gulfcaptain

That's not the 8" version. That's the next size up. I haven't had any issues with the hook up ratio on the 8". If they are going to eat it they eat it. If you want to set up a trailer rig, heres an easy idea. Get some 65-80lb braid (I use 50 but some like heavier), tie a smaller treble (#2 or #4) to one end. Then figure the length you want for the stinger. Make a loop knot (big enough to pass the hook through, run it through the eye of the main hook then place it in the back. To keep from damaging the bait, cut the bottom hook off the treble so you just have a small piece that will be inserted into your bait, cut a small paper clip in two pieces, paint flat black, and use it to hold the hook in the right upright position. And make sure you have several spares as they will be lost on each fish caught. Hope this helps.

Found out they are discontinuing the Heddon Poppin Image Jr, so I hit up Amazon and ordered a few in my go to colors before they disappear or those "hard to find" sellers try and sell me a $6 popper for $16. But I feel your pain, I loved their Hula grub beaver style baits, then they were discontinued. Found the VM brand on TW, well their gone now too. That bait was my go to bait under tougher flipping conditions when they wouldn't eat a regular beaver style bait but would crush them.

Please understand my wait to feel the fish is a not sit and wait. I see the bite, the slack comes out in a hurry and if the fish is there I'm swinging. All this may be at most 2 seconds. This lets me visually make sure my frog has disappeared and not still there as well. If they missed it, I let it sit, then twitch and sit. If they don't come back, then they aren't wanting that size or color. The more you fish the frog the more you will get the technique down. Also, if you're missing them and they aren't commiting to the bait, you may not have the size frog they want or the color. They may just be rolling on it. You find the right size and color, the fish will let you know and there won't be any question if they have that bait or not. You have another 2-3 months depending to fish the frog. I fish them all the way till the water hits 60. Some of the best days frogging I've had have been in late fall.

Welcome to the forums. Never fished much of the IE, but do fish a lot of Northern OC area.

I'm not seeing if you're using braid or not? If not, well there's problem #1. Heavy matt/grass fish on frogs are never 100%. My technique is to reel down when I see the bite till I feel the pressure/weight and then swing. Once the fish is hooked, then I NEVER give that fish a chance to get his head turned. I keep my rod tip up and the handle turning. If the fish is balled up in the weeds, well then it's gonna stay pinned and the weeds are coming with the fish or I'm headed in to get the fish out of the weeds, but never letting any slack or letting that fish move. My rod of choice for a frog is a 7'3"H Falcon Fast action with a 7.3:1 or 8:1 reel and either 30 or 40lb braid (my choice some like heavier) depending on how heavy the cover is. Also check the hooks, make sure they are sharp and not digging back into the frog.

Try a 4-6 inch worm (straight or currytail) on a dropshot about 10 inches up from the weight. Happpened to stay at a buddies house in Louisiana when I first started working down there and he had a small body of water behind his house that had a "couple" fish in it. Well I caught more then a couple. They wouldn't touch a texas rigged worm, but throw a dropshot and they smashed it. Just a suggestion.

I played it when i used to DJ, but I had the power to limit the song/duration. Can't really sit and listen to it now though.

Where I fish, I love bright cloudless sunny hot middle of the day fishing. Why, because I know where I fish those fish are going to be in the heaviest grass or cover they can find which sets up nicely to go punching, not to mention most fishing the morning have packed up and gone home to cool off leaving it all to me.

I tend to stick to a few brands in assortted colors. So I'd say 50% of what I throw I use almost anywhere have caught fish, 50% (deep diving) I use only when I can (only 2 brands with various colors and have caught fish, but have 2 of each hence 50%). Then there is about another 25% that have hit the water but no bites as of yet. And I have probably another 25% that I haven't used or are still in the package.

Frogs, some topwater baits (buzzbaits, some walking and popping baits), heavy flipping/grass fishing, and dirty water. As mentioned above, everything else gets either fc or mono topshot/leaders.

Shoot I fished a "frog only" tournament and had 6 rods on the deck and 2 more in the locker with different frogs on them.. Even fishing around where I live from shore I always have 2-3 rods. But I carry a small arsenal in the car of what produce the best for the time of year. I do know when I was younger, I killed it with a roostertail. Have friends that fish only an Ika, Senko, and a shallow crankbait. I can't do that, there are just too many baits out there to catch fish on.

Fishing around rocks you have to constantly check your line for any signs of wear. There's no silver bullet or magic mono to fix that. I'd keep fishing what you're fishing, just check the line often and retie as needed.

When I need a mono line, this is what I've used. Used to use it all the time in saltwater. Fished everything from 10-60lb. Wasn't as soft as some, but not as durable as others. Good all around line that served it's purpose. And as mentioned, a 1/4lb spool, you can re-spool as needed without worry.

