size lately. Been catching a bunch, but nothing really over 3#. Finally got on some bigger ones my last few trips out. Got this first guy prooobably on my last punch bite of the season. The others have been on jigs. The end of the season is closing in, which makes me incredibly sad. Still have another 1.5 months left or so. Every year at this time I tell myself I'm moving south. 😅

Beat the storms this afternoon. Back to the numbers lake but no wind and heavy cloud cover had the bass suspended high off the bottom and not in a good mood. Was able to piece together 27 today on a combination of cranks and shad-shape soft plastics. Overall quality was up, though I lost the best fish right at the boat, unfortunately.

Found this guy in a local pond...

Got back a couple of days ago from a solo camping trip on the Delaware River. Arrived last Monday and by the time I set up camp didn’t have time to launch the kayak. So fished from shore off the campsite for a hr and was able to land 3 small Smallmouths. Launched the next day on the river and got 14 Smallmouths, took a while to get on them but changed to drifting the current in 7’ of water over gravel with a Nikko Hellgrammite on a 1/8 ned head was the ticket. Next day I headed to a lake I never fished, got a Largemouth and small pickerel right away, and that was it for the day, did lose a good one on a drop shot though. Next day back to the river again, but couldn’t get any kind of consistent bite, wound up with 6 Smallmouths. The last day I wanted to launch at a site that the road to has been closed all year for repairing the road, it was supposed to be opened on Monday, but now they said it would open on Friday, so I waited till after 9am to go there. Well the road was still had the road blocks up so it was now a change of plans. I decided to take a ride to a reservoir I had only fished once a couple of years ago. Wasn’t on the water till 11am, water had a 10’ visibility tried fishing relatively shallow for a while and got nothing. Spoke to a couple different guys on boats and they said it was real slow, they weren’t getting anything either. Fished a little more and couldn’t find anything, so I decided to head back to the ramp fishing along the way. I figured let me check the 28’ to 32’ line on the way back since nothing was happening shallower. Still miffed that the road to the other launch was closed, I probably looked like the kid walking down the dirt road with both hands in his pocket kicking rocks along the way. I finally saw a good size bait ball with some stuff on the bottom, so dropped down a drop shot in a hail Mary attempt. I hook up and it’s a good one, pole bent down into the water and drag going off. Have it on for a good while until I finally able to see it, a big Smallmouth and I even said out loud “don’t jump” I was able to land it and it was the biggest Smallmouth I’ve gotten in many years. Fumbling around for my camera for a quick pic, it shook around and I lost my grip on it and she swam away. Perseverance saved my day, made a great ending to a great trip. Got back to the campsite and spoke with the lady at the office, she said NPS finally opened the road at 1pm Sorry for the long post.

Been a crazy summer and 2 months since I last fished and 3 months since I last fished with my dad. He has a new hip on the horizon in November but felt well enough to get back in the boat. On cue, Pops caught a "Papa fish" as the girls call it. 😆 The itty bitty LM's were loving the free rig with an OSP. Nice Spot saved the day.

Got out for around 3 hours with a friend. Ended up with 10 or so on various baits. He brought his drone and got some cool footage.

The last of my garden harvest. Handful of Cherry tomatoes, 3 undersized cucumbers, and a small pumpkin that the dog wants to eat.