corn-on-the-rob

So, I said it oddly because it is a filtered word. But disable addddd blockeeeer on this site. It gets rid of that annoying interaction, AND this is a site that exists because of sponsors, so we should all not be blocking it anyways!

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I don't care how good you get, you will reel into tons of fish, honestly that is very normal. Still work to develop more sensitivity, but all that takes is time with the rod in your hand and willingness to improve. Like I said, whether you missed it, or they picked it up in a way that didn't transmit to your line/rod, the key here is to not be content with "oh the fish is on like normal, I'm fighting him now!", you need to understand he has YOU, and though you skipped the expected detect/hookset phase, you still need to set the hook. Depending on the lure/technique, you'll either need to continue in the direction you reeled into him, keep going hard in that direction as high as you can (like a sweep/reel set), or at times you may even drop the rod tip, and come up hard with a snap set. EDIT: Also, I feel like most every fisherman, even the most experienced can relate to this, but at any given time, especially when it is slow, you'll question yourself, "what does a bite even feel like?, I feel like I can't remember. Am I missing bites? Will I be ready when one does happen?" Then BOOM, you're like "duh, yup, that's what it feels like!".

I almost always use the 10'' Power Worm. I like Black w/ blue flake, watermelon w/ purple/red flake, then one of the red-ish colors like plum or cherry seed. That being said, plenty of people seem to enjoy the Zoom Ol' Monsters, so they are worth a look. I also occasionally throw the 9'' fat max as well. Really, the only (likely) significant differences between any brands in this 9 to 12 inch range is the thickness of the body, which can make a pretty big difference in how the profile is presented. Don't be afraid to throw big worms just about anywhere, I fish 99% Ohio lakes and have success (surprising at times) even on infamously tough inland lakes here.

That's exactly what's happening. They are a $25 bait, and not a $30 dollar bait because those hooks don't cost them virtually anything. But I agree, I'd rather have the complete package, and have it priced in accordingly.

The whole "expensive lures should have good hooks" is a bit misguided. A lot of company these days that are in the higher price range build their reputation around the craftsmanship of the lure; the body/action/finish. All of the costing is put towards this, and the margins are smaller than you'd think. So these already pricey baits may have a much harder time selling with premium hooks since that will add a few more dollars to the already high sale price, which may lower volume of sales. It is also compounded by the fact that treble hook choice/types/sizes is diverse and are as much preference as the color of a bait that selling just one configuration of premium hooks is not going to make everyone happy at the price-point. Basically, keep prices a little lower, and people can leave the mediocre hooks on, or change them at will.

Had an interesting catch this last weekend. It may be a bit gruesome, but definitely unintentional, nor was it sight/spawn fishing, but it may be a cool anecdote on the whole pain debate. I was out fishing for largemouth in West Harbor on Lake Erie (Ohio), pitching a tube against some rip rap. I felt a bite, set the hook, came up with nothing. After insisting that I had a bite, I pitch back in there, feel the tick again, same result. But, as I am reeling my bait in, I realize there is something on my hook. I think, "did I impale a minnow, a goby?" Attach0 (6) by Rob Webber, on Flickr After some confusion, and closer inspection, that is indeed, a lip. While I am staring and laughing in disbelief, my buddy tosses his creature bait in and hooks up with a fish, and we joke about checking his lip. Well...you guessed it... Attach0 (7) by Rob Webber, on Flickr Attach0 (5) by Rob Webber, on Flickr Pretty wild catch. No, my hookset wasn't excessive. I'd guess he already had some damage. Without the pictures, I don't think I would have told a soul, no one would have believed it!

Culprit Fat Max for a truly big bodied ribbon tail

Don't ever be afraid to fish behind other boats (respectfully of course). Just because they threw their baits at your spot, doesn't mean your fish are affected, especially if you are on to something unique. You may know much more, or have the right bait, color, fall rate, cadence, etc. Don't be intimidated by the boat in front of you, take is as a challenge. Other people fished your spot? Prove you know it better.

I drive 105 miles about every other weekend to go fish Lake Erie in Sandusky (Erie Islands) during the season. I have to drive a little over an hour to my dad's house to grab the boat, hook it up, then (the insane part) drive about 50 minutes to Sandusky all while traveling parallel to, and only few miles from other parts of lake Erie the entire time. The things we do for fishing.

