Bankc

I believe you! I think fishing pressure, kind of like water depth or clarity, can be relative. Like if a body of water never sees any anglers, and then one pops up, it'll have more of an affect than if it's fished everyday. Kind of like my dogs and their barking. When our new neighbor first moved in with his dogs, any time they barked, my dogs would bark. Even inside the house. After a few weeks, they finally calmed down. Now they only bark when both our dogs and the neighbor's dogs are outside. And even then, not every time. Animals, and people, can become desensitized to threats with repeated exposure.

Probably around $400. But that includes licenses and registration fees (around $60), gas going to and from the lake, probably about $30 in lures, and a $75 inflatable PFD (on sale). That's a lot less than most years. But it was a rare year where I didn't need to buy anything expensive. I also bought a 5-year state fishing license two years ago. And I didn't do much driving this year, mostly sticking to the two closest lakes near me. I've also discovered that I have more lures than I'm willing to use in a given year, so I pretty much only replace lost lures anymore. Though I might pick up one or two new ones to try. This year, it was a Lake Fork Flutter Spoon. So yeah, it might actually be less than $400!

Good for you! Every year I try to add at least one new technique that I can reliably catch fish with. Just a little something different to throw when everything else you've got isn't working. I've found that if you're going to have a good day on the water, you're going to have a good day almost no matter what you throw. But being able to turn a bad day into an okay day takes a lot more skill. And having multiple, reliable options of what to throw certainly goes a long way towards doing that.

I don't have any worm or jig specific rods. I don't have any technique specific rods. But I also fish from either a kayak or the bank, so I have no desire to pack 30 rods with me every time I go fishing. Most of the time, I'll have one worm tied on a MH/F rod and one jig tied on a H/F rod. But depending on the weight and what else I'm fishing with, that can change.

Fishing pressure is jut one factor. We, as anglers, tend to hyper-focus on it because it's one of the more obvious factors to us. It's one of the few factors that happens above the water where we can easily count the number of boats we see on a lake. But there are many, many other factors that aren't so obvious that can have just as much of an effect, if not more, on the catchability of the bass in that lake. Fishing pressure is a bit of a boogeyman. Now, I'm not saying that it's not a real thing. Because it certainly is. Most all of us who have been fishing for a long time have seen the effects of it. But fishing pressure collects more than its fair share of the blame due to its highly visible nature. If fishing pressure was as big of a threat to catching bass as many of us are led to believe, then most of the world's best fisheries would have collapsed long ago. But the reality is, the world is filled with high quality bass fisheries that get pounded year after year with boats, and still continue to produce plenty of large and catchable bass. It's a factor. But just one of many, many factors. Either way, a 60 acre pond being fished by one person once a day isn't likely to produce enough pressure to make a significant difference. Bass aren't geniuses and they don't talk to each other. If a bass is caught on one bait, it might still be susceptible to another. And they have no way to tell the other bass to avoid jigs or spinnerbaits or whatever. They might eventually grow line shy. In which case, just switch to fluorocarbon. They might eventually get shy of noises or other signs of humans being near by. In which case, be stealthier and make longer casts. Fish, pressured or not, still have to eat. Pressure makes them harder to catch because it makes them less aggressive. But it's doesn't make them stop eating. As an example, I fish a 59 acre pond regularly that almost always has at least a half dozen other anglers on it any time the sun is up. And there's probably a minimum 30 anglers at a time on it during the weekends, and I don't have problems catching bass there due to pressure. Now, pollution, algae blooms, excessive heat or cold, wind and other factors can affect how that lake fishes. Some years it's better than others. Some days it's better than others. But since the fishing pressure is always about the same, logically, I have a really hard time blaming the changes in fishability on fishing pressure. Just yesterday, at around noon, I was fishing that pond and I don't think a five minute span passed by the entire time I was there that someone wasn't reeling in a fish. And there were probably a dozen of us fishing it at once. I even got a few myself from the limited access I had from the bank. And I literally only fish three spots on that pond on a near daily basis, and still catch fish. Not every day is that good. Not even most days. And this year has been particularly bad. But it's been bad at all of our lakes, which tells me it's something weather related. And if I were guessing, I'd say it's probably related to the three year long drought we just got out of this summer and record breaking extreme heat we've been seeing the past two years.

