the reel ess

Absolutely. In a whole lot of waters (probably most of the country that has bass) a 6 pounder is as big as they get. I have a friend up north that tells me they just don't get much over 4 lbs. there.

Lipless crank, reeled extremely slowly in deepest areas of the pond. I haven't tried it in cold weather yet, but I'm sure I'll try jigs more this winter.

@soflabasser I tried to quote you, but I kept getting the other person's quote. I have no idea of the length of the 6.5 lb. bass in my pic. But I went home and weighed a 10 lb dumbbell weight with that scale and it was very close. Assuming the 10 lb. weight weighed 10 lbs.

It looks almost like this bass's identical twin. I was amazed this fish was only 6.5 lb. I thought the scale must be inaccurate.

I went to the lake that produced a couple PBs lately. I managed three very small dinks before the notherly wind blew me right off the lake. Not wanting to waste a day off, I went to my friends' small pond because it's in a low-lying area. It's my go-to when it's windy. The water was muddy and colder from day-long rain and temps in the 40's. But it warmed into the 60's the last couple days. I caught a 5.5 lb, two 3 lb. (I weighed them all), (3) in the 1-2 lb range and lost one bigger than the 5.5 pounder. This is a place that used to only have dinks. I don't know what has changed, but the average has really taken off the last couple years. If i didn't know better I'd think they're being fed. Here's a pic of the 5.5 lb. The owner was walking up when i caught it so i got him to take a pic. He was about as excited as me. They didn't know until this summer they were growing some future trophies. Of course, I never take any out. This pace will be a great winter alternative because it's sheltered. The bait was, once again, @cadman's custom black/blue ultimate grass jig with Chigger Craw trailer. This bait has been absolutely killing it for me lately. I'm well on my way to becoming a jig fanatic!

The frog is my favorite lure around a mat of lilies. There aren't any other types of mats anywhere I fish. I don't start out throwing it but as I come by some lilies, I'll take a couple casts with it. If I see a baitfish flee or a bass chasing something there, I'll cast and make it plop down noticeably. Those aren't fish you'll spook.

LOL I haven't done very well with it on my fav lake. I have pulled it out before a few places to avoid a skunk, but I have to admit it's not the bait I think of first and I usually don't have one tied on.

@Way2slow My buddy kills a good many hogs with his AR-15 in .223. And he has a lot of hunting rifles and shotguns, handguns even. He likes the quick follow up shot because he can dispatch more than one. He aims for right behind the ear. I know it's not optimal though.

I don't intend to hunt deer beyond 200 yds. I did say most shots would be within 100. But this is actually the best tool I own. Honestly, hogs are the most likely game, but there are deer. I'd just like a more accurate rifle.

Thanks

Does anyone here hunt with an AR-15? Can you recommend a good scope? My rifle is the run-of-the-mill mil-spec Palmetto State Armory 16", 7:1 twist. Everything (hogs, coyotes and maybe whitetail) would be within 100 yds. I'm guessing a 3-9 scope would get the job done??? I don't want to pay more for the scope than I did the rifle. Thanks.

On second thought, the Pop R standard size is a little too light for my M-MF rod. So a M-M might do well for that.

I use a 6'6" M/MF regular Lightning Rod for treble lures & topwaters. I don't think I'd want one any more flexy than that. It's already a little too limp for bigger topwaters like the 130 Whopper Plopper.

You could go stick a hook in every bass in his pond so they get wise to the Senko.

I fish about 5 ponds. Just use all the standard stuff and see what works. I fish one place full of dink bass and huge 'gills sometimes. There are fathead minnows there and besides that, the forage is small bass and bluegills and whatever else bass can get to. My best bait there is a big gold tandem spinnerbait. It also seems to cull some of the dinkiest dinks. Go figure! If there are gizzard shad, don't be afraid to upsize. There might be some bass there big enough to eat one.

That craw is an awesome creek bait. Also, try a crappie tube jig and/or small grub as well. Venture up and downstream and look for some deeper holes or slacker water and you might find some bigger bass.

I would have already fished that creek. If there are any ponds upstream, it probably has every species they have plus chubs, suckers, etc. Whatever species are native.

5 Hour Energy helps. I never drink the whole thing at once. There are at least 3 servings in a bottle. I'll just sip a little when I start dragging. I only use them when I crash after fishing early but I still have things to do. But a nap is even better.

When I went out Friday morning the sun was still low. Where it was peeking through the woods and hitting the water there was fog rising. It was coming off the water in little tornadoes. I've never seen that before and I'm almost 5 decades old. I wish I'd taken some video but I was making a beeline for where I thought fish would most likely be.

Bingo! A big bass can't be caught where there are none. But a big bass can be caught on anything where there are some. You'll catch plenty of dinks on those big baits too. But if you're in FL, there are probably biguns there too.

Right! Windy cold and rainy cold are two conditions I won't be caught out in. I find myself looking for shade 3/4 of the year and sunlight the cold months. Last year I didn't have to worry much about cold because I was still kayak fishing in shorts in December. We have a cold rain coming Friday. That'll probably slow down the fall bite for a while.

@Bluebasser86 And this is why I asked. A lot of people catch their biggest bass ever in the cold months and a lot of people miss out on the opportunity because it's not comfortable.

You guys who fish all winter (I mean the southern winter from TX around to SC-NC, not the northern winter with the hard water) do you start first thing in the morning as you would in the other seasons? Or do you wait for the sun to get high in the sky and warm up the top layer of water? I recall the Classic at Lake Hartwell, SC where the temps were in single digits one morning. The start was delayed a couple hours and some of the anglers were ticked because they'd been catching their best fish shallow and early.

I'd be all over the spinnerbait and jig there now. In fact, that's what's working here. I'm about an hour north of there.

I have next Monday off as well. I'm hoping for a stable fall weather pattern. They seem to be feeding up nicely.