gotarheelz14

In short, it depends. The vast majority of the time, I expect at least one fish, anywhere I go. I enjoy being out on the water but if I really enjoyed it that much, I would go out kayaking and taking pictures of wildlife. I'm a fisherman. I like to catch fish and wouldn't go out if I didn't think I had the chance of catching one. If I am bass fishing, I expect at least one bass every time I put the kayak out. Now, if I am feeling particularly adventurous and have decided to target another species I am not as good at, I am more acceptant of a skunk. If I am out for a fish I have never caught before, I am even more acceptant of a skunk. If I were out for a once in a lifetime kind of fish (sturgeon, giant catfish, maybe even trophy bass, etc,) I would be perfectly fine not coming home with a single fish.

I would personally go with 10lb fluoro. I throw 10lb fluoro all the time on my baitcaster, (3rd and 2nd generation revos) with no problem. I don't really buy into the whole "fluorocarbon sinks" type thing too much but it certainly can't hurt. The smaller line diameter is definitely a must.

I caught the fish on my avatar at a local pond and released it. If I had to do it over again, I would likely do the same, especially since I am a cheap wretched and don't want to spend the money on having a taxidermist mount it. If anything, I would probably get a replica made. HOWEVER, if it was the world record bass, I would probably "remove" it from its pond so nobody else could catch it form under me lol! I would donate it like Fish said, to a tank or some place that would give it a good, nice, long life. I have absolutely zero problem if anyone ever decides to keep their PB and have it mounted. As long as it is within the law, have it my friends!

around 7ft, ML, with an xf action. 6lb fluorocarbon line.

As with all presentations, the lure you will be throwing (in this case jig head + soft plastic = lure) will determine what rod and reel you should use. Before proceeding, let's make sure we understand one thing, when we say "shakey heads" we can actually be talking about two completely different things. For instance, about two summers ago, I threw 1/2 oz shakey heads with MAGNUM Zoom trick worms, hopping them as fast as I could along the bottom. Two of my bigger fish for that year came on that shakey head, a 7lb and a 6lb largemouth. I threw this presentation on a 7'6" Heavy Rod with 50 lb braid. I assume, however, that when you say "shakey head," you are probably talking about the more finesse type of presentation that is most often associated with this technique. If this is the case, you are probably talking about 1/8th oz to 1/4th oz jigs plus 5-8 inch flat sided worms, craws, hula grubs, etc. If this is the case, you will probably be looking at the following set up: Around a 7ft, Medium powered rod with an extra fast or fast action. You will probably want to pair this up with a 2,000 or 3,000 sized reel. the line can be anywhere from around 6-12lbs. I prefer the medium sized rod because it allows me the most sensitivity and control over this weight range of jig head (around 1/4th oz jighead) and lure. It also gives me enough of a backbone to REALLY set the hook on a fish. This is especially important with many of the shakey head jig heads out there, because the way they are designed often causes them to either get stuck in a fish's mouth, or not go through completely on the hook set. For this reason, I like to have a good enough backbone to drive that jig head through the fish's mouth. Also, I almost always set the hook upwards instead of sideways so that the head of the jig head does not interfere with the actual hook. Don't ask me how I know this, as I cannot tell you the number of fish I have lost on a shakey head setting the hook diagonally rather than straight up. As far as line, I mostly go with 8lb fluorocarbon as it gets the bait down to the bottom, and gives me an incredible feel of the ground composition. I think fluoro is especially important with shakey heads as a finesse presentation because you will often want to work them on kind of a slack line so that your bait creeps and shakes along the bottom. In my opinion, fluorocarbon's sensitivity, ESPECIALLY on a slack line as is the case here, simply cannot be matched. Now, if you want to go with a super light, finesse type of presentation for your shakey heads, you can go with 1/16th oz-1/8th oz jig heads and really small finesse worms. When the bite gets tough and I need a fish, a 1/8th oz jig head with a zoom finesse worm is a killer combo and it almost never fails to produce for me. If I am throwing this light of a lure, however, I will usually go to my Medium Light powered rod, with an extra fast tip, 2000 size reel and 4-6lb fluorocarbon. This is also a great setup when fishing rivers that have a lot of small fish. Anyway, in conclusion, the presentation you are employing should dictate what size rod, reel, and line you are throwing. That could be anything from a 7'6 Heavy rod with 50lb braid, to a Medium Light rod with 4lb fluorocarbon line. PS. I know you didn't ask about jig heads, but it should be worth mentioning that there are a wide arrange of jig head options. I mostly use the flat, "spot hopper" type of jig head that stands worms perfectly up. Other good options are round ball, or football jig heads. This is another topic for discussion when talking about jig heads. Good luck and have fun! ---Carlos

I agree. It probably has to do with the fact that by the very nature and style of the presentation itself, the bass are forced to look at it for a while before they commit to eat it. For this reason, I think you are 100% correct and color really matters a lot. I typically only carry three or four broad colors for any bait. As long as I have a green, a brown/red, and a black/blue/purple for any given color, I'm usually good to go. For dropshot worms, I almost always carry at least 6 or 7 colors. As you can imagine, I have never really been one of these guys that asks about what "color" they are hitting. Most of the time, I just try to match it to water clarity or forage and I have done pretty well over the last couple of years. With drop shots though, I have gotten into situations where I have thrown a brown and glitter color, only to throw a plain brown with no glitter and have not gotten any bites. I have then thrown a black or blue with no success. I will follow that up with that same original brown and glitter and instantly get a hook up. Pretty crazy

