Preytorien

It really depends on where I'm fishing since how wildly the fish fights usually determines the durability of my senko. Sometimes it's 1 fish, sometimes it's 4-5. I may give them a try. I tend to rig one in each color on a finesse wide gap hook and stow it that way so it's ready to go any I don't tear a hole in it getting the hook back out.

I've seen that Savage gear has what's called the Armor Tube Worm From their description they claim that, ".... offers a reinforced construction that makes wacky-rigging more efficient than ever before. Built with nylon mesh infused through the center of the bait, the Savage Gear Armor Tube Worm firmly grips onto hooks and won’t go flying off on a cast after a fish-or-two" Has anyone tried these worms rigged wacky and can attest to their claims?

I know lately my go-to retention pond bait has been a Ned Rig. I fish quite a few of these ponds and since there's no cover and rarely any structure, finesse presentations don't spook them as much and tend to catch quite a few fish. Anyways, glad to have you in the forums. Head over to the Introductions section and tell us a bit about yourself!

For me I look at wind forecast, then decide what body of water to fish based off of direction and such. If you've not got that luxury, I would say anything in the high 20's starts to get really really hard to fish anything but a crankbait or heavy C-rig. I also do quite a bit of distance cycling, and I always find the wind speed listed on my weather apps or online seem to be anywhere from 5-10mph slower than what it really is. I'm sure it's because I live in a pretty flat region and the wind picks up, but I know when we're talking about what riding conditions we'll have, we always add speed to the forecast - anyways, that also impacts fishing too.

I have some very fine braid I use for river finesse fishing, and I use a San Diego Jam knot, with at least 7 wraps. If I'm feeling particularly lacking in confident, I'll use a double SDJ knot.

I have a Vibe Skipjack 90, and I love it. I would say it's a great beginner kayak, and one that's not very large. I have limited space and lifting restrictions, so at 46lbs it's perfect.

Perfect! DO you think it'll handle 8-inch swimbaits okay? LOL

...drool

All I've ever wanted is a rod that will prevent the line from tangling around the end. Every Single TIme Do that, and you've got my money

One unfortunate side effect I can foresee, especially for a new angler, is the parts of their videos we DON'T get to see. For an experienced angler, we know this is all part of the life of a fisherman, coming home with no stories to tell and a good bit of money out of pocket, but for a new fisherman it can set an unrealistic expectation of being instantly successful every single time and could start to really frustrate and discourage a new fisherman. I mean who would make a video of them getting skunked with an entire box of lures? But for a new fisherman the majority of these YouTube videos seem like guys taking a new lure out of the box and two minutes later busting a 9 pound bass out of a drainage ditch, all while not knowing that guy fished for 2 weeks to get that 2 minutes of footage. I know more than once I've fallen for the "the video of this lure convinced me" mindset only to be disappointed - lately it's Dave Mercer and the Livetarget Sunfish video - that was a LOT of hype for a lure I have yet to even get a bite on. Maybe someone does, but for me, I feel like I bought into it too quickly without seeing if my regional fishing folks are saying good things about it. YouTube is entertainment for me, and that's where it stops. I get FAR more advice on tips and techniques from the folks on here than a video. I think by me just seeing them as entertainment, not educational, it keeps their perspective in check.

I like the little single use sunglasses cleaning cloths you can get at the eyeglass shop at Walmart. They have an alcohol based cleaner in them, so it cuts oils and dries really fast with no residue. You can pop a few in your pocket or tackle bag and they hardly take up any space at all.

Looks like a smallmouth to me. Check the mouth, if it doesn't go back past it's eye, it's a smallmouth. The river I fish has sandy bottoms and lots of rocks. Mine are about the same markings and color as yours. Although I do wish I could catch some of those gorgeous bronze colored ones with stripes once in a while. I think smallmouth are really nice looking fish. Looks like you've got a nice one there too.

It'd probably be pretty hard to find or make your own spool tension knob. Most reels are made overseas, which use metric measurements, and in my experience a nightmare to find knobs of any kind in metric sizes that will fit a reel. Additionally, they're usually pretty small threads, not ones commonly found. So overall, it'd be hard to do. Probably eventually you could find one, or if you're a machinist you could make one given that you know the threads and pitch needed, but you probably couldn't make it for $11 Personally I would just buy the replacement. Besides, it'll be a perfect fit, paint will match, finish will match and that's too nice of a reel to have stuff that doesn't match - they're sweet looking reels.

