Mobasser

I like this one, and also a Bill Norman Triple Wing Buzzbait.

I'm picky about my bottom contact rod. But, I've thrown other baits on several different rods.

I used to get the Riverside brand of soft plastics. They made some good stuff. Long gone now.

I'm a fan of Culprit worms. 7" blue, purple, and black. It's a great worm, and one of the classics.

I think I would have liked fishing with WRB and trying for a huge fish when I was much younger. At my age now, I enjoy fishing my small quarry lake. No crowds, and a laid back relaxing fishing trip is where it's at for me.

I was in my early twenties. Now I'm 67. A guy who owned a tackle shop told me to slow down. He said if you want to catch more bass, slow down. It's been true all these years.

Eight years ago, I began fishing an old rock quarry lake. It's become my favorite place to fish. The water is very clear in this lake. Prior to this I fished a much larger lake with plenty of boat traffic and noise. It took me two seasons of trial and error( mostly error), to learn to fish this clear water. Here's my observations: 1. Make longer cast, and stay back from the fish. 2. Try not to approach close enough to flip or pitch to any shallow fish here, you'll probably put them down. 3. Avoid putting a shadow over these fish, at any depth. 4. Generally, smaller baits and lighter lines work best. I've watched bass turn away from large flashy spinnerbaits here. 5. Try to avoid loud talking, or dropping things in the boat. 6. Topwater baits, especially moving top waters, can be great at times. The Zara Spook is my favorite, a white buzzbait second. To sum up here, I've learned that clear water bass can be caught consistently, but, they can be unforgiving at times. They become very tuned in to they're surroundings, and a stealthy approach is always needed. I'm still learning how to best fish the gin clear water. If you fish clear water, what are some things that have worked well for you?

I've had Shimano reels going back to the 1980s. Before grease and oil brands became a big thing, I used ABU grease and various oils to lube these reels. I never had a problem, and the reels still work well. I'd say you've got everything you need.

I have an old friend who lives in Ft. Meyers Florida. He's in Missouri now for a week visiting family. I hope everyone is safe, and can recover. Best luck to everyone in Florida.

Catt I agree. I don't know if there's a true way to test line stretch in actual fishing conditions. You feel a strike. You set the hook. Your rod is moving, and the fish is moving. How do you measure line stretch in this scenario? I don't think you can.

In a recent post, Glen made the statement that he thought line stretch was over rated, and it's one of those things that bass anglers worry about, but don't need to. After all my years fishing, I agree with this. I fish with mono and co-poly lines. I can't say that line stretch has ever been a factor. And, I'm not sure that I've ever actually felt the line stretch on a hook set. Do you feel that line stretch is over rated?

Good recent news A-Jay. Always keeping you guys in my thoughts, and hoping for the best moving forward.

I have a small box that clips to my belt loop for bank fishing. I drilled several 1/8" holes through the box, to allow air to circulate and keep things dry. If a hook becomes rusted too much, I throw it away.

Ive posted about Mepps spinners before, and I've caught a good number of bass the last two seasons on size 3 and 4 Aglia and Black Fury Mepps. I've had the best luck on the undressed plain Mepps spinners. A friend has been doing well on the Mepps Comet model, using the 1/4 oz Comet. If you use the Mepps Comet, what sizes and colors have you done well with on bass?

I keep two light spinning rods rigged with 4 lb Trilene XL all season. I use them for crappie, bream, and stocked trout around late November.

I tried stitching many years ago, after reading about Bill Murphy. I made a basket from a plastic bucket to catch the slack line. I even ordered some 9" plastic worms from De Long. At the time, I didn't have the patience for it. Now I'm much older, and slower, so I may try stitching again. To do it correctly, it takes more patience than most fisherman have, but has been proven to be a deadly technique.

When I was a kid, my brother and I fished together and kept every single fish but carp. We never knew anything about catch and release. I started releasing bass in my later 20s, and catching crappie or bream to cook. I've been doing that now for a long time.

Sometimes you'll make a good cast to the perfect spot, and get a quiet bait entry. Then, you get that gut feeling that a bass will hit. I've had it happen. Not often, but it does happen. You've got to be really tuned in and focused on everything. The bait, cover, wind etc.

Bazoo, nice job sir!

I've been fishing that exact line on the same reel all season. I'd suggest try a polymer knot. Ive had zero issues.

I've thought maybe I'm a weirdo, because I love fishing so much, and, I'm happy being out there catching any bass. Small ones included.

I fish alone probably 90% of the time. I'm ok with it.

White

Over the years I've tried a lot of jig heads for rigging 1/1/2" and 2" tubes for crappie. I've finally settled on Big Bite Baits minnow head as one of the best. This is a minnow head shape, and has a good hook. But the best part of this jig is the keeper barb. Not too large to tear a tube jig, but big enough to hold them on, even after catching several fish. They come in several colors. I like the 1/16 oz in red most of the time. Available at Academy Sports.

I'm in agreement with A-Jay here also. The very best reel spooled with crummy line is plain no good. Your line is your connection to the fish.