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can I pet that daaaawwwgggg

Got some Spro frogs with the 20% off tackle warehouse sale. Got way more than these 4 - but this is the idea 😎 Got some pop 70 to try - more pop 60s and some bronzeye 65 and jr to try. Got mostly transparent colors because that's a big hole in my frog box but I really liked the Amazon color in the pop 70 so I got that to try. The frog bite has been insane this week so hopefully catch something this weekend with my new toys!

Hooksets are my favorite part of fishing. I fall asleep every night visualizing epic hooksets in fish big enough to fold the rod over and make the line sing. What a feeling.

Sometimes, it’s not the spot that is special, it’s how you fish it different from everyone else. When I was guiding, I had a fallen tree off a bank on the main part of Lake Anna, it was right out from Sturgeon Creek where a lot of the tournaments launched. Another guide who was a friend of mine, Wayne Olsen, and we were both at the docks waiting for clients to arrive. He asked where I was going to fish and I told him I was going to start at my secret tree and that it was always good for a couple 3 pounders. He also lived on the lake and was in eyesight of my secret tree. He said, you mean that downed tree across from here and up from the power plant? I said yes. He belly laughed and said that every tournament he sees no less than 5 boats fish that tree but I was the only one he ever saw pull fish off it. I said well, that’s because it’s MY tree. 😂😀

And I don't have many mornings like that. Most mornings, I catch one four-pounder. Maybe two. Rarely three. And oftentimes, none. As I wrote, it was a perfect morning to catch bass. The fog and cloud cover expanded the surface bite window and the stable weather had them chomping. This was the special girl. She has quite a mouth: My hands still hurt and are still red and swollen. I fished five of the last seven days and old skin is thin. All those little cuts add up.

Talk like this is exactly why the Bait Monkey left my house with a big frown and a black eye.

My walking the dog bait (I wish I knew its name.) was perfect for the circumstances. With the river being so shallow, the bass were easy to spook even with my stealthy canoe. So, I needed the longest possible casts and with so many bass tucked under the weeds lining the river channel, I needed a big, noisy lure to pique their curiosity and draw them out. You know those lines in the water that shallow bass moving quickly create? Once, I saw two bass going for my lure, one from each side. You could take every bass I've ever caught walking the dog before today and that number would be smaller than the ones I caught this morning. And I hooked so many from far, far away, but my fiberglass rod and 30 lb. braided line were up to the task. I wonder how many of you would want to do what I did this morning. It was uncomfortable at times and I'm still hurting from the effort several hours later. To launch the canoe, I had to carefully descend a slope with the canoe over my head. The slope started off with bowling ball-sized rocks and then became slippery mud. The water was cold enough to kill me, so tipping could be lethal and if I tipped, no one was there to help me. Plus, my lightweight canoe tips VERY easily. I entered the canoe with mud caked on my boots, so the water that always comes into my canoe became brown from the mud. Several times, I lost the river channel in the foggy dark and ended up stuck on a muddy flat. I paddled several miles both ways and coming back, I had a 9 mph headwind. The bigger bass had bigger teeth and even though I wore my normal gloves with no fingertips, my fingertips hurt now from all the little lacerations and a couple are swollen and red. I enjoy the challenges, but I note that in such places, I'm nearly always alone, suggesting others don't. I'm 68 and have a few more years of doing such trips, but I feel the day coming when I'll have to walk an easier road. When I exited my canoe at the end of my trip, I carefully moved from my canoe to the slippery bank, staying low, but when I tried to stand, I fell on my can...because I was that stiff. I had to muster my remaining strength to actually stand. Say, look at this 19.25-incher I caught yesterday morning and contrast her frame with the 18.5 and 19-inchers I caught this morning:

