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I was looking forward all week to fishing this morning because: It's the last day of Indian Summer, which means it's been warm for six straight days. Foggy morning. Cloudy morning. South wind. In other words, a perfect morning. I launched in the dark and struggled at first because of the dark and heavy fog. It was hard to see what was what and to read the river channel. I eventually discovered three ways to catch them: A 6" Depps fat fluke skated like a frog over thick weeds and also wildly twitched in shallow water. Casting my big walking dog lure right down the river channel where it was narrowest and calling bass out of the weeds from both sides. Casting a Yamamoto Zako paddletail on an underspin. I caught 58, but so many were THICK, with about a dozen at 18 to 20 inches. Somehow my camera shifted to the video setting, so six of my bass are on video and I don't know how to load those, so I won't. Plus, there are so many that I captured as photos that I don't need those six beasts. I felt like I was fishing in an aviary, with eagles soaring, diving, and eating bass in the shallows. There were turkeys gobbling in the woods, sandpipers running over the mud, Great Blue Herons, and even a falcon. My arms and wrists hurt from fighting fish and paddling back in a 9 mph wind. But I'm happy. I'll start with a small bass so you can see that small bass hit my big walking bait too and that even the small ones are fat. Now here come the Brunhildas: Remember that six of my biggest bass are short videos, but they were similar to the ones above. I caught smaller ones too: Even the short ones were thick: What a morning. I won't fish for a week or so and I might only fish my pond going forward. It takes a lot out of me to fish like I did this morning, carrying my canoe down a steep bank, launching in the dark, and paddling miles. I fished very well and I'm proud of that. The conditions were tough, with weeds EVERYWHERE, but I don't think I lost a big single bass that I hooked. Now, fishing the walking dog bait meant I missed some strikes, as I always do with a lure that's constantly changing direction. Whew! Oh, yeah, I actually caught only 56 bass, but I caught two beautiful yellow perch that hit my 6" Depps with a 5/0 hook and so I counted them as honorary bass. Here they are:

Pulled a couple screen shots from 2 of my muskie this past weekend. If you want to see those, a bunch of little bass, and a couple not so little bass.

I generally do not get super caught in up rod/reel-specific types for specific presentations. Obviously I would never use a spinning rod for froggin or flippin, nor would I use a baitcaster for a ned rig. But you get the point. The only advice I would offer is to not limit yourself. Its like a toolbox, each tool has a purpose. Trying to tighten a philips screw with a flat head screwdriver might work, but it works a lot better with a philips screwdriver.

... you never know what you are going to get! I hit Hagg on Saturday the 19th for a day of trolling for trout. I had not been to Hagg in a long time and was looking forward to battling some feisty trout. I was surprised how many folks were already there when I got there around first light. I remember usually arriving to an empty parking lot. I was hoping that meant the fishing was going to be on fire. The day started out according to plan. I quickly caught a 14" trout (before I turned on my video camera), then a 16" trout, lost one right at the kayak then caught one around 12". I also missed numerous bites. I thought I was going to catch a zillion trout, but those fish in the first hour were the only trout I ended catching all day. Occasionally I missed strikes that seemed trout like (they were hitting quite violently!) but I just could not stick another trout. Fortunately Hagg has a lot to offer in terms of variety. Throughout the rest of the day I caught 2 small largemouth bass (unfortunately not 2 large smallmouth bass), 2 big bluegill and a ton of crappie (best was a hair over 12"). I really spent a lot of the day trolling back and forth through the huge school of crappie I had found since catching them was a ton of fun. I was getting bit every pass through that spot (missed plenty but with that many bites I caught plenty as well). In terms of how I was fishing, all the fish I caught were caught by trolling. I had a Strike King BItsy Minnow on one rod and my usual roostertail + 1/2 nightcrawler on the other. I had them set out 50' most of the day (occasionally trying longer distances for a spell but eventually coming back to 50') and I had a 1/8oz weight on the dropper of my spreader (really just to avoid line twist). I caught the trout trolling 1.2-1.3mph and I caught my first crappie at that speed as well. I did find though that slowing down to .7mph really improved the crappie bite. Not sure if it was the change in depth or the slower presentation but that speed was the deal for the them! So, the day did not go as planned but it was still a blast catching 4 different species of fish. I did waste a lot of the middle of the day searching (fruitlessly for trout) going all the way up past boat ramp A but in the end every fish I caught came out of the no-wake zone in 15-25' of water. Perhaps spending more time over deeper water down closer to the dam would have paid dividends but I never got a bite in water deeper than 25'. Overall it was the kind of a day that makes Hagg special in my book. 16" trout: A couple of crappie: And one of the big bluegill: Here is some video from the day:

