papajoe222

JIG is most highly regarded. Spook is my favorite.

Having a multitude of options, as far as tackle is concerned, puts things in your favor when it comes to catching a few extra fish, or possibly none at all. Let the conditions determine what you use and keep it simple. For instance, fishing submerged vegetation. how do you want to approach it. You have a number of options with the gear you mention. Pick one you have confidence in, if you get on fish, switch to something else that you're not sure about. That, IMO is a good way to eliminate, or add a bait/presentation to those you have confidence in.

Most pond bass don't roam in the way most define roaming. They do position themselves differently under different conditions as well as become more, or less, active under different conditions. Overcast skies, by themselves, are a poor indicator of weather conditions which have more of an affect on bass behavior than light penetration. They can appear pre or post warm or cold fronts. The one thing that's certain is a reduction in light penetration and if that were the only factor, their presence would indicate an increase in activity. Active fish will normally not bury themselves in, or hold extra tight to cover, but inactive fish will. If you're not getting bit fan casting, first make sure you're covering different depths and changing up your retrieves. Then start targeting specific cover, above, below, and outside the target. Lastly, if no luck, get right in the thick of things. One last tip, slow down as you progress through the steps mentioned. The benefit of fishing a pond vs. a lake is the fact that the fish have no place else to go, so they must adapt to the conditions. You, as an angler, must also adapt.

Not to turn you away from a Crankin Stick, but you'll also be throwing big, single hook baits and while the MH has enough power for either application, you'll want a moderate/fast or fast action for hook sets across the board.

A bait that will allow you to fish both the matted and submerged weeds is a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm on a weighted hook like a 3/32oz Owner TwistLOCK Lightweight. You can buzz it slow or fast across the tops, or allow it to sink into the openings. It's light enough that it won't bog down into the weeds and because of the profile, pops easily back to the surface. I prefer a dark color like blackberry in the thick stuff because it contrasts nicely. You can opt for a G-Tail if there are a few inches of open water above the weed tops. Either way, a good dousing of an oil based scent will help keep the weeds from sticking to your presentation. No knowing the type of weed you're dealing with, it's difficult to recommend any particular punching set-up, but punching is likely the best presentation for most conditions.

I prefer fluoro because it allows the bait to maintain a nose down attitude on the pause. I feel that is a plus in colder water temps. When I"m using a floater, mono is my choice. I really don't know if it makes a difference, but it's what I have confidence in.

Send it to me for testing. seriously, check this out:

Sounds like my wife! You related?

Think of an Arkie style jig as an all around jig (similar to a MH rod being an all purpose rod).

Crystal clear water intimidates many anglers and, for the most part, it's unjustified. Bass are predominately sight feeders and clear water is advantageous to them. Success, from an angler standpoint, is your ability to play to that, just as you would to murky water when they rely on their other senses in combination with sight. There is no need to draw attention to your bait with 'loud' colors or noise unless you are fishing heavy cover when their line of sight is reduced significantly. Reducing the size of your presentations is advantageous, as is 'matching the hatch' with color selection. With fast moving presentations, the speed of your retrieve and the length of any pauses you impart become more critical. Generally, faster retrieves with fewer, short, pauses is the way to go. The longer a bass has to inspect your presentation, the lower the odds that it will commit to striking it. Faster, of course, is relative to water temp. Lipless and regular cranks, jerkbaits, drop shots and flukes are all good baits. Using them in the matter I mentioned will help increase your confidence (and hopefully your catch rate) in them under clear water conditions.

Yours is the reason I only tie the Alberto knot for braid to fluoro. There is no need to let go of the fluoro when wrapping the braid and if you do let go of the braid mid-knot, it won't unravel.

If it works for you, what difference does it make? I know guys that use braid for cranking because they’re confident in doing so. I prefer graphite in a cranking rod for the added sensitivity. I’ve tried a glass rod, but didn’t care for it.

When targeting rocks, i prefer either original Stren or Trilene XT, mainly because I know I’ll be retying a lot. For shell beds, the same applies. For wood cover I prefer braid for soft plastics and fluoro for cranks and faster moving presentations. Also, if your break off are occuring on the hook set, check to make sure it isn’t breaking at the knot.

For the bottom cover you mentioned, I’d go with a light (1/8oz-1/4oz) jig, stupid rigged to start. The reason I say that is that combination will allow the tube to rest on top of the weeds, rather than penetrating. It also will give it more action on the fall. Pop it off them and let ti come to rest on top again. Go to a T-rig (3/8oz. Or heavier)if you want to penetrate the weeds. Be sure to peg the weight. KVD uses tubes on hard, rocky bottoms the majority of the time. You’re fishing over ripe tomatoes compared to his apples.

Nice Job! Keep at it. It's easy to loose focus on a slow day. Keeping your goal uppermost in your mind helps with the determination you need to make it happen. You can luck into the fish of a lifetime and it's rush, but when you focus on just that and it comes to pass, that rush is augmented by the feelings of accomplishment and pride.

Retrieving a spinnerbait just under the surface and occasionally letting the blade break the surface and killing it for a second before resuming.

Someone needs to adjust the scroll speed on that unit. Either that, or back off on the throttle.

They are the only type of reel my wife will use (she fishes at least once a week). I've purchased different brands and models over the years and the only ones that's held up more than a couple of seasons are the Goldcast and President.

Nah, it's more like the difference between a .30-06 and a .308Win.

The only reason I use flippin' hooks is for a better hook-up ratio. An EWG will get the job done, I just feel that because of the relation of the hook point to the eye, a straight shank hook, has more bite when setting the hook.

where can I find one of them A-Jay baits? I bet they are a killer on smallies.

Sweet

X2

If you're talking immediately after ice-out, you're talking early,early pre-spawn. Although some fish may move shallow after a two or three day warming trend, most will still hang around their winter locations. My go to is a hair jig, a small tube on a C-rig and a suspending crank that I'll give long pauses to once it reaches its running depth. If you can get a jerkbait down there, all the better.

Crankbait Jig C-rig I'll downsize depending on conditions.