Big_Easy_Bassin

Got to leave the shop at noon today for a meeting that got canceled, so why go back to work when I can go fish my favorite spot, New Orleans City Park, for a few hours? Needless to say it was a good trip. Caught 6 in just over 3 hours of fishing. 3 between 1.5 and 2lbs, ***.1lbs, and one 4.7lbs (pictured). Got em all on a custom 1/2oz flipping jig that I made during our shop meeting this morning ?

Looking to try some new traps (lipless crankbaits). My personal favorite is the 1/4oz Strike King RES. I throw this probably 90% of the time. Only other trap in my box right now is the 1/4oz B.L. Rat-L-Trap, which I like when the fish want the bait fished on a steady retrieve. I like to stick with the smaller lighter baits because I fish mostly shallow, grassy waters. I've tried a few other with little to no success, but I'm looking to give some different brands a shot. So let me know what you think.

Thought about giving the super slick a try just to see if it casted any better than the spectra

Not sure what it is about the RES, but it just seems to outproduce others... at least for me.

Interested in hearing what everyone's ideal setup would be for this technique. Lipless crankbaits, or simply "traps" as I like to call them, are hands down my favorite search bait and one of my all around favorites to throw. I almost exclusively throw a Strike King RES in the 1/4oz size. I'll throw the old Rat-L-Trap every now and then, but I have better luck with the RES. I'm also looking to try out some other brands, especially the Yamamoto and the Spro. I'm currently using an "unnamed" 7' MF Rod that retails in the $70 range that I found on sale (possibly marked wrong) at Walmart for $25, paired with a Daiwa Tatula 100 6.3:1. I've tried all different line types and I like flouro. I personally love P-Line Flouroclear (I think that may actually be a co-poly). Also experimented with everything from 8# to 20# and I usually go with 12#, but I'll bump it up to 15# if I know I will be fishing it slower than usual. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please let me know what you think. I'm always looking to try something different

I've been looking into experimenting with some different brands/types of line I use for certain techniques, and I'm looking for some suggestions for my braided line rigs. Here are my two setups. Frogging and some Flipping TXT731HFB with a Daiwa TACT100HS. Currently using 50# PowerPro Spectra. Jigs and T-rigs over 3/8oz TXT731MHFB with a TATULA100HS. Currently using 30# Spectra. Thanks in advance.

Looking into a new rod to throw the only two types of crankbaits I throw... squarebill and lipless (1/4oz 90% of the time). Currently using a 7'1" MF, but I'm looking to turn this rod into my 3/16-3/8 T-rig/jig rod and throw a fast reel with braid on there. Was hoping y'all might know of something in the $100-$150 price range slightly shorter (maybe a 6'8" or so) with a MM power/action.

Also thinking I should get the riptide. Water is pretty salty where I'll be fishing lol

What size shaft? I'm looking at the 45# Edge right now. I feel like the 36" shaft would be too short for the skiff

Trust me. I know I just upgraded my 18' bay boat from a Mercury 90HP 2stroke to a 115HP OptiMax. Once again, luckily I have a "hook up" lol. Only set me back 10 grand What trolling motor do you have on your flat boat?

Luckily I have a "hook up" when it comes to outboards. Just got off the phone with a buddy of mine in Baton Rouge. He's got a Mercury 15HP 4stroke for $1800, but I might spend the extra 200 bucks and get the 20HP 4 stroke he has for $2k. Brand new motors, but older models. 2015 I believe...

Yeah... pretty sure a 40HP would have that little thing rubbing close to or just over 60mph. I think I've decided to go with the J1450. Its rated for a 30HP which is wayyyyy more than I need lol. I was thinking more along the lines of a 15HP tiller steer. Now I just have to decide on a trolling motor and what, if any, electronics I want to get

I'm doing some research on the C.S. Kit Boats. The J Series come in 11'8" or 13'8", both with a 64" beam, but there's also a 13'10.5" DLX Kit Boat with a 66.6" beam. The kit boats interest me because you buy the plain hull and order the pre made accessories like bench seats and decks to make the boat exactly how you want it laid out. The width of these skiffs is what has me sold considering I'm a bigger guy and stability it a big factor for ne

That's what I was thinking. I noticed that the newer models actually have somewhat of a semi/modified V. Never noticed that on any that I've seen on the road or on the water, so think that's a plus

