the reel ess

I use 30# PowerPro. As I said in the other thread I do fish in some cover whenever I can. But I keep a spool of 15# Big Game in my bag in case of catastrophic backlashes. It has saved a trip for me before.

Yeah, when you cast it into a laydown and the fish grabs it before it hits bottom, you'll only feel it when you start to raise the lure and they pull back. Those tend to be some quality fish.

Many, if not most of my bites while pitching are detected by the line just moving on its own. You become a good line watcher. Or you raise the rod up and the bait pulls against you. Fortunately, bass will hold a bait for a while before they determine it's not food. If you want a jig for really heavy cover, the Trashmaster is a winner. For heavy vegetation I like a slither rig. But I mostly just throw T rigged plastics now instead of jigs. Less hassle, cheaper and more weedless.

Good hooks (Gamakatsu superline) and braided line (PowerPro). Stuff to fix my old car.

You sir are ready to start a punk band. I've been very fortunate in my 54 years to never actually get a hook past the barb. My dad got a Norman DD22 treble through the fleshy part between thumb and forefinger while the bait was attached to a striper that was flopping all over the boat. I dispatched it with the heel of my Adidas flip flop. We cut the hook and he actually fished a while longer. I mean, we were in a school of stripers.

I've been told by the guy who runs our local DNR bass, bluegill, shellcracker and catfish hatchery that you can't fish a pond out. He said a certain amount of fish simply won't bite a hook. More likely, several factors come into play, including harvesting EVERYTHING. I believe fisheries biologists are playing the odds when they say what they say. That said, I practice catch & release because I want to spend the time catching, not cleaning fish.

Power clips like this, small size. I fished with a guide who used them. I liked them and when I got home I bought a lifetime supply from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Alwonder-Stainless-Freshwater-Saltwater-Tackle-75LB/dp/B0C2YG9SF9/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3OIQLV3XNJQG0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bLtekGekFLSfpw0SodfSOrAS0gjTfot_Nhve2qS1zJLfnQXAZPxSmtkTr6HgMtAd4O3rugbAU-sg9H04BBCUTM9KpdoTu2pwQ96q9gRQmHlx0-ZUCsbfnk2xkqzY1Er6D1IELzt5n2SV3DYKGval0-mvaBBoNs5TrHQsdBci1PXNCQLF9STkjlpEg06MNQB7cMhhGBtoTyUq-QEYQdC7IfpCw-d4GpM68FgYuwZaseSjfH2RKAzmf3CGjt5K-M-l9lZxGzN9z2gYa8Y35yDZHOLYh5ubMasX8ciNQ-Vvk2g.ghGk_-WkeMwhtp5PmHBx6atAjb6LimH3AUSdAvoMYrQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=BASS%2BSNAPS&qid=1744140593&sprefix=bass%2Bsnaps%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-10&th=1

I'm a fan of this too. I like the power clips style. Also, I bought some Orvis polarized glasses with readers. 😉 I need readers just to use the snap.

Don't believe the hype. Small jigs get big bass. Just gotta get it in front of the big bass. I all but stopped using jigs in heavy cover because they're not as weedless as a T rig. I switched to a craw or beaver style or even a Senko. I mean, that's what they eat, right? I kept on getting big bass.

I have places with 4-6 pounders where I catch fish. Think about it. Big fish either produce small fish or there will be no fish. I['m with you on management though. A certain amount need to be removed or it get so out of balance it can't recover.

nm

If I know it has produced for others, I may go back after getting skunked. But I've been in ponds that just give the impression of the Dead Sea-no minnows or anything. I won't go back to those. There's a local pond with a reputation for big bass that I finally got permission to fish. I went with another guy. He caught a tiny dink and I got skunked. Later learned from the owner that they think it was wiped out by otters. That's a no-go until I hear a good report.

That bass looked like it swallowed a softball. It's a pound smaller than my PB, but by far my favorite bass pic. It bit a spinnerbait before I even started retrieving. I've never seen a bass that fat and it wasn't near spawn. I think it was October. I believe I caught that fish twice about a month and 40 yards apart, and only about 2 ounces difference in weight.

When you see a laydown or overhanging brush and think it's just too gnarly to fish, fish it! The big ones live in there and they think they're safe. Get a heavy stick, spool with 30# braid, use superline hooks and go get 'em. Pay attention because often the bait never hits the bottom.

I think about this too. What we consider to be trash and pollution is just the neighborhood to a fish. They're captive in the environment. They don't know any better. I've fished places that look like postcards with nary a nibble then caught bass from a quarry or tiny hole. Also, bass in small waters will be so shallow sometimes you wonder how you don't see their fins.