Definitely. If you've fished that water recently and found something that worked, don't trade something that you know has worked in the past for something that you can only guess about. Now, the weather change might effect the bass. But it doesn't always. And at the very least, repeating what worked in the past will tell you two important things. It will tell you whether that particular technique is working or not, AND it will tell you if the weather change has affected the bass' behavior. Going with any new technique will only tell you first thing, if that technique works today or not. You're still left guessing the second, if the fish are being affected by the weather.

There's certainly an argument to be made here. But part of the reason why reels can last so long under so much abuse is because they often get packed with insane amounts of grease at the factory. This limits their performance and masks most wear issues until they become serious enough problems that they require replacement parts. Now, if you don't need maximum performance from your reel and you're probably going to be replacing that reel with something newer and better in the next 10ish years anyway, then it might be a worthwhile gamble for you. Especially if it's a relatively well made reel to begin with. The costs of reel maintenance might outweigh the benefits in your case.

It's probably the lake. Sure there's some skill in catching a big bass that differs from just catching a lot of small bass. But if you catch 100 bass and none are larger than 2.5 pounds, then that says to me that there probably aren't many, if any, big bass where you are fishing. Pond owners know that to grow big bass in a pond, you need an environment that will support big bass. You can't just put bass into a pond and expect them to all grow up to double digit size with enough time. Sometimes it works out that way naturally, but sometimes you have to take control and intervene. There's a balance that nature will find, and if there are too many predatory fish in a pond and not enough baitfish to support them, their growth will be stunted. We have that problem with lakes around here, since most are not actively managed. If you want a 10+ pound bass in Oklahoma, there are only a few lakes where you can find them. On most other lakes, around 2-3 lbs is the largest you'll likely find. There might be a few years where you can find a 5 pounder, when the conditions allow. But even then, it'll rotate on which lakes will have these bigger bass, year to year. And it's usually a few years after an event that clears out most of the other bass.

It's going to be a different answer for everyone. If you're the kind of person who is at least average on the mechanically inclined scale, then it shouldn't be too difficult for you. Just make sure to have a clean workspace, take your time, and document where everything goes. I like to lay out a white towel to work on, because sometimes tiny parts can roll away if you're working on a hard surface. Though you do have to be careful about lint. And, if I'm unfamiliar with anything I'm taking apart, I always take lots of photos with my phone before I remove any piece, that way I know where everything goes, what direction everything goes, and in what order I disassembled them. Just work your way backwards through the photos. Some people might get overwhelmed more easily or lose their focus. So for some people, it might be really difficult and frustrating, and probably worth the time and money to send to a professional. There are a lot of horror stories of people taking reels apart and not getting them back together, or putting them back together wrong. Especially the spacer washers that look like regular washers, but are bent. You have to put them in like this ( ), not like this ( (. So while I believe it's something most people could do, I don't believe it's worth it for everyone. I've done a bunch of reels and never had any issues besides the occasional can't figure out how to remove something. In those cases, I can always just clean and lubricate that part without removing it, so it's not a big deal. But I'm pretty mechanically inclined, so this type of work is right up my alley.

In the old days, I used to hear of people tying on a spoon and a crankbait to get the crankbait down deeper. I think they used a 3-way swivel and a longer leader for one than the other so they don't get tangled. I feel like it was a trolling thing. I seem to have a memory of doing that once, but I can't trust that I didn't just see a video of someone else doing it or something. It's a pretty fuzzy memory.

Try it both ways and see if it makes a difference. There are too many factors to just throw out a blanket answer that applies to everyone. However, I will say that in my experience, the fish don't seem to see the line. And we don't have vegetation up here, because all of my local lakes are drinking water reservoirs, so they put chemicals in them to kill off the plants. Yum. But anyway, I've tried both ways, and come to the conclusion that it's mostly a non-factor. Though I still use a leader in certain situations where a leader is advantageous. Like sometimes braid is too limp and gets tangled up on the hooks of my lure when I cast it, so a mono leader helps out with that. And when I'm fishing something like a drop shot that's just sitting there, not moving, I'll switch to a fluorocarbon leader, just in case the bass are line shy. Because with a drop shot, they might actually have time to inspect the bait and notice the line. With most other baits, they move too fast and in the stained water, there isn't enough time for the bass to do anything but bite out of instinct before the bait is gone. Also, with moving baits, I'm more worried about the sound the line makes than the visual appearance. And since braid is thinner per pound test, it should make less sound because it displaces less water, assuming you're using comparing line strength and not diameter. But like I said, try it both ways and find out for yourself. Many anglers have been very successful doing it both ways.

