ShawnMull103

Just started fishing for some stripers in my neck of the woods. It's a bast. I have an 8ft Penn Fierce (rod and reel combo) from the Bass Pro down the road and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg and handles them fine. I have 20lb test Yo-Zuri Hybrid line. Good for the price.

Cool thanks guys! That's generally the frame I work with too, just wanted to see what everyone else is using. That's for the help

For fishing both Wacky rig and Texas style Senko's which size hook do you use? I'm trying to get better at matching lures to hooks and using the right equipment. This would include weighted and weightless. I'm just started to get confused on which to use and when to switch etc. Basically what determines hook size for you? Is it just the size of the bait?

For the 20lb braid that I use I really like the double palomar knot. It's very easy to tie quickly and is very strong. There's a video on youtube that is great for learning it (It has some advertising on it so I don't know if it's cool to post here)... Quick search and you should find it in a second.

For a T-ring I'll throw Senkos mostly. I used a T-rig with a a ribbon tail the other day and had some great success with that. Color will depend on water clarity mostly but the dark colors like black or dark green have worked in a ton of different situations for me clear and stained.

Hey guys, I'd like to toss some of these in the tackle box and learn to toss them this summer. I know they are a popular lure and look fantastic in the water. I fish ponds mainly (one shallow and one deep) with one having a lot of cover. Both stay fairly clear except one does get a little more "bronze" colored toward fall. I pretty much fish for anything that's biting and adjust as it goes. I'd like to build a "starter" kit with of some spinner bait (color/design/size) but I don't know where to start, what to get etc. There always so much out there and I never have a clue where to start with these. Thanks guys

I got mine a year ago to learn on and still use it a lot. As long as it's taken care of you won't have a problem with it. it's a good reel for the price.

It might have multiple of those "snags" which has happened to me before when I was figuring out how to use one. If you give the line a slight "tug" where it is stuck you can see where the loose line is looped around the line coming out. You just take your pic or whatever you're using, pull it free and keep pulling out line till you hit the next one. Repeat. I know it's sucky, when I was first learning how to cast one it was a birds nest almost every time. It's part of learning to cast one I guess :-). But hey at least I've become good at something in the fishing world! haha

This is the best tutorial on clearing a backlash I've seen yet. Also the bait caster pic used in the vid has come in pretty handy. I have on;y had a backlash I've given up on once but If I used this pic I probably could have got it out much sooner. I've seen other tips + tricks but this works the best for me and my set up. A good top water I had fun with over the weekend is the Jitter Bug. Heavy enough for a good cast and tension but floats great.

Hey guys, I'm looking for some tips on knowing what to fish and when to fish. I've been soaking in as much info as I can but I'm a little confused on knowing which tackle to use in what situations. I know there are certain baits... top water, crank baits, soft plastics, jerk baits, spinner baits etc. etc. etc. but I'm unsure how to approach each one. I'm assuming it's based on the diets of the fish you're going for but certain seasons and water color also play a roll. Do you guys have a rule of thumb for each one? Or situations where one is clearly better? Any good resource to check out? I find myself going to soft plastics year round currently switching from a couple different rigs. I'd like to try some other baits for other situations. Thanks for the help!

Actually I kind of figured out my problem haha. I was expecting the lure to be a lot lighter than what it was and was able to comfortably get it where I needed. Thanks for all the advice everyone. I do need some help adjusting the break/ tension as I get further into it. Is there a good vid for advice on adjusting those on the net?

So my main reel at the moment is a bait caster which I typically use Wacky Rigs and Texas Rigs so there are some good weight on there when I cast out. I have some friends in the area (who have spinning rods) and they have been having some good luck with lighter lures (Top water etc.). I would like to try getting some out there on the water but don't know really where to start for lighter systems on a bait caster. Also distance would be something that is on my mind. Because I fish from shore and where the fish are a good cast is needed. So to get, say a top water, out there a good distance may be very difficult on a bait caster without a little extra weight on it. Now I'm pretty new to all this (as you may be able to tell from my other posts so I may be thinking of this all incorrectly. Would a weighted bobber be a good idea here? Or would that destroy the illusion the top water lure creates with the ripples it leaves? Because a wight would just drag it down I thought this might be a good "solution." Again I could be thinking of this all wrong and that's why I'm asking haha. Thank for the help guys, I'm really digging looking around the older posts here.

Hey guys, So here are some things I'm okay with and my current "uses." I'm pretty good with the general areas I'm at with knowing where fish are and what is there. There are Large/Small mouths, Panfish and Pickerel and some smaller minnows etc. Things they are eating ranges pretty greatly from night crawlers, grubs, maggots, minnows, leeches etc. (I believe night crawlers and leeches are the big ones). I'm very aware of the structures in the area and also know where a bunch of bass beds are. So as for the area I'm pretty confident, which could be a problem don't get me wrong I'm not trying to sound cocky here. The main rigs that have worked for me are the only two I've used with my bait caster set up. I've been using a standard wacky rig and also a texas style rig (glass beads only with low visibility) and feeding is great in the early morning and around 5 to 7pm. I guess my main thing is what else should I play with in the area? I've also used a float with small chunks of night crawlers which pulled up many of the panfish. I just bought a couple nice top waters (recommended by a friend in the area). Sorry if this is jumbled I'm just confused by all the info out there on the net and reading I've done.

I plan on still hitting the ponds. I fish from the shore mainly and rarely have a chance to head out further than that. Even when we get in a boat it's usually something small with a trolling motor. So yea this question is all about shore fishing in ponds. Other than that I'll try and get out to the ocean a few times a year which is always a great time.

Last year is when I got into fishing. It's fantastic and I've had a lot of fun so far and would like to start pulling in more fish. Last year I learned to cast a bait caster and enjoy a nice giant birds nest when you screw it up haha. With that I pretty much threw a Wacky rig and a Texas rig (both with soft bait Stik-O-Worms) and caught some nice large mouth in the pond near my house. So I guess my question is: Where is a good place to go from here? Should I look into live bait (night crawlers/ maggots/ minnows) or should I look into more top water baits? Since there is a TON of opinions and more than a billion internet articles on the subjects I could sure use a little help being pointed in the right direction haha. Thanks for any help!