Paul Roberts

You are describing filamentous algae. It isn't toxic and won't kill fish. It is practically the first thing to start growing in spring; Actually starting at ice-out. It starts on bottom then gets buoyed to the top via gas bubbles. Bass love it, when it floats forming mats. But, having SO much of it, might indicate over-fertilization. Could be in the soil (old agricultural?), inlets or runoff, or being an HOA pond, maybe the lawns are a little too perfect in the neighborhood. The concern there might be winter-kill, if the pond is very shallow and ice cover, with snow on top, and cloudy skies, stay too long. Winter-killed fish sink, so you have to be there at ice-out to really know the extent of it. This said, winter-kill is fairly rare, esp in MO. My guess is, your bass are still there. You'll have to deal with the snot-grass. Tough when it coats the bottom and all the weed and wood stems. There is such thing as too much of the stuff. You'll learn to love it when it mats.

You can Google them. Ned Kehde wrote it up for IF. They are essentially derivations of... chuck a light jig on a light line in the water. They employ various triggers based on fish mood and circumstances. But, the "no feel" part of it is just what you get with a super light jig -a lure that doesn't 'pull back'. Knowing "where your lure is" is critical in all lures. It's more disconcerting to new anglers when the lure doesn't offer much resistance on your rod. So, for me, it starts by having my rod dead still as I retrieve. That's the "straight swim". If I feel anything... it wasn't me. Rock, wood, weed, bottom, current, fish. Over time you get to know where your lure is, how deep, and how to keep it there. You learn what all that stuff feels like. After you have some experience with the basics, you can start adding stuff, stuff that "was you", that can trigger bites. The swim, though, btw, is plenty deadly. And, tough not to impart action to... as your mind begins to drift. The tiny finesse plastics, the ElaZtech's esp, have a saving grace. Fish generally hold them long enough for us to figure out that.. it's a fish! Hope this helps.

For me, the Ned pretty much fishes itself. Certain motions trigger bites, but that's true for all lures. It's saying something when a lure can meet you part way, and most of the time.

Well, a 4-1/2 is a big spinner blade. There are tiny ones one could cast with standard FF gear.

As short as practical. Both are 7.5" from the reel stem. Just long enough to get support against my wrist, and to cast two handed.

See the thread "Making Bladed Jigs" before buying these. They work, but needed modification.

Wow. Never had that problem. at least that quickly and badly. Since it's all the line you are casting, it's got to be in the rod, not in the water. The guides are most suspect. Otherwise... Does the lake water burn your skin? Are all the fish belly up? :))

Agreed. As I'd said, I'm experimenting/playing. I'm a curious sort, and a DIYer. That certainly has its risks.

@bish0p Mine is a Revelation (RX7), the Immortal is a step up (RX8). The Testament was (not made anymore) also a higher end blank. Tough to compare the Revelation and Testament that I have, since they are such different power rods. Both were 7' CB blanks, the Revel a M power, the Testament a MH. I trimmed them similarly, but despite the tip pruning, the Revelation is still a bit soft at the tip. I would guess that the RX7's lower modulus would be noticeable compared to the Testament. But, these are the only of each I've had.

Each winter I end up adding to the arsenal. Last two were UL's. This year it's playing with Moderate action blanks. First goal was to upgrade my spinning skipping rod. Started with a Batson Testament 7' MH (10-20) Mod "Crankbait" blank. I cut it down, both tip and butt, to 6'6". Under load it's still a MF thanks, apparently, to the long taper of the longer blank and cutting off some of that wimpy tip; What I was hoping for. My debate was starting with a 7' or a 7'6". I chose a Fuji VSS handle bc it is similar to my familiar long-time skipping rod -an old 80's Shakespeare Sigma Boron. Practice casting in the yard, it's... wonderful. Used SS-insert guides. Rod came in at 4oz even. Second rod ended up as a M spinning for a grub/swimbait/possibly light jerkbait rod. Started with a Batson Revelation (RX7) 7' M (8-14) crankbait blank, thinking I'd take 6" off the butt and have a 6'6" skipper. But, it did not have the power, and the tip taper was too long, too soft, period. So I cut both tip and butt. Remained a M to MF when loaded, meaning that there was too much soft tip out there to begin with. I'll fish it before I cut anymore off the tip. Seeing what that it was destined to be a grub rod I prioritized sensitivity, using a super-light graphite ice-fishing handle. I had to custom make a fore-grip. SS-insert guides. Rod came in at 2-3/4oz. Went all black, except for accent rings on grub rod. Went with black rubber gaskets from hardware store on skipping rod. Learned a few things this year. Can't wait til next year. This year's builds:

