BigAngus752

Gorgeous! Looks like 100mph on the trailer...

Pick one. I don't have time to take care of both. I found this aggravating (but only because I'm jealous of your maturity and good sense).

Amen to this! My wife has watched me remodel two of our homes. Once while I was doing trim work she asked me if four finish nails was enough on a long piece of base. I pointed out to her that it was non-load bearing and never touched by anyone. Literally just for lookin' at. But when I took the old stuff off it had 180 brads.

One of my top confidence baits. Shad color when it's cloudy/dirty and chrome when it's sunny. Works best on windy banks and when you bang it off of stuff. Always on deck unless it's dead calm/high skies and I'm only throwing bottom contact.

Well, you've had a lot of responses and no one has mentioned this so maybe I'm way off, but part of your issue is in your first sentence. 15lb braid for finesse? I use 4lb - 6lb. Also curious about your rod specs. A rod that doesn't match your technique won't cause line twist, but it will cause your line to not flow through the line guides properly and cause "wind knots".

Okuma TCS-C-701MHa This is my lipless crank rod. Great bend for long casts and perfect backbone for a sweeping hookset on trebles. I own two of them. Lipless is one of my highest confidence lures. Also excellent for walking a Zara Spook. I use Yo-Zuri Hybrid on these rods.

Don't know why, but it's the year of the 5+ pounders. I haven't caught large numbers of bass this year but I'm way, way ahead on the 4 and 5 pound bass. I'd tell you my secret, but it's secret even from me. Quite a blessing so far this year.

Still using Trilene XL bought at Walmart with zero problems. 4lb and 6lb on spinning set ups. It's the Sufix Siege I threw in the garbage. I've never in my life seen a mono with so much memory. Tried KVD line and lure, tried drifting it out repeatedly behind the boat. Unspooled/respooled. Waste of money. It stayed a curly phone line full of wind knots no matter what I did. Funny how each of us has completely opposite experiences with the same product. Seems like EVERY manufacturer has quality control issues...or nothing is idiot proof. 50/50 chance of either when it comes to me.

I had a pet rock and my sister wore a mood ring. Everyone we knew had pet rocks and mood rings and went roller skating every weekend and drank Tang. Everyone. "This too shall pass". Hone your skills. Enjoy the fish you catch when it's tough to catch. Fish when other people aren't any time you can.

If you fish during spawn, you will catch "spawning" or "guarding" bass. You can't help it even if you don't intend to. But don't worry about it because everyone either "thinks it's bad" or they cite studies that say it doesn't matter. I've yet to see a study that says it's a bad thing. Could be bad, but I don't really enjoy that type of fishing so I'm not highly educated on the subject. My favorite seasons to fish: 3. Full summer. High, bright sunshine with anything from a little breeze to strong wind. The sun and the wind place the fish and I know exactly where to find them. Solid number days fishing slow to very-slow techniques with occasional big fish. Windy days are great days for spinners and vibrating jigs. 2. Pre-spawn. Around here that's water temps above 45 degrees. Weather is still too cold for many bass anglers so I only see a few other fishermen on the water. Like summer, the pre-spawn put the bass in predicable places. Usually slow to deadstick techniques. Very low numbers and very big fish. 1. Fall. Not "Oh, the leaves are starting to turn" fall. Real fall. Leaves are almost gone. Water temps below 55 (and sometimes the best days are 49-48 degree water). The air temps/wind have to get really cold to get that 80 degree water down to 49 degrees so I'm in GoreTex and I'm pretty much alone on the water. These are the best days of the year. Double the number of fish I catch any other days on the lake. Huge striper hitting crankbaits in less than a foot of water is another bonus. I only have two rods on deck and my thumbs are shredded and my forearms worn out by the end of the day. My favorite time of year.

I'm no topographer, but not Florida probably?

Hey now, you Texas yay-hoos can't be calling fish like that "dinks" or you'll have every bass fishermen in the middle states gettin' het up.

I've used everything except Cortland. Can't go wrong with Sufix or X9. Flip a coin. I will say that I've used Sufix much longer than X9 so I can say that I fish at least weekly when the water isn't frozen and Sufix stays on my reels for at least two seasons and usually three without any issues at all. I've not tried that with X9 yet. I would expect the same, however.