I caught a dozen bass like this out of 56 total. More photos in a stand-alone trip report titled "I love it when a plan comes together.":

Now this is cool, I will start doing the same.

I fished for the fourth time in six days and am fishing again tomorrow morning at the leaky dam, which I scouted yesterday to see if it's safe to launch beside the dam. It is! Then I'll take a break for a week or so. I wanted to take advantage of our Indian Summer and I have! This morning's fishing fit the fall pattern of schools of bass here and there and long stretches of unproductive water in-between. I caught three in three consecutive casts to begin my morning. Here are two of those three, both 17-inches: I caught more smallmouth that largemouth this morning, but I don't photograph most of the smallies because they're skinny: I fished three lures: a Yum Ned bait, a Yo-Zuri popper, and a Depps 6" fluke. All worked about equally well. Here's a pretty 17-incher: And here's my thickest fish: And my longest bass at 19.25-inches: I'm excited about fishing the river tomorrow above the leaky dam. It'll be our last warm day and it'll be cloudy and foggy, unlike this morning's sunshine. Fingers crossed! I caught a dozen of this morning's bass at the pond's last weed bed. Most of the others have rotted and collapsed. @Glenn taught me that fall bass will cluster at the last greenery and he's right. You can see the weed bed behind the bass in the last two bass pics. I also went an hour without getting a single hit. Fall fishing sure is hot and cold, just like the days of fall. Pretty pic:

Found some skipjack running around Sunday, turned them into a few catfish

Went to a friends wedding yesterday and caught some bream around the dock at the venue. The first one had a chunk bit out of him by something. I caught around 10 in the short time I had just before the wedding. Only one was small. I did something I can’t remember ever doing before. I cast out , and the rod slipped out of my hands and went in the water. I got down under the dock and was just able to reach the rod with another rod- all with my suit on and dress shoes. I came very close to slipping in the mud twice, as it was I got mud all over my dress shoes. It was worth it, because it was one of the grooms rods !!

Limited out last night with the help of a small tiger trout. Two good takes on a spoon, had to switch to bait to get that last bite.

If you watch any YouTube Video or Read an Article about Bass Fishing, most will tell you when you’re starting to get a nice 7’ medium to medium heavy setup and you’ll be well on your way for most presentations…..and they’re right….but only up until a point. This year I spent alot of time being scientific matching rods, reels, lines and presentations. Result, it’s been rewarding and more fun because my “tool” is doing exactly what it is suppose to do. I cast further than I ever have, I detect more bites, and misses! Hook-ups have increased and it has narrowed down my rod selection to just 7. 2 of those setups are specific to 2 different lakes due to vegetation and only see action when visiting those lakes so I typically only carry 5 rods on my boat. If I can’t catch fish with these 5 setups in my region of SE PA, it’s literally just not my day! And of course, it’s the fishes fault! Do you get super-analytical with your setups or do you just go fishing? For a couple of years, I thought I was over-thinking this stuff as I honestly just didn’t truly understand the importance of “line weight”, “lure weight” or “action” written on the side of a rod. I would feel a rod in hand at the store, liked it and bought it. At one time too I thought people who bought rods online were crazy….how could they possibly know how it would feel in hand? Now I get it….

EPIC !!!!! Kickin' butts and takin' names! I drive that bus Alex! 😐

56…and not a wheelbarrow of dinks, either. That one has a head like a tank! When it’s on, walkin’ the dog is a fun way to catch bass.

56 bass? She's hitting them like Lawrence Taylor!

