the reel ess

+1 this. The Pfleuger Trion reel is the ticket for the $40 price tag. I think it's basically the next reel up in their lineup, but without the lightweight components. I love mine. That's about the cheapest spinning reel I want. But I would suggest a Berkley Lightning rod 6'6"-7'. I have three. Med Hvy is going to be the most versatile for bass. If you might be crappie fishing also, I'd go with medium. $80 total and you'll get years of use out of the combo. If you like it, get another combo later in the power you didn't get this time. Those two will cover all your bass spinning needs.

I have through the years caught fish from a local lake with all kinds of growths, cycts, sores, etc. I just stopped keeping any. It's part of the game now.

Mine: Trick worm Rapala #9 Floating Minnow Wacky Senko-type worm Frog PopR Honorable mentions: Bomber A, Roadrunner, Craw cranks, Fluke

That's a pretty place. Try larger lures to see if you can cull the smaller ones. The problem with a hole that size is they're usually overstocked with bass under a pound. But they're hungry and dumb because they outnumber the bait. If it's alright with the owner, someone should take as many as they can for a while to thin the herd. Small bass from clean water are good eating.

...Camden? Have you ever fished Lake Shamokin? The pond that looks so dang "bassy" on Hwy 521 north of Camden at the Shrine Club. The lady running the bait & tackle shop (and produce stand) just over that little causeway told me you can put a kayak or jon boat in at the road, but not the shrine club-that's private land. I was curious if anyone had. I'm dying to try it. There are no signs there forbidding fishing or any kind of posted signs.

1. I almost always catch SOMETHING. Last time I got skunked was winter (this year). And I messed a big'un on a spinnerbait with Colorado blades. My wife bought me a fishing journal for Christmas and I finally started using it. I'm surprised how much it helps to write it all down and relive it in your mind. 2. Almost entirely private. But the best one has several people that fish it for bream, bass and crappie. A few of us share knowledge of what's going on at any given time. I got tired of fishing places where people with $50-60K boats managed to always get to my favorite spot before me even if I slept in the boat. So I decided I'd simplify and got the kayak. It was a really good move. If I hadn't I might have stopped bass fishing altogether. 3. At the larger places, all by kayak, back of my buddy's boat or occasionally my own boat. 4. The local reservoir (one of the backup water sources).

He meant wacky rigging with an EWG hook.

What size octopus hook?

Senko Lover, Please see my questions on pg 2. Thanks.

Bandit Flat Max

Senko Lover, here are some advanced "wacky" questions. Do you use an O ring for the hook? If not, do you hook it in-line with the worm or across the body? What hook do you like? How hard do you set the hook? I'm seeing a hard hookset is not my friend with a smaller hook. If I wait till I see the line moving away on a slack line, I'm hooking too many near the throat. Sometimes I have to get the hook out through the gills. How can I minimize this? I'm practically using a circle hook as it is. I've been using a 1/0 Gamakatsu Finesse hook. But I'm finding I miss maybe 40% of the fish that hit. I'm suspecting too much of the hook is in the plastic, so I bought some O rings yesterday. They thought that was funny at the local hardware store. I bought all they had.

My first cast with a purple Senko was on a big lake and it caught a bass. It was on a stump that's just below the surface that tends to hold a bass or two at certain times. So, yes, if there is a specific target in mind, a Senko is a good bait to toss there. I really thought I was onto a pattern but I didn't get another bite the rest of that fine Feb day with any bait.

That way if you're with him and he starts catching them, you can bum one. ;-)

It's probably very clear where you're fishing. Get a kayak and quietly approach from the other side. I use one and sometimes fish will bite right next to it. Fish early and late so the light level is low. Use quiet lures and light line or florocarbon. Try live bait under a float. Cast waaaay beyond them and bring the bait into their zone easily. Try a Senko and let it sit a long time after sinking, then just barely twitch it. Fish have a short memory. Wear camo, but I'm sure you considered that. That's all I got.

Trick Sticks seem to be more durable. Yum Dingers are tough too.

If they're swiping at a lure you can see on the retrieve, especially if it's a buzzbait or popper, throw a weightless Senko back to the same spot and let it sink. Twitch-twitch. Sometimes, they'll take that. Sometimes, they don't want to bite it, but want it to leave. Or throw a smaller version of the same lure.

Water temp of 62+ should turn that on. I caught this one on a Pop R last night. Water temp was mid 60's.

There's no wrong way. The most accepted way is weightless T-rigged. But I've only used them wacky style. That's because I already use Trick Worms weightless T-rigged everywhere I fish. I was looking for a different presentation. And I was sure the fish haven't seen wacky.

I caught a bass on my first ever cast on a wacky rig. The nothing for a couple years. It has already saved the day for me twice this year. Last time out, I was getting skunked while my buddy was only getting dinks on a minnow. They weren't chasing any food-postspawn blues. As a last resort, I tried the wacky-rigged Big Bite Trick Stick. I had nothing to lose. I caught 5 on it. and Lost a +/-5 pounder at the boat. Then I caught another 3 pounder on a Pop-R. Lesson learned...this won't be a last resort for me anymore. But this was a large pond/watershed. You know there is a captive population of fish there and you have to find a way to catch them. In a major lake, they could just not be where you are. BTW, I don't let it sit there 20 minutes. I hardly let it hit the bottom unless I know a fish is there. Cast it, let it sink on slack line, twitch a couple times and repeat in the next location. My buddy power fishes and I didn't have time to let it lay. But I was catching fish in spots he already cast to.

I forgot, I dumped myself out of my kayak trying to avoid dumping four rods. I had my iPhone and wallet in my pockets, I did net a new iPhone 6 instead of my hand-me-down 4.

Yea! I'm jealous. Ditto on the braid. Best thing since the fishing reel.

I stripped down and went dipping in Feb to retrieve the sideplate of a new BC reel from BPS I dropped while adjusting the cast control. My efforts were wasted. I had to order a replacement. $19. I've stayed on a lake too long while a storm approached because they were biting. We got soaked while lightning hit the water around us as we crossed the lake. Had to bail that boat out. I have lied about being sick to lay out and fish...more than once. Funny how I always got sick on nice spring days. When I was 13, I got my first baitcaster for Christmas. I stayed home "sick" a couple weeks later so I could practice casting so I would know how when it came time to go fishing. I left a window open so I would hear if my mom called to check on me.

I guess there are times when noise matters and times when it doesn't. Ever see Ike after he catches a good bass? He goes bananas...screams. I've seen Dean Rojas whispering when he's sight fishing. I think there are times when it wouldn't turn them off if you fell in. But I'm not taking chances.

I will fillet the back right down to where the ribs touch the skin. Then I'll start peeling the meat back off the ribs. That meat below the ribs is what fries the crispiest. I keep bass from a lb to 3 lbs. 3 pounders can be kinda thick. But what's below the ribcage is the tastiest. It also is the fattiest. No coincidence. But it also holds the most contaminants in places with warnings.

This is the best advice I have to offer. Gamakatsu hooks for plastics. There's a reason they cost more.