Bluebasser86

I wouldn't expect a lot of success if that's how you're planning on fishing a bladed jig.

I'd second the suggestion to check out the Structure Gill. Very similar but more durable, and you can actually get them. Might have to bend the hook out slightly as it seems most have the hook pointing in towards the bait a bit, but it's an easy fix. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Savage_Gear_Structure_Gill_Swimbait/descpage-SGSGS.html#customer_reviews

I find those poppers all the time as well as the deep cranks made by the same people, never tried to fish on though.

Kind of what I thought and if that's the case it was better off hanging in the tree ?

Get a Booyah or Spro frog and be done with it. I've had very good luck with the FishLab Bio Toad also if you want a bigger frog but the hooks do need manipulated a bit out of the package with them to get an optimal angle.

Best of both worlds and also how I roll on most of my spinning setups.

Melvern was good a week ago for my kayak tournament. First was over 90" and I had 3rd with 85.75", almost all fish submitted were smallmouth including big bass over 20".

Went on a family camping trip this last weekend. Didn't get to do as much chasing blue cats as we were hoping due to the weather but still got the boys out for a little bit. I also took the boat out both mornings by myself while everyone was still sleeping. I could have caught a smallmouth every cast if I wanted to catch sub 12" fish. For some reason, the bigger fish liked the Laguna Shrimp TRD TicklerZ. Caught a couple walleye including one from the bank while I was waiting for a catfish bite Caught several catfish from the bank at our campsite, but they were channels every time. I had one spot that I'd done well in the past, so we drove the boats to it the last morning and it was pretty non stop bites, but I was having a hard time converting bites into fish. I think this is the reason why I was missing so many bites.

Welcome!

Some of the lakes I night fish are in the middle of nowhere and get pitch black at night. I hate night fishing during the full moon so it's dark, dark when I'm out. Just got to leave that light off and let your eyes adjust. Single hooked baits help, they don't snag nearly as much on errant cast. Keep items to a minimum. I only need 3-4 rods and a handful of baits at night. When it gets hot and the "Lake Life", people get out, I'd much rather night fish.

I've got at least a dozen of these in my boat. When the bass are schooling on shallow flats and tired of seeing traps, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits, these will get them. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/johnson-original-sprite-spoon?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=BPS|Shopping|Standard|Fishing|General|NAud|TopPerf|NMT&gclid=CjwKCAjw14uVBhBEEiwAaufYx29vfFZ0GD35VgBHtwE__Vf0sNMagyRdBHarYuOpO_1OW4M-op2S7BoCtdQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Swing through Kansas and I'll put you on some dinks and ugly lakes ?

I really like the crankbait rods that St. Croix makes. You can get a couple around your price range, either in the Bass X line up; https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/St_Croix_Bass_X_Casting_Rods/descpage-TCVB.html?from=basres Or the Mojo; https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/St_Croix_Mojo_Bass_Trigon_Casting_Rods/descpage-CMBBC.html?from=basres

I find most of my ploppers in trees and usually attached to very light line. I'm assuming they'd never fished on much and aren't use to a lure that cast as far as they do and ended up in the tree instead of the water. The ones I find in the water also tend to have light line tied to them so possibly they got bit by a good fish and just broke off and the fish worked the bait free.

Not all sticks are the same size, and you never know when you need it for something else, so a little pack like this is great to carry in the boat. https://www.harborfreight.com/electrical/electrician-s-tools/plugs-terminals-connectors/heat-shrink-tubing/42-piece-marine-heat-shrink-tubing-67598.html

A friend of mine was in dire need of a heart transplant with his failing fast several years ago. I'm not sure who it was that caught the moment he called his wife to let her know they had a transplant for him but you'd be a cold human being to not get emotional watching it. He's one of the nicest people you could meet and knows each day he gets is a gift. Now most of the stuff he has to choose a user name for has a 745 in it somewhere because that was what heart transplant number he was.

I've got a couple big water jugs that are probably half gallon each I fill with ice and water. If it's not as hot I might just toss some bottled water in but not a fan of drinking hot water so that's only the cooler months.

Make sure you get your cap screwed down right after you blow your tube up. I didn't once and it's not until you're on the water and the sides start sagging that you realize it.

Nose hooked with a screwlock and I put heat-shrink tubing over the eye of the screwlock to keep the hook in place.

Bass Pro Shops Toyota Shell

Welcome!

Welcome!

Sounds like a normal day in the office.

I use both casting and spinning for jerkbaits and have a dedicated "spin cranking", rod.

Had another kayak tournament this past weekend at one of my favorite smallmouth lakes. Wasn't sure what to expect, lake was 4' high and dirty, not great smallmouth conditions. I tried for about an hour in prefishing to fish for largemouth and hated every second of it, so I went smallmouth fishing. 2 hours later, I was done prefishing. I was going to fish the sides of flooded boat ramps where they transitioned from concrete to chunk rock. They seemed to be schooling in large numbers on them for some reason. Tournament morning I started at the state park ramp because I'd caught some fish in the surrounding area as well as the ramp. My first few cast netted 2 sauger and a crappie, not what I'd hoped for. About 15 minutes in, I finally caught a 15.5" smallie and next cast a 15.25" fish. Not the fish I needed, but better than nothing. After about 30 minutes and only managing to lose 1 more fish, I started to drift across the ramp and fishing my Ned rig really slowly down the ramp. I thought I hit a rock but my rod tip slowly started to bend. An angry smallie went airborne immediately but the hook held and I scooped a 19 incher. I fished the other side of the ramp but couldn't get anything off it for some reason. I peddled to a bank I'd caught a couple in practice but another kayak was parked there. I moved down from him a little ways and caught another 15.25" fish my first cast. Nothing else came from that bank so I went back to the ramp. I was already starting to feel like I was at the wrong ramp. There was so many other anglers at this one. I went back to the ramp and fired a long cast and picked off another 15.5" fish. I tried for another half hour to get bit again but nothing was happening, so I threw the kayak in the truck and moved to the other ramp. I was really happy to find only 1 other kayak at that ramp and they were a long way from where I was going to fish. Again, I started with a small walleye, but then the next hour I went on a tear of smallmouth catching. It seemed I was constantly catching fish every couple cast, but I was only culling small amounts. I got a 16.25", 16.5", 16.75" and had a 17.25" literally almost jump into my net laying on the front of my kayak. It really felt like a matter of time before a bigger one happened, and then a truck pulled into the parking lot and out jumped 3 people. All 3 came straight down the bank, and for the next hour I was dodging bobbers and crappie jigs, untangling lines, doing everything I could to be nice and keep my cool, but it was more than I could take, I loaded up and left to the ramp where I'd camped at down the lake. I had caught a couple nice smallmouth there, including a 19.5" fish from the bank, and it's one of my favorite big fish areas normally, but it also was even dirtier than the rest of the lake. They'd released a ton of water overnight and with it being in a shallower part of the lake, I think the fish backed off, I only caught 2 more small bass the rest of the day. I had a heartbreak drum and back to back channel cats in the last 30 minutes that were all big disappointments. Despite the difficulties, I managed to pull out a 3rd place finish and my 19" smallmouth was 2nd big bass of the day.