the reel ess

Weightless Trick Worm for me. I have a buddy that kayaks with me and only fishes when he's with me. It's the only lure he uses and he catches them regularly on it. The ol' T-rigged worm. I even usually overlook it in favor of a craw. At one time I'd caught more fish on the plastic worm than all other baits combined.

Well, since I'll also accept fake blonde, that's at least twice as many. Alas, I'm married anyway.

To me fake blonde is better than no blonde. Three things a human being can't be too much of: Too Blonde, Too Pretty or Too Rich

The main advantage I get from a BC reel is better cast and spool control. You can put your thumb on the spool and slow and stop your cast at the exact distance you want and begin reeling immediately. More difficult for me with spinning. No flipping the bail and pulling against the slack to avoid loops and twist. There's another advantage. No line twist (unless you use some bait that causes it). As mentioned before, braid has helped out spinning a lot. You can get a 20# braid that casts like 8# mono but doesn't have the memory. Spinning rods tend to be more limber for the same action. a MH spinning rod is usually about the same as a M BC rod. The braid helps with hooksets on that regard. I use both for different reasons and the arrangement of the BC reel on top and exactly where my hands want to be just feels better and allows me better leverage and hooksets and since I'm right handed causes me to fumble less for the reel handle when I get excited. My left wrist and hand are stronger (hookset) but less articulate (reeling). I know others have other ideas and that's fine. As I said I use both, but when it's a big boy on the line I do have more confidence in whipping him with a BC combo.

Whatever I put on, be it bug spray or sunscreen, I always wash my hands afterward before fishing. But then I'm putting soap on my hands. I have heard not to reach into a minnow bucket or bait tank with chemicals on. Use the dip net.

Seems like I lost my best bass for a long time when I was a kid thru early adulthood. It was a combination of cheap tackle, bad habits and a lack of concentration and attention to details. There are several links in the chain to catching a large fish that can easily break if we're not careful. This is why I use rod and reel combos that can whip a 15# striper to catch mostly 1-2# largemouth. For that once-in-a-while monster bass that's a fair match for that combo.

I caught a bunch of good bass early-mid spring on chart/laminate Trick Sticks. Then nothing. When they were biting it, I doubt color mattered much.

Just like us, fish don't get to grow old without having some ailments. And one year old fish are adults. Everybody's got something. If we're in an environment that's unhealthy sometimes we can just leave it. A fish's environment is all over him. If the water's hot and conducive to bacteria, what's he gonna do? Then the fish isn't even smart enough to know he's got skin lesions. One of the biggest bass I've ever caught, a PB at the time, had actual bleeding sores on its sides and was missing an eye and most of its fins. It was surely about done for but was still eating. Of course, I didn't eat it.

Hair splitting abounds I have the one very good (for me) combo, but I catch most of my fish on two much cheaper combos with Lightning Rods.

The BuCoo looks like a great bargain in its price range. The only drawback to me is the EVA grip. I don't own any bass rods with them and I'm not sure how I'll like it.

I have a 15 year old 7' Falcon Lowrider that's still the lightest I have. Extremely sensitive too for about $129 regular price. But I bought it used for $50 from a guy who was raising money for a custom motorcycle build. I know there are better rods, but this is by far my best. If you go on their site, they list specific uses for each rod so you'll get the one you need.

I caught some crappie a couple weeks ago and when I filleted them, those size fish poured out of the gut. We have those pickerel, as well as redfin, way down here in SC, but I haven't caught any. Not invasive. Our record is 6#. I think some people call them jackfish. I hear they'll ruin your hollow body frogs.

When my dad was fishing, he would agree to meet me there at a particular time then show up early. That's my pop!

Find somebody who knows what they're doing (maybe a local tourney guy) and ask if they'll give you pointers or if they want to fish with you sometime. Chances are they'll take you. You'll learn more from their back seat than your front. If they're really good at helping people learn they'll get you on the front and give lots of good advice. I started fishing a local place a few years ago because I tagged along with a guy who has a key to one of the gates. He showed me a lot in my first year fishing there. Now I usually take my kayak and I've learned my own tricks. But his advice got me started. It was very different from the major impoundments.

