the reel ess

But a T rig is more difficult to skip. And I've caught a few big bass that were out of reach if you couldn't skip back there.

I just ordered some Trashmaster jigs. I'm very tired of approaching a perfect laydown and making the best pitch to it only to get hung on the first pitch and ruin that spot. Can't wait to give it a try.

I was considering that. Honestly, had I spent an additional $30 on the Lew's Tourney MB reel it would still be working. I'm not certain that's the problem and I'm not good enough at reel repair to do it myself. Also, its the first generation of the Academy store brand so I don't know who to have fix it. IDK if parts exist. That is not the only issue with the reel. The thumb bar intermittently sticks in free spool as well. Who would you suggest I have work on it?

And it's probably not useful info as the TAC 40 reel has been redesigned. I really abused this one. But I'll probably go a step up for the next one. I may just use one of my Lew's MB reels to fill in until I feel like pulling the trigger on a new one. I'm feeling like a Daiwa or Shimano for the next one. Maybe an AG-Revo. Not sure how far I want to step up.

I use it until I just can't stand to look at how faded it has gotten. Then I reel it onto another reel and use it that long again. Then I strip it off and repeat. I have backlashed it so badly once I had to cut it off the spool. I was at the beach and luckily I had a spool of 15# Berkley Big Game I used to finish the week. I also don't fill the entire spool with braid. I use the Big Game for backing line.

I'm resurrecting this thread to give an update on this reel. It has been my jig reel for almost 3 years now. I caught this 7 pounder on it Sunday and I think it's about to give up the ghost. It seems like the instant anti-reverse bearing is wearing out. It sometimes operates like a reel from the 80's now. I guess I got $100 worth out of it since I've been using it exclusively on my jig combo with the drag cinched down spooled with 30# braid on a pitching-specific Hvy-Fast rod. I've caught at least 10 bass over 6 lbs., several of those over 7 in the gnarliest of cover on the jig in that time.

5 Hour Energy. You're welcome. Don't drink it all at once. Sip about 1/4-1/3 of the bottle. Repeat after a few hours. I love to see the sunrise. You miss some of the best fishing of the day if you aren't on the water early. I caught the fish in my profile pic early.

Pretty much all other jerkbaits are cheaper and catch fish. A confession of my own: I don't own a single Megabass lure. Maybe they are that good. I probably will never know.

I will take some from my buddy's dink farm. They're overpopulated and the water comes right out of the ground. So the fish are clean. Largemouth taste a lot better from a clean fishery. I've tried to grill or air fry them. They don't have enough fat for that. So it's deep fried in peanut oil for me. They're good in a stew as well.

I went about 6 miles down a local "river" in my kayak that is no bigger than a creek most of the time. It did rain a little the night before we took the trip. We still had to get out and walk a good bit of the trip. I caught a couple fish. If I were to do it again, I'd cut the trip in half and fish more.

No. One other guy fishes it occasionally as does the owner. I have been there since I posted that and caught 13 in a couple hours. Every one was on a size 90 Whopper Plopper. I did try other baits, but I couldn't keep the fish off the WP. The biggest was 3.5 lb and the rest were about a pound. As I said in the previous post, I had seen a big gal on the bed in the spring. I hope this is not the same fish and there are multiple bigger bass on the pond. That was in the evening as it got darker. I agree on fishing the the low light periods. Especially the morning. A lot of people won't make the effort to be on the water at sunrise. I've caught a few PBs at or before sunrise.

Go to Florida. LOL. I went there after last Christmas and caught 50 bass a day. Came back home and zeroed twice.

I'm in the market for a kayak that costs le$$.? Hell, I was ecstatic to catch my first rainbow trout and it was 2" shorter.

I caught a 6 pounder recently on a Chug Bug that only had one of the rear hooks in the nostril.

Yeah, that's our go-to much of the year there. But after trying a lot of gold lures there, the Spot seems to work better. It is more of a deep gold. Gold X-Rap, War Eagle spinnerbait in gold shiner, bubble gum flukes, bubble gum and limetreuse Trick Worms all produce. I use topwaters whenever they'll bite them and color seems to not matter much at all for those. And then there's the frog. Aside from these they like the black/blue jig.

I have a local small lake that's like this. It does have gold shiners, minnows of all kinds, crappie, bluegill, redear and warmouth, as well as crawfish. Gold seems to be the only consistent fish pattern. Fishing does get slow this time of year. And fall is late to SC most years.

1. War Eagle Spinnerbait in gold shiner. This caught me a PB early summer. Runner Up: 1/2 oz. flipping jig. Got several big bass in the last year on the jig, but I got a 7.2 lb. on my birthday.

For craws, it doesn't seem to work as well as black/blue for me. I have one place it works and the water is clearer there.

What do you change the Pop R hooks to? What brand and what size? The standard size Pop R is one lure I feel has hooks that are too small. The Chug Bug seems to do a lot better job holding fish.

4". I went to check and I'm out! I had one on a rod though. I see pros recommending you take a little off the nose of the bait, but I don't. It skips well if you leave it alone.

Black and blue. When I want to mix it up, I go blue and black. Standard size. It's a good trailer for skipping a jig.

I never change trebles unless they're damaged. And even then, I don't break the bank. I will sharpen them sometimes. I might replace them if I was fishing vintage lures. I don't have any of those.

Good thing I fish alone (friendless).

What's with the name? Will they not work with 50# braid?

I don't even have 10 Craw Trick Worm Fluke Stick worm Hula Grub