You're just warming up, Alex, and we northern anglers are about to cool WAY DOWN. Here's the baton: Take it and run, my friend, run! Since my year is almost done, it was great to catch some thick fish and good to do so on a difficult body of water. Many times today, I read the water wrong and got stuck on mud flats. And I was picking weeds off my lures all morning long. Plus, it's creepy to launch in the foggy dark all by myself down a gravel road in a gorge.

I haven't caught 56 fish over the last half dozen trips out Katie, thank God you're catching enough Bass for all of us on the suck bus 😁

when I was a casual fisherman I can confidently say I couldnt tell the difference from one MH-F to another. Fishing much more consistently I can absolutely say I feel the difference. My MH-F dobyns sierra micro is completely different from my ARK MH-F rod. Even the ARK MH-F is different from my Expride MH-F. Unfortunately you have to fish the rod or line of rods to know (this site helps some) but its caused me to start matching up rods and techniques much more. I've seen it effect my hookup ratio more than anything and in some cases how well I can fish a present/fish a lure. There are some rods that I'd consider "all around" like my Kage MH-F rod. Typically when I only take 2-3 rods somewhere I'm taking what I feel are all around rods and can fish everything I bring effectively enough.

If I could throw only one of the two, it'd be a silent one. If water clarity gets to the point where the fish need a rattle to get their attention, it isn't where I want to be throwing a jerkbait. I have and will throw a rattling version in super clear water for smallmouth as they will come up 20+ft. to hit one. I believe that rattle on the twitch gets their attention and as long as I pause it long enough after the twitch, I don't concern myself about the noise factor.

I Would call it technique specific and yes I am very much so inclined. I have purchased or built rods specific to the technique I plan to use them for. Some have dual purpose, but the intended one is why I have it. One specific rod is one I built on a medium/mod spinning rod blank rated for 1/8-3/8oz. The only presentation I use it for is hair jigs, specifically 1/8-3/16oz. ones. Paired to a Daiwa Alphas and 6lb. mono, anytime I feel the need to 'finesse' that rod is on my deck. I could use my jerkbait rod, which would be a suitable substitute, but then what would I use for jerkbaits?

Worm & Jig rods...absolutely! For years I had a matching pair of Shimano Crucial 6' 10" Medium Heavy X-Fast. Both had Shimano Calcutta 100A mounted on them. Both were spotted with 15# Berkley Big Game. Today my jig rod leans a little bit on the heavy side of medium heavy. While my worm rod is pretty medium heavy. How I determine this is totally by feel. When I buy a new Worm or Jig rod I have to mount a reel on it, string it up, & tie on a jig or t-rig. Yes I have issues ordering on line or having a rod built. 🙄

My fish go into a cooler with ice, then get filleted, and cooked, no matter what the temperature is ! Lol...

The full moon brings fun times. Caught 8 snook on a DOA shrimp. All small, the biggest (pictured) was ~15”. It’s been a while since I’ve gone snooking and the bugs weren’t bad, so I’m happy with it.

I'm pretty particular when deciding which rod to buy, but that is more about looking at reviews and opinions of people that have used the rod, not necessarily what is written on the blank. If I buy it I am buying it for a purpose and usually a specific presentation or a handful of similar presentations. So matching the rod, line, reel is important to me. That said, if I just want to go out and catch fish I can fish 90% of my lures on like 3 rods and feel fairly comfortable doing so.

Livewell System Aft 21-gal. (79.49 L) aerated livewell w/divider, timer, recirculator, pump-out system & oversized overflow drain 500 GPH (1,892.71 LPH) aerator/fill pump 500 GPH (1,892.71 LPH) recirculating pump w/timer Molded 1-piece construction w/rounded corners for easy cleanup & to protect your catch

DSG has the Team Lew's Custom Pro Speed Stick LFS-X5 in varying sizes on sale. The 6'10 MH/F is $90, the 7'4 H/F is $108. I'm mostly a Daiwa, Shimano, MB rod guy, but I have the 6'8 M/F model, and it has a nice magbass type taper that punches above it's weight.

Very slight upgrade for me with a 5.5 & 5.25 to 28.44. Fall fishing can be bear on the big lake when mother nature doesn't cooperate.

