Dorado

I’m in the exact same camp as @P.A.L. in terms of using the FG knot to join 10# braid with a very long leader. You will know if you failed tying in the process of cinching your tag ends. It creates a very tight cocoon shaped knot that seamlessly flies through the guides When tied correctly, FG resembles a Chinese finger trap effect. Treats me well with finesse situations (which I’m in about 90% of the time). I respect the bass fishermen who fish successfully with straight braid. However, me personally, I think the subject is very debatable. I’ve fished in some of the most highly pressured urban ponds in the Southwest and it’s extremely difficult to catch fish off straight braid using finesse techniques. Using a leader of 6# or 8# copolymer or fluoro can make such a significant difference where I fish. I’ve experimented with this for the past 3 years. There’s a gent from NoColorado who produced a YouTube series on how line size and line type affects bass fishing. I found it very compelling and he might even be a BR member?

Great video Glenn! When you finished rigging up, the result looked like the first time I attempted Texas-rigging a Senko back in my youngest years lol. Previous to this video, I always paid close attention rigging a weightless trick worm to perfection. This really has me pondering now. Thanks for sharing

First thing I’m going to watch when I get home from work today. You da man!!!!

Right now - 4.5” Roboworm FAT Straight Tail in SXE Shad on a drop shot Bed Bait - 2.5” Original FAT Gitzit Tube In Brown Craw/S&P please

Took my sunglasses off at that one. Mercy

Dink magnet but my favorite lure for spawning slab crappie! I use a 2” Grub in lieu of the split tail

I’m a huge fan of the G-Lock Worm hooks. I buy them in bulk and use the 3/0 for trick worms. I Texas-rig a lot at night and needed a hook that was forgiving with my hooksets when the margin of error is magnified in the dark. In my experiences, the fish hook themselves using ribbontails and straight tailed worms. Then again, I’m also dealing with that margin of error with Megastrike or Spike It Dip-n-Glow. Oh yeah have not been gut hooked, to date, from these hooks. It’s all about this specific hook’s angles too that help your plastics stay entact and on straight after pulling thru cover.

Thank you. Can’t wait to try!

Now you really have my attention. Never used a Thunderstick before. Partial to a certain color? How did you retrieve?

One last final point. The Ned Rig should be mandatory IMO. It’s so versatile and it’s that morsel that even inactive bass strike, plus you keep yourself engaged by having opportunities for other species, such as crappie, catfish, bluegills, list goes on. You can swim a ned rig subsurface like a grub all the way to fishing it like a shakeyhead. Deadsticking does wonders too. It covers all water columns below the surface.

I have two young children with a busy work schedule so I can not venture far from the city to fish these days. To get my fix, I have to urban fish extremely pressured ponds and it’s definitely a challenge. However, it’s rewarding once you figure out their ever changing riddles. Best advice, fish at night where it’s lawful to do so. Know the primary forage. I’m a strong believer in marching the hatch and most forage in urban ponds are very small so learn to master finesse fishing. Fish SLOW! Every body is throwing spinnerbaits and loud lipless cranks so rely mostly on soft plastics. Where I roam, Threadfin Shad make their ways in the ponds I fish through canals connected to northern reservoirs. With that said, white grubs, Small swimbaits (Keitechs, Sassy Shads, Roboworms on a drop shot, Berkely Gulp Alive Black Shads on a drop shot) are staples. Where I’m from, in Denver, those metro ponds were full of crawdads. Strike King Bitsy Tubes (2.75”) were phenomenal.

What do you recommend for top water presentations when imitating Threadfin?

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought the stocked hooks were garbage

There you go http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Splash_Back_Topwater_Popper/descpage-6SSBTP.html

Cool topic. Pretty diverse with my hard baits so I won’t cover that, plus I’ve evolved into a soft plastic junkie over the past couple years. Unsurprisingly, grubs take the crown. Started fishing them in Colorado for saugeyes and walleyes. I discovered that they were bass magnets there and even more so in Arizona. Surprisingly, I have a surplus of Roboworms. I do not drop shot as much as I should, but when I moved here, every AZ angler told me they were mandatory to carry in your tackle box. 7” Power Worms are one of my confidence baits. They never let me down.

Mini chatterbaits. 2” or 3” Berkley Power Grubs. Strike King BitsyTubes

Thanks! Those fish were nice and you caught them in such a short window. I’m going to try those worms out next week

Are you fishing that U-Vibe weightless?

I have a dissenting view on grass carp. The older ones are very persnickety, but the 15”- 30” class are very easy to catch. Get some whole grain, seedy bread and roll a large jawbreaker sized ball. Next, mix it in your hand with some mulberrry flavored commercial carp dough. They are available at BPS and others fishing outfits. Check the catfish aisle. I call this PB&J The mulberry dough will adhere the bread roll together into your Eagle Claw size 2 baitholder hook. Without that “glue” your bread will likely fall off during the cast, especially on a Carolina rig. I’ve evolved these days to fish for em with a slip bobber rig. This is the secret to the finicky mature mommas who are line shy and super finicky. They do not feel resistance of any weight on that initial take when you master the slip bobber rig . Food for thought. When you want to take it to the pinnacle for grasses, fly fish for em! My buddy living in Colorado tied custom floating algae flies for the canals here. They take surface flies like manatees. Good luck keep at it!

Master finesse fishing. Fish at night for the larger fish. For highly pressured ponds, I have the utmost confidence in: 2.5”-3” tubes, Ned rig, trick worms, grubs, 4” senkos, and 7.5” ribbontails for the summer time. Clear water- Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin, baitfish colors

I’ve been throwing that exact same black and blue Chatterbait w/ black and blue Menance Grub all year with no luck. That chartreuse black back Squarebill and sexy shad RES are money!

Incredible smallie ?

Haven’t tried it yet. However, The Livetarget Threadfin Baitball Series Squarebill is one of my favorite lures of all time.

X2. I use Bitsy Tubes and Gitzit Tubes in natural colors

Post-spawn: This year shallow cranks/wakebaits like the Baby One-Minus (see pic from last night). White grubs are always a staple post spawn Last year- White chatterbait with a Fluke Jr (white ice)trailer.