islandbass

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest, and yes, we have bass here too, 😂.

I am not sure why you believe have to pull line down like that. If I am interpreting what you described correctly, in effect, you’re “high sticking” the rod. High sticking a rod is one of best ways to break a rod. That is a big no-no on any rod. With that said, I could be misinterpreting what you described, but I am still curious as to what you’re trying to ensure is “clear”? Perhaps to see if you missed a guide or if the line might be tangled around the rod. If that is the case, then all you need is a visual inspection, which is what I do if a remember to do that and it is better because doing this does not involve bending the rod. The mystery is afoot. 🕵️‍

When they’re jumping and from my experience, and it’s always been tough whether bass or salmon.

Welcome! I started out as a trout angler. I was fishing with a size 5 floating Rapala minnow targeting trout but I wound up catching a bass. It was over, lol. I still like to target trout though. Those silver torpedos can also be quite pretty too. I just wish they were as hearty as the bass.

Mathematically (elementary school level) add both numbers and divide by two. Because you’re only dealing with two numbers, the average is exactly the middle point between the two given numbers. It equates to 5.95 lbs. Once again from them old elementary school days, we round the figure. Therefore, the bass weighs approximately, 6 lbs. 👍😎 This figure is only as accurate as the fish calculator computes the final weight. Glenn’s calculator computed 6.7 lbs. I’d roll with that. Congrats! That would be a beast in my neck of the woods.

@bulldog1935: I’ve been a fan of the Albright knot since the day I finally had to learn a knot to join two lines. It’s easy to tie and has never failed me. In addition so many people recommend all the other line joining knots out there, especially here, to the point I thought I might be able list on one hand the number of members that use it like me. One of the best things I like about it is a large difference in line diameters is not an issue with the Albright knot.

Welcome aboard from another west coaster.

Welcome for sure. Coming at you from WA state. Feel free to spark up any conversations here and enjoy reading posts. What are you using to catch the bass in your lake?

@Ryan N: Ah. I get you now. I see I misunderstood you in that I was picturing you having your thumb on the spool in a way that didn’t let the spool move at all. I also don’t like it when hooks pop a big hole in the lip/mouth. From my own experience, it seems the thicker the wire gauge, the greater potential for a larger hole. I try to use thinner gauge hooks when I can. They still pop through but the hole is usually smaller. It might just be part of the game that it’s a possibility. I’ve even seen a hook go through the bony upper jaw. 😢 The remaining mystery is the hooks being broken.

@Ryan N: I think that is not good practice. You need to convince yourself to get rod of that kind of thinking. What you are doing means you do not trust your gear and/or understand what is going on during the hook set. You are not trusting the following: 1) The sharpness of your hook. Today’s hooks are so darn sharp you almost don’t have to to anything except pull back. 2) The reel’s drag. Set it to about 25-33%!of your line as a start. 3) The rod’s power. All of these items are your tools and the best way is to make your tools do the work. I believe that is most cases, a “cross their eyes” hook set is hardly ever needed. But then again, I don’t live down south, or fish extreme junk/cover where it may be warranted but I can’t say with certainty. Hopefully, it is clear that hooks snapping isn’t the way to continue. A heck of a lot of force would have had to have been applied for that the happen. Lastly, may I ask what brand of hooks you are using? What I said about trusting hooks is contingent on using quality hooks (owners, vmc, Grammies, etc.).

I call it my gut feeling but it is intuition. I use it in fishing and it worked for me today. My gut told me that even with 20 minutes of sunlight left, I just had to get to the lake. Not only that, but my gut said jig and pig. My gut said to use the jig with an alternating white and black pattern to it and to go with a dark craw trailer. Most of you might know that the skirted jig and trailer combo has been the most elusive lure to catch a bass with and after nearly 20 years, I finally caught my first bass with it just this year. My gut said #2 was coming this evening. And it did. Although it was a rock bass, a bass is a bass. Go with your gut, even if you are experiencing indigestion, 😂

@alonerankin2: Thanks and much appreciated. Too bad the camera angle kind of make her look smaller than she his, at least to my eyes. No doubt she’s a huge bass. 👍 @VTFan: Congrats on your catch. I think I’d still be shaking and heart periodically skip a beat every few minutes. 👏

I can’t see the image 🥹

Wow. That bass puts the “P”in hawg. 👍😎 @Ski: Is there an article on the catch?

Wow. I thought I had a lot. I probably have 16-18 rods, and 12 reels. I choose the rods I think would be best for the day and the reels needed. In addition, I have an Indiana Jones whip to keep the bait monkey in his place. He almost convinced me to buy a new shimano spinning reel this past weekend, but since I am out of the loop, I did not know enough about the Sahara, Nasci, and Miravel (or the Daiwas) to make a quality decision. The employee at Cabela's couldn't help me much, but I don't blame him and didn't expect him to know too much technical info. Then his analogy. These are the Fords, the Chevys, and the hot rods. It had me cracking up. Casting Reels 201 Curado BSF (Bass/Salmon) 101 Curado D (Bass/Salmon) 201 Curado D (Bass/Salmon) Pflueger Trion Casting Reel (Bass/Salmon) Cardiff 301A (salt water/Salmon/Crankbaits) Abu Garcia 5 Star Round Reel (RH) (Salmon) Spinning Reels 2000 Rapala 2000 6Sxi (Bass) 4000 Rapala ?? (Salt water/Salmon) 2500 Shimano Symetre (Bass/Salmon) 4000 Shimano Sienna (Salt water) 1500 Daiwa (UL/Bass/Trout/Panfish) Abu Garcia Cardinal (UL/Trout/Panfish)

Excellent and always, Glenn. I completely appreciate how you dispel the notion of the DS as a “finesse” only technique. It certainly is not. 👍😎

I try to keep my reel hand on the reel seat but sometimes I feel compelled (case by case) to sometimes hold the rod somewhere above the reel seat, more so with casting rods for some reason. I don’t like doing this, because IMHO, if my hand is above the reel higher up on the rod, I am no longer in a position to take advantage of the rod’s power and I think I’ve effectively changed the fulcrum point and risk breaking my rod. I could be wrong here but it’s the conclusion I’ve drawn. As I mentioned, I try try not to do this but I sometimes my short arm just can’t quite reach the fish. I’ve been considering getting a long handled net to see if this might help but I’m a minimalist angler from the shore and I don’t like lugging extra things around if I can help it.

@bulldog1935: Thanks. None of my reels have braid on them, but if I decide to use braid, I’ll try the Mylar. 😎

@bulldog1935: so is it used to prevent braid from slipping around the spool? And if so, is it used as an alternative to using a mono backing or other thing like a piece of tape? Using a piece of tape (masking, painters, etc.) I would not use but that thin clear strip is something I might be inclined to use especially if I didn’t have any mono on hand to serve as a backing. @garroyo130: Congratulations on you latest acquisition. That is always a good thing. 👍😎

I’d inspect my casting mechanics and the lure’s aerodynamics. You can get away with poor casting mechanics with spinning gear but not with casting gear. Check to see if you are making sure the lure’s weight bends the rod back which allows the rod to launch it somewhat like a catapult. Wrists are not really needed but a season angler can get “wristy” if they have the knowledge bulldog has but it’s almost never necessary. Make your rod and reel work for you and not vice versa. A lure’s aerodynamics can sometimes come into place. Take for example a spinnerbait and a Rapala DT 6 that weigh the same. The latter casts like a bullet, even into a head wind or a side wind with practically no issues. However, the blades of the former can get caught up in the wind rather easily. Lastly, it seems your thumb could use a little more training. It should always be ready to stop the spool. Always. You can feather (slightly touching) the spool or hover (keeping the thumb close by not touching the spool like 1/8-1/16” above the spool) thumb over the spool to minimize (note minimize, not eliminate) the chances of a backlash. Any one of us can backlash at anytime so the goal is minimize that possibility since you cannot eliminate it completely. 😇😎

Woh. Never heard of that. Looking forward to seeing what this is about. Maybe it involves using a 5’6” or 6’ pistol grip rod, lol.

Please tell us what you’re using, weights, line, distance between hook and weight, gear, etc., and perhaps how you worked it. I am a shore angler and have learned much drop shotting from the shore. It has been so effective. This technique has caught me more fish than all others combined (x10) and from the shore. It would be helpful and this is definitely a technique you would want in your arsenal.

Just another Happy Birthday to you, WRB, from WA State!

@learnin: I would have to think they’re using braid because it possesses the traits they want. I would be very surprised if even one who uses braid uses it because of minimum backlash. Sorry, but the grass isn’t greener in this regard. Any line can be backlashed at any time and I would think 99.9% of the time, it’s angler error. In my personal experience, non braid lines seem to be easier to get out, but I think that isn’t always the case. I believe the ease of undoing a backlash is related to the severity of the backlash and independent of the line type.

I caught a large trout with a home made crank bait while targeting bass. It smashed the living dickens out of fought hard and I knew it wasn’t a bass. Not too much variety of other species like down south. So when bass fishing you might catch a trout, blue gill, perch or pumpkin seed. Rarely a small catfish on the western side of WA State.