Bankbeater

I'm actually pretty good at putting patterns together after I catch that first bass. The problem is finding that first bass.

Glad you are feeling better. Take it easy and don't over work your back.

I got my first spinning rod with microguides back in 2020. It took me a while to get used to it. I've been using it for small moving baits, and fishing with a split shot rig. First off the microguides will pick up a ton of debris. If you're fishing in slop then you will have to clean off the guides about every other cast. I never noticed any change in sensitivity, but that may be the blank and not the guides. Forget about fishing them in cold weather, they collect ice as fast as they collect slop.

I would use either 10 lb Stren or Trilene XL.

New to backing up trailers may have ran up on the dock on the left, and rolled over. The top is pretty well flattened, so maybe it was a photoshop job.

I don't have dedicated crankbait rods. I have dedicated moving bait rods. I have a mh/f for the big stuff around 1/2 ounce and heavier, and a m/f for the smaller stuff up to around 3/8 or so.

That is really looking sharp.

I have a St. Croix Premier MH/F that I've been using for 1/8 ounce jigs up to 1/2 ounce jigs I haven't gone over 1/2 ounce with it though.

The top water bite died when it got hot here. The bass have not wanted to come out of the vegetation after moving baits. I have been using plastic worms, Yum Dingers, and Texas rigs pitched right at the edge of the vegetation.

Around here they are buying up farmland with ponds on them. The developer then uses the pond as a retention pond to catch the run off from the new parking lots.

Night fishing is not an option for me. I've been pitching into coontail and lilypads. I'm not catching a ton, but I'm not getting skunked either.

There are 2 ponds near me that I have known about for years, but never fished. One pond is about 3 acres in size and one is about 5-1/2 acres in size. I decided this year I would fish them and see what they have. I think I have caught close to 100 bass out of them so far.

That is a nice smallie.

My mom always cooked in a cast iron pan. My brother in law trained to be a chef. He says the cast iron distributes the heat more evenly.

I got my SLX last year and about 3 weeks after I bought it I foul hooked a grass carp. I figured the SLX would be toast after that, but it stayed as smooth as ever.

Last fall I was catching bass on swim jigs in eel grass. No way I could've gotten a spinnerbait through that stuff.

This time of year I look for structure with vegetation growing on it. I'll fish that first before I fish anything else.

If it gets as bad as Lake of the Ozarks, there is on bright spot. The fish won't be seeing a lot of fishing pressure.

Fishing from the bank there is not much you can do. If I'm in a boat I will keep just enough tension on the line so the fish is basically pegged in the vegetation. After that I run the boat over and dig the bass out.

I work so on the weekends I try to get out as early as possible.

Back in mid June it started to get hot and humid here. I would catch maybe one bass a trip on top, but for the most part the bite on top died out. I'd look for structure on the bottom under the vegetation and punch down to it. Also look for where different vegetation comes together. In one lake I have lilypads mixed in with water willows with coontail growing underneath.

I'd be looking for some new fishing spots.

I take a pic of every fish caught, some of the lake, and some of the sky. Most will get deleted after I get home and update my fish log.

A plain small jig head with a very small grub, or a 1/16 rooster tail for artificial baits. A small piece of nightcrawler on a small jig head will work also, but you may catch more than panfish with that bait.

I haven't targeted cat in a number of years but cut bait and dead minnow threaded on the hook always produced where I fished.