One of my more successful lures over the years has been the jig and lizard. Cut the head off a 6" zoom lizard and rig it up on the jig like a trailer. Not terribly creative, but I've caught a ton of fish that way. One time I made a spoon out of an actual spoon. But then I took the handle that I cutoff from the spoon and put a twist in the middle so it would spin in the water. It looked good swimming in the water, but it got snagged and I lost it on like the third cast. So I never caught anything with it, and never tried to make another. I also made a soft plastic mold using a masonry drill bit as the model. I've caught quite a few fish on those. I've even worn out the mold and had to remake it once already. And I've made a few chatterbait lips for of crappie marabou jigs. They work about as well as the big, store bought ones, which isn't all that great in my opinion. I also made up a Carolina rig, only with a tube at the back, and packed it with Styrofoam so it would float. Kind of like a drop shot, but in reverse. If I ever got bit with it, I never felt it. So that was a dud. And I've tied a crappie sized swimbait (a 1/8oz. jig head with a soft plastic boot tail body) up about a foot in front of a larger bass sized soft swimbait. Used a palomar knot for the crappie swimbait like you would a dropshot. Haven't really had any luck with that one either. But I feel like it's got more potential than I've given it. I don't know if any of those qualify as true Frankenlures, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

7' for everything. I find that if I keep all of my rods the same length, it improves casting accuracy. It can be any length you want. I just find 7' rods are easy to source. And it's a good compromise between portability, control, leverage, and casting distance. Of course, not everyone feels the same way. I'm sure plenty of people aren't bothered by using a bunch of different rod lengths.

Next time, just put a black box over it or crop it out or something. You're going to give us nightmares with what you did! It's always hard to judge a bass just by looking at it. If you see it in person, it's not quite as difficult. But with a camera, the lens will distort the size. Smart phones are especially bad about this because they typically have very wide angle lenses, which makes things appear bigger than they are, the closer they are. Telephoto lenses do the opposite. Like in the "Lord of the Rings" movies, they often didn't use any digital effects to make the hobbits appear smaller than the other actors. They just used the appropriate lenses, the positions of the actors, and distorted some of the props to make them appear so much smaller.

Sounds like you want a WaterCar. https://www.watercar.com/

I don't blame you for getting upset. I think we all would be. And you're right, the problem probably won't go away on it's own. In fact, I'd bet it's not going to go away at all. My suspicion is, no matter what you say or do, they're just gonna keep on doing what they always do. So I'd say, if you see one pointed at you, go ahead and assume they're going to hit you again. We have to look out for each other. Even the dumb ones. ESPECIALLY the dumb ones. It how we look out for ourselves. And you can't get mad at dumb people for being dumb. They're dumb. So they can't understand that what they're doing is dumb. And they can't understand that they are really dumb, because they're not smart enough to see it. If they were smart enough to know how dumb they were, then they wouldn't be dumb. And they wouldn't do dumb things, because they'd know these things are dumb, and no one actually wants to, or believes they do dumb things.

There are disrespectful and naive people in all manner of vessels or even no vessels at all. On the water, on the road, in the air. It's doesn't matter. Get in line at the grocery store and there's still somebody that's convinced they don't have to wait in line like everyone else. It's best to just let these things slide when they happen. We're all out there trying to have a good time and make it home safe. Do your best to look out for each other. Even the entitled and selfish jerks. Be the positive example you wish you saw in others. You might think you're teaching them a lesson by giving them a taste of their own medicine, but the only lesson they'll learn is that you're just as bad as they are, if not worse. And you'll just confirm in their mind that they did the right thing by treating you wrong.

Nah, we get it. What we're saying is that fishing can be as expensive or as cheap as you choose to make it. Like any hobby, there's a tendency to fall into the trap of always feeling the need to spend more money in order to progress in your hobby. We call that the "bait monkey". That little voice that says you could be catching more bass and having more fun if you just bought a new lure, or a new rod, or a new sonar unit, or a new boat, or made longer trips to new lakes. And the truth is, it's all a distraction. In reality, we all already have everything we need to be content and happy. We just need to adjust our perspective to see it. It's human nature, in a way. And there's nothing wrong with spending money on new things. The economy actually depends on it. But sometimes it's healthy to remind ourselves exactly why we fish, so we can get the most out of every time we fish.

