the reel ess

I usually reel it up, put it away, grab another rod and worry about the backlash later. I use this as an opportunity to put some fresh line on. I use Big Game 15# mono on two of my BC reels so changing line several times a season is a good idea.

If you went to a major impoundment with someone who owned a 21' bass boat with technology that can show a bass move toward and strike your lure and you caught your personal best because they told you exactly what to do, would it not be your personal best? Or would that somehow be less to brag about? How many times have you heard people on this board say "You can't catch big fish where they're aren't any"? And I can attest to this fact because I have access to several places where a 3 pound bass is a good one. I also have access to a place with 10 pounders in it. Where would you fish more often? Your personal best is always your personal best. It can't be anything else.

Bill Dance did a show about pitching using only a MH fast(er) action spinning rod. If you can find it, it will probably explain it well to you. I'd say a sensitive rod for sure with 20# braid. Use a floro or mono leader if straight braid bothers you. One advantage to spinning gear is it's easier to skip something like a Senko under docks. You see, Dance's shows filmed on private, intensely managed lakes and ponds can be useful to the average angler.

I just yard-sold one of those Hypercast reels for $2 and the buyer got screwed. I always hated that reel, always twisting the line. It was advertised as a long casting reel. The rotor was way out of balance and eventually, the screw that held on the bail-flipping mechanism came out. I removed the bail flip assembly and the reel worked better but the balance was awful. I eventually put it on a long crappie rod to just hold line.

Trim the legs about an inch min and practice. I trimmed one a little more than the other. It takes a little while to get the rhythm, but you'll get it. Don't feel bad about the misses. I missed two today. They just didn't get it.

Yeah, check this out https://store.mannsbait.com/Lead-Baits I still have a 3/4 oz one. I caught many o' fish of several species on this one as a kid.

There's an interview with a Memphis news sports guy where Bill said he placed first or second in his first 5 professional tourneys and that's what catapulted him to prominence so quickly. Who could make a similar claim these days? That's amazing.

+1 these and I'll add larger swimbaits so far.

Jimmy Houston and Hank Parker made a living on these. I've got a friend who hates them though I'll fish from back of his boat and kill him with them. He won't use them no matter how good they are. I have another friend who refuses to use T-rigs. He'd rather bream fish than slow down to catch bass. He wants to fish the entire place every time he goes. I can fish 1/3 of the reservoir and catch some on a T-rig 10 months out of the year. C'mon! If you won't throw a T-rig, you're consciously limiting your catch. Worming ins the first bass fishing I ever did.

Look up double fluke rig. You can use two different colors if you want but I wouldn't get too different. Just pearl and chartreuse. You can use it on a jighead and bounce on the bottom too. You can use a baby bass Spook or Pop R if the schooling gets really wild. If it's kinda spotty the Pop R gets their attention, but you have to cast it out there quickly when you see one busting. A Mann's L'il George is a great schooling bait too. You can throw a Hopkins spoon and let it flutter down if it's not too deep. Then rip it up and let it fall. You can also hook up with stripers this way if there are any.

If you want to see real fishing in one trip and exactly what was caught, watch Honey Hole Outdoors or Lunkerville. I especially like the latter.

I always thought that color was such a gimmick until I started fishing with a guy who always has one tied on. It's the #1 color, followed by Limetreuse and Methiolate. I have three bags of more natural colors that I don't even take. They used to have a color that was all three swirled, called sherbet, but they are discontinued.

What he said. But buy a bag of Bubble Gum color too. And don't be afraid to use them. They work. Over time you'll notice this color is the one that gone half the time in Walmart and Academy for a reason. You can rig them weightless and use them like a jerkbait or weighted on the bottom. To save money on them, after they get chewed up near the head, cut off about a half inch and re-rig them. They'll still catch. I like the Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw in black/blue Texas rigged. They tell you the hook to use right on the package. Zoom Super Speed Craw is a good one too. Fish just like a T-rigged worm.

I wonder how many of these shows take days to get enough fish for an episode. Also wonder if they wear the same clothes for days.

BD is awesome! My DVR is set for his show. His was the first fishing show I ever watched. But most people can't go to public waters and do exactly as he does or catch the quality of fish he apparently constantly catches. So, to a lot of anglers, his show is more entertainment than instruction. I still love it and I'll watch until it's not on anymore. An old rerun of his show is better than almost anything else on TV anymore. All my biggest bass came from private waters. I'm still proud and show pics of them for whoever will look.

I didn't make those (yet). I just copied the pic off the Interwebs. As for the weight, the depth where I use the T-rigged craw isn't much more than 10'. A lot of the place has submerged weeds and I don't want the bait buried in it. I only use 3/16 oz when I use a bullet weight.

Certainly. If you fish a major impoundment where the fish will go 20' deep to structure during the summer, a trick work rigged weightless or a shallow-running crank won't get em. I never caught much off Rat-L-Traps until I started fishing a local watershed. They eat up the gold one year-round because there are gold shiners in there. Water clarity plays a big role too. Then there are places they'll hit dang near anything because they're starving and don't know when they'll see another meal.

I imagine they do see it. They probably say to themselves "I'm no idiot, I can see that string attached to that..OOOH SOMETHING SHINY, I MUST KILL IT!!!"

How come you were always biting better yesterday? How do you know when I take vacation? Why is a nice day for me (bluebird skies) often a bad day for you in terms of biting?

I've been using craws T-rigged with 3/16 oz. tungsten weight with good results lately. Not a lot of fish, but really good ones. Has anyone tried this rig and found it to be more productive than the standard T-rig? It seems like maybe the craw would look a little more natural. Where I fish most of the time has submerged grass except for where it's too deep for sunlight to sustain weeds (stained water in the south). It's a mostly shallow watershed with few rocks. The best structure is a creek bed down the middle (where the grass doesn't grow) and the best cover is grass, although there are a few laydowns, stumps and piers. Thanks

My best friend fishes that way with the Trick Worm and catches fish. He saw me slay them one day twitching them like a jerk bait. I tied him one on and he just throws it out and reels slowly. Probably catches some that I wouldn't because I don't fish them that slowly.

Mine would probably say "Why are you reeling so FAST?"

There are baits and techniques I don't like too. I'm not even going to try dropshot. Rather than using a jig/craw, I use a large T-rigged craw. I have jigs, I just don't have luck with them like I do the T-rig.

Obviously you want to catch some on the frog. I can dig that. But I've caught a good bit more in open water with a Chug Bug or a Chug'n Spook in frog pattern. I mean, pros tell you you need to walk the frog if you're going to do well in open water. These two hardbaits are already proven open water baits. I've caught very few bass on the frog when it wasn't at least near some cover or the water's edge.

Is there an Academy near you? http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress-ethos-7-h-freshwater-casting-rod?repChildCatid=161454