Just released! Discover key adjustments for cold-water conditions, essential bait choices, and strategic fishing spots to keep reeling in bass all season. Dive into our comprehensive video for late fall crankbait fishing now!

I like gear, alot.

My hook sets are based a lot on the setup, hook size, etc. With that said, the default and far away most reliable hookset is @WRB's reel and sweep, and some version of that works on almost every presentation for me except punching, where I'm pretty vertical and have no slack on braid anyway.

I was extremely detail oriented when i got into bass fishing. Dozens of tackle trays full of lures, very organized and thoughtout. Had a rod n reel combo for each type of bait. Some even had 2-3 combos just for them. Realized after awhile it didnt matter much, i can take my favorite 7'3" MH rod and fish just about anything on it. I would bank fish with about 6-8 rods, now ill use about 2.... The revelation came to me when i didnt bring my cranking rod to the local lake, i used my stiff, MH rod with stiff line to fish my lipless crankbait. Lost a bunch of really nice bass, even a 5lber too.... I was upset by this and blamed it on the rod not being a moderate cranking rod. (I spent quite a bit of money on cranking oriented gear and left it at home that day). This was when pre spawn was on fire here in PA. I simply tried loosening my drag and that changed the game for me. After that with the same combo i caught hundreds and hundreds of bass with lipless among other crankbaits. Ripping them through weeds, over wood and rocks. And hauled in alot of big bass. Including a double digit 10lber.... I still refuse to use actual cranking rods to this day, they can sit in the corner and collect dust. I started trying other baits i once thought "i need this exact rod and this exact reel or it wont work", well they worked, and worked well. I have since started putting more and more gear for sale locally, because for me personally i can do just about everything with 2 rods with the right reels of course. And with a quick change of the drag i can go from pitching a jig into brush, to ripping a lipless or chatterbait out of grass. But for some people the match is needed, especially with certain baits. And i bring in about 9/10 bass i hook, regardless of it being not the proper combo.

I don't think you have to be "super-analytical" to just follow the rod rating -- the rod-maker did the analysis for you! The problem is, you have to notice that different rods have different ratings, which a lot of people never do. I won't forget the look my wife gave me the first time she was with me looking at rods, and I said I was looking for a "Medium-heavy, fast" model. "Uhh...fast?" she says, giving me the side-eye. "It....moves?"

I fish from the bank 4 days a week and in the boat on the weekend. I have had months when 20" to 25" bass have been common, and then I have had months when I could not catch a bass over 17", day after day. Lots of good comments from the brothers here. A few things they said, that I rely on when fishing. 1). There are a thousand smaller bass for every a big one. 2). Small bass don't hang with big bass without consequences 3). If your catching nothing but small ones, use a bigger bait. You may not catch a big one, but you'll eliminate a lot of small ones. 4). Structure-Go to the first significant Structure you can find. Fish it slowly and deliberately. 5). Cover- Find the thickest green cover with two or more types of grasses. Multiple greens together are better then just one type of green. 6). Cover- A small isolated clump of green cover in open waters is better yet! It will be a magnet for fish in the open area. A stopping spot for big bass passing through. 7). Ledges- Always drag a significant ledge along its base especially if close to a weedy flat, and slow down! 8).Catch one decant bass go back to the same area, they sometimes hang out with others of similar size. 9).Smaller bass are quicker to the bait then a big old girl. Sometimes increase the weight of a plastic bait so it is quicker to the bottom and not attacked on the free fall. 10). Experiment with different baits, sizes, and colors! Good luck, and tight lines. Time on the water always helps.

Well I can't compete with any of you -- I think my PB smallie is 3.5 lb, and most of the ones I catch are river fish -- lean and mean torpedos, rather than chunky footballs. My best five on the year are a total of about 9-10lb. Year's best from Labor Day, probably ~3: If I had time and somebody to help me do the put-in/take-out car shuffle, I'd be hitting the Grand River right now. Probably my best chance for a smallmouth over 4lb, short of big water or going north. The dams are elbow-to-elbow right now with steelhead/salmon waders, but the stretches between are often empty, except for the occasional walleye troller.

