the reel ess

I've missed a bass on a Trick Worm that took my worm then the next time around the lake caught the same bass on another bait that spit my worm up. But that was same day. I don't really see how a bass could eat for months and still be able to spit that bait up. When they get hungry enough, they get really dumb.

Not that I think this is exactly what you need, but I use a 7' M/Fast. I mostly use Senkos wacky rigged. This is not a method that pays off for me every trip, so I don't have a dedicated setup for it.

I have the last generation of this boat It handles great in shallow water I've had it on a tiny river (creek until it rains) as well as a medium, rocky river and it was fine. It's nimble enough to go back to a spot you've already floated past

Anywhere from MH/mod to M/fast ought to do the trick. I use a 6'6" MH/MF Lightning Rod for the spinnerbaits (chatterbait) and buzzbaits and a M/MF Lightning Rod for the cranks and topwaters. But they're almost interchangeable. I really love the action of the Medium for topwaters with trebles and Rat L Traps. These are some applications that don't require much sensitivity, which makes the cheaper rod a good value.

Braid will still dig in. I have 50# on two reels and it digs in when I have to yank it or catch a big fish. Just deal with it. And why not use something thicker for your backing unless you already have the smaller line? I use 15# Big Game just because I have a lot of it laying around. But you'll use less of a thicker mono.

Yeah, what he said. This is not something I do much, but I can't stand NOT to fish.Around here, what I do is go to ponds about 6:30-7:00 and fish till dark. Most of the good bites come on topwater right before dark. But it's not quite that hot here.

A reel in the 7:1 speed range would be better for frogs, but what you have will work. The rod matters more. I had a MH Falcon I was using for frogs but recently bought a Cabela's Tourney XT 7-3 Hvy FROG model and it makes all the difference. It's not just the good hookset, but also the ability to get the fish to the surface and drag it in over pads or matted vegetation. And some will get down IN the stuff, then the backbone of the rod comes in. Couple that with a high-speed reel and you can ski the fish across the surface once you get them to it.

It's funny when they say "BIG FISH!" and swing a 1lb 14 oz over the side. I do enjoy the rules about handling the fish and the fact they put the right back, not drag them all over the lake all day.

Eat them, give them away and throw them over the dam. And they'll still probably be overpopulated. You may need someone to come in and do a shock survey and possibly remove a lot of small fish. A body of water that size might be too big to manage by just keeping unless you let everyone in. Hog Basser's advice is the best on this thread. Understand, a lot of places I fish, the average is below a pound.

Mann's Hardnose are extremely durable. Not sure if they still make them but I have a bunch a friend gave me.

They have to get numbers and continuously. I remember one Shaw Grigsby caught an 8 pounder and nearly missed the top 3. You'll see more bites with smaller baits-maybe a lot more. But they'll be smaller bites. Your average fisherman is looking for somewhere in the middle of numbers and size.

I haven't tried shakey head for them because I imagined they'd bury down in the weeds and muck in the ponds I fish. But then I fish T rigs with success. I guess i just have to give it a shot.

I have had a weightless Trick Worm tied on the same rod since last spring. I know rigged weightless, it's not going to cut it year-round at a major impoundment, but it will in the ponds. If they're chasing, I'll use like a jerkbait. If they aren't, I'll drag it. You can C-rig or T-rig with weight. It's Gerald Swindle's shakeyhead worm. I even wacky rig it and it works! Maybe it even works better than a Senko for that because it's thinner and won't cover the hook point when you set it. If it's summer, I'll have a frog on. Spinnerbaits are universal, buzzbaits, Spook Jr, Rat L Trap. And I never leave home without a T-rigged craw and several different worms. What's your favorite colors in the Trick Worm? Mine's bubblegum, limetreuse and methiolate. I can't seem to buy a bite in the natural colors. I haven't tried black. I'm also going to get some magnum sized ones because Swindle did a YouTube video on them. He says they're the most versatile worm in the tackle shop. He prefers black.

If you can't squeeze the water out and get it to walk better, it's time for a new frog. I have one that's doing that too and it has been my best froggie. Some people on here try to mend them. But I can't even see the hole or tear in my frog. They aren't that expensive, considering all the bites they get in summer.

