gulfcaptain

I'd add a swimbait (3-6" size) and slow wind that thing back as well as the jig, chatterbait, lippless crank, and spinnerbait. Then you have all your bases covered.

I had to hand tie some of mine that had the rubber bands as they were sliding off. No wire but 50lb PP seems to hold up pretty well after 10 wraps.....lol I would have preferred wire just didn't have any.

Or find yourself a float tube, I had a couple places I used to use mine. But you're lucky if you can use them in that body of water you're wanting to fish. I want to float tube one of our local ponds but the idea of that HUGE ticket isn't really worth it.

A dropshot on a cylinder weight fished 12-18" above the weight to keep it out of the moss.

This and I also use a San Diego Knot. If you think it's wet, wet it some more...and pull slowly then wet the knot right before you pull it tight.

1: SK 1.5 and up both regular and shallow 2 Manns Baby 1-minus 3 R2S Biggie (both sizes) 4 BP Flat Squarebill (no longer offered and going to have to try the Crush Flat 75X)

I fish mine from shore and use it as if it were a big spinnerbait. So being you're heads are close to what I fish (mine are all 1/8 or 1/16 with 2 dummyheads to be legal)so here is my set up I used the last couple years. I fish a 7'6"MH BPS cranking stick (older model) and I fished it with a Carbonlite reel (which has been upgraded to an EXO 200) in the 5.1 gear ratio and believed it gave me about 22-24 IPT which let me wind the 5 wire bladed A-rigs with less fatigue. Fished 3-4" Kietech Swing Impacts and used a 6-8ft leader of 20lb mono with 30lb braid. I liked the softer action of the rod to keep the fish pinned since the baits I were using had the Kietech tungsten heads and 3/0 wire hook which held better then the Owner ball heads did and would still bend out if I needed to pull it free. I used stronger hooks in the beginning but after loosing a few rigs, I switched to a lighter wire hook and the Kietechs were the best of those I tried. I do have another rod (BPS 7'6"MH Bionic Blade 2010 model) I use if I'm lake fishing and need a stiffer rod to fish heavier hooks and heads but same reel and line setup.

Had a picture of one of the fish I had on the 90 size, swapped hooks on both, put a #4 KVD 2X Short 1X Strong EWG on the front hook and a #6 on the back. Sits nicely in the water and more level as opposed to the back end sinking down. Also helps keep the bait from rolling being balanced like that.

If I was ripping baits out of grass the way he fishes then I would probably go with a H rod opposed to a MH especially dealing with glass rods that have a softer action opposed to graphite. May give him that little extra bit of stiffness to pop that bait the way he likes to fish where the MH may not. Just my opinion.

And that is why you should always bring the whole reel into the store, not just the spool especially if it doesn't have any line on it as so the tackle salesperson can see what they are dealing with.....I stripped off brand new line off of one of those reels that were spooled backwards when I worked at a tackle store once or twice. And yes, I was guilty of doing one of those fills, and after seeing the reel and which way it rotated I could spool it properly but an empty spool, no reel, and not knowing it went on the wrong way.....but it wasn't twisted.....lol just backwards. And respooled free of charge.

The 30 I have been using still has that feeling to it and the color retention is much better then 832. I used to use Super 8 but found after about 9 months it started to have issues with the braid having some filaments break in odd spots and tried 832 and never went back. Just put the standard TCB on my swimbait rods as well.

I had to swap hooks, then figure out the size combo plus added a small quality swivel to keep it from rolling and twisting my braid up as well. Being at work though, have to get back home first and I'll send you a PM about the configuration I used but finally got it to where it sits right and doesn't want to role on retrieve. Oh and I either start my retrieve the minute it hits the water or let it sit. Then give it a quick pull. And if you use straight braid, put a little bit of fly dry floatant on the braid up about 12". Helps pop it up quicker after it sits and also works great with hollow belly frogs too.

Sad? I don't think sad is the right emotion when your line flys off the reel, tangles around the rotor, and is one big endless mess trying to go through the guides followed by a few explicit words. Sad......no, sad is having to work when the weather is great and fishing is insanely good.....p'd is more of the emotion I was thinking....lol

I'd agree, you spooled it backwards meaning the bulk spool was turned the opposite direction as the way you were trying to lay it on the reel.. Best way to spool a spinning reel.....take it to the tackle store, have them spool it on the machine. Otherwise when you go to spool it, see what way the line lays on the spool (which way does it coil when it's slack....memory of the line coming off the spool.) you're using to fill your reel. Should also let you know, spinning reels you need to lay the spool of line on it's side. You can't fill the reel like you do with a casting reel. Make sure the two are the same. Start filling your reel, then stop about 20 turns in and see what the line does.....if it wants to come off the reel when you give the line slack, turn the spool of line over.

Give P-Line's TCB 8 a shot. I fish braid on all my rods including cranking, and have fished PP, SS, 832. 30lb is my most used size, although I do use 20 on my two lighter cranking outfits (power pro). Everything else is either 832 or P-Line TCB 8. I'm leaning more to TCB 8 over 832 at this point as I really like the feel of it. And the 10lb lays great on my spinning reel (25 size).

Those are some pigs right there. Nice looking healthy fish.

Slack water areas with rock and a darker bottom (absorbs heat better) that gets a good amount of sunlight. Try some of the smaller football jigs and small craw trailers. I do really well on Bass Patrol's 1/4oz jigs (both living rubber and silicone) and a Tiny Paca Chunk or 2 1/2" Trigger X Flappin Craw. Then drag it slowly. Also have done well on a dropshot fished really slow. Carry a thermometer with you as well so you can keep an eye on water temps to give you a better idea about how slow you need to fish.

Jig fishing has paid off well this year from me as well. Largest fish this year so far was on a jig. And if you wanted, the 8" Line Thru trout will catch 3-4lb fish as well as larger ones. Don't have to live on trophy waters to target the larger fish. And don't have to break the bank either. Nice fish, keep it up.

Welcome to the forums. And every outing weather you catch or not lends itself to learning and observing.

Most GPS units get you within 15-30yds. At least that's what they used to be. They aren't going to be within a few feet due to wel safety reasons from my understanding. But if you have a waypoint plugged in it will get you to that waypoint but as for chart plotters, I use a Furuno comercial unit with a Navtronics card at work on the crewboat I run and at times it will show me navigating on land going in and out of the channel/bayou here in the Gulf of Mexico depending on how close to the side of the channel I am.

My buddy that lived in Gonzales had a drain basin for the housing addition he lived in. Try dropshotting a 4" worm to those fish. Lets just say it worked really well when I stayed at his house for a week.

Do they still even make the Mannipulator worm anymore? Caught a lot of fish on that worm when I was a teenager.

It fades to white. I've heard no negitive reviews of yellow. I've thought about trying it myself but since most of my braid I flip and pitch with is almost white now instead of green, well no need. I could always just color it yellow with a sharpie next year when I want to try it out.

Go to.....hmmmm I fish so many different small bodies of water where each is different and calls for something a little different. But I'll say a shallow crank followed by a jig. Those two baits have been money most of this year in almost all of them.

I agree with this. May find people in this set up that are also willing to fish with you as a team if you two gel well together.