Hey all! Originally from Chicago but grew up going to Spider Lake in Hayward, WI. When my parents retired and moved to their house on Spider, Hayward became "home". Unfortunately, they had to sell and move to Houston to be with my sister because their health was failing. I followed to Houston to help take care of them. That was 2012. I've been back to Hayward and my beloved Spider Lake only 2 times since 2012. I've fished two times down here in Houston on guided trips, once in the Inter-coastal waterway and another on Cedar Lake near Dallas. Slayed 'em both times. Trouble is I'm a Musky fisherman and here I am trying to learn how to saltwater fish and frankly, I'm not a fan. So I'm trading in my quest for the 50" Musky for the 12 lb Bass. 1) I'm too old (just turned 60) to fish Musky 10 to 14 hours a day like I used to, 2) you can't find Musky in Houston, TX and 3) I just retired and something has to change. And changing it is! I just bought a place on Sam Rayburn and now I'm looking for a new fishing vessel. I AM BACK, BABY! LET THE QUEST FOR THE 12 POUNDER BEGIN!

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:

The speed at which you cover water is determined by you. You mentioned brush piles, some grass & docks. How about timber, rock or hard bottom. Gizzard Shad, I would try swimbaits, crankbaits, & jerkbaits.

Ya know - with the gray coming in on your beard - you two will end up with the same coloration.

The only technique specific rods I could say I own are 1 895 GLX Flip/Pitch 20-25 pound line and my IMX pro 847 CBR (crank bait rod) everything else is what I like to use for whatever I’m planning to do. But I can use those rods in other ways I suppose. I’ve been using Loomis rods since about 96. I’m very familiar with them..I have others , Other Loomis rods, Kistler, 3 Edge rods.. etc

True story: I was camped on an island in the wilderness of northwestern Ontario. Across from the island was a small waterfall. I'd say to my partner, "Want to go catch ten fish?" "Sure," she'd always reply. So, we'd paddle over and catch ten smallmouth and walleyes. Not nine. Not eleven. Nearly always ten. And then we'd paddle back to camp and wait an hour or two and I'd say, "Wanna go catch ten fish?" That slot of current would reload every hour or two, again and again and again.

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 like gear, alot.

I'd describe my version of this as experienced rather than analytical. And so I do both ~ A-Jay

Ya, the larger lip and increased diameter of the 3000 will let it cast further...but it's a matter of a dozen yards or so, so not a big deal. For the fish you're looking to catch...a MH/F would be my suggestion.

Only real difference between a 2500 and a 3000 is the spool size...so if you're not needing more line on your reel, the 2500 should do. With Daiwa, it's not an issue, the 'D' in the reel model means 'Deep', and they hold way more line than the equivalent Shimano or Abu. I'd put 20# or 30# braid on that with 10#-12# FC or YZH.

every morning I'm driving to work I think...d**n, Katie is probably out there hammering bass and I have to go babysit adults. 3 days out of the week I'm right.

Yes the lake has green sunfish and I have a good idea of the contours, there is not much of them, lol. Their are bouys and most of the arms are no wake areas, they have no wake areas on the sides of the lake but its not very wide so when boats are running the main lake is usually rocking. The main hours are sunrise to sunset, after sunset the lake goes to basically idle only. They only aquatic growth is water willow and not a lot of it but there is some around. There are bush piles around the lake and I know where most of the brush is located. The lake has LOTS of shad I believe they are gizzard since it gets cold in the winter and I do not think threadfin would make it. Lake has lots of them, everywhere basically, lol. I just struggle with figuring out where and on what I should be focusing. Fall tends to be more difficult at least for me, caught 2 nice ones last week on big willow spinnerbait shallow but water temps have dropped to mid 60's and do not think this week I have had any takers on the spinnerbait. I need to figure out how to eliminate water and figure out whats working quicker than I do, last couple of days nothing seems to work that I am trying. Oh and yes only LMB that I am going after.

