NCbassraider

Some truth to this but we'll agree to disagree on the rest.

...is there a disturbing number of people who don't have a scale to weigh their fish and who lay the fish on the ground to take a photo? I don't care what someone has told you, this is bad for the fish. There is a reason there is a time penalty for fish on carpet in MLF. Try to remember that.

And the come with good hooks. The KVD's are a good value but the hooks are garbage. I switch them out and it becomes a great bait.

I use it to weigh them. Its safer for the fish as gill hooking them with the scale can do damage. I also use the gripper when removing treble hooks. It's much safer than having you hand in there when they decide to thrash. Had a bad experience once. Lesson learned.

I'll look for the Zona video. He uses his arms for long, slow pull of the bait then a long pause. The traditional jerkbait bite has been dead here but it came to life today with the pull technique. Here its is:

....and it worked. He says in below 50 degree water stop jerking the bait and do long slow pulls with longer than usual pauses. I had been having almost no luck with my standard technique so I tried his today just before heading in and caught 3 fish in about 20 minutes. The one pictured was the biggest but I was very impressed with his technique. Will be trying it again tomorrow.

Of course I was being facetious in my title about only catching small fish. Went back out today and caught several on the Ned Rig and a few on a Jerk bait. This nice 2 lb 3 oz was the biggest of the afternoon and came on the Ned.

I switch most of my hard bait treble hooks out and use Gamakatsu only. The difference is huge, IMO. A lot of baits now come with upgraded hooks, like Spro uses Gamakatsu and Yamamoto uses Mustad but brands like Rapala, KVD and Heddon have junk hooks. I find with the switched out stronger and sharper Gamakatsu hooks I am able to drive the hooks through the fish instead of just skin hooking it. I rarely lose a fish with upgraded hooks.

I get it from them too. It means you're spending too much money there. That's what my wife says anyway.

Bass are territorial so the bigger fish will be in spots they know they can find food. Smaller bass will follow the big girls. In smaller bodies of water it is not uncommon to catch the same big bass in the same spot. It is also a reason it is tough to catch the monster double digit bass. They know where to eat and will move other bass out of the area. They just don't need out baits. I see this behavior in a small retention pond I have located off my lake. I stocked it with Bass to control the frogs however, the bass ate all the frogs so I have been feeding them with minnows by the pound. The bass are mostly 1-2 lbs but I do have a 6 pounder in there we relocated from another pond. The water is very clear and when I approach with a bucket of minnows they follow me, always with the big girl out front. When another fish gets too close to her she will open her mouth as wide as she can in an apparent display of dominance and the others will move away. It's so cool. I have never read anything like this but it happens all the time and is clearly her showing off her size and the other bass respond by giving her distance.

I've had a eurasian milfoil in my lake and if is much finer than his pic. It grows exponentially and almost overtook the lake. Whatever it is, it's an invasive species.

Looks like a form of hydrilla.

Quick trip to BPS then a little Ned rig fishing from the shore late today. Caught a couple little rats then this big girl. 3lbs, 7oz. I'll be putting the boat in tomorrow and be bringing one Ned rigged rod for sure!

I rarely wacky rig but when I do, I use rings. I thought that was what this thread was about. Gary Yamamoto designed the 5" senko to be thrown weightless Texas rigged on a 3/0

These pedestals are a easy and cheap way to raise your seats in these boats. They come in 7" also. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/marine-raider-13-pedestal#repChildCatid=10817

Live Target blue gill. It's a fun bait to work and the hits are awesome. I'm not a huge fan of straight retrieve baits. I like to work a bait and feel like I'm enticing the bites rather than just reeling. For best results I've found you have to turn the hooks up and use a froging rod.

I use two rings but didn't really notice a difference when I only used one. You get a lot more out of the Yamamoto senkos which are super soft. Without rings, it's one and done.

Here's a look at the lake today in the Charlotte area. It's 25 degrees out and I'm thinking about putting the boat in but it's supposed to be 65 degrees by Wednesday, so maybe not...

Thanks and been to my local cabelas, they only order it.

I went out today just for an hour as it was very cold and I was pressed for time. I started with some 6' diving jerk baits and nothing. Switched to a 5" Senko, weightless. Fished the deepest water I have which is about 17'. I went with an all white Senko for visibility and tip dipped it in chartreuse Spike It. I just twitched it on the bottom very slowly and subtly. Had two hits and the first 5 minutes and ended up catching 4 largemouth in about 40 minutes. Nothing over 1.5 lbs but I was on the right bait. The fish were very warm feeling in relation to the temp of the surface water which tells me they were in the warmest water down deep. Hope this helps.

Thanks

I scanned that thread already but didn't see anything about this particular boat, however I could have missed something. I own the Pelican 10' 2-seater already but was looking for someone with experience with this particular model and it's stability with it's pedestal seats and casting deck sitting so high.

I had a biologist tell me once that the actual definition of a pond is any man made body of water, regardless of size. Apparently it came from farming ponds that were almost always man made. I think I read that some States classify them that way.

They also migrate in large ponds. People hear pond and think of a stink-hole farm pond but many ponds are fairly large bodies of water of greatly varying depths. I've fished a 25 acre pond that was as diverse as any lake and had channels running over 20' deep.

I'm not far from you in NC and it has been tough fishing this region this Fall/Winter. The weather stayed warm so late into the fall then suddenly we got very cold night and the water temps dropped suddenly. Here, we were basically robbed of crankbait season. I've had some pretty good luck with jerkbaits but if I were you I would find some deep warm water and dropshot or fish a weightless Senko super slow. Gary Yamamoto says a 3/0 always on a 5" Senko. You can't fish a Senko slow enough but it's so hard to when you're frustrated. That makes you fish everything too fast. Water temps are in the high 40's now and they are not chasing anything so remember that. I'm heading out tomorrow afternoon rigged with a couple jerk baits and Senkos which I will barely move at all. My friend has a lot of success in these temps just slow dragging a finesse jig right along the bottom. Also takes a lot of patience.