the reel ess

LOL. I just watched an episode from Bull Shoals on YouTube.

The only time a cut the jig off my pitching rod is when I want to retie it. I'm a true believer.

Must have a stainless steel prop. ?

In addition to those, Spook and other walking topwaters, jerkbaits. Look on YouTube for peacock fishing. I fished for these with a guide once. His advice was to keep the bait moving even if they miss. He said if you stop the bait, they'll just turn away from it. We caught the biggest of the day on live shiners.

No! I'm way better with baitcasting than spinning. That's probably because I use the BC combos so much more. With spinning I either come up several feet short or throw it in the trees. I'm pretty good at pitching jigs. But then I kayak fish and I get pretty close to the target. I still screw up at that too. But it's better to have a noisy entry into the gnarly stuff than none at all. I once saw Ike bang the end of a pontoon with a jig, then proceed to catch a monster bass on the next cast under it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I learned to not yank a jig out of the water after a bass chased one right up so close I could have grabbed it. I caught that fish. It's that instinct of something getting away that overrules all.

What's your favorite blade bait? I need to get one of these for winter bass in our lake. Last winter I had some success fishing a Spot so slowly you couldn't feel the bait pulsate. I was basically dragging it.

Even a worm can learn from negative stimuli. Bass that have been caught could associate that shadow with being yanked out of the water by their lips. That said, bass often bite baits right at the boat. I suspect sometimes hunger or instinct gets in the way of those negative associations and they just can't help themselves.

My dad used to say he could catch bass on any color worm as long as it was black. Then he discovered shades of purple.

Whatever works for you. But I have a hard time reeling left-handed. I cast with both hands, right on the reel spool, then crank with my right. If you find the other way better, by all means do so. You have to do what you're comfy with.

This is the cheapest solid framed reel I know of and it's available in 7.3:1 retrieve. It has good reviews. https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress-mettle-m3-baitcast-reel?sku=right-7-3-1-100

I've owned one Academy Reel, the TAC-40. It was pretty good but I wore it out over a few seasons. I was rough on it because it was my jig rod. That reel cost $100. I know you aren't looking for this bit of advice, but you really should spend a little more if you want to enjoy using it for some time to come. As rods go, sensitivity takes a back seat for frog fishing. I'd look for a cheaper Hvy-Fast rod and spend a little more on the reel. There's a Berkley Lightning rod that will do the job for $40. For me I'd look for a reel in the $70 range with a solid aluminum frame.

I can't speak to the reliability of the reel. But I have a Kast King rod that I really like. https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/kastking-resolute-7-ft-3-in-h-freshwater-casting-combo-?sku=7-3-right-heavy-fast-6-6-1

I have the drag on my pitching combo just about cinched down. I use straight 30# braid. I pitch jigs into heavy wood cover and I don't like to give the fish an inch until it's out of the rough stuff. To me, you just can't set the hook hard enough on a jig bite. I've had some savage hooksets only to see the fish come up and spit it. It seems the bigger the fish, the more likely you are to set it well.

Likewise. I also like the surgeon for when I'm tying the leader with no bait tied on. But I lean to double uni.

My "pitching stick" is a Falcon Bucoo 6'9" Hvy/F. It's also useful for T rigs, pitching or casting. I almost always have a jig on it. It has a nice tip and it's a great skipping rod.

Starting off shallow with topwaters, buzzbait/spinnerbait and frog. As the sun gets up I'll usually switch over to a lipless crank and a worm. I keep a jig rod and a frog rod rigged up all the time and use them as needed. In colder season I'll change the frog to a T rig for pitching.

Seems you're dead set against braid. That's too bad because it all but eliminates line twist and 20# braid is about the same diameter of 8# mono. It's the most manageable line for spinning. I'm dead set against fluoro. So that just leaves mono/copolymer. Choose a quality one that your rod is rated for.

I also have both. But my Fuego has been a bit of a disappointment. It works fine so far, but it has always been noisy, even after thoroughly lubing it. I know this is not the typical experience. I must have just gotten a bit of a dud.

I bought this reel to replace the Tac-40 (may it rest in peace) that I've finally worn slap out pitching jigs. I bought this reel because: A. It's $100 B. It is a solid metal framed reel with 15 lb drag. It will stay tightened. C. Simple mag braking D. 8.3:1 retrieve I've only used it once, but there was really no adjustment getting used to it. I already have 3 of the discontinued Tournament MB reels of different ages, which all run like new. It was good right out of the box, though I didn't get a bite on the jig Saturday. I'll report back after I've used it a while and caught some fish.

NM

I tried our local public course and was told no. The reasoning is they are already trying to stop people from sneaking in and allowing one person would encourage further trespassing. Liability reasons. They don't have much water anyway. We also have a drinking water reservoir that I tried to get into. No dice. Again, liability.

Awesome! I'm so jealous.

I've just gotten into the shaky head worm fishing and it's been very good to me so far. It's a great bait for working through brush or just structure, docks, etc. I've been using the Davis Original Shaky Head worm in Spot Punisher color. But I'm curious what others are using. I used a Zoom UV Speed Worm with success as well. I have some pumpkin/red and pumpkin orange I'll give a try one of these days.

I looked back at my "big fish" log and I had not caught a 3+lb. bass since 5 weeks prior. I went this morning and ended the skid, at least temporarily. I got the the 4 lb 9 oz in the pics right off the bat on a spinnerbait. You can see it had a green worm in it's throat. I didn't get a nibble for the next 2 hours. I came up to a spot that I've lost a monster at before and tossed the shaky head worm. The fish apparently took it on the drop. It was a good fight. I had to hold my drag a couple times to keep it out of lilies and brush. I finally landed it. 6 lb 8 oz. I went to remove the hook and the hook point wasn't even out of the worm. The jighead was just lodged in the fish's gills. Right after I weighed it I was trying to get my camera ready for the pic and let the bass slip out of my hand. No pic.? I caught another 3 lb. on a frog and a couple dinks on the Whopper Plopper 110 and shaky head. I know 5 fish doesn't seem like many, and it isn't. But I'll take it any day. I was actually prepared to be quite happy with just the 4-9 bass.