the reel ess

I fish a lot of wood cover with them. I started using them because there's nothing more frustrating than pulling up to a promising laydown and getting hung immediately. The spot is ruined. The Trashmaster is more weedless than the usual jigs with brush guards. I've been using them a few months and have yet to lose one. I have found that a "bug" type trailer won't hide the hook point as well as a craw will. And it seems to me you can't set the hook hard enough.

I like T rigged Craws on a superline EWG hook and, right now I like the Catch Co Trashmaster jig with a Rage Bug or Rage Craw trailer. I like the latter when I need to skip it. And since I usually need to skip the bait under things on a trip, I'm usually going with the jig.

My dad used to compare bass fishermen to "gnats on a turd" for the way they run and gun. I like to fish sort of fast when I can. But I'll do what I have to.

I carry a 900 yd spool of Berkley Big Game 15# for just such occasions. It saved my trip once. I don't use mono on every combo, but I can get by with BBG 15# for most applications.

Dropshot. It doesn't look fun to me. I had only caught flounder on them. Then I saw a thread on here about putting a trailer on one and drqgging over the lilies. I caught several first time I tried it.

Oh man! I'm too old to want to do that. It all works for me this way.

When I started fishing most spinning reels were left handed and all BC reels were right. I used them too long to change anything now. But I'll admit, I don't like left handed spinning. My left is very uncoordinated. I'm very right dominant. But I can't cast left-handed, so It's the best arrangement for me. I cast and reel the baitcaster with my right.

I think I've killed fewer bass since I've been kayak fishing. For one, you don't boat flip them. I usually don't even net them. When I catch a big one and want a photo, I get it unhooked and hold it with gills in the water with my left hand as I fish my phone out with my right hand. Then I take it out, snap a few and get it right back in the drink. I like to take that moment and watch it swim away before I start fishing again. It's a good feeling.

Our passion is sticking fish with hooks for the enjoyment of it. You either have to live with the fact a few will die or stop fishing. Of course, you do your best if you're a good steward. But you can eat the fish. If you're concerned it will bleed out, but you're not sure, you can release it. If it dies another fish or turtle will profit from its loss. We can't be part of nature without leaving a little of our footprint on it. The worst I ever felt about it was thinking I may have killed a 5+lb bass. I asked my buddy who fishes that place more than I do if he ever saw it floating or washed up and he said "Don't worry about it. This place is full of 5-6-7 lb. bass. You won't miss one."

My dad referred to bass that weren't white or striped as "black bass". Only later did I learn they were actually largemouth. We don't have "brown bass" near here. It seemed everywhere I fished has 4 or 5 species of small panfish, which we simply referred to as bream. Still do. This covers bluegill, warmouth, shellcracker (redear), long eared sunfish, green sunfish and redbreast. Also, we used to catch occasional small yellow perch while crappie fishing and we had no idea what they were. We just called them "green bream". I called a lot of white bass stripers before I figured the difference out. I've caught warmouth on a topwater frog and a T rigged craw. If these fish were bigger they'd rule the lake.

On the lower priced rods, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of a 6-6 M and a 6-6 MH Berkley Lightning Rod. They were the best I had at one time. But as I bought new rods I moved them to techniques that don't require a lot of sensitivity, like spinnerbaits, trebles and topwaters. I'm slowly phasing them out. I also own a Lightning Rod spinning M 7' rod for lighter trebles.

I wouldn't sleep on Falcon Bucoo SR at the $100 price point. It's a lot of rod for that dough and if I ever see them on sale, I'll snap up one or two more. Probably the best quality rod I own is a Falcon Lowrider 7' MH "big crank" rod. I usually use it for big topwaters (think Whopper Plopper or Spook) and lipless cranks. I got it for $50 used from a guy who was going from fishing to motorcycles. That's about $80 savings over new.