To answer your question - yes, and like Clayton said, I use it with braid. I've not used it with a split ring, because I never felt it would do that much in terms of getting the action to work. I would say the 130 will do better, but I've not tried it myself because I rarely come in contact with fish that are big enough to engulf a lure that size. I have the 90 size, and I have to do the exact same thing as you to get the lure to impart it's action. The blade on the back can only spin if there's enough motion of water over the blades, and since it's smaller, you have to run it a bit faster and with more tension on the line to get it to spin. Be patient though guys - it took me a few outings and finding the right conditions for it to catch fish, but when I found them, it's a blast to use. It felt a lot like a more versatile buzzbait, so fish it similarly. If it's any help, my best days with it are a slight breeze so the water's a tad choppy - its a pretty splashy (is that word?) bait, so calm conditions might do more spooking than is productive. I run it over subsurface grass (maybe 3-6 inches below the surface) and it'll bring the fish up out of the grass to take a swipe at it. The fish seem to follow mine for a good while before committing their coup de grace, so keep it moving and be ready for a blowup.

Also be careful as to using scents or dyes with them. I know that JJ's Magic will disintegrate them on contact - I'm not sure about other liquid baits. I use Megastrike on mine and they're fine.

This would be my first weapon of choice. It'll catch fish when nothing else will

I have the 6'10" medium and it's one of the best rods I've ever owned. There are two things that stood out to me when I handled one. First, the reel seat is the Ci4+ material. Some guys like it, some don't, but it fit my hands and felt excellent paired with my Curado. Secondly the build quality is very good. Their Hi-Power X construction isn't just a marketing gimmick, I noticed significantly further and more accurate casts than my Crucial gave me. I'd bet you'd like the rod. If possible, take your reel with you to the store and see if they fit together in your hand good, that'll tell you a lot.

I don't know if it's an option on your body of water, but I would just try to find shallower water and stake it out. Even heavier anchors in a good stiff breeze will only marginally slow your drift but not stop you completely. A stake out pole will stop you completely, but like you said, you'd have to have shallower water.

If you're looking for durability of the arm I've been using the same Terminator T1 (titanium) spinnerbait for about 8 years now, just changing out the skirt when needed. That thing has taken a beating. The arm just springs back. Where the arm breaks happen is where it's bent over and over in the same spot. If the arm isn't allowed to bend, you shouldn't have the problem

This For example, here in Central IN, we have maybe 6-7 large-ish bodies of water, for thousands of local anglers and their boats to hit. One particular lake near my house can have as many as 4 tournaments on a Saturday morning at once, and it's only a 1900 acre lake. Talk about pressure. It's downright awful. I try to find back road ponds, streams, or private properties people will let me fish with permission

I know for super clear water like that you might try a spybait presentation. You can cast those things a mile and their action is subtle enough that it won't spook the fish. Just keep your retrieve steady since those things are expensive enough you wouldn't want to make a habit of losing them on the rocks.

So this weekend, Memorial Day weekend was super weather here, and on the way to our little family picnic, my wife uttered the magic words.... "Honey after we pay off your truck we should get a bass boat so you can fish and take me and the kids out in it" My jaw nearly fell on the floor in amazement. So - aside from the things I know I need to start looking into - kind of boat, insuring it, storage, and hauling.... What other kinds of "hidden" things do I need to start thinking about? Hidden costs? Accessories and items I would need to include in the purchase? Any sort of "gotchas" I need to be wary of? I might add that due to my towing capacity I'll need an aluminum boat, and probably 17ft or less. It'll likely be a gently used boat, hopefully in very good shape, probably a 40hp or less motor. I already have about 10 PFD's laying around, including some self-inflating kind and I'm a freak for safety so I've got that covered. So what can you veteran boaters give me in terms of Things To Think About before this becomes a possibility next spring?

I pretty much throw Black on Black Cavitrons about 95% of the time. Sometimes, especially in the fall, I'll use a small 1/8 chartreuse buzzbait on a shallow river for smallmouth, but that's the only time I do.

Yep - this pretty much sums it up. Since your craft is very light, and doesn't draft much water, its more susceptible to currents and wind than a larger boat. I've been using mine since March, and it's pretty frustrating, but its getting better. One thing I learned here to work on (from Darren), is to learn to cast, reel, and fish, while keeping the paddle in your lap and controlling your direction. It's not easy believe me, but it's also getting easier each time.

I have some really nice hair jigs I use for fall smallmouth fishing. Was wondering if anyone had used hair jigs in spring and summer with any kind of luck for largemouth - and if so, how you fished them?