North Ga Hillbilly

I have caught more fish on my 4'6" Ugly Stick UL than all my other rods included, Its gatta take 1st place. NGaHB

Get some split ring pliers. you can make some with a grinder, or file if you want to put some muscle into it, and a pair of needle nose pliers NGaHB

somewhere over 6 and under 8... Or so I would guess. That bottom jaw looks like she's got a huge mouth. Great lookin fish NGaHB

I use to have a bull shad, it was a nice numbers swimbait. You wont catch one every two casts, those were hybrids in the video on the bull shad site, but they def will catch fish. NGaHB

call me crazy, but Im going to make the jump to even larger swimbaits. If 8" is good, 10" is great... right NGaHB

I use 25# CXX with all my big swimbaits. It is stiffer than big game lets say, and has less stretch. I regularly straighten out #2 Owner ST-36's to get lures back, its got some serious strength. NGaHB

Good to see another Georgia fisherman on here. Scan through alot of the info on here, there is more knowledge stored up here than one person could possibly read in years, much less absorb. NGaHB

Defiantly sounds like carp. But I have caught pre spawn bass in the middle of the summer, some females will produce eggs off schedule. NGaHB

Id wait to see if you have a problem before you worry too much. NGaHB

LOL, I do my best! Ive been having to avoid the trout fishermen here lately, its been really cramping my style NGaHB

Great fish! Glad to hear things are alright with your dad. NGaHB

Most stocked trout are put there to be caught without the expectation that they will live on to reproduce. Here in GA if you release a trout, its got about a 5% chance of seeing the next season. I also have to agree, tell a guy to go get on food stamps and I expect you will be leaving with a long term reminder of your rude stupidity, and rightly so. Supplementing a families diet with legally caught fish is an honorable way to get through tough times, one less mouth filled by Uncle Sam. NGaHB

I have and I'm sure I will again NGaHB

Sounds like a great time at a great event. Glad to hear it went well! NGaHB

I know quite a few people in VA doing real well with big swimbaits. Are there any trout that get in there? Even if not I would get a few 6" Huddlestons and give them a try. I wouldnt hesitate to throw an 8", but the 6 can be thrown on a flippin stick or other H action rod. I have consistently caught bass under 2# on weedless hudds, so I wouldn't think your limiting the fish you can catch NGaHB

I got the 5/0 worm hooks as well. Im going to have to throw a soft plastic on and give em a try

Might be a long shot, but the All American Trash Fish might do a decent job of impersonating one of these guys. I dont know how their fins look, but you might could trim a few fins to make it look right NGaHB

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I've been really blessed this year. Alot of reading and planning have payed off big NGaHB

Im guessin 3.5 but could be heavier NGaHB

I know jigs can be big fish baits.... but I can count the number of fish i've caught on a jig on one hand NGaHB

I got out the other weekend and had a good go at some pre spawn bass. Some were sitting on beds and were completely turned off, thankfully some were still moving around and hungry for a Hudd. I started the day slow around 6:30 and didnt get my first bite till around 8, I didnt weigh her, but Im guessing somewhere between 6 and7 I kept going till around 11 and pulled this nice 9.5# right before I left. I'm yet to get another teen fish from this area, not that I'm complaining about my current success. But after seeing a bass that was atleast 12" from belly to dorsal fin... I'm looking forward to going back and catching the monsters I know are there. NGaHB

spawning

Thatd be my guess. Reaction Strike dont get my best marks as a bait maker, but Im sure you can get it to work well enough. Laser Sharp swimbait hooks are pretty cheap and available, Ive used them and they have done well for me. Aught to be able to find some at the ol walmart for a few bucks. NGaHB

I would go with a 5/0 weighted hook probably, but you can take some lead wire or eve split shot and make your hooks weighted. NGaHB

Ive done a ton of buzzbaits at night, they seem to respond to color some, but sound more. I try and get a chugger a squeeker and a clanker, if that makes any sense. Ive started using some big wake baits recently, as well as some larger swimbaits fished high and slow, but I still really enjoy a buzz bait bite at night NGaHB