Tuckahoe Joe

Welcome!

Welcome to Bass Resource!

Just wondering what a flipping switch does? I've seen it mentioned on another thread, I think about a Abu Garcia Silver Max and I'm pretty sure I've seen them on other reels. What exactly does a flipping switch do? Obviously it's used for flippin' and pitchin' but how is it used?

Rolling Stones - Paint it Black Cream Sunshine Of Your Love

Kinda slow over here too. I've caught a couple on senkos and topwaters but nothing real big. A guy I work with told me about a new spot. Really secluded and kind of hike to get to. There's a whole bunch of ponds scattered out in the woods. They're all within walking distance of each other and they all have great cover. I didn't catch anything but the guy who told me about says he's caught some nice one's out of them. I'm anxious to go back maybe in the fall. Hopefully the fish will be a little more active when it's not 100 degrees out. I think that's what's been killing the bite.

I think that when I do get myself a jig rod, 50# braid is what I'm going to go with. The jig was 1/4 oz. with a Berkley Pit Boss for a trailer. As for the cover, it can be pretty thick in places but most of the spots I can hit from the bank aren't that bad. Fishing from the bank. In this case, off of a small floating platform where the park launches kayaks. Not much room to move around to try and get a better position on the tangled fish. I've actually been noticing this as well. Actually, after I broke this fish off, I tied on another jig and on the first cast I got snagged and broke off again and I had barely pulled on it at all. Seems like it frays really easy. I've used Trilene in the past and liked it ok. Definitely don't think I'll be buying Spiderwire Mono again. But what about Spiderwire braid? On the one hand, if their mono is like this, I'm wary about buying another one of their products. But on the other hand, mono and braid are 2 very different things.

Awesome fish...congrats and happy birthday!

Not too shabby. Congrats to your boy!

Good looking fish!

Sucks man. I've had a couple close calls but nothing past the barb yet. Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

I'm just using an Abu Garcia BlackMax combo (my first and only baitcaster). The rod just says Blackmax on it so I'm assuming it's just some kind of generic Abu rod. The knot I'm using is the improved clinch knot. I know how to tie a palomar but I'm not quite as comfortable with it as the improved clinch. That's exactly it. Money's tight and I'm just trying to make do. Thanks for the replies everyone. I actually thought about this a lot today. I think my best bet is to just hold off on fishing jigs (at least in the heavy cover) til I pick up a heavier rod. Something like a medium heavy rod with 7-1 reel. And if I'm gonna have a dedicated jig rod, I'll probably go with braid. A few of you have suggested 50lb test. Would there be any advantages or disadvantages to going even heavier? Maybe say up to 80lb test or do you feel this isn't necessary? Also would a combo like this be able to double as a frog rod for heavy lily pad situations?

Thanks guys! I fished it quite a bit when I went out this morning. Didn't have any problems with the skirt tangling in the rear hook. I had a lot of blowups on it but only hooked up with this one. Not huge but it was somewhere around 13-15 inches. It's really satisfying to catch a fish on a lure that you personally put some work into. I know I really didn't do too much to it, but still...

Congrats...sounds like an awesome trip!

Congrats!

Nice fish!

Good fish!

So I missed my first jig fish today as well as my first 'pitchin' fish. I was fishing a part of the lake that I hadn't been to since I bought my baitcaster. I see all these pocket in the grass along the shore and I think to myself, great place to try some flippin' and pitchin'. I've practiced in my living room a bit but this was my first time actually doing it on the water. So I tie on a jig and pitch it into this pocket. This pitch was textbook. Accuracy was dead on, practically splashless entry, at least it was really good for my first one. Feeling really pleased with myself, I hop the jig once and the rod goes THUMP! I've never felt a fish hit so hard. So I set the hook and pretty much at the exact same time, I realize the fist has me all wrapped up in the weeds. So I keep the pressure on him (not reeling, just keeping pressure) hoping maybe he'll free himself but after about 3 seconds I'm broke off and the fish does a jump for me just so I can see my jig hanging out of his mouth. Needless to say I had a few choice words for Mr. Bass. Anyway, the point of all this... I have 2 setups. Both medium power and I've been using 12lb mono on both. Most recently it's been Spiderwire. One's a spinning setup that I use for lighter weight cranks, spinnerbaits, and all my worm fishing. The other is a baitcaster that I use for topwater, heavier spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, and jigs when I fish them. Maybe for Christmas I'll get a dedicated jig rod but for now I'm just trying to make do with what I have. I'm mainly concerned with the baitcaster setup. I'm trying to find a line that would work (doesn't have to be ideal, just functional) for those 4 techniques. Something that I'd be able to fish topwaters with, but then also have the strength to muscle jig fish out of heavy cover. Do you think that going up to 15 or 17 pound mono would solve the problem? I was also wondering about fluorocarbon. Is it stronger than mono and would it work for the other techniques I listed? I know most people will say braid for jigs/cover but then I'd most likely have to use a mono leader for topwater right? I'd like to avoid using leaders if I can help it but I'm open to all opinions and suggestions.

Welcome to Bass Resource!

Found this old Hula Popper on the ground at a secluded pond in the woods. A little Dawn dish soap, some shiny new hooks, and a skirt off a broken WalMart spinnerbait and it's ready to catch fish again. I'm wondering how old it is cuz BassPro.com doesn't carry this color and the design on the back is different than anything they have. I know it's probably not that old though cuz it's not made of wood or anything like that. Also it seems like the skirt may tangle with the rear hook when casting. I suppose I could either trim the skirt or switch the back hook for a smaller one. Any suggestions on that? Here are some before/after pics.

Welcome to Bass Resource!

Nice fish!