Hi Zcoker, I fished a tournament there Sept. 14th. The lake had gotten a serious flood like a week or so before. The lake level rose like 6-7'. It fished very tough. I caught three small fish. First place was 83.75". It was ugly. Here is a link to the results from the TX Bass nation side: https://tourneyx.com/leaderboard/standings/west-texas-kayak-fishing-lake-ivie-2024 I think the majority of the teeners that have been caught from there were pre-spawn fish in January, February and March. So Koz, I think you're right to avoid going to OH Ivie. The lake has arces of salt cedar brush that is impossible to navigate through. To be honest I went into that tournament blind with no pre-fishing. I thought I had a pattern going and then the bite died. Best, Fishingmickey

Handful of odds and ends from TW I didn't really need, but why not:

Hand carved crankbaits

recently tried tripping a jerkbait through that mess during a feeding frenzy and I couldnt get my lure back in the water fast enough. No lie 3 casts was too many without a fish. My dad had an important phone call sitting in the back of the boat during one blow up....got so frustrated he pulled the bad service technique and hung up to get fishing 🤣

Every time I find bass schooling up on bait I catch 3 or 4 and feel like I should have caught 50. It’s exciting and frustrating at the same time.

IDK 😉 I've hundreds over the years on a Smithwick Rattling Rogue. Doing excellent with a Bill Lewis Scope-Stik.

not that kind of skipjack! Haha if you tried to eat this kind, the stray cats would get everything after the first bite

If you haven’t tried Siebert Outdoors stuff, you’re missing out. Mike’s products are top notch.

Owner Flashy Swimmer 1/8 - 1/0 3/16 - 3/0 1/4 - 5/0 3/8 - 6/0

I use Duo Realis Spin Hook. Even the smaller hooks are available up to 3/8th oz. Downside? A bit tougher to find in EVERY hook/weight combo. I quite like them and they're a nice compact offering. Oh and it bears mentioning again. The Decoy Slide Weight allows any hook with any underspin you want. Also allows you to tune the attitude of the bait when you stop reeling. Finally, I often use the Decoy Zero Dan Flash in lieu of an underspin. Same idea but uses a chatterbait blade instead. Can change weights to suit.

🎵 Got a six pack of women Split it with my beer Driving down a backroad A bit too drunk to steer 🎵 If the song sounds like it was written in Chat GPT with the prompt “beer, America, truck, blue jeans, boots, women”, then you can safely categorize it as bro country.

Im curious if theres a difference with Country Bros in the north vs the south of these here United States? Up here its usually the guys between 20-30, squatted trucks, 300 credit scores, just moved out of moms basement, have a "im a country boy" sticker on the bumper but live in a city and dont know how to start a lawn mower. Windows down but blasting music. Seems counter productive.

I Don’t throw them enough to answer definitively but that’s my point. How would your you tube guy or anyone else for that matter know for sure that she would just turn away? Possible I guess Mike

I’m thinking it’s bad I joined this forum. I was already hooked after buying my first JDM product a couple weeks ago. Now I joined a bunch of enablers! 😂 Bought the 21 Zillion SV TW. It’s excellent I build my own rods and I’m needing a 2000 or 2500 spinning reel. Will use for crappie and bass at times. Why I’m trying to balance the reel size so I can use the reel for both, I’ve been eye balling the 24 Vanford, 24 Airity, Twinpower, Vanquish, etc. I’m definitely open for suggestions. My budget was around $250, but I don’t mind going over that either if it’s worth it. 24 Vanford for around $197 is very appealing and it’s a great looking reel.

Manns Kangaroo grubs in white. Berkeley Powerbait Mud Critter in GP or Black. Some of the stuff people mentioned above I have. When I start my annual winter tackle cull I will reach out to whoever posted looking for something. I will be open to trades for stuff. Allen

If you're going to the trouble to customize, might want SLP Works Zillion, which is based on the '22 HD, and comes without handle and spool. Handle is Studio Composite RC-SC Ex Plus.

Drive twenty hours to Cochrane, ON and a flight to Kesagami Lake. Bucket list.