the reel ess

I've been laughed at while fishing from the kayak, but I have the pics to prove it works, it's cheap, it's good exercise, it doesn't require a trailer and I can go places even jonboats cannot, which puts me in zero competition all for the grand total of $600. You can laugh all the way to the fish. When I was a kid, we used a 26' pontoon to fish for crappie and we used a concrete block for an anchor. On really windy days, we'd use 2. We called those days "2-block days" I'm sure it looked funny, but you couldn't buy an anchor that did the job as well and if you lost it, who cares???

I went Saturday. It was hot and very humid with full sun when i got there. I managed a couple bites, 1 fish. Then intermittent clods started rolling over. I could get a topwater bite on a Spook, Jr when cloudy but they didn't seem fully committed to it. Probably that was due to the light level. I ended up with 4 fish out of 9 bites. One of the ones I lost was probably 4 lbs. It was well-hooked, but got itself wrapped around a tree limb and got off before I could get to it. That was the dividing line. Had I caught that one, the day would have been a success. Having lost it, it was a bit of a disappointing day. Now, if I go out and fish 3 hours and the only fish I catch is over 5 lbs, that's a good day because I admit I target the larger fish sometimes. If I can catch 5 fish on topwater, that's also a good day. Or maybe 10 dinks would qualify as well because at least it kept me busy and the bite is generally slower where I fish and fish don't seem to school as much as they are solitary creatures. It's a smaller body of water that can be completely fished in 3 hours from a kayak.

Fish topwaters early and late in the day, especially in bathtub-warm water. Fish have to eat in the warmest months because their metabolism is high, but they can gorge early, late and through the night. My latest go-to just to get a bite is the Yamamoto Hula Grub in black/blue flake, T-rigged, weighted, with a 3/0 EWG hook. And this has also caught some good sized fish. It's a hard-to-resist morsel for most bass if you put it right in their face. Bass where I usually fish are hard to come by in the day in the heat and direct sunlight, and I catch more just dragging a craw-type bait along the bottom, T-rigged. Last time out I also caught some on an 8" Culprit ribbon tail worm. I like dark colors for stained water like you described and I'll put a glass bead between the weight and hook for an added clicking sound. I didn't see whether you use a boat or not. I use a kayak when I'm not fishing from my buddy's back seat. I like to fish ALL the wood cover in a place, especially if it's near deeper water. I've fished a tree with 3 different lures before getting a bite. When they're being really fickle, the slower you fish, the better. Good Luck.

Thanks, much appreciated. And, yes, I was concerned with the thick worm balling up on the hookset.

I recently caught aa few bass on an 8" Culprit ribbon tail. I plan on using a Carolina rig next time out.What size hook do you use? If you use something other than EWG, what is it? Thanks.

I have a really good Lew's Tournament MB reel that I love and an older BPS Johnny Morris reel that has held up well. The remainder of my "fleet" is lower cost, but still plenty tough enough to whip even a big ol bass. So I can recommend Lew.s and the JM line. There's a guy on this board who works on reels and highly recommends the Catica. They're about $130-150.

Yes, it's sort of the opposite of albinism. So it's statistically possible, though rare.If you have a population, it would eventually happen. It just might take years and years.

Yeah, a spoon will cause line twist. Mono can lose its line memory and adhere to the new twist after a while, especially if you use a spray made for that. But braid can't.

Nobody believed this one when it happened. Everyone wasso sure I was lying that I could see there was no convincing them and shut up. It was a rainy day and I was catfishing off my parents' lake house pier. I got a bite and ran from the canopy of the pontoon boat and started reeling. There was a fish on for about half the fight. Then I just felt dead weight What I reeled up was just the head of a smaller catfish. I figured I was reeling up the fish and a turtle grabbed it and bit off all but the head. That's the only explanation. There weren't any toothy critters at that lake back then. Looking back, it could have been a gar, but I didn't know there were any there until about a year ago. A judge told me he saw one here while hunting here in SC.