I've been using a Dobyns FR 703SF spooled entirely with 6lb Trilene for many years. It's perfect for wacky worms and any other weightless plastic and it's spectacular for skipping a wacky rig. I've used braid with a mono or flouro leader in the past on this setup and find no advantage over straight Trilene.

What these guys said. Keep in mind the ONLY color that matters is the BOTTOM of the lure. The fish can't see the color on top. The WP and the Choppo can be a great lure in my area sometimes...sometimes not, just like any other topwater. The best tips I can offer for it are: 1. Throw it at pinch points or when you're seeing some surface activity 2. Don't use braid. 3. Like @BrianMDTXsaid, let it land, let it sit for a couple seconds, start reeling. If you've made a long cast you'll want to start with the rod tip low and gradually raise the rod tip as you're reeling to keep the nose of the WP in the sweet spot as it gets closer to the boat. I know some people don't care for them. It's usually the first topwater I throw. Maybe second only to a frog.

I hear you! I have been thinking about going back in and asking for a sew-up. It definitely gets more uncomfortable as the years pass. I'm glad I don't have more than one. Good luck to you!

I don't have an office. Just a rusty old van with no windows...for your privacy....

I have what is described as a "Fat-containing midline abdominal wall hernia". It's harmless. Just some fat that squirts out (and in and back out again) of a small tear in my abdominal wall. When it shows up, it just look like a small nose in the middle of my six-pack. I've been lifting heavy lately and that tends to make is show more. I got out of the shower tonite and noticed it was bulging pretty good. When I had my scans years ago to make sure it wasn't something that needed to be surgically repaired, I remembered the doc asked if I wanted a band to wear that would press the fat back through the hole and make the lump go away. I told her I didn't care about a little bump in the middle of my abs. But TODAY I guess I decided that I cared...because I remembered the offer of the elastic band and thought, "well I guess I should be able to just shove this fat back through the portal". And YES, you CAN! I pressed very firmly (very) on the hernia and heard a hideous, spleching, gurgling sound while simultaneously experiencing a hideously splattery sensation in my midsection as a couple ounces of fat squirt-gunned it's way back into...somewhere. So...FYI it works. Moral of the story: See me for all of your medical needs (very small co-pay). You're welcome.

I'm impressed that you bought them this week and have tried all of them already. ?

You made some pretty good choices there. I'm a rye drinker and if someone tells me they really want to learn to drink rye, the Woodford is the very first one I suggest. It's a 51% mashbill so it's just enough to be able to call itself a rye and it retains that mellow, caramel palate. We keep a 1.5L of the WT101 under the counter to mix with Coke Zero. If you like the Woodford Rye and want to try another rye, look for Old Forester Rye 100. You should be able to find it for $25-$30 dollars and it's the best rye at that price point IMDO (In My Drunken Opinion).

Oh, yes! Nothing from the market compares.

Yup. Lights out one day, 24hrs later it's a nap on the water. Just remember, if it was easy you'd get bored and sell all your fishing gear.

Oh, it sounds sooooo easy when I'm just reading it....

I apologize, if you were talking about after every single bass has finished spawning then that changes things. That's a true summer pattern for me and I'm going to pay the most attention to the weather. If it's sunny and calm then I'm looking for "deep" structure or shade. If the wind is blowing hard enough to move baitfish then I'm headed straight for windblown banks that have rock or submerged/partially submerged vegetation, usually on the main lake or main lake points. If "right after spawn season" means most fish are done (which is very roughly beginning of June here) then I might find fish in either pattern. By the time we reach late July I'm finding some other hobby until October. I also fish one lake where focusing on the bluegill spawn is really good bass fishing. It's just the one lake, but if I find bluegill on beds I go to the edges and look for any kind of cover or ambush spot. A blk/blue jig will catch bass after bass.

There isn't any "right after" spawn because all the LM in a lake don't spawn at the same time. There will be some still on beds a month after the first spawners have already moved back to deep water. At least that's how it is here. So I start in the spawning areas and work my way out or vice-versa. I don't pay as much attention to exactly where as I do the area of the lake + sun/shade + (most importantly) wind.