It's .016" stainless. Again, light for wood, in that (twin) single wire configuration, but fine for vegetation. I much prefer a folded wire guard that hooks over the hook point. I'll be making a video on making weed, and wood, guards one of these days.

That was a quickie (lazy man's) weedguard. It stays in place, well enough for weeds. Probably not for wood. It's wire wrapped both around the shank and hook eye. There are better ways to do it. But few quicker.

Set your spool tension. Just like your Curado.

Ditto. A "Ned" combo is a L to M jig rod. A light shaky combo is a fine way to describe it too. Sensitivity is nice, but bass hold those softened ElaZtech grubs really well. In winter clear water with no cover to speak of I may use UL rig with 4lb leader and 8lb Gliss. With some cover I'm using a ML rod with 6lb/18 or 24# Gliss. I'll also pop a Ned/grub on a M spinning with 8lb/24# Gliss. Yes, I'm sold on Gliss for finessing. No self-knotting like some of the soft braids do.

Ugh! Yes! Thanks, Ed. I was spreading a heavy, and erroneous, rumor. Apologies.

Bigger diam spools should cast better, and have smoother drag, other things being equal, due to start up inertia. Bigger drag discs should be better too, other things being equal. Depends on what your application is. If you really need power, then a bigger reel might perform better for the price point. My best guesses.

I think fivebasslimit was from TX. And, at risk of spreading a heavy rumor, I believe he passed away. Was a bit of a shocker. Enjoyed his willingness to engage.

@Mbirdsley So, I gave the hook eye some wiggle room, and the blades work. I also tried bending the fore part of the blade up and it might have helped a tad. I tested it against a similar weight ChatterBait, that has a much thinner blade, and they were very close. I think the CB runs a tad slower -tough to tell in the bathtub. I used a triangular file to open it up. Took about 30sec.

6.4 is a good average that will cover the bases well. As John mentions, 5:1 was once "fast". I used one for years -still do in fact. Only real issue was when burning lipless. I found bass could out-swim my IPT! So at the time I went to a 5:1 BIG spinning reel for that. It gave me 36 IPT! I could make a Cordell Spot skip across the surface with that reel! I still use that old 5:1 for crankbaits. The next reel I bought was a 6.3, which I use as a treble hook reel that will just burn a lipless. I now have some 7:1's too. I like them for general bass fishing -can adjust where needed- and appreciate the IPT -nice to have the speed when you want it. But, it's not a serious step up from 6.4. My 5:1 = 24IPT My 6.3= 26IPT My 7+'s= ~28IPT Some bigger spooled reels, and the 8+:1's will run 30 to 36IPT. I don't have any and have no plans to acquire one. I say this now... Who knows what wheels will be turning in my head next mid-winter.

To be clear I'm not working with anyone at Batson, just some suggestions by them via email. What I'm able to do is pretty limited right now with other priorities and budget constraints. But, I'm a curious sort. Paul

Yeah, I know. I think first you find them, hoping for biters that will reveal them. Hitting em harder doesn't have to mean camping out. Move, find several good potential locations (helpful if males are there), and revisit them. I pick appropriate techniques, and trust them. No, it doesn't always pan out. First, you want to be sure they are spawner males (>12-14"), and not juveniles.

Oh, no worries. Playing around with blanks. I have some ideas. But that's pretty much what they are right now.

I've had a lot of light bulbs go off. They just don't always apply to the next scenario! A Native American elder was quoted as saying, "My Grandmother told me that the road of life is strewn with clues. Guess I missed a few."

They may be bunched up. You are close. Very close.

Yeah, this is a different culture here. A place where we can afford to kiss and release fish. I spent 4yrs in SE Asia and, in this regard, it was sad, frightening, and to-the-bone real.