I tried SPRO frog when it was new and didn't get a bite on a few tries. So to the bottom of the box it went, then out of the box. Years later, I started fishing smaller waters from the kayak and I bought a Booyah Pad Crasher. I have no idea how many bass I've caught on this lure. I bought a frog-specific rod because I like it so much. I was the same way with the WP. My buddy started catching a few big ones on it prespawn a couple years ago. So I bought a 110 in bone color. Nada for the first several times I used it. My sister has a vacation home with a canal behind her house and a neighborhood pond. I dusted off the WP there and caught a few. I decided to devote a day to it in my local reservoir and caught a few there too. They don't usually produce numbers, but the fish tend to be quality. Sometimes the 90 size will get more bites and it's a good gateway drug to the bigger ones. I don't like it as much as the 110 because I fish from the kayak and if you don't get the rod tip up high, the 90 will spin until you get it closer.

Big swimbaits. But then I don't use the ones I already have.

I don't use any chucks, except with the weedless spoon as shown above. My philosophy is that bass eat craws year round. And the craws they eat don't look like frogs, they look like craws. So I just keep it simple with Rage Craw, Rage Bug and Super Speed Craw.

Go to the videos on this here board and start with "beginner" videos. These things didn't exist when I was a kid so I learned from what others would divulge or show me or trial and mostly error. Fishermen used to hold their cards close if they were on a good pattern. Find yourself a place where the fishing is easy. I visit my friend's pond sometimes when the bite gets really slow everywhere. The fish are stunted and hungry. It's a great way to develop some techniques. If you see a private place that looks fishy, don't be shy about asking the landowner if you can fish it. You'll be surprised how many would prefer someone take some fish out. And if you like to eat fried fish, pond bass are generally the cleanest you can get. Don't overthink it. I'd start off with a T rigged worm (I did), spinnerbait and a topwater lure. Practice with these. If you see a technique that looks fun, research when and where to use it. If you try a topwater frog in January, you probably won't get much action, unless you're in So FL. As you advance, you're probably going to want more than one combo so you can specialize a bit. Techniques are easier and more enjoyable used on the combos suited for them. The first I would get is a MH. I won't specify baitcast or spinning. Whatever you're comfy with. Next would be a medium for lighter and finesse lures. There are many videos out there regarding which rod actions/powers to use for which baits. Lastly, fish the way you like to fish. Most of us aren't tournament anglers, so numbers of 15" fish are not that important until the bite gets really slow. Enjoying the sport is the most important thing. My favorite lures are topwaters. It's usually warm here April to maybe November so I get a lot of opportunities. I'd rather catch 2 on top than 4 on bottom. Good luck (make your own luck by being informed).

If it's a big fish I usually overestimate it by a pound or two. I've caught 2 over 7 this year and one 6. But I caught a 3.75 on a Whopper Plopper last weekend that fought harder than any fish I've caught this year. It wouldn't give up, even when I lipped it. Thank goodness for the hooks on a WP. Best hooks on any lure I have. But some of the lightest strikes I've gotten were big bass on topwaters, like a popper. They'll just sneak up under it and it'll disappear.

I had to yank a topwater away from one twice. I saw it coming though as it swooped both times.

Around here, time of day is a water temp issue. In winter, the window is noon to about 4. As the water warms, it spreads out more. It seems like you can catch them any time of day during spawn, though I like some shadows for the topwater bite. Then, postspawn, when the water is getting warmer quick, it becomes more of a morning-evening thing. In the hottest part of the year, I don't even go midday. Of course, you gotta go when you can go.

I got one of my biggest crappie as a bycatch, fishing for bass with a CC Super Spot.

I have a few ponds I'll usually try for bass and if they won't comply in about an hour, I'll break out a Rooster Tail or a Beetle Spin for the bluegills. Not surprisingly, this usually elicits a few bass bites as well. It doesn't take a big bass to be fun on an ultralight combo.

I went to the local bait shop in Pawley's Island, SC and asked for some lures for reds, trout and flounder, expecting to pay $30 for an assortment. The guy working there handed me a gold Johnson Silver Minnow and a bag of Gulp Mullet with a couple of jigheads. I caught flounder on both, but nothing else except a small toadfish.

You probably only got that one bite. And don't feel bad. That's how I notice most of my jig bites. The good news is they'll usually hold it a while.

If Lot lived in the present day South Carolina he would have a SALT WIFE sticker on the back window of his pickup.

I use a wide array of colors: black and blue. When I want to change it up a bit I use blue and black.