Converging structures and covers with bottom bumpers. Knowing myself as I do (pretty well) I'd attack the headwaters with a topwater early and often. Especially in the evening. When you save the photo to your computer, open it and rotate. When you send the pic to your email it should ask you what size you want. Choose medium and it should be low enough file size to Congrats on this beautiful bass fishin' postcard of a property. This is a dream of mine and I hope to achieve it before I'm too old to enjoy it.

A lot of people are saying color is secondary, or even tertiary to the whole equation. But it's not when you know there are bass and you know what type bait to use. Then color is the difference between bites and no bites. Fish in a particular reservoir I go to won't bite certain colors. I can stubbornly throw them while my buddy in front of the boat throws other colors and catches fish. Well, if he offers me a color he's catching on and I don't have it, I'm taking it until I can get some. I have a big plastic container full of natural color soft plastics they don't eat where I fish. I keep them for other places, but I don't carry them in my bag unless I go to a new place. But that doesn't mean I change colors with the sun or water conditions. Once I have a good idea what they eat at a place, I stick with it. If I go elsewhere, all bets are off. I know people don't like the neon colored worms like limetreuse or bubble gum. I haven't found the place they won't get bites.

I have a spin combo with 20 lb braid that I'll use for jerkbaits, small cranks and also for some finesse stuff. It's sort of a catch-all rod for everything the MH combo isn't suited for. I never want to remove the weightless Trick Worm from the MH combo, honestly, but there are some small baits the BC combos won't cast well, like a Rapala Minnow. I'll admit it's not the best situation for some baits, but it's moderate medium and just feels right. I like the lower twist properties of braid. It has whooped some really good bass with this setup, even using trebles.

Sometimes they just slap it. It happens to me more during the mid day than in the low light periods.

Given that XL is thinner, probably XL. But I don't know how much difference you'll really be able to tell in the same lb test. I was using 10 lb XL for cranking and 12-14 XT for other presentations. You can tell a difference in stretch properties between the two and I would not want to be setting the hook hard, the way you do with T-rigged worm, with XL. Check the line often after catching fish, or even if you aren't catching. Don't want to lose that $6 or $7 crankbait to a really good fish.

I used to use 10 lb XL for deep cranking when I fished the big lakes because it was thinner and stretched well.. I liked 14 lb. XT for the T-rigs, spinnerbaits, etc. I no longer fish the big lakes so I don't need to crank much. A friend turned me to on to 15 lb. Berkley Big Game and I've been using it ever since for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and topwaters as well as the occasional crankbait. Big Game is so cheap you can afford to replace it a couple times a year (I don't). And it's so strong I got a trailer hook on a buzzbait hung on a log the other night and bent it out. It also stretches well for use with trebles and floats for use with topwaters. I had a situation once where a 6 pounder swam under the right side of my kayak and was thrashing around under a boat dock on the left side of me. I had to lock the spool down with my thumb and simply drag the fish back. No problem with Big Game. I use straight braid for most single hook, bottom-bumping applications and on both my spinning combos.

I ran across a very comprehensive chart with water clarity up one side and sky conditions across. a while back. But if you Google it, you'll find charts with guidelines based on these conditions. With black plastics, when in doubt, whip black and blue out. I can tell you in my neck of the woods where the water always keeps a stain, the naturals like watermelon and pumpkin do not work as well as darks and brights. Purple is very good soft plastic choice here. Black/blue as well.

I always tie direct. I've seen a few pros recommend the Rapala (loop) knot.

Any time. I use bubble gum colored Trick Worms wacky rigged and T-rigged and they work. I've probably caught more pond bass on this bait than any other in the last 3 years and it catches them in every pond. It's all my buddy uses.

Gold color works well where I fish. I've taken my daughter's art kit to some white or shad colored cranks and jerkbaits before with good results. I've also painted some small Bomber cranks with her hot pink nail polish because my buddy was catching bass on pink crappie size cranks. This had less stellar results.

Just use a trailer hook