the reel ess

I see the weightless fluke as a 1-5' depth lure. I would use a weighted hook to get deeper.

Welcome. You can fish for small mouth as close as the Broad River in SC. I see on social media there are some good ones in there. That's on my list as well. I've never caught a brown bass.

Here it is. Looks like it's the underspin version of the GoldCast spincast reel. https://daiwa.us/collections/spincast-reels/products/underspin-us-xd

The bite has been getting really slow at this place. But it's the place I fish with the biggest bass and I've been able to catch some quality fish until last two tries. I'm wondering if I should fish evenings for a while.

Which reminds me I also forgot my scupper plugs so I had the wet behind all morning.

I thought if I stayed I was destined to fall in the lake.

I forgot my kayak crate so I was down 4 rod holders. I got a backlask and my Whopper Plopper 110 went sailing 20' up in a tree. One of my seat support straps broke (it's less than 1 year old). I managed 1 dink on a frog, missed 3 and lost a decent fish on a H2O express lipless crank. I got off the water by 10:00 so nothing else could go wrong.

I use 25 lb test Tactical Anglers clips. I bought what's probably a lifetime supply. I admit I do it to make lure changes easy and quick in a kayak. But it has the effect you're seeking.

Yeah I don't have a kayak you can stand on. Well, maybe you can, but I have a hard enough time on level ground.

If I lived near there I'd definitely go with you.

My dad was the biggest cheapskate when it came to fishing equipment. He would buy the cheapest mono in the store and never change it until he was losing fish and baits. I would go behind him and rig his combos up right.

Maybe show her how to hold the rod under her arm or between her knees when she catches one. Or just buy her another when that one breaks. No biggie.

I think it happens when you drop a bait right in their face and they decide to take the easy meal. I seems to happen to me right after the cast when I'm letting it sit.

I like 30 lb PowerPro for my medium duty BC combos, 50 lb for frogs. I like 20 lb PP for my spinning combos. I'm still using 15 lb Big Game for my spinner/buzzbaits combo.

The problem with rods over 7' is they're almost always end-heavy. You spend all day compensating for that. I was using an older Falcon Lowrider MH for this, but finally broke down and bought the Bucoo pitching-specific rod. It's a H-F action. But still a much better tip than my frogging-specific rod. Much better. But of course it's only 6'10". That works for me because I'm in a kayak and I sidearm cast more than actually flip. If I wanted to flip, I'd use my frog rod. It's a XH-XF action. But it's also a bit heavier than I'd like. Also it's light as air. It's my intention to replace all my rods with lighter ones, but they just keep working.

I've watched a 6 pounder ease up under a Chug Bug and just open its mouth. No explosion or commotion on top. It just disappeared.

I hate getting tricked by these old threads.

Might your drag be too tight? I like to use around 2/3 of the line weight for drag. If you're using braid, just do 2/3 of the equivalent diameter mono. If the fish bent the hook out, 2 things: Get some superline hooks and your drag was indeed too tight. The superline hooks help in this situation. I mean, I fish in a lot of heavy wood cover with jigs and T rigs. I set my drag so tight sometimes I'm winching the fish out. If I had my drag set at 2/3 I'd lose those fish. But the jig hook or superline EWG won't bend out on me. And then sometimes they just get off. You can get a great hookset through just a little skin inside the mouth. And big ones got big by not being caught or landed. I landed a bass once that had only one point of a Chug Bug treble in its nose. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

For the peacocks, rip the Torpedo and work the Pop R pretty fast unless you get no action from the fish. When they strike and miss, just keep working the bait until they get the hooks. If you stop, they usually won't pursue anymore. You can watch YouTube videos of this. For largemouth it's a little different, usually. Just give them short jerks and pauses to make them do their thing. Adjust the cadence until you find what the fish want. Also, let the bait "soak" for several seconds before you begin retrieving. Bass will sometimes smash the bait before it even moves. Also, I had one day when the fish just wanted the Torpedo steadily retrieved back to the boat like a Whopper Plopper. I caught over 50 that day and they bit it all day long. I had so many bites I kept having to bend the blade back straight because it would bind.

Don't "set" the hook with circle or finesse hooks. Just tighten up and start reeling.

Buying a kayak and selling my bass boat. It got me access to unpressured and bigger fish. My wife commented how many more fish I started catching after I stopped the big hydro lake rat race. As already mentioned, braid. I immediately started landing a bigger percentage of my bites. And it all but eliminates the line twist problem with spinning gear. Dedication to bigger bass baits. You catch fewer but they're generally larger fish. I'm also not afraid to try a new-to-me technique.

My sister in law and one of her daughters is late to EVERYTHING. Set a time and they'll be a half hour late, minimum. My dad drilled into me to not make people wait. It's like saying "My time is more valuable than yours." It's rude and inconsiderate, especially if chronic and they never apologize. I wouldn't leave them, but I would voice my displeasure. The guys I'd fish with wouldn't be offended by that. If it's a regular enough problem, I'd stop asking them. If they asked me I'd say "Sure, but be on time this time." I was scheduled to meet a guy who wanted to buy an Ambassadeur reel from me. He showed up 15 minutes late and asked me to take less money because that's all he had on him. I lit him up. I said after he was late, I'd keep the reel before taking less than agreed upon. I told him there's an ATM across the highway and I'd follow him there.

I was fishing our local reservoir in my kayak and there were three guys that I know keep EVERYTHING in a jon boat nearby. I caught a 5 pounder and weighed it in front of them. One of them asked me if they could have it. I said "Nope" and let them see me release it. That feels so good. I also don't mind people taking whatever is legal. But they can't have mine.

I've done that thing with the Pop R when bass or even fish were busting shad.

Very cool. Those kids won't forget it. If I may make a suggestion, if it isn't illegal there, you could place some fish attractors under the dock.