The Bassman

I use these on small stuff. A bit undersized for these baits.

Gonna use the shrink tube idea. Thnx.

I had a lot of fun today with Z-Man's GOATZ creature bait. Thought I'd share a tweak I did with it that benefited in more than one way. I found that using the lure as an unweighted buzz toad made it want to roll a bit. So I wrapped the hook shank with fine lead wire to add just enough weight to keep the hook keeled. A little super glue kept the wire from loosening up. Then I realized a second perk from the mod. Now the bait sinks head first ever so slowly. I used this to my advantage on three misses today by doing a quick follow up and drop to catch those three bass. It's like reaching for a second rod with a soft plastic chaser. Z-Man recently came out with a frog version of this bait but I like the more slender profile.

I've used them a lot lately and have found them to be a waste of money. Worms get pulled and shook off of them no matter what. If you can get one to fit real tight it just causes the worm to break when a fish head shakes. I've settled on using shrink wrap. I've found that it's best to not shrink it tight for the very same reason. I think the best solution is to use elaztech worms with a lightly weighted wacky hook.

Thanks for the tip. I use the same screw locks for the same reason. My problem might be that I slightly bend the hook away from the eye, the reasoning being that it will clear the dense body of the lure better but causing me to mess up the penetration angle. I also take my scissors and cut a piece of the body away under the hook point. Lately, I've been fishing a wacky worm instead and doing great anyway. Good info Phish.

Encountered some bedding crappies today. These were the two largest. Nice change of pace but they don't compare to a bass's fight.

I tend to cycle in and out of favorites. Some of my most productive baits get put aside while a new star steals the show for a while. I've concluded that location, depth, and speed are far more important than any one particular bait. Some lures are just more fun to use. I like being connected with my bait by feeling its vibration rather than, say finessing a weightless fluke for instance. I fish to have fun and being engaged with my lures enhances that. All that said, lures such as neds and wacky worms are necessary tools at certain times.

I'm a bank fisherman and some of my best outings have been when I walked out the door with a lure tied on and maybe two or three in my pocket. At the most I wear a wading vest (not very stylish, I know) with velcro lure binders holding my hard baits and soft plastics in their bags. True, I can't take everything and have missed plenty of times on my choices. Experience helps me gauge how to prepare based on where I'm going and conditions. Too many baits to choose from is a guarantee for a less than productive day for me.

I bought some VMC wacky rings in three sizes; 5,6, and 7mm. I can offer some input based on recent experience. First, you don't need the 14.00 pliers. Any needle nose gets it done. Second, a 5" Dinger gets thrown off of a 6 mm ring easily. What I started doing is not using the hook tab but poking my hook through the ring and the worm. Keeps everything together but causes the ring to start tearing if you don't remove the hook very carefully. Probably better to just keep it rigged as long as possible. When I finally use these up I'll go another route. Kinda pricey for what you get but they're "Ike Approved".

I deal with arthritis in several places. One thing that helps my fingers is Trigger Happy Comfort Grips on the stems of my spinning reels. As mentioned, I feel blessed to be able to do as much as I currently do. Still painting after 48 yrs. I'll be 68 next month.

I've ordered two rods from Asian Portal by way of Fed Ex with no fees. They were two piece, hence smaller packaging if that makes any difference. Shipping was expensive but evened out because of low item price.

Epic bite this afternoon. Fished an inflow that was bringing muddy water in and setting up a color break. Wind was blowing hard and the fish were obliging. Had pretty much non stop action for about 45 min. with a 1/4 oz Johnson Thinfisher blade bait (like ones I use during cold water but one size larger). Biggest was 5.80 with a 4.97 second. Lots of 2-3 lbrs. Actually got past the 4 lb. barrier the other day but messed up the pic. My wife says I keep using the same fish pics over and over as they pretty much look the same. I'm a better painter than I am a photog. These times make good memories.

125 JPY to the dollar makes the decision easy.

Still can't get past 4 lb. This one was 3.96. Normally I've caught bigger by now but really can't complain. Action was fast today in spite of temps barely above 40 and occasional sleet squalls this morning. Crazy spring here. supposed to be 70 Mon. I really believe that bass are motivated by their pre spawn instincts even with the water still cold. They're very aggressive and hard fighting right now.

We've been on T-Mobile 55+ plan for over four years now. Can't complain at 30.00 a line. I don't fully benefit from it like my wife does because I'm still in the dark ages on a 4 yr. old flip phone. That's why my fish pics are so crummy.

Still looking for the elusive 4 lbr. this spring. This one was close at 3.74. She ate a Rozante 63.

Healthy fish, though. What it lacks in length it certainly makes up for it in girth.

Around here mud chimneys are everywhere right now if there's water close by. Makes one realize that indeed crawdads are amongst us. Would make a good B movie.

Pre spawn bite is really picking up in spite of the weather. We've been yo-yoing between shirt sleeve and sub freezing temps. Here's a couple from Wed. and Thurs. Have caught many 2-3 lbrs. this past month but still haven't cracked 4 yet. Maybe tomorrow.

US dollar /JPY exchange rate is as good as I can remember right now. For example a JDM Met is 260.00 at Digitaka.

Actually, I'd like to hear about his drag racing experiences.

Some of my biggest fish have hit right at my feet. Having a 4 lbr. strike a wake bait just before you lift it out of the water is definitely a wake me up.

I used to obsess about my lawn but over time gave up. I live in a semi rural area where nobody judges you like when you're shoulder to shoulder in a sub division. I went through a period when I was fully engaged with landscaping and lawn care. I came to understand that the perfect lawn you see on the fertilizer bags butts heads with nature. You're always fighting something, drought, weeds, bugs, digging squirrels, you name it. We used to have a local radio guy who fielded questions on a Sat. AM radio show. He would recall his years on a farm by saying that they didn't have time for lawn care. It was always green in the spring and that was good enough.

The least productive wind direction for me is no direction (calm). East wind generally is associated with unsettled weather here. I've had great results on such days.

I like to tell people that DST keeps the sun up an hour longer so I have to mow more often.