I recently bought a condo in a waterfront neighborhood built on a system of canals. My bay boat will be staying at our camp, but I'm looking into getting a small boat for bass fishing in these canals. Trying to stay away from aluminum... I'm just not a fan of aluminum boats. Also looked at a 13ft Carolina Skiff which so far seems to be my best option. Just wanted to see if you guys had any suggestions. Trying to keep it around 12 or 13ft. Thanks in advance for any help

I was thinking about picking up some gulp shrimp lol. Not sure about the new penny color though. The Delacroix trout have been more on a "shad" pattern

I was leaning towards these. Also saw the TGW. Not sure if the difference is worth and extra dollar per pack though lol

Most of my success has come on a 3" paddle tail swimbait. Some might call it a grub. Matrix Shad. I've also caught a few fish on a Mirrolure Lil John. I'm actually in the market for new lures to try as well. Plastics get torn up or come up missing very often when they're nose hooked, so I go through a lot of lures lol

I've been experimenting with some different techniques that I've learned since I got into bass fishing while targeting speckled trout down here in South Louisiana. I've found that the drop shot is very successful when fishing over oyster beds. I'm planning on picking up some terminal tackle tomorrow before I go out this weekend, and I was hoping to get some opinions from you guys about the setup. First off, what weight shape would work best on these oyster beds? I was using a cheap 1/4oz round style which seemed to work well, but I thought maybe a year drop style with a flat bottom might be better. Another question... I had a limited selection of hooks to choose from, and wound up using a 1/0 Mustad Demon offset circle hook. I'm drop shotting a 3" paddle tail swimbait. What size/type of hook would you guys recommend? Thanks in advance for the help

I always start the day with a Full Throttle energy drink, and I usually keep a small cooler in the truck with a few bottles of water. I'm a big beef jerky guy. If it's not some that I've made myself in my dehydrator, it's Jack Links. Sunflower seeds have been making their way into my bag too, but that's because I'm trying to quit smoking. Gotta pack light when you're bank fishing ??

I was thinking of trying out a jig next. The problem with a jig is pulling it up of the rocks because I'm fishing from the bank. It's tough pulling a bait over the drop off without getting hung up Gonna have to give this a shot I've got a pack of those hooks in my tackle box. I like them for swimbaits. Might have to give this a shot as well

I fish a lot of the drainage canals down here in New Orleans, and I've found 2 in particular that have produced very well for me. Both are much deeper than the others and have sloped concrete embankments leading down to rip rap banks. The rip rap is stacked about a foot out of the water, sloping down into about 2-3ft of water, then it drops off to around 6-7ft and gradually gets deeper towards the middle which is about 9-10ft. I like to fish any bridges that cross the canal, and have had great success fishing lipless cranks close to the pilings as well as just walking the bank and casting parallel. Most of the fish I've caught lately have been sitting in the 2-3ft of water very near the drop off as you would expect but fishing from the bank definitely is a disadvantage, plus quite costly because of hang ups and lost lures. I usually throw a lipless crank on the bridge pilings and along the bank, but because of the extremely warm temps lately it seems that maybe they're getting up closer to start bedding and the reaction bite has died off. Weightless Texas rigged Senkos have been my go to technique simply because they don't hang up as much, but the wind gives me a hard time with such a light lure. I've tried adding weight to the T-rig but this gets hung up and tungsten ain't cheap lol. Anyone have any suggestions for something different to throw?

No boats. Bank fishing only

The spawn in NOLA City Park is a double edged sword IMO. I personally always catch and release, and the park encourages everyone to do so, but it's not mandatory. Now I have no problem with keeping fish (I grew up fishing speckled trout and guided for a while when I got out of school and it's hard to beat fried speck filets IMO), but it must be done responsibly, especially in a fishery like this. I've seen guys fill 5 gallon buckets with 8" bass, and I watched a guy catch a 6lb female that was full of eggs off a bed last year and drop it in his little cooler. But all in all, fishing the spawn in the park is awesome. Nothing like staring at a 5 pounder and flipping at it for 2 hours. Best feeling in the world when she finally turns and grabs your lure.

Thanks everyone. I know it doesn't make a huge difference, but as I get more into bass fishing I find that every detail, even small things, can help when trying to locate fish. It's crazy... I put 100,000% more "study time" in when it comes to fishing versus when I was in school lol. My wife thinks I'm crazy bc I tend to do tons of research and I like to take notes