the reel ess

Plfueger...or Pfleuger, not sure of the spelling. But that's a good reel for the money and will last a long time.

It probably means they're above average weight for fish their age. That's a good thing. It means they have plenty of forage and they're healthy and you get to catch bigger fish that are less experienced than the average fish their size.

That Midnight Special is a good one here in winter. The water is usually dingy to all-out muddy here in late winter and the color and vibration is a good combo. You can fish it so slowly you're basically dragging it on bottom. My favorite for most of the year is a War Eagle double willow blade in Gold Shiner pattern. But those cheap SB's do produce. For years, when I had less money than I do now, all I had was the old BPS store brand spinnerbaits. I still have some. I caught a new PB on one a couple years ago.

nm. I fell for the resurrected post.

I added a light topwater combo for my lighter poppers like Pop R. I use a M 6-6 Lightning rod with a 7.5:1 Lews LFS MB reel for my standard topwaters. But I've noticed how hard it was to get a good and accurate cast with a standard size Pop R with the heavy mono I like for topwaters. I dug out a very old and cheap Mitchell 6' "100% Graphite Tradition" rod that my cousin and old roomie left with me and paired it with an older BPS Johnny Morris reel that was laying around. This rod has to be from the mid 80's at best. It has a one-hand straight handle. The action is perfect for topwater, but a step lighter than the typical medium bass rods being sold today. I've caught a 6 pounder on it so it's up to the task. I'd rather have a newer faster reel and I'll get around to that someday.

I'd use a leader of a different line type. In fact, I do. Just curious if that light line is necessary. 20# braid has a diameter similar to 8# mono. That's my go-to for bass spinning.

Meh...I just put a little mroe than half the spool of mono on. The next time you do it and from then on, you'll only need to take the braid off and replace it. I usually get 3 reels worth off a 150 yard spool of braid. Here's a nifty trick. You can reel the used braid off one reel onto another and you'll be using the unused end. It's effectively brand new line. So if you have two reels with old, worn braid, you really only need to spool one with brand new braid.

I have several packs of Riverside chunks for jigs that say "fortified with Yum" on the pack. They were made in Fort Smith, AR and that's where Yum is. So it looks like Riverside was always really Yum.

Gamakatsu 4 Life What type and diameter line are you using with it? It looks like it would be hard to force line through that opening unless the eye is flexing a lot.

While you can never completely eliminate line twist with spinning reels, I use a baitcast reel for the applications they excel at. If you're married to spinning reel, you're using it all the time. If you have 4 baitcast combos and one spinning combo, each combo dedicated to a particular use, you'll be using the spinning a lot less and therefore twisting the line much less. I mostly only use spinning for baits that are too hard to cast with BC gear, like the Trick Worm or light jerkbait. In addition to the ground that has already been covered, spinning reels with larger diameter spools will twist line less than those with smaller spools. If you're using a bait like a weightless Trick worm, you can use a a good quality swivel at the end of the braid and use a leader of mono or fluoro. You can also stop at the end of your retrieve with several feet of line hanging and allow your bait to untwist as much as it will. Much of the twist gets concentrated at the end of the line.

The first time I used the 90 I had a hard time keeping it from spinning at the end of a cast. So I'd fish it like a Devil's Horse until I got it close enough for a steady retrieve. Got a total of 1 bite that way and missed it. But I'll admit I fished the 130 several times before getting any action on it. Prespawn this year was the best it has produced for me.

I'd say replace the rear hook with a heavier one but they're already large to the point of overkill.

I'm guessing this happens at the end of a long cast when you begin your retrieve. If so, slow your retrieve way down until you get the lure closer and your line is at a higher angle. I fish from a kayak and can hardly use a 90 size because it spins too badly. The higher your rod tip above water level, the less likely these are to spin. If it's happening all the time, you probably have some debris caught in the spinning tail segment.

Shallow weeds-Frog all day Shallow wood-black/blue jig and craw Shallow open water-topwaters if they'll bite it, War Eagle gold spinnerbait, gold CC Spot (they like gold here), bubble gum or limetreuse Trick Worm. Deeper water-the aforementioned gold Spot. It's weedy on my favorite lake and difficult to fish deep diving cranks. These are the things I keep tied on and usually try every time out for these patterns that cover most of the year. Maybe a C rig, split shot rig or Ned if i just can't buy a bite.