Welcome to BR. I see you are located in St Luis MO area with LMB. 600 acre man made reservoir is small considering the recreational use, water contact sports and weekly club tournaments. I am a believer in seasonal periods* affecting bass behavior based on water temperature. Your small lake was once a valley with a seasonal stream before the dam was constructed. This means a topographic map is available to determine what maybe under the before the dam was built. Assume You have boat with sonar unit to survey areas for structure or man made cover like brush piles. Your lake has a boat launch with docks that is where the local tourneys release the bass. Always a good area to check out. Most MO lakes are stocked with green sunfish before LMB are introduced for baitfish. The lake may also have some type of Shad and crawdads. Do focus your lures on what the bass are feeding on and where the prey is located. The aquatic growth is maintained by the property owner association for water sports. Does the lake have a specific buoyed off zone for skiing and time period restriction? Tom *Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior PM if you want a copy

Depends on bait. frog or jig? gotta hit em hard. Jerkbait, crankbait? be careful to only use enough pressure to penetrate without tearing a hole. Everything else is somewhere in between.

I was reeling and sweeping yesterday morning. Because I was casting such a heavy lure, I was hooking bass a long ways from my canoe and sitting in my canoe means I can't use my legs to set the hook, but reeling and sweeping sure works for me.

With experience comes knowledge. Either you can trust the rod maker to tell you what a specific rod is for or through your own experience you can match up the various actions to make the rod work for you. Likewise, no 2 of us are the same when it comes to feel, fishing experience, preferences, presentations, etc., so “standard” rod actions may get you in the ballpark but to refine that, you ignore the labels. That goes both ways too both more expensive and less expensive. When I was using all CastAway rods, their action was on the heavy side and my favorite topwater rod of theirs was actually a saltwater series. I know some very good sticks who claim a cheap uglyStick rod is perfect for frogging.

If they're going for 4 bucks that's like 60% off the MSRP. Normally I think they are about 10-12 bucks.

Only in very broad strokes. Baitcasters - 7'4" MHM glass rod for my topwater / crank baits. 6'6" MF for jerkbaits. 7'6" MHF if I'm throwing bigger stuff or trolling. I've got a few others but those are the main ones I use. Also have a 6'8" MF spin setup for plastics or smaller lures. I used to bring 5-6 rods, but it gets to be a bit much on the kayak and I found that there was always one or two rods I didn't end up using. I'm usually only bringing 2-3 rods now.

Turns out 56 is exactly the number of bass I caught over my last 9 trips, going back to the beginning of August. And of those, I can count the number over 18" on 1 hand. I had a slow year, but even at best I don't ever have mornings like this!

As a few of you have alluded to, secret spots are few and far between these days. Unless you have a lake that is quite secluded or is used by most for some other purpose than fishing, there are likely no secret spots. Even on larger bodies of water such as Table Rock or Lake Ozark, many bass anglers frequent these lakes and a significant number of them are looking for the same types of structure to hold bass. Spots that are hidden below the water's surface are more likely to be secret, but with down and side imaging significant numbers of these can be found. And as @WRB stated, with FFS there will be even less of these spots that escape scrutiny.

@slonezp that was mainly the 22-23 years. Hopefully this kne does not have one.

Only in certain cases. Seldom fish a jig but I purchased a used custom built rod specifically for jigs. I dedicated a rod/reel for frog fishing. Originally I used a MF for treble lures but now have dedicated crankbait rods. I have spinning and casting rods for light stuff but as yet no specific technique. I consider all the rest of my rods to handle several types of lures including treble hook lures if I don't have a crankbait rod with me. I may limit a reel to a specific presentation (on the rod designated for that presentation), but that doesn't mean the reel couldn't handle many other types of lures if needed. I got back into fishing in March 2009 and now have more rods and reels than I can use. I should sell at least half or more of them, but find it very hard to part with any of them...other than 2-3 possibilities.

Of course, I went with my walking the dog lure instead of a Whopper Plopper and the big, noisy lure idea worked.

