Glaucus

I break off so many squarebills and various jig heads in one of the rocky rivers I fish. Part of what got me wondering. I spend time with a few other anglers who love this river too and break off with the same frequency. Part of a rocky river. You're guaranteed to pull up an ancient crankbait at the dam almost every time you go.

It's all good. We're all on the same team. My PB LMB was caught on a 3/16oz spinnerbait and my PB SMB was caught on a Ned Rig. Funny things happen. In the context of the OP I was definitely talking about targeting bigger bass and trying to eliminate smaller bass.

I learn a lot from watching better anglers than myself on YouTube. I also learn a lot from this forum, social media, and time spent on the water. Is the video evidence method of learning a problem?

Small bass will hit big lures and big bass will hit small lures, sure. We're talking about specifically targeting big bass; doing that, increase your lure size. You're looking for those couple of bites rather than numbers. Try telling big swimbait fishermen who fish all day looking for that one bite that big lures don't mean big bass.

I don't feel sorry for people who can't exercise self control. I also don't know anyone who buys expensive gear just because it's expensive. I do, however, know of people on social media and forums who like to brag about their expensive gear. In the end, it's the individuals money to blow or not blow any way they please. The only time I feel bad is when a newbie seeks advice or does research and gets sucked in by either a pro marketing something or another person who thinks one must have the most expensive gear to be able to fish at all. I always keep my mouth shut but when I see someone seeking advice for their first setup and someone suggests the most expensive Loomis rods and $300-$400 reels, it's very off putting and I just have to shake my head. Humans are very good at spending other people's money.

I narrowed down your problem. Teasing of course.

Too many to make it worth posting a list. Most of my casting rods are 6'6", but I have rods at 6'8", 6'9", 6'10", and 7'. A healthy mix of medium and medium heavy powers, with one heavy power. Most in fast actions but a few in moderate fast actions. The majority of my reels are 6 something to 1 gear ratio, with a couple in 7 something to 1. Line is 10-12lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, 12-14lb Trilene, or 40-50lb Power Pro.

It will be 27* at 6am and 50* by 4pm. I'm going to give it a go, but the whole weekend was cold so it will probably be slow.

People like that are why so many ponds have "No Trespassing" and "No Fishing" signs.

I don't get it.

Very true about hooks. I just don't know how long they actually take to rust like that. A common moral response to someone saying to just cut the line on a gut hooked fish because it will rust out, is to put a hook in a jar of water and tell us how long it takes for it to rust enough to corrode away. But you are right. I've pulled up old crankbaits and wacky rigs that have basically had dust for hooks. I get so mad at people when I see all the trash in and around our water systems. One of my ponds is so clear right now that I noticed a bunch of beer cans in the water. Unbelievable! One of these days I'm probably going to get my jaw broken because if I notice someone leaving trash I tell them they should pick it up in a tone that says I'm not asking and I don't think fondly of them.

Have you ever wondered about the environmental impact of breaking off? When you consider all of the hundreds and thousands of people doing it? Is there an impact? All of the plastic, rubber, metal, lead, tungsten, etc littering our lakes and rivers? At what point is the lake or river so full of hooks that you can't step in them?

Eh seems to be a common problem. I watch gators try to get Roland Martin's lures on YouTube all the time.

I've never really spent good money on spinnerbaits. I've always just picked out Strike King or Booyah in a size and color I needed. However recently I decided to spend some money on nice spinnerbaits and got a few of the Z-Man SlingBladeZ to try. Can't wait. My PB LMB came off a Strike King Lil Mr Money. Imagine that. I think those are 3/16oz.

130 size Whopper Plopper would put on a topwater show too. That may have never seen one by the sounds of it.

Here in Illinois LMB were hitting the surface the other day in 50* air temps. I don't know what the water temps were but ice out just recently happened and the bass have just started to "activate." It was a spectacle. I didn't bring any top water with me because who would have thought? PS they were unmistakably LMB. The water is fairly clear and they were right in front of me.

Just go to Walmart or a chain store like BPS or DSG and get a Strike King 1/2oz jig in a natural brown/green color and another in black and blue. Pretty cheap and will make the selection easy for you. Get a pack of Strike King Rage Craw Lobsters in the corresponding colors to your jigs and put them on as trailers. I'd get a pack of worms around 10 inches long. Maybe a pack of Zoom Ol Monster worms with the lightest bullet weight you can get away with.

Bigger spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and swim jigs. Bigger jig n craw. Bigger worms. Maybe swimbaits.

At worst you would get that paper ice around the banks. That's it.

It sucks, but I can guarantee you that we appreciate and love fishing during the open water season more than most people who have open water year round.

I've been watching YouTube videos of guys from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama fishing frogs right now and getting blown up. For what it's worth.

I'm not a fan of a true moderate action, especially for a squarebill crankbait. A moderate fast action is my preferred action for squarebills. For 1.5s, which is also my primary squarebill, a medium powered rod is perfect. There are variables however. Around heavy cover and in grass some people like a medium heavy, fast action. Many medium powered rods from various companies can throw a 2.5 (which weighs 5/8oz) but you will find that it "feels" better on a medium heavy powered rod. As a side note, I wouldn't stress it too much or over complicate anything because you will find that a squarebill doesn't need to get too specialized.

I would just pay the fee and not drill holes in your rod. Doing something like that is dangerous for your rod and probably voids the warranty.

Is that to say you couldn't move at all? We were seriously looking into moving to Tennessee but my company doesn't have a location there and all of our family is here (except for her brother in Iowa and my dad in Indiana, but they're both just 2-3 hours away). It wasn't feasible.