JediAmoeba

Power Finessing

I am talking to the effect you should be catching bass. Bass are predators that constantly feed and you are able to trigger reaction strikes. If you are throwing the same bait over and over and not catching any, you aren't utilizing the proper tools to catch fish. I liken throwing big baits non-stop, when you are not catching any, the same as fishing any bait over and over without catching any. Unless you are a glutton for punishment throw other baits and employ traditional techniques.

Those oz weights really aren't a true ned rig. 1/20th and 1/15th ounce are really where it is at...

Fish waters you are familiar with...don't use lights or you kill your night vision and your eyes take a while to adjust. You will have those moments that you sling a bait into the trees...

When you read about people that are dedicated to swimbaiting they seem to have this mentality that all big baits catch big fish. It's annoying to a point - you can post up the worst looking bait that swims like dog crap and you get tons of people saying "send it", "it will get chewed" and so on... I look at them as a tool to catch fish - and like any lure, sometimes they are hot and sometimes they are not. I used to throw lures for musky all the time so I know how to fish for days and get skunked, but with bass that shouldn't be the case.

I think a lot of people do not understand the basic ned rig with the zman TRD is virtually weedless on its own. The key is to always, ALWAYS have a taut line. Your line to the bottom of the hook eye that is positioned at the bottom of the head acts as the guard because it is perfectly lined up with the hook that remains upright because of the floating ned worm. If you are fishing it slow with small hops or dragging it, you have few to no hangups. I have always thought this was one of the essential keys to the lure - slowly bouncing and pulling it along wood, rocks, and through weeds. You can leave it still in a spot for as long as you like and continue bringing it in. I see way too many people fishing this thing fast; getting the ned all cockeyed and the line becoming slack which is where the hangups come in. Any appendages will cause even more hang ups. If you are fishing this thing with a 1/20th oz head and a well worn TRD you would be amazed at how little vegetation this thing can sit on top of...

Do it molds are pretty good. https://store.do-itmolds.com/Spinner-Jig-Molds_c_151.html

In bluegill and perch dominated forage waters willow blades have not worked well in my experience. My friend and I would throw them a lot and I would usually land 2 to 1 more fish presenting indiana and colorado blades. Also, I rarely throw anything over 3/8 oz. I would rather change the blade/trailer to be able to adjust my retrieve speed.

I landed a few hundred fish on it last year. I have fished a similar rig though for 20 some years...a ball head jig and a grub. To me the ned rig wasn't all that different.

There are definitely nuances to spinner baits - different metals(i.e. titanium vs steel) act differently and change the vibration. Short or long arms also change the vibration and the general rule of thumb is short arms for muddy or dark water and longer arms for clearer water. But that isnt always the case. And you have to be careful on smaller spinnerbaits that have arms that meet the hook; a fish can swallow it whole and not get hooked unless you have a trailer hook. Certain blades reflect light differently. Everyone makes a different style of blade that creates it's own vibration in combination with the head. There are different platings that act differently and combinations that seem to work better at times. Sometimes you want small blades to run deep or large blades to keep the bait up. I have found if you use too large of a blade on titanium the blade will go all over the place and cause the bait to run erratic as the blade deflects off the spinnerbait hook. If you use too large of a trailer, some spinnerbaits will roll over or run sideways. Sometimes two blades work well and sometimes only 1 works well. There are different materials of skirts, different colors and how they complement the blades is important sometimes. I love spinnerbaits but tuning them is important - especially after getting them all bent out of shape after a few fish. My favorite are the old Titanium Terminator Spinnerbaits. We are talking the ones from 20 years ago...the ones now just aren't the same. Currently I am really liking the booyah spinnerbaits. My favorite buzzbait is the tried and true cavitron.

5 rods must mean 5 new reels are on the way?

This was the recurring reason I have heard from many anglers. The Delaware is loaded with small fish and there is an abundance of food so I dont know why they are so small...

Round reels - Daiwa Luna or a Shimano Calcutta. I also believe Kastking has some models

The biggest problems with drags, and I see this all the time on youtube videos, is people still reeling while a fish is pulling drag. This may be why people using drag have break-offs - they are twisting their line and causing weak points.

No +1's or +2's? You better order again!

I know there is always a lot of talk about knot to leaders and I didn't start doing it until, I think, 10 years ago or so. I started out using the Albright and had decent success but started losing a few lures here and there to it failing. So I started looking for another knot. The uni to uni knot seemed to work well but tying it in cold weather and out in the water was tough for me and my fat meat claws. Last year I started using the blood knot which is pretty simple and it has been working well for me - and I can tie it even while out fishing. Ultimately I know you don't really need a leader but I run braid on just about everything so I am just more confident with a leader I suppose. I took a picture of a 30# braid to 12# fluoro knot after 12 hours of fishing and 25 fish caught with a jerkbait. No, I don't catch any big fish so take it for what it's worth.

And he makes it seem like if you can't do it, you may as well hang it up, go home and practice.

Trout and panfish come to the surface a lot to eat bugs.

I will let everyone know when I start having success.

If I am not mistaken, they are the same baits. As I have always understood, calling it a slashbait is more in the cadence in how you fish it. But they are all jerkbaits.

2 of those over 2 pounds were in our local tournament. I tend not to fish there because it is really shallow and extremely weed choked but there are some bigguns in there... It's just hard to find bigger fish in Eastern Pa due to all the private places and pretty heavy fishing pressure. The Delaware river is great for smallmouth but they are all fairly stunted since it has a heavy current.

I have been browsing bass resource for a long time. I also look at a few other boards and on some of those boards they have stories- I have never cared to look too much into it and feel there is two sides to every story. I have read about certain company fan boys from 13 fishing flooding certain boards and reviews to skew the feeling people have of their productsvand that was a heavily contested point at one time here...I guess now that they are pretty established on the market this practice has subsided? All I do know is that the information here is on-point and the community seems to be a decent group. But I try and look on the bright side anyway.

Last year I caught just shy of 700. Only 9 were over 2 pounds...

6 must have? 5 catch 95% of my fish... Spinnerbait in 2 forms - single colorado and s double willow. Chatterbait in 3/8 oz with zako trailers Senko Standard Ned Rig Jerkbait

Lucky Craft, then probably 3 others in second place. Lucky Craft has great baits for just about every category.