BassinLou

USA Ladies soccer just redeemed themselves against Japan 5-2. 2015 Fifa Champs.

Your Dad loves you very much, and your happiness is very important to him. The boat is a testament to that. How can you repay this loving gesture? Use what ever skills you have at this stage in your life and work on making some $$, find a mechanic and get your motor fixed. If I remember correctly you are/ were a H.S. athlete. It's summer time right? This is prime time for summer camps. Look to see if any those camps are looking for coaches over the summer. Trust me, working with young kids will help you forget your issues. It's win win, you get to utilize your athletic skills and teach a young child something new. Trust me on this, having a pity party is not productive. Been there done that, and I lost time that I could have been more productive with.

Living in South FL, summer time fishing can be one of the toughest seasons to fish, however some very nice fish can be caught. My nicer fish come during this time of year, however my volume of catches drop. Besides dealing with high heat and humidity. Our rainy season begins sometime in July, so the water levels begin to rise and depending where you fish, the bass begin to migrate. Fishing isn't over on July 1st, your tactics, patience, and tolerances have to change.

Sorry you are having issues with your new reel. Too bad you didn't post the question first on which reel would be better. I was a long time abu user and when I made the switch to Shimano never looked back. The Curado would have served you a heck of a lot better. Either way the decision has been made, back to your issue. The SX can be finicky on lighter lures. I had an SX for a couple of seasons but it served as my frogging reel. Frogs run heavier, so the setting was easy. Cast lighter baits and you are going to be constantly trying to correct. Set your magnetic setting higher and work your way down until you have better control of the bait. Best of luck with this reel.

To the OP, fish your way..... what works for one person may not work for another. You should focus on getting out on the water more often than being concerned on how someone else uses their reels.

Shane great seeing you post again bud. You flat out tore....them..... up!! You owe the individual who gave you that intel on that location an outing. LOL... Great video btw.... and the best line in that entire video was: " I had a premature hookulation"....... You gotta love FL froggin....

Oh, I love those, especially when you have to take a special field trip to the ER!!

LiveTarget Koppers HB has a 1 3/4" and it's a 1/4oz weight size frog.

Cool idea.... but we just got lazier.... lol!!

There is nothing to add here, gardnerjigman hit the nail on the head. Waiting to feel the weight of the fish may lead to a broken heart sometimes. Some bass spit the frog out so quickly that it will make your head spin. Just to give me a fighting chance for those bass, I spread Megastrike all over my frog.

40lbs and the appropriate leader to match will serve you in all the techniques you mentioned.

Awesome!! Trying a new technique and being rewarded with a catch is a good feeling. Pics?

First things first. Hydrate like crazy and cover up head to toe. On to fishing. Look for cover. With the current temps and heat fish are either going to go deep to find cooler water and/or stay shallow under green vegetation. Take a stealthy and patient approach and dissect the cover. Fish during the cooler parts of the day and keep consistent. You will find fish. As far as baits or techniques. I jig, flip, punch, and frog during these situations. Top to bottom approach until I figure out what the fish are doing.

Welcome to BR, Medium light will serve you in other applications, however not for bass jigging. My personal jigging outfit is a 7'3" MH with a fast tip. You didn't mention the the type of line you use, but I use 40lb braid if that helps you any.

My interpretation of skin hooking a soft plastic is by placing the hook through and on the other side of the bait and then lightly burying the hook tip on the skin of the bait.

Welcome to the forums. I can understand your frustration. Many will be able to help you if you provided us with a little bit more info. For example, what state you are fishing from, and more less what part of that state? Other examples that could help is the type of outfit you are using, the type of cover you mainly fish etc. Other than that, the only advice I can provide you for now, is get to know the this site well. Take advantage of the videos and numerous articles that are provided to you. Lastly, go and apply those techniques by fishing often. Good luck.

I too can understand the reasoning in this situation, and what has not been mentioned is the cover. The reason I use this H rod for this particular situation is because what I am pitching into can be thick hydrilla or hyacinth. I need that back bone to remotely have a chance to land that fish. Lastly, hookset. I agree wholeheartedly that a strong hookset is needed, and I have seen anglers go above and beyond what a strong hookset is. Their hooksets will fall into the exaggerated category in my book.

That's a nice fish. As far as a guess of the weight? I quit playing that game a while ago. Lol... What I have learned over the yrs, is to carry a decent scale, that way, when the big one hits, you can have an accurate weight. I take it one more step and carry a ruler as well. And... never forget your cell phone for the pics. You know what they say. "pics or it never happened" . Lastly if I would have to guess on the weight of your fish, based on the thickness and size of the mouth, I would guess under 4lbs. Best of luck to you.

You don't need a boat to catch 6 pounders. Although, having a boat will open up water accessibility you need to hone your craft. You have been bass fishing for only 2 months, keep learning and improving and you will stick bigger bass in no time.

Yes, I would loosen the drag a bit on the popper. On the frogs I would tighten enough that it doesn't slip on hookset but peel if the fish surges hard close to the boat. As far as the power of your rod is concerned, that will depend on the density of the coverage you are fishing. I would stay with what you have if you are fishing a popper on the same outfit. The setting of your reel with these heavier baits, depending on the reel you have can be set as low as 0-3, just like you currently have.

For the Booyah and soft plastic frogs the braid is perfectly fine at 40lbs. The popper since its a treble hook bait, you may have want to loosen the drag a bit and not set too hard risking pulling the hooks. As far as rod length, I personally use 7ft for my bank fishing applications. Lastly, welcome to BR.

The fish are there. They are not hitting like crazy like they were several weeks back, but they are there none the less. Focus your attention around cover and work the ledges.

Perfectly normal looking bass to me. The water must have been pretty clear for that coloration. Looks similar right? Look at the water color in the background. Very clear. Limestone lake.

Like someone mentioned, this topic is very popular. My opinion in this matter is that, both styles have its advantages and disadvantages. A wise angler will be proficient in both. To the OP, I would recommend you give b/c's a good try and report back. I have taught several anglers how to use a b/c, and once they get the hang of it, over time they can't believe why they used the spinner for so long. Good luck!!