papajoe222

In addition to my previous reply; You can use crankbaits as your depthfinder. Starting shallow and working the bait deep, once the crank stops making bottom contact, you know the depth has changed at that point. Changing to a deeper running crank and repeating the process will show you another depth change. You can continue changing cranks to 'map' out an area. You can do the same thing paralleling the shoreline. Loosing contact will show you areas where a creek channel swings in toward shore, or where an underwater point exists.

You don't need electronics to fish any style bait, but they do offer a big advantage. If you can, look over a topo map of the water you'll be fishing. Pick out a few spots to try and make a note of the depth. Now run a crank through that spot that runs approximately that depth. If it contacts the bottom early in the retrieve, you're too shallow. If it never contacts bottom, you're too deep. Lipped cranks are a good tool to help learn, not only the depth you're fishing, but the bottom composition and the presence of any cover and they have the advantage over electronics in that they can actually catch fish.

Small, immature bass are much more aggressive than adults. It isn't so much that adults are more selective as much as their willingness to chase down a meal isn't as strong, especially when it comes to something that is below them. There may very well be larger fish in the area you're catching the little ones. Slow down, upsize, or use presentations in other parts of the water column before moving on.

Welcome to BR The first thing I'd do is either switch up my retrieve, or go with a lighter or heavier weight. With craws, it's all about the fall rate come post spawn. When it isn't fall rate, it's how fast or slow I'm working it across the bottom. A lot of guys get stuck on one style of retrieve because it has worked for them before. Don't buy into that mentality.

I bet the catfish love them.

In my early years, it was a plastic worm on a true Texas Rig. For the last 35+yrs. it's been a Jig/Craw combo. When I kept a log, there were years when it outproduced all others combined. Can you tell I throw a jig a lot?

Sorry to interrupt this thread, Ya all know that to add an s or es, or not., means you have to catch more than one? Once I do that, I could care less how I express it, but I do know it'll be with a smile ☺️ on my face.

I'll say it is! Is that an invasive weed, or possibly something transplanted from someone's aquarium? '

The majority of lures I've lost, I've done so fishing from shore after ice-out. I lean toward less expensive ones then, but I'd venture around $30 a year. 58yrs (how long I've had a boat) @$30yr=about what I have invested in crankbaits alone.

So what you’re detecting then isn't the strike but the rejection of the jig when the exposed hook catches, if it does. I understand that. The actual strike is when the fish engulfs the jig and closes its mouth and the presence of a weed guard doesn’t interfere with the actual strike detection. Correct?

Just wondering how strike detection is radically reduced using a jig with a fiber weed guard?

A Daiwa ProCaster PMA10 paired to a St. Croix 5'6" pistol griped rod. I believe they still offer the rod and I'm sure you could find the reel on that auction site.

I throw football jigs with weed guards over just about any clean bottom I've encountered with zero problems with hook-ups. I can't say one way or another if the fish hold on to them longer than an exposed hook, but if your thinking is that it would feel more like a crawfish, you may be on to something.

Yo-Zuri offers their 3DB in Prism Bluegill and you can't beat Live Target for realistic looking baits. They also offer a pumpkin seed one,

No doubt, there's plenty of cover. What about structure? I'd be looking at that last good structure outside the spawning areas. The depth and cover there would determine what baits to throw. A jig for sure, but other than that, I wouldn't venture a guess.

Only because the bass have been hammering a blade bait, I've decided to give a bladed jig a go and maybe gain a little confidence in using one. I've never used one and am not sure about retrieves. I'm thinking about using the same one I've been using with the blade bait (slow lift and slow drop), but I'd like to know how you guys use one.

You're a bit north of my area, so I'm assuming the bass are still holding deep and haven't started moving up as yet. I've been doing extremely well throwing a 1/4oz. blade bait slowly just off the bottom. I moved up to a 3/8oz. today and used a lift-glide retrieve and picked up a limit off of a deeper drop-off. The females are still deep here. The other presentation that'd been working was vertical jigging a tube bait on a 1/8oz. jig head.

A lot of folks that fish only for table fare think this way. My neighbor's father once gave me a tongue lashing for releasing a small bass that I'd caught. I bent down the barb on my worm hook, and, wouldn't you know it, all the fish I hooked never made it to the boat.

A little clarification on your part as to what presentations you were using and what is what you call moss. A couple of ideas based on the information in your OP. If it's the type of moss that clings to everything, including your knot, you are limited to fishing below it, or above it. The moss around here will stay a foot or so under the surface until the water temps get into the 60's. Personally, I run an UltraVibe speed worm (weightless) over the top and pause it over open pockets. That works fairly well for active fish. I actually do better punching a tube through it and work the structure below. You won't need as heavy a weight to punch through it as you would for matted vegetation. A 3/8oz. sinker, peg and a light wire hook will get you there.

I'm partially color blind and unless I mark a jig to know if it's brown or green, I really have no idea what color it is. The same goes for trailers (that's why I keep them in their original packaging). I can see blue and a black and blue jig works throughout the season, so it's often the first color I grab.

If you’re set on that style, I can’t help. I will say a loose fitting angler shirt will be more beneficial, both in keeping you cool and sun protection.

As long as the wind is steady and not gustng, I can handle 20mph winds. When they get upwards of 30mph, is when I start talking to myself about getting a fiberglass boat. I can’t imagine fishing from a canoe, or yak.

Ignore the trees and concentrate on the other information you see on the screen. Switch off the side scan and either run sonar on top of your downscan, or split the screen between the two. look for depth changes, bottom composition changes, other forms of cover, baitfish, etc. Then add the trees to the mix. What’s the best combination of factors?

A RedEye Shad, Especially if I'm fishing around weeds. Like a spinnerbait, I can cover the entire water column and it works great for yo-yoing around transition areas.

I'd go with a Culprit 7.5in. grape with the last 1.5in. dipped in red dye. It may not be the best choice for year-round fishing, but for the post spawn through late fall, it's the first worm/color I tie on a C-Rig.