The above ^ was excellent advice by Papa Joe. You will have to find whatever little differences in STRUCTURE you can find. For instance, if there is no cover, true cover, like logs, vegetation, etc, you will have to pay even more attention to points, dropoffs, ledges, and other physical differences in the topography of the lake floor. My neighborhood lake is pretty much what you describe. It is completely devoid of cover. It is also pretty much featureless and is by and large one giant flat. So, the bass will indeed follow the shad a lot as the above poster mentioned. Try to find them, and you should improve your chances at finding fish. I think the most important part to fishing a lake like the one you described is to either paddle a lot or put the trolling motor on high and use a lot of baits which cover a lot of water. You might have to use these searchbaits more than you otherwise would. When you think you have found fish holding on to some form of structure or cover, you can then slow down. I would focus on finding baitfish. I would also fish a lot of fast moving baits that cover a lot of water, focus on finding structure, and targeting what little cover there is. Once you find the fish, slow dow, but be prepared to cover a LOT of water.... ---Carlos

I'll tell you what though. I HAVE to try this megastrike stuff out. Too many of you have been raving about it and I have to find out what all the rage is about.

Oh come on, give me a break. Megastrike might be a great product and they might be a good sponsor of the board but let's cut this guy a break. How could anyone possibly think that he was "bad mouthing" the stuff?

Thanks a lot guys. I think I'm probably just going to focus on fishing for Smallies and catching lots of them. If they live in the same areas and hit the same things, I am bound to catch one at some point or another. I really wish I lived up north with all the awesome fish species you guys have. The only thing is, I am originally from Guatemala so I truly am not built for that kind of weather hahaha. 70s year round is more what i'm suited for...

Hey guys, I will soon be going to the New River around Fries Virginia for me and my friends' yearly smallmouth trip. I hear they have a ton of nice walleye in that section of the river and so I think I want to catch one this year, if anything, just to cross them off my list. I think they are an awesome looking fish. Now, I am looking for a sure fire way to catch one so I can then move on to smallmouth fishing. I would prefer not to spend a lot of time fishing for them either. If someone asked me how to catch a LM, I would probably tell them to tie on a senko, and just let it sink to the bottom and repeat. Or I might tell them to put on a spinnerbait, work it close to shore and reel it in until you can barely see it. So, if you had to tell someone how to catch a Walleye, what would be your sure fire tip to share? Thanks! ----Carlos

I would definitely get the fish finder. You should also probably think twice about the trolling motor. Not to be a purist or anything like that but I don't know how much you'll really want it. If what you want is to stay in position, do yourself a favor and get an anchor trolley. They are amazing and will keep you in position down, across, or up the wind or current, all depending on how you change the trolley, which is the pivot point.

I agree whole heartedly with you and could not possibly agree more. I think the way anglers perceive these so called "trash fish" would be an awesome sociological examination/experiment. In a lot of ways, it reminds me about the way we have treated each other as humans. If something looks different from what we are used to seeing, we often feel uncomfortable and want nothing do with it. Instead of understanding it before rejecting it, we immediately shut down. This is probably just a survival mechanism we once were naturally selected for. It's sad though. A lot of people have formed really negative ideas about fish like bowfin and think that they decimate other fish. I have actually seen and heard of people catching them and throwing them in the bank because they are either "too ugly" or "eat all the other fish..." sigh... I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that people want to have fun and compete with others. They want to show others their catch and want to be able to partake in the social aspects of fishing. So, because not that many people target these fish to begin with, other potential anglers don't either because they would have no one to talk to about their experiences.

I actually split my bowfin and bass fishing by 50% each. However, Greensboro is really not that good of a place for bowfin fishing. I have lived here for a longggg time and I really haven't found any lakes, ponds, or rivers that have targetable populations. Now, if we are talking Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill.....that's a completely different story. I went to school there for four years and probably bowfin fished 80% of the time. I will say though, that no matter how good and fun bowfin are to catch, snakehead fishing by far outweighs bowfin fishing. There's just no comparison in my humble, respectful, and personal opinion.

I can tell you this without a doubt---snakehead will actually make a bass fishery go from ehhhh to WOW!!! (1) They are fun as hell to catch. The type of fishing you have to do for them is unbelievable. The strikes you get are ridiculous. It is by far the most exciting, and powerfully fighting fish I have ever caught. (2) Because they normally prefer slightly different conditions than LM, they will actually not outcompete bass. The type of things they eat are very different. Snakeheads will mostly focus on small mammals and other smaller sized meals. Bass can gobble up bigger fish with that bucketmouth of theirs. Ever seen a snakehead's mouth? It's actually pretty dang tiny... (3) Snakeheads do not have a spiny dorsal fin, and can spawn up to three times a year? OMG they will out compete bass and make them go extinct right? WRONG. They provide an insanely nutritious and abundant forage for bass and because of the lack of spines on their fins, bass gobble them up!!! The guide we fished with in the Potomac said that in his 20+ years of fishing the river, he has never seen as many or as fat of fish as he has seen in the past couple of years. (4) If it it's your cup of tea, they are supposed to be one of the better tasting freshwater fish out there.... I personally can't wait until someone brings them into NC waters. They are by far the most fun fish I have ever fished for and I am quite sure our bass population would increase in size and quality because of them. Heck, I might just ditch you guys and join snakeheadresource.com when that happens lol!!!! Jk about that last one, of course. Carlos