If all else fails, have another rod handy with a wacky rigged or weightless worm. After the miss reel the topwater in quickly and toss the worm over and let it sink. Often it won't make it to the bottom. Bass love a consolation prize..

Why add another knot as well as cost? That said, I have used braid for topwater on a very moderate spinning combo in a pinch. That's how I discovered the hook/braid issue. Just one guy's humble opinion.

You can actually get your hook point through the braid. Bad scene. Since braid is limp, it won't get out of the way when you twitch the bait left or right. I find 15# mono to be the best line I've ever used with topwaters-except frogs. It has the stretch to keep you from yanking the hooks away from a fish or ripping them out when you do make contact. If the fish are really after it, they'll get some hooks and you'll have at least a full second to react. I caught a bass mid-summer that ate the plug so well, I picked out a backlash before I set the hook and I landed it. I use Berkley Big Game specifically for topwaters and I tie directly to the eye with an improved clinch knot, no snap or ring. The bouyancy of a heavier mono also can't be beat for the action of topwaters. Braid and FC sink. Walking baits are easy to use and don't require limp line or hardware to help. If you really want limper line, try Trilene XL in a heavier weight.

Unless you are fishing deep you probably don't need any bullet weight for a Senko. Part of their appeal is the slow horizontal fall and wiggle. The slower, the more real it looks. Most bites will come on the initial fall. For that reason, if I'm hitting specific targets, I'll use it wacky rigged. More wiggle when you do twitch it.

I had one and wanted to put a longer trigger stick handle on it. I tore the cork pistol grip off but couldn't figure out how I could increase the blank length to accomplish my goal. I yard sold it and another for $4. They were both Shakespeare 96% graphite rods from about '90. They served me well in their day though.

I'm gonna buy another 30 size Trion if my other BPS spinning reel breaks. It's kinda worn and I stepped on the bail this spring but it just keeps landing good bass.

If I had only one BC combo it would be 7' MH Fast. More to the heavy side. I do like 7 footers partly because I usually kayak fish and it helps fight a good fish around the bow of the boat. In all, I have these combos for bass: 1 7' BC MH-Frogs, T-rigs 1 7' Spinning MH-T-rigs 1-7' Spinning M-light trebles & wacky rigs 1-6.5' BC MH-Spinnerbaits, single hook 1-6.5' BC M-heavier trebles, cranks, topwaters

I was kayak fishing a reservoir with my best friend. We caught two very nice bass. His was his personal best. There was another boat in there with three bucket brigadiers in it who didn't see us catch them. They come out of a cove and we chit chat about how we're doing and soforth and my buddy says "We just caught two over 5 lbs right here!" I caught another good bass in front of them a ways down the bank that they asked me for and I declined and let it go. Later I asked him why he said that because they'll certainly be sitting on that spot next time I go. He said he was so excited he couldn't contain himself. Plus he doesn't fish there much anyway. I fish there once a week. I told him he needs to act like he's been there before. But they got their privileges revoked soon after anyway because they angered the landowner. They were actually sneaking in that time.

Hey, when you're out there and you don't have a fish, where are you gonna go? Where you know there is one. It's human nature. Two people can only keep a secret when one's dead.

Same stuff but maybe bigger. Whatever they were eating tin the spring, if it's an annual hatch that usually die off like shad, minnows or shiners, are bigger now.

Took my boat to a rural boat ramp on Stumpy Pond on the Catawba-Wateree R chain. I had a 2WD Ford with the V-6. The drive out was so steep when I left it took me 3 running starts to get out.I thought I was gonna have to spend the night or walk out. I also got that same truck stuck with one trailer tire off my parents' boat ramp on Lake Wateree. I dumped the clutch and spun one tire until it laid down enough rubber to catch and pull out. The clutch was still stinking when I got back from fishing. My current truck is a 4WD Silverado with the 5.3L V8. No more getting stuck.