Full disclosure, my PB is nowhere near as big as the guys who live in the deep south or CA. But it's near the ceiling in the place I fish most. In addition to what I've seen in this thread, fish around the new moon and full moon. Stats show that's the best time of month for big'uns. I'm not necessarily saying to fish at night, though that is a good tactic. Low light periods are better for big bass. Overcast or even rain can be killer too. It's better to have the wrong lure where there are big bass than a monster swimbait where they're mostly dinks. If you know someone who catches bigger bass than you, try to go along with them and study their techniques. Ask them questions. Go in winter. The bites you get, though few, will be better average. If the water is not hard. If it's hard, start fishing as soon as ice is gone. When the water warms all the way to spawn is about the best time for fishing shallow. If I had to choose only two lures that catch better than average fish for me, it would be a full-size double willow spinnerbait and a 1/2 oz. black/blue Arky jig with craw trailer. Don't downsize. I catch dinks on this bait too. As mentioned before, shallow wood is killer.

My $0.02: Just buy other colors and the smaller size of the Pad Crasher models. I've got some other brands and they aren't better. The PC stays tied on my frog combo.

Trick Worm or Senko. They're mostly for specific targets, so the bass will bite on the drop or very soon after. But I like to cast & retrieve. It's the reason I got away from crappie and catfish. They're boring. I went offshore with my bro-in-law and nephews a while back. We spent about $650 and basically dropped cut bait 100 ft and dragged up whatever bit. Good fight, but not fun. Wasted $$$. If I get in a saltwater boat again, it will be for inshore species.

I used to do that too until that wouldn't even "net" me some solitude. I realized I was competing with people with better electronics and equipment than me for a bunch of 1-2 lb bass. I always found myself on second- or third-choice spots because i didn't want to crowd somebody. I eventually just left the big lake/bass boat scene to others. If I wanted to compete, I'd join a club and I like being alone, or at least in the only boat around if I'm fishing with another person. I live with a wife, daughter and female dog. I enjoy a few hours of alone time to be a guy.

A SPRO Rat I think. It catches bass. At least it has on one trip. I think it was about $17 at the time. I see they're over $20 now. I also have a Savage Gear Glide. It hasn't produced a thing yet.

Works in winter as well, but you have to draaaaaag it.

Ask 10 people and you'll get 20 answers. If you're shorebound, I highly recommend the standard size Rebel Pop R. It's one of my go-to's for shallow fishing and it doesn't get hung up. I'd try it early, late and any time there's shade or cloud cover or you see bass chasing baitfish on the surface. I caught a 6 pounder on one a couple weeks ago. The Chug Bug is a variation of the same thing. It's bigger and easier to cast with standard baitcast gear. I usually employ it later in the year when baitfish seem to be bigger. They won't always want a topwater, but you'll get addicted if you have a good outing on them. It's just so exciting to catch bass on top.

Take the back hook off, turn the blade around and replace the hook. Give that a try and see if it doesn't make a better commotion. It will also allow you to keep it in the strike zone longer. Hopefully, it won't cause the bait to spin. I had a 50+ bass day on a Tiny Torpedo once. Awesome bait.

It's a dad thing, especially if they came up in tougher circumstances than us. My dad didn't feel like he actually got the full experience of fishing unless he ate the fish. He would even be tempted to keep more than a limit if that presented itself. He and another friend caught 180 crappie one day. They had to take them in twice and leave them in coolers. But then we crappie fished until I was a teen. Then we transitioned to bass. His mentality didn't change until he got older and tired of cleaning them. I almost never keep any to eat. But I leave everything I catch at one pond in my buddy's basket because the pond is overpopulated. And if I fish from my other buddy's back seat, he keeps all bass in the 1-3 lb. slot as well as crappie and bream. It's a private place so there's no limit and not enough people fishing there to hurt the numbers. That's what I love about fishing more than hunting. You don't have to kill anything and there's no big mess to deal with afterward, if that's how you want it. This is the best time of year for me because most of the "sportsmen" are turkey hunting.

I remember Ike at a major tourney dinged the end of a pontoon pitching to it and on the very next cast caught a monster.

I like to get the hollow body frog near the shallow end of the dock on each side, especially if it's a bit "bassy" back there. ie: if there are any weeds or brush near the shallow end. A lot of times, they'll bite it when it hist the surface. Like you, I like the Pop R in that area as well. There's always some shade at a dock and they do like topwaters better in low light.