I might be the only one that likes the poison tail hook. Yea, it looks a little goofy, but it has amazing holding power once you stick a fish.

As a drum (always call them sheephead) catching machine, I can confirm. I would not eat one unless there was some grossly significant reward to do so. Pretty gross in general, and they eat EVERYTHING. I always imagine them just following each other around eating each other's crap. Also have heard that their texture is closer to shrimp than what you would expect fish fillet. Fun to catch when you can't catch a bass, but no fun when all you want to do is catch a bass. I have had days on erie where I catch 4 bass, and 30 sheaphead. My record is 76 in a 10 hour day (kept count with a clicker), that day I caught 15-20ish smallmouth, so my arms were tired as most of the drum were in the 3 to 8lb range. While there are tons of sheephead, there is something I do specifically that makes me catch waaay more than anyone else. There could be 4 people in my boat with identical setups, I will catch more sheephead, it sucks. Also, record is 4 casts in a row, hit that multiple times, can't break to the 5th! Here is my PB, 13.5 lbs on the scale: EDIT: Yes, my sunglasses broke.

I am a huge proponent of learning the minimum amount of good knots to deal with the situations you need, and not a single one extra. For my self, a san diego jam covers direct tie with any line type, Alberto for leader connections, and a uni-snell (but I am getting away from snelling). I agree with others for the most part by saying, whenever possible, tie direct with one of those types of knots. There are a few cases where I don't mind a small barrel swivel. Fluke setups, and drop shotting. Yes, I said drop shotting. And I am sure there are a few other justified situations that reasonably call for a barrel swivel that I didn't mention above, but I digress. I am on Erie every weekend, so naturally I drop shot a ton, so let's address the issues: Line Twist: Despite regurgitated non-facts, line twist is a verrrry real thing with braid, especially with certain techniques (like drop shot). Yes, I like a good connection knot, and yes, I try to hook my bait as straight as possible, and yes, I reel in slowly. But, if you drop shot frequently, line twist can be unavoidable, this is where I like a barrel swivel for drop shotting. Adding Weight: Just like in a fluke setup, a barrel swivel can be the answer of solving the above problem, while adding a little up-the-line weight to get a certain desired action out of the fluke or weightless plastic. Yes, you can use a pegged bullet weight or split-shot, but a small barrel swivel is very stream-lined and gets the job done well. Knot Fear: While I would never encourage someone to tie unnecessary additional knots, this is the most common negative that people will bring up with this or similar topics where you add an element to your presentation via more knots. So I'd like to say this: whether you have one knot or 5 knots tied between you and your bait, if you are breaking your line/knot, the number of knots is not the issue. Choice of knot: Learn a high strength, yet simple knot to tie. Many people get attached to certain knots "because that's what they've always tied". Do your research, do your own testing at home. If you are using a poorly designed knot, you are failing before you get started. People like to also learn unnecessarily complicated knots just for a debatably negligible strength gain. Knot Quality: Of course, no matter then knot, if tied improperly, can fail. This is why I am a big believer in as simple as possible. If the knot I tie is easy, simple, hard to tie incorrectly, and it has a a good average break strength, I will absolutely not use a significantly more complicated knot just to achieve 95% or even 100% breaking strength when I already had 90%. Equipment Settings: If you setup your equipment improperly relative to your line/hook, you will fail. Rod power (even action) and drag are the keys here. You can tie the best knot in the world that has 200% strength (kidding) with 4lb line, but if you are frog fishing in lilly pads, using your xxxheavy rod, with a locked-down drag, you will fail, and it's not the knot's fault. In summary, of course every additional knot gives you an additional chance to mess up tying a knot, but if you do your due diligence and ensure each knot is a good designed knot, properly tied, and have your equipment set correctly, you should be fine if you want use an extra knot. Maybe i'll make a video this year with a bunch of daisy chained leaders/barrel swivels and catch some fat smallies with the same reel/rod settings as if I was only using one direct tied knot!

Wow, that's awesome! Absolute footballs.

Those. Fish. Look. Absurd.