Another vote for wee R

Like @Catt I always match my bottom contact rods (2 plus the big stick) to the presentation. Rod ratings should never be considered absolute as one can be totally different than another, they are indicators to get you close, nothing more. I don’t use a spinning rod for anything. My arsenal of MH/F and H/F rods in different lengths and varied powers are interchangeable with the thought of what I want to throw, but always where and how considered first. Mike

I fall more on the spectrum that rods can be used for more presentations than the bass pros and expert articles will suggest. Location and presentation matter much more in your overall success than if your combo is ideal for the lure you are throwing. With that said, I have near perfectly-matched combos for all my confidence presentations. When you're a tackle junkie and have an arsenal similar to AJay's, you'll have well-matched rod set-ups for just about everything you throw.

I personally love these threads because I know what to look for at lil local shops with random stuff! Gotta cast my vote for the Mann's Baby -1 and the Jelly Worms. I'll never not buy those when I see them at a small tackle shop. Got a special place in my heart for the Terminator frogs and spinnerbaits. Both very high quality offerings that would be nice to see rebooted by American Baitworks or something like that.

The new tundra looks pretty darn good towing the G3

We took a family day trip up to Houghton Lake for a color tour. We tried fishing but skunked. Here’s our skunk photo the Mrs. took.

For recreational angling, my advice is as follows. I've been fishing my "home lake" for more than four decades. Those "spots" are pretty much community spots, though their popularity may ebb and flow with angler turnover. Like A-jay says, fish them when your chances are greatest - which usually means my next trip there, lol. I've fished behind enough boats and caught fish, and left a hot spot that wasn't producing, only to watch someone else clean up there. Not fishing is complete waste of time for me these days. For a multi day tournament, it can get a little more complicated.

For whatever reason a spot is good, it will “reload”. I don’t believe in educating fish when I have broken off a bait, come back in a short amount of time and caught the fish with my bait hanging out of its mouth. When I was guiding I had a “milk run” that was productive for most clients. I fished it over and over (multiple spots) and it most always produced. If I were you, other than trying not to be obvious on the spot, I would fish it until the bite died. Give it some time and come right back.

Hey man, I am a local tournament angler out of Plattsburgh New York. Finished 3rd in angler of the year race in 2021, finished 2nd in 2022,2023 and I just finished second for the 2024 season as well for points. I’m consistent and I can help you get in big Fish and using the right baits for the right time of year. If you are launching from st Albans bay and you have a bass boat then you have the ability to chase both big smallmouth and big largemouth within a 15-20 minute ride. Give me a shout I’ll help you locate some target fish. I’ll even give you some of my hot spots as long as you are catch and release only and you steer clear of them from Thursday - Sundays during the summer lol. Those spots make money for me. But I have no problem letting you enjoy the fun as long as you don’t burn them up.

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….

Nothing. Got home late the next day and made a few casts with my new Cashion FFS rod and new Daiwa Procyon reel. I’ve been getting home after dark since. But I have two days off later this week and I plan to spend them fishing and watching the Yankees win.

And last year they had the AFC Championship at home too. That doesn’t look likely this time around given that KC has a 2 game lead and has the head to head tie breaker.

Wouldn't an Australian Spinnerbait be an underspin in this hemisphere? (or maybe the other way around?)...

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 🤣

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

I would have skipped the catfish and just broiled up the skipjack....I'm not a catfish fan, but tuna is always good.

I like "old folks home" as a name for a spot. It reminds me of a trout spot called "meat and potatoes" hole.

I had a few honey boles back in day that held big bass that didn’t attract other bass boats. The few boats that did just fished past them without stopping because the spots didn’t standout to them. Today the FFS would possibly reveal the big bass. I had to fish these spots from near the steep walls casting outward to specific structure elements and it required repeated casts to get those big girls to strike. So I was at those spots a few hours but a low traffic area that was passed by. My favorite spot was the “old folks home” where I caught several giant bass over the years. Tom