Pretty much any rod made these days, even cheap Chinese ones, shouldn't break on you unless you do something wrong. Of course, there's the occasional instance of one having a manufacturer's defect. I did have a middle grade rod break on me once due to that. But it broke the second time I used it, and I replaced it with an identical one that's lasted me 5 years now, without any problem. So that was just a random, one-off thing, that could happen with any rod brand out there. Generally speaking, the cheaper rods tend to be more durable than the more expensive ones. High end rods are designed to be more sensitive, which means they're usually thinner and more fragile. Cheaper rods, especially fiberglass rods like the old Ugly Sticks, then to be thicker, heavier, and more durable. In the world of fishing rods, you pay for sensitivity, not durability. But even those more delicate, high end rods shouldn't break on you unless you do something wrong, like high stick a big fish or slam it in your car door. Besides, anything Lew's should be quality. They're not a top of the line brand, but they're a well respected one that you can trust wouldn't put their name on anything that was complete junk.

Whatever you like. I've gone through a lot of them over the years, and I've come to realize that they all have their pluses and minuses, so it's really a personal decision you have to make. There's no perfect blend or best option out there. The best I can suggest is go to a store that sells lots of sunglasses and try on a bunch and see what you like. Then take them out on the water and see which ones you prefer to fish in. Everyone's going to be a little different. You'll probably have to go through several before you find your favorite, so my advice would be to buy cheaper ones until you find exactly what you like. Besides, you mostly are just paying for a name with all of these anyway. Sunglasses are one of those things where there are definitely good ones and bad ones on the market, but you do NOT always get what you pay for. I could walk into a mall right now and fine a pair of $10 sunglasses that are as good or better in just about every conceivable way (except brand name and perhaps style) than a pair of $500 glasses. Price is not an indicator of quality here.

If it's not just bad luck, I'd say it might be the hook penetration. With a shorter rod, you have less leverage (a smaller lever, if you will), so you need to be a little bit more forceful with the hookset to generate the same penetration force. Once hooked, the shorter rod really shouldn't have any effect. Also, I've found it's usually best not to fight fish if you can avoid it. The more you "let the fish tire themselves out" the more opportunity you give them to loosen and eventually throw the hook. I'll occasionally set the hook and immediately realize I didn't get the hookset I wanted. And I've found the best way to get the fish in with a bad hookset is to just reel like crazy and, if you can, ski them across the top of the water. It's not always possible to do, but in my opinion, it's the safest method at that point. Especially if you're in a situation where you're more likely to get the hook thrown than the line broken. I also don't subscribe to the theory that keeping your rod tip down keeps them from jumping. In my experience, bass jump just as easily no matter where your rod is pointed. Maybe if they're right next to the boat and you've only got a few feet of line out, it could help then. But otherwise, I believe it hurts more than helps because it allows for less bend in the rod, which means less tension on the line. It's kind of one of those old wives tales where people keep repeating it because people keep hearing it repeated, so everyone blindly assumes it must be true. I mean, I could be wrong. It's not like I've conducted scientific research into the matter. But my personal experience tells me it's not true.

When I think ultra light, I'm thinking of rods made for panfish and crappie. Something capable of casting like a 1/16oz. marabou jig or even smaller. And something with a soft enough tip not to rip the mouth of a crappie when you try to retrieve it. These setups are typically not suitable for bass. You can catch bass on them, just like you can catch a 40lb blue or flathead cat on bass fishing gear, but it's not the optimal setup. The lightest gear you typically want to fish for bass on is medium light. That's light enough to cast something as small as a Ned rig, yet still strong enough to land a double digit bass, if you're careful. Line pound test doesn't really mean much to me. Line diameter means more, but even then, it's really the lure rating that matters most to me when choosing a rod. And the reel... well I've used all different sizes of reels, and while some certainly work better than others, it's generally not a big deal to me.

I'm lucky in that when my grandfather taught me HOW to fish, he also taught me WHY to fish. For me, the best part of fishing isn't catching fish, but just being there, fishing. And that taught me all kinds of valuable life lessons, like happiness is a choice we make, and not a reaction to our situation. You don't need to catch fish to have a great time fishing. Because fishing isn't actually about catching fish. It's about quieting the mind and connecting with nature. Sure, I'd rather catch fish. Who wouldn't? But that's not the goal. That's not why I do it. The goal is to have a good time and come home a better person than I left. To remind myself, of myself. You know, to smile for no good reason other than it felt right!

For me, it's more about time than money. I'm not retired, so on the weekends, I usually have chores and stuff to catch up on. And there's just not enough time on the weekdays to go fishing. So I probably go about two times a month on average, or once every other weekend. Some months more, some less. As for how far of