What lure were you using? I ask because I use straight 20 lb PowerPro braid on both my spinning combos because of the lack of twist inherent in braid. I've been using the same braid on both combos for almost 2 full years with no twist. Try that with mono or floro. I have 50 lb braid on 2 BC combos, but I'lll probably switch them to 30 when I replace.

This time of year until September, I'll usually try to go late and finish up the evening with topwaters. That pattern seems to work best for me when it's hot and muggy. My only other suggestion is look for whatever passes for structure in deeper areas and throw a big worm or t-rigged craw and drag it back slowly. If there's a creek bed, fish it and try to find bends, stumps, brush, etc.

Of course. One of the best days for numbers I ever had was overcast and drizzling rain. I caught bass all day on a Torpedo. You might need something to get their attention though. Maybe a popping frog or a prop bait.

My buddy used to use medium spinning combos exclusively. And he catches a lot of fish, and big ones at that. When we started fishing together he commented on me bringing 4 baitcasters and 2 spinning combos every time out. I told him they do different things well and gave the rundown based on rod action, rod length, reel speed, line type, etc.. He has since bought the first BC combo (a MH 6'6", of course) and loves it and is talking about getting another soon. On another note, I simply do not feel like I get as good of a good hookset with spinning equipment. Since I hold the spinning rod out in front, I seem to be relying on my wrist for the leverage instead of holding the reel and planting the rod butt in my stomach or chest. From years of computer work, my right wrist is weaker than the left. My leverage is a lot better with BC equipment that I hold with the left hand. But I'm right-handed so my left lacks the dexterity to burn a spinning reel all day if I needed to. And the BEST thing about a BC reel is it won't twist your line. I would not go too cheap with the first BC reel or you probably won't like it very much. At a minimum, I would look for one with a 1-pc aluminum frame. I've had 2 composite framed reels take a dump on me, and it won't happen on a small fish. And look at the ratings on Cabela's, BPS, Tackle Warehouse, etc. before deciding on one.

I see pros on TV using the EWG or offset bend hooks, but putting an outward bend in it so the hook rides up a few degrees. I'm sure this will have the result of more hookups, but also will result in more snags. It's a tradeoff.

Knock wood, I have never driven a hook all the way past the bard into my flesh. I'm 45 and have been fishing since I was maybe 8. I count my lucky stars and I'm sure it can still happen though.

What do you guys mean by above ground or upground reservoir? That's a new one on me.

If it's a backlash, tighten your drag all the way down. Hold your thumb on the spool and reel the line forward. Then disengage and try to pull out the knot. If it fails, repeat. If you still cannot get it out, cut it out. And I agree with using backing. I do it and can see no downside.

If I go out and with a buddy who catches 8 to my 4, but I catch mine on topwaters, I WIN!!! Not that it's a competition. That's just how much I like to catch fish on a surface lure.

I have a new favorite after almost every time out. Right now it's Spook, Jr. in baby bass pattern.

I expect you'll find they both work very well.

I don't keep a score. I do write it down in the log though. I just don't go back and count all of them. I did recently count the big fish (5+lb) over the last few years. It's interesting to see where, how and on what baits you caught them. It certainly helps improve. I'm not after quantity anymore, I'm after quality. But I'm the type of dude that, if I caught a 12 pounder tonight, right after I released it, I'd just be on to the next bite. The quest never ends.

I understand. I catch a lot of bass on a gold/black Rat L Trap and Rapala minnow. But I've also caught a big shiner on a jig. This place has a good steady flow from a feeder creek, so I guess they never completely get eaten because they keep flowing in.

NM

I'd use the clear so YOU can see it. I have clear on a couple rods and I fish stained water. I also have low-vis Trilene XL on one rod, just trying to use it up. It gets really difficult to see.

I figured some years ago that if I was going to be serious about bass fishing, I should buy 1 pc rods. I haven't regretted it once since. The last 2-pc I had was so troublesome, I glued it together. I would like a good quality travel rod to keep in the vehicle for fishing on a whim when I'm on vacation or just out on work business, but it's not a need.