the reel ess

Yeah the hooks on Jitterbugs and Hula Poppers are crap. At the least, hit them with a sharpener. Or you can put rings on them. I did that with some Spooks.

I like them in all colors I've tried. But don't be afraid to buy a bag of the bubble gum color. They'll flat eat those up at times.

Unpopular opinion here. But for kayak fishing, which is 95% of what I do, I like all the same rods I'd use from the bank or a boat. I like the standard handle length for solid hooksets. If I've had a good day or jig or frog fishing I'll have a few little bruises in the ribs. ?

Been using braid for about 7 years and have yet to damage a rod with it. I understand straight fluoro though. I just don't care for it. If the water ever got gin clear here, I'd use it. I rarely even use it for a leader. It was simpler for me to go to braid on every combo except my spinnerbait/buzzbait rod. I use straight braid for jigs and frogs. I use a short mono leader for treble baits. I started this after fishing with a FL guide who used braid for everything. 20LB on shinning, 30# for jigs/T-rigs and 50-65 for the frogs. Cool thing about braid is, when one end gets old you can simply reel it onto another reel and you'll be using the new end.

I have nothing against a bead. I would check my knot regularly. The last time I put one on it broke. But I still like the rattle idea, especially in off-color waters.

In all my years of fishing, about 40+, I've noticed the early bite being better on large bodies early. And on small bodies, evening seems to be at least equal. Anecdotal evidence, of course. But there's just something about being on the water at sunrise that is spiritual to me. You know what they say about sunrise/sunset pics. Indicates you didn't catch anything worth photographing. I had to work hard for 4 dinks. Sadly, it was my best of the last 4 trips.

I'm in SC and the bass are completely ignoring my frog the last 3 trips. I've seen a few bass chasing bait in the lilies and weeds, but no dice. Eventually, I'll switch my frog rod over to a T rig for pitching until next spring.

When it comes to getting accurate with spinning, I'm still working on my dominant hand. Also, my depth perception ain't what it used to be.

I never use a trailer. It could also be something like they really want another color or they're in direct sunlight. It can be hard to get bass to take something at or near the surface when you're in full sunlight. You could try to slow your roll, so to speak. I've been a trailer hook guy for a long time. Lately I went to the Megastrike Big Bass spinnerbait. It has a swinging head on it and they claim it negates the need for a trailer hook. Presumably the bass can inhale it more easily. One other thing I'd consider is the line type and rod action. Braid has no stretch, while mono has the most. I like to use 15# Big Game mono for my MH-Mod spinner/buzzbait rod. It's actually the only bass combo I use mono on anymore. But if you're using one of the other lines, you could drop down to a medium rod to make up for the lack of stretch.

I know there are a lot of pros out there using $100-200 rods. I've seen lots of BPS Pro Qualifier reels on some of their decks too. If his IQ wasn't at least greater than 6 he wouldn't be able to outsmart a bass.

We had a senior skip day when I was in school. Actually, as long as you didn't get more than 10 unexcused absences you could fill all 10. So I took senior skip day in my sophomore, junior and senior years. Instead of going partying with the seniors I went fishing with my buddy.

How are there so many Whopper Plopper clones? I have two different brands of knockoffs, one marketed by a CA company. It looks exactly like a first gen WP. Not arguing. Serious question. Thanks.

Have you been to Fellsmere yet?

I have the Rapala in 2 sizes and the Hula Popper. Problem with it is the skirt always gets dry and falls apart or falls off the lure. Isn't there a time limit on patents? Seven years?

I have a gold one in the larger 08 size. We have golden shiners in our lake.

Bayou Boogie

I dusted off the 6" lizard on a light C rig last summer to get some action. But it's a killer for spawning bass. They cannot ignore it. I caught the same bedding male twice on one this spring.

Rebel Deep Wee R Mann's Jelly Worm, though I have seen some in monster size Shad Rap. When's the last time someone bragged about it on here? I caught a couple on it this past winter. Li'l George. A great schooling bass bait. Rebel Jointed Minnow. I have one and it will still catch a fish. Original Snag Proof Frog

Preachin' to the choir here. Fish have no clue what the rod cost. I still have two old Lightning Rods in my arsenal. One of them is my finesse rod. The other is my medium trebles rod. Its bend is perfect for this application. You don't need a $300 rod to feel a bite. That said, I do own 2 $100 rods and one that would have been $130 had I bought it retail. I got it from a friend who was changing hobbies for $50. One of the $100 rods seems to be worth the $$$. The other really is not.

My numbers have been low. But size wise, I could have stopped fishing after May and this still would have been the best fishing year of my life. I started keeping a log of the fish I've caught over 3 lbs. A good many of those days were 2 or 3 fish days. I also lost a few big bass. You may notice my scale quit working on June 26th and I replaced it with one that reads lb.-oz. instead of decimals. The only thing I haven't really achieved this year is a new PB. The last two times out I have 1 dink to show for it. ?

I just wear hoodies and layer up until it gets COLD. That way I can peel the layers as the day goes on. Until it gets really COLD. Then I wear a couple layers and a Cabela's Guidewear hooded jacket I got a few years ago. Much colder than 45 and I just won't fish. I know that "cold" means different things to you and me.

A 7 pounder is a great frog fish. I've caught lots of 2-3 pounders on them but only one over 6. I did catch a 7-4 on a spoon fished like a frog. I still consider that a very similar technique.

Well, one of the cons of kayak fishing is the time spent paddling reduces your actual fishing time. I see the SUP as an even worse option in this regard. I also don't really enjoy standing up all day. But I would like to try one sometime.

I tried the smaller frog. With my heavy stick it was hard to get an accurate cast. With a MH spinning combo, I would get hookups, but had a hard time trying to drag the fish out. If there was a junior frog that weighed 1/2-5/8 oz, I'd definitely get it.