the reel ess

I do. I just forgot to mention it. I prefer it to small poppers.

Buzzbait, Teckel Sprinker Frog, SPRO Rat, Devil's Horse, Tiny Torpedo are a few of my favorite oddball topwaters.

I've caught fish with hooks in the roof of the mouth. I've had a fish break off my Spook and I found it a little later floating. But I've also caught bass that had a mouth full of trebles. They could have swam for days and not worked them out. Those fish would likely die if they had broken off.

Absolutely.

Looks like you answered your own question there.

No, like this. It's very useful in placing a quiet cast to a target.

I use the sidearm a lot because I kayak fish and that's how I cast or skip under trees and docks. It's a matter of rotating the bait underhanded and allowing the tip of the rod and the bait's centrifugal force propel the bait when you release the spool. Look up "roll cast" on YouTube. Keep practicing. You'll get it. I've been using a baitcaster since I was 13. There are still a few things I'm not too good with it like a backhand cast or skip.

If you're lake fishing, a Normans DD22 works well. I've caught them on flukes, Traps, plastic swimbaits.

nm Someone beat me to the punch

I have one in frog color, not that the bass can see the back of it. My previous PB was caught on one. It was a July morning. I cast to a twig sticking up in about a foot of water and the fish just slurped the bait before it moved. I just didn't see it anymore so I set the hook and it was on. I think the hooks on it are pretty good, if a tad small. I just sharpened mine. I prefer the Chug Bug to a smaller popper because those are almost too light to accurately cast on most BC gear. Saturday i fished 4 1/2 hours before catching a bass on the Chug Bug. And it was almost a double. two fish came out of the water getting after this bait.

Nah. And on lures that I need a really hard hookset, like jigs, I have the drag set very tight. On trebles, if you sweep the rod on a hookset that will usually get it done. I keep the drag set pretty loose on those because I use braid almost exclusively now.

Heavier rod, braided line, faster reel. I walk and fish a place that's all lilies around the edge. The idea with a long, heavy rod is to get the fish to the top of a mat and drag them in. Doesn't always work that way though. Actually, I fish the mat with a frog more than I cast out from it.

4 hours unless the fishing is just horrible. I fished for 4.5 hours Saturday for one fish late in the trip. But it was a healthy 2 pounder on topwater and there were two fish going after the Chug Bug. I almost had my fist double ever.

If you're interested in a Wilderness Tarpon, take a look at the current Perception Pescador. They're very similar. From what I've been told, the Pescador (not the Pro) is the last generation of Tarpon. It's the same mold. You could save a wad.

I've had a Perception Pescador 12, a Feelfree Lure 12.5 and a Pescador Pro 10 (my current ride). The problem with the Lure was, of course, the weight. It also should come with a rudder, but that adds +/-$250 to an already expensive kayak. And mine tracked terribly without one. I got an electric motor kit for it later, but that was also more trouble than it was worth. The seat was great though. The old Pescador was light and had a low center of gravity and tracked well. The seat was a thin cushion on a molded in seat with a pretty decent back. It was a decent starter at about $500 10 years ago. But my butt and lower legs started going to sleep after a couple hours. I still have this one for buddies, though I rarely take anyone. The Pescador Pro 10 is about 50-60 lbs with the seat. The seat is a comfy 2-position stadium style that you can take out and use around a campsite. That's the main reason I bought it. It's a good deal at around $800. If there's a knock on it, it would be that it doesn't track great. I would recommend it in the 12' length. It also has 2 molded in rod holders that serve no purpose. I have no idea why they're on it. They're shallow and too large to actually hold anything. I added two flush-mount. I guess the moral of my story would be the 2 most important things to me are a comfortable seat and the tracking, if you don't care about standing. I don't. The upper limit of $1300 gives you more options.

Look on eBay for what they've sold for, not what the buy it now price is. A bit higher than the average selling price is where I'd start my asking price. Be prepared to entertain lower offers.

I bought what amounts to a big trout net on the recommendation of a YouTube personality. It works great for me because I'm in a kayak. But yeah, it has small mesh and gets hooks in it. And the thing about it is I usually only another site with a face full of trebles in this net. Fish that I think are hooked well with a single hook, I just lip them.

My mind is so tuned into what's going to happen that I forget some things, like a paddle. Yeah, I've had to return home to get one.

I fish from a kayak so I use whichever hand it's coming to. I believe I usually bring the fish to the right though. If it's big I net it.

I caught a bunch of largemouth and a striper the first time I threw that bait. The bluegill and redbreast in the river will attack them too.

Just don't hold the spinning combo upside down. That's clown shoes. As for getting fatigued, some techniques are worse than others. I really don't enjoy deep cranking. Thus I rarely do it.

@MassBass Fish swimming toward me is one of the reasons I don't use any reels slower than 7:1 ratio. I can always reel slower. But with a slow reel, I can't always reel faster. There are many times I lost a good fish due to an error by me. Then there are those times I did everything wrong and still caught the fish. My number one rule with trebles is to set the drag so loose that it slips when I set the hook. You need to make sure the hooks are sharp. Then I try to tire the fish with the light drag. I'll use the thumb if necessary if the fish is headed for weeds or cover. For my jig and frog combos I go completely the other direction. I cinch the frog rod down. I probably have about 90% drag on the jig rod. I watched a video of G-Man Swindle talking about jig fishing in cover. He said not to play the fish. Set the hook hard and keep it coming all the way in the boat. You can go easy on it when it's in the boat.

I bought a 90 first. I had a couple good days on it. Then I tried the 110. I've used it every since. I do need to get a 75. I ordered a couple Chinese knockoffs in 110 size. Amazon shipped me 90 size. I complained and they refunded me and said keep the 90s. So now I have 3 90s but much prefer the 110.

When the water is muddy I'll go to my "nighttime" spinnerbait with large Colorado blade. Fish find it somehow.

Fish can get used to the same lure(s). I fish the same small lake most of the time. But when I can't buy a bite there, another location can be just what the doctor ordered. My cousin sold his property and it was the only private pond I had that I could completely walk. So I inquired about another pond and was granted permission. I can't wait to hit it up one evening.