the reel ess

No thanks. This skips easier too.

Agree to disagree. But then I went to the Trashmaster jig because I was tired of hanging up a conventional jig on the first cast. It ruins the spot. I'm a fan of the more inline hook design about 95% of the time.

Even the EWGs do, just less often.

I was going to say something similar. I don't think any of us are married to one lure. I just switch over to another confidence bait. That's why I have 6-7 rigged rods with me.

Shaky head worm. It came to be that I just decided it was time to try this bait since I had the heads and worms for about a decade. LOL. First time out I caught a 6.1 lb on it. I've caught more bass on this bait than all others combined over the last couple months. There's a PVC attractor in the reservoir I fish and I've caught a bass off of it with the shaky head the last three times I fished. It doesn't really seem to matter what the worm is. I've mostly used 6-7" finesse worms. But I've used the UV Speed Worm with some success. I also have good confidence in a jig/craw and lipless crank, specifically a gold CC Spot. More often than not I can get a bite on a hollow body frog.

Straight shank flipping hooks tend to catch on wood. I like the EWG superline hooks for wood.

My Fuego is louder when reeling than expected. I know this is not others' experience because it was recommended by board members. I was a tad disappointed, but it seems to work perfectly otherwise. Last time out I dialed down the mag control and I had to go retrieve my Spook from the trees. ? The thing can cast a country mile. That makes me a little happier. I guess as long as it functions as it should I can live with it. I have 3 Tournament MBs and a $99 LFS. This is gospel.

I have 5 basic BC combos and two basic spinning. They all serve a specific purpose. I do have them rigged up with whatever I think should work, given the season and conditions, before I leave home. I fish from a kayak so I can't take the entire tackle bag with me. So I take along bags of soft plastics and a box with other hardbaits I might want to give a try. For instance, I may start off the day throwing a Spook. But once the sun gets high, or if the fish completely ignore the topwater, I will change over to a lipless crank. Then I have my frog and jig rods. They always have those baits tied on, except in winter when the frog is useless. Then it gets a T-rig for pitching. Lately, I don't even carry the MH spinning combo.

That's the elusive LMB-goldfish hybrid. The goldmouth bass.

Yes, persecute those small, eating size bass. My buddy has a good slot. 1-3 lbs is going home with him. I don't usually keep any. I have another buddy with a probably 3 acre pond. It's so full of dinks you can't take enough out. What he really needs to do is have someone come in and do a survey and shock up and remove the necessary amount. Adding to his problem, the bluegill and shellcrackes are too big for stunted bass to eat. Thus, they're competing for the same minnows. The need another food source. The bright side is I can go and catch 10-20 bass almost anytime.

I'm a little surprised they match an internet price. The shipping is already paid by the brick & mortar store. But you still have another shipping fee to pay with the TW item. Good for you! The wife and I were looking to trade her car on a new Toyota Highlander. The first dealer we talked to offered us $3900 in trade. But they didn't have one on the lot with everything she wanted. We went on to another dealer who had it and his price was better. But he offered us $1900 in trade. We told him it had already been valued by another dealer at $3900. He gave it to us without batting an eye. LOL. I hate car shopping, but this was by far the best experience. Hassle free. The Dick's near me has a seasonal fishing department. Early spring they increase the area and add a lot more. In late summer, they trim it down and use the space for hunting. So you can really catch some clearance stuff if you're looking. Sadly, it seems whoever purchases for them doesn't know much about fishing. And they LOVE the gimmick lures.

If the turtles ate that much fish the pond wouldn't be overrun with green sunfish. In fact, some predation or removal of bass is a good thing for size once the population is established. I fish a pond that's less than an acre and I've caught fish in the 5-6 lb range. Until recently, I didn't realize there were god shiners in it. I caught a bass that spit one up. Forage is key for size. But if you just want fish for the kiddies to catch, sunfish and minnows should suffice. There are probably crawfish in there as well. Sounds like a great place to fish.

Yes, that very same 3/8 oz. spinnerbait in the link. 8.02 lbs. in July of 2020.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/War_Eagle_Gold_Spinnerbait_Double_Willow/descpage-WEGSS.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Megastrike_Roland_Martin_Big_Bass_Dbl_Wil_Spinnerbait/descpage-MSRMBBS.html I think double willow leaf is the deal whenever the water is warm. And by warm, I mean 60 degrees or more. I like them both in gold shiner because that's what we have for forage. But they work well in shad waters as well. My current PB came on the War Eagle. But lately, I'm using the Big Bass spinnerbait. It has a swinging head that's supposed to help keep fish hooked up. I've had a couple of WE baits break and the heads get loose on the wire when you catch a big one. Jimmy Houston throws a SB away after catching a big bass on it because it's likely to fail later. The Big Bass spinnerbait is beefy and durable.

I've broken 2 War Eagle spinnerbaits. But my current PB, caught July 2020 was on one. Beyond breaking the arm off, the lead head gets loose after a good bit of use. I bought a Megastrike Roland Martin Big Bass spinnerbait and it seems very sturdy. The wire is thick and it's twisted into an eye for the line tie.

I tie on 5, 6 or 7 things that I think will work based on seasonal patterns, conditions and location. It's a different thing from day to day. But in warm weather, especially in a smaller body of water, I'll sometimes have 3 topwaters tied on for the morning. As the sun rises, I'll usually switch at least 2 over to something else. For instance, I may start off with a buzzbait and switch it over to a spinnerbait. Or I'll switch a topwater over to a lipless crank. I don't have a rod for every lure that I use.

I like Tactical Anglers clips for treble lures, especially topwaters. Small, strong and don't seem to affect action.

That's the cool thing about the kayak. I substitute paddling for my cardio exercise that day, especially if there's a stiff breeze. Even if I zero it's still never a waste.

When I get to the lake and start unloading the kayak and didn't forget anything. Not the paddle, crate, fishing rods or the tackle box I actually wanted. Or the actual kayak.

Cool! Let me know you you do.

I hooked one Saturday morning as well, but on a jig. When it dug in I thought I had the monster of the lake. It came to the surface in some brush and opened its mouth. It didn't even have a hook in it. It was just hanging on.

Popper, spinnerbait, jig, lipless crank. Lately I'm getting most bites on a shaky head worm.

Welcome. I'm from the piedmont of SC. I can't speak about the lakes near Chapel Hill. But Badin and Tuckertown are two nice lakes within driving distance. I've fished there with my uncle and we were usually one of very few boats on the lake. Development is very restricted on Badin.

It's my experience that, if you can get a bass to take the jig, they'll hold it a while. A good bit of the time that's how I recognize the strike. The jig's just moving off in an odd direction. I either get that type of bite or the bass tries to yank the jig away from me.

Or just buy the bone color.