NorcalBassin

I haven't subscribed in quite a while and after reading this thread I signed up for 2 years worth to fill in some of the gap between BAM publications. There's something that just feels right with relaxing on the porch while drinking morning coffee and reading an actual magazine instead of something electronic.

Took the family out on a little hike and this was the reward for the girls and dogs when we got back to the trailhead.

Been busy for the Rectec. 16# packer brisket (before trimming) @225 x 19hrs. Day before that had incredibly unhealthy burgers... 1/2 pounders centered out with a beer can and layered with cheese, mac & cheese, onions/peppers, and another layer of cheese and wrapped with a couple pieces of bacon to hold it all in place. Ridiculously good.

This one went down way too easy and I had to make an exception and go with a second one.

Decided to give a smaller local lake a shot since fishing was tough on the home lake last week, and man did it ever pay off in numbers (70+) with some nice ones mixed in. Good news for my dad was he caught a bunch of fish, but bad news was he was living his own version of dinkfest Groundhog Day without a single bass being 12 or more inches. I almost started feeling bad when we'd be working the same water and he'd get a dink and I'd pull out a nice one. It quickly became a joke that ended up lasting the whole day, and I would have enjoyed it every bit as much if the roles were reversed. First fish of the day that set the tone for the rest of it. Dinkville. En fuego. My next cast right after taking that pic. My four biggest of the day went 3.5, 3.8, 4.6, and 5.1. Of course what would have been the biggest of the day broke me off... immediately went deep and when it felt me she made a b-line for the surface. Figuring it was a giant I dunked my rod in deep to keep her from jumping, and then she changed her mind and took me into a brush pile I never saw until it was too late. I could feel the line rubbing on the wood as she went through it and back out while making the drag sing and I knew that gut wrenching "ting" you feel when you're broken off was inevitable. Fun while it lasted but now I wish I had at least gotten to see her by letting her jump. Live and learn! These were some of the most football-like early September bass I've ever caught. Built like it was April.

Agree with all the above recommendations and the rule of thumb is if the bait is scattered go with a standard head and if there are big schools go with the underspin to set yourself apart from looking like the rest of the school. My favorite for 2.8-3.3's is the Coolbaits (1/0) and the 2/0 in 3/8 should be a great fit for the 3.8's you're throwing. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Coolbaits_Lure_Co_The_Down_Under_Underspin/descpage-CLCTDU.html

It's definitely knocking on the door here and I can't wait.

x2. Great jigs and I usually throw them on an 893 with 10# Sniper using more of a reel/sweepset instead of crossing their eyes as they say.

Hopefully things start turning back the other direction soon. I didn't really get back into fishing regularly until I reached my 30's and once I bought my own boat we started fishing together at least 1-2x/month going on 15 years now. Many things conveniently aligned to allow for that frequency to happen, but I think a lot of guys get drawn back to that common bond for the outdoors and fishing when they hit that 4th decade. I'm hoping your guys' father-son journey is a similar one.

My daughter sat down on the driveway to play with her Yorkie mix "dog" and then got what the family calls Bernarded by our true lapdogs.

Headed out for the first time in a few weeks due to terrible weather on the days I could go (100*+) or extremely hazardous air quality from the smoke of a couple of CA's largest ever fires drifting in. Fishing was pretty terrible, but it was still great getting some time out on the water with my dad. Best fish of the day was a 3-4 pounder on a Slammer before sunrise as I was waiting for him near the ramp, but of course it got off at the boat as I was grabbing the net so it doesn't really count. As they say, including a pic of the sunrise means it wasn't very good fishing... Pops with a rare one pushing 12" for the day. Can't even call it a dinkfest when you catch less than 10. ?

Quick generic answer for you... a good analogy for you would be having micro guides on your rod designed for no more than 30# test and then changing out your line for 40#. Instead of the line (your tendon) sliding right through the guides (your tendon pulleys/sheath), the line rubs/catches due to being too thick (inflamed tendon from overuse in your case). Odds are you'd respond to resting the thumb (avoid activities/movements that reproduce your symptoms), ice, and possibly even a splint to allow everything to calm down. If that doesn't start helping within a few days it would be well worth your time to see an ortho specializing in hands and/or a physical or occupational therapist that is a certified hand therapist.

I predominantly use 5 and 7# Sniper on my spinning rods and it's been plenty strong (even landed a 30# carp on a wacky senko after running through vegetation and a under a couple docks). It's not quite Tatsu but for the price it's very tough to beat. As has been said, I wouldn't use 10# sniper on a spinning reel and 7# should be plenty strong for bass fishing as long as you don't tighten down your drag too much.

BR when the day comes...

Mitch Hedberg was one of my all time favorites... just something about his delivery and random observations that always made me laugh. Sad when drugs get the best of people and they leave way too soon.

That's terrible about the marina. The area around Don Pedro is also on fire right now with 0 containment and 2800 acres burned since it started yesterday afternoon. 2020 has been something else.

Try changing up your cadence and periodically mixing in hard stops/pauses when you see them to get the bait to drift out to the side (beyond the mesmerizing "S" they that drew them in). If a slow steady retrieve doesn't get them and adding in the above doesn't get them to strike, you may also want to try working it like a giant jerkbait to trigger a reaction strike.

I picked up the 7'1" M spinning rod for my dad last Christmas and he loves that rod. Dobyns Fury is another solid choice at that price point and I think you'd be happy with either one of those.

That's interesting... definitely thought it would have been more. Those numbers work out to between $50-80/day, and considering they've put out at least 3 videos/wk for many years and have over 350,000 subscribers it's not near as much as I'd thought it would be. However, as has been said they get a commission of sorts from TW and probably save a ton on tackle. IMO they put out great videos and I'm more than happy to click on their link as a "thank you" for the excellent free to us information they put out like clockwork.

They just updated their page yesterday to state they're all caught up on orders. The free $50 (non-CA) shipping estimate went from a 14 day delay as of earlier this week to just 3 days. You should be good to go.

Awesome job and congratulations!

I had that same truck but an '04 and loved that thing. Kids got into horses so I had to "force" myself to upgrade to a Cummins a few years ago for the better towing and hauling capacity. Yours still looks great and runs great... set aside what would be your monthly payment for what you'd like to get next and then you'll save a bunch of money once it's time to get your next one.

Be nice to see some of the bigger names switch back over to balance things out. Anglers and fans win with them being competitive with each other.