I'm not sure if I have a single best day.....all of them are great days!!! I've had a day where I have been able to catch yellowfin tuna in a wide open bite with a cane pole, 3ft of line and a hook. Probably one of them that stands out, fishing with a friend float tubing fishing a jig and crushing them with fish ranging between 2 to 6+lbs. And of course when my son caught his first bass on a plastic worm which was shortly followed by his remarks of "this is easy Daddy".

I'd have to agree with you. I use 15lb and 20lb braid on some of my crankbait rods. Never had any issues either with lighter braid. Maybe we are doing something wrong

I'm sure I look the same way......I just call it the fish ninja look. Even better when you have 3 rods tucked behind your pack on your back....lol

One thing I haven't seen anyone say above, wetting your knot before you pull it tight. My partner in a tournament a few weeks ago wasn't used to fishing braid. Had his line break several times at the knot. If it is dry at all where you pull it tight you will damage that part of the line causing weak spots which then lead to well failed spots in the line followed by a few 4 letter words.

Thank you, just trying to give an opinion from the other side of the fence. It's a hard business to be in and if you don't have great customer service skills you're not going to make these days with social media. You have to work your butt off every day to earn the repeat business and positive feedback of your customers. Complaining to them or belittling them isn't the way to get it. Being professional is though.

I started investing in Simms Sungear and gloves to avoid that whole sunburn issue. Being covered up may not be the most comfortable thing in 100 degree weather, but when I get home I don't have that same red color as my crankbait. Sorry about the sunburn. Witch Hazel and lotion help though.

Isn't that what works for? I mean to give us a break from fishing and provide us with the funds to fish? Just saying.

Any guide who gives you a sad story is well isn't marketing himself very well and is going to fail as well as some really great fisherman who become guides but have the personality and ego that gets in their own way of becoming successful. I chose to "fish" for a living because I loved to do it. No we aren't stuck in an office and the thrill of going out and putting my customers on fish everyday to the best of my ability is what drove me. I never felt entitled to a tip nor did I let my crew slack on customer service. Working out of San Diego there were lots of boats to choose from, but my goal was to provide my passengers with the best experience and customer service that they would want to fish with me based on that factor. On the other end of the stick, you have customers who don't listen, do their own thing, do not take tips on what is working and what isn't, think they know better then the guy that's out there every day, then complain because THEY didn't catch anything and it was the guides fault. Those people aren't the ones I based my repeat business around. If your guide is successful in his business he will never give you a sad story of how bad it is. But you also have to remember, it's expensive to run that kind of business. Oh, and that $100 bill you gave the deckhand, odds are half went to the guy you tried to stiff. Crew's don't operate that way, it's all split evenly.

Coming from the charter fishing industry. The only thing a guide can guarantee is quality service, get you out and back safely, and make the best out of what the fishing conditions are. What he can't control is how the fish bite. Tipping someone on that basis from what you catch instead of the service you recieved doesn't paint a great picture. If a guide puts a no catch no pay into his contract, then you need to find out what "catch" includes. Guess my point is I tip someone based on service provided, not if I caught a fish. You can park you on fish all day but if the don't bite there isn't much he can do about it but keep you in productive water and hope they do. Point being no tip is guaranteed, it's earned for the effort the person puts in. Great customer servie great tip. We could wear them out fishing, but if he's paying more attention to his fishing then who paid to go fishing, then his customer service skills sucked which will end in a smaller tip then someone that was "johnny on the spot" everytime making sure I was taken care of first.

You hit the nail on the head. You ned to find where they are first. I've fished days where I've worn them out, come back and not a bite. The fish didn't want what I was throwing. Sometimes it's a certain color, other times it's the speed of the bait. These are all things you will learn to figure out the more time you put in. I got back into bass fishing 5 years ago. Caught a lot of smaller fish, not too many larger ones. But the more time I spent and learned how to read the water and the conditions, figure out the suttle changes I needed to make my production and fish size went up. Some days I'd be glad for 1 fish in 8-10hrs of fishing. I've had times where I've gone without a bite for days only to unload on them another.

As a lot of us have said, three weeks isn't much time. Do some research on what Spotted bass in rivers look for. Remember to always fish up river and bring the bait back down with the current as river/current the fish will relate and wait for food to come to them. Welcome to the wonderful world of bass fishing. And when you think you have it all figured out, well the whole game will change on you overnight. Pay attention to where you got bites and caught fish. Then look for similar spots and areas. Good luck and welcome to the forums.

The 90 catches fish, but be warned it will twist the crap out of your line. I've since put small quality swivels to keep this from happening. The 130 doesn't have that problem. Have caught fish on both sizes, but prefer to throw the 130 over the 90 when I can.