BoatSquirrel

I caught my first “big” bass on a J9-jointed rapala, and was sorely disappointed when I was told it was not big enough to have mounted! Rapala lures to this day still account for a huge percentage of my annual catch.

BOOYAH again!

DNR will want you to have a pfd, throwable, horn, fire extinguisher, rope, etc. Check your DNR’s website. Watch the weather also! As for Harding, points and docks with jigs and crankbaits out towards the main lake are good spots to start with no electronics. Bridges with riprap are ususlly good options too. Keep an eye out for birds on the bank. Good luck man!

Was it Ashmore?

Time to break out some topwaters Bubba. Booyah Pad Crasher frogs- a white one for clerarer water and black in stained. Then, a couple of Storm Chugbugs. Both baits can be fished slowly, twitching, or with a faster walking retrieve. Then you have your beloved senko as your backup bait if the fish misses your topwater! Good luck man!

...choice of line on the fishing technique as well as the type of reel? All spinning setups get braid because of manageability- the leader, and all baitcaster lines based on technique.

Brandon Coulter pulled Mike Iaconelli’s famous move, “lets go see what (insert leader’s name here) is doing.” Great start to his MLF career. Sure it made him a lot of friends.

Watch out for Wesley Strader.

I am very glad folks have forgotten the spinnerbait! Big Red, when we were kids and everyone threw spinnerbaits all the time, fish got wise and watched them go by. Reel ess’ War Eagle is the juice, along with Booyah’s 4 blade baits.

It amazes me that supposed pro anglers have so little confidence-or shame- as to drive up on the leader, watch what he is fishing, and then start running that pattern 100 yards up the bank from him. Pitiful.

Not sure that this is the right answer. Force-feeding fish never seems to go well for me. Keep an open mind on your lure offerings, trust your instincts and you will learn to adapt to what the fish want on a particular day. Its fishing—have fun, keep it light! I understand you want to succeed but try to avoid piling on the pressure, it will only jack up your mojo. Good luck and hope this helps.

Lets take for example, a 6” BullShad which weighs 2.5 oz. This weight demands an 8’ H or XH rod with at least a 200 size baitcast reel. 65 lb braid with minimum 20lb leader. Thats what I mean when I say commitment. Its a totally different type of fishing.

You are correct, there are a fair number of baits out there that are fisherman catchers. However, baits such as the River2Sea SWaver, BullShad, among others, are not in that category. Deciding to dabble in this area is a poor idea and will likely result in wasted money and dust growing on a lot of expensive lures. Big swimbaits/glides require heavy, dedicated equipment and a commitment to throwing them in order to be successful.

I agree that Orange T hat is awesome!

The 2500 is a midsize reel that will match a ML action rod and work with 15 lb braid. Vicious braid should be fine.

How about a medium action 6’10” Shimano Curado paired with a Daiwa Tatula 2500? 15 lb PowerPro to 8 lb Seaguar Red leader and you are there man! Spinning gear is your friend! It is not the wind-knotting headache it once was and will make you a MUCH more diverse fisherman. Just use braid to a leader and whatever combo you wind up with will be fine.

Having also come back to the sport in the past few years, one thing I have not seen mentioned so far is the dropshot. If you ever used to fish a texas rig, the dropshot is not that terribly different and will get you lots of bites. Plenty of tutorials and threads on it available. Welcome back and isnt it great to be fishing again!

Falcon Boocoo 7’M-moderate action with an old Carbonlite for neko rigged trick worms here.

Thanks for the reminder-just set the DVR. I hope Ott Defoe’s show, “The Hunt for Monster Bass,” is better than last season. I expected better. Show me something other than slow-motion jumping fish and slow-motion underwater shots and slow-motion drone views.

I caught fish in TN a few weeks ago in 45 degrees water on chugbug.

6-8” stuff, 1.5-4 oz. Bull Shads, SWavers, 168, Huds. I am not interested in throwing anything heavier than that.

As for jerkbaits, Rapala X-Raps are unbeatable for the price. 3 1/4” and 4” sizes. Grab a Rapala Husky Jerk or 2 for shallow water.

I do not like round reels so after a lot of research, I went with the Tatula 200 and Curado 200 for swim/glides. They have both been great for me in a year of regular fishing.

I bought 2 Tatula 200s this time last year, both 6.3:1s, and like them so much I just bought a Tatula 100 last night. Zero complaints. Used for 1-4 oz swimbaits and I fish multiple trips per week.

That makes 2 for the Curado 200. Also consider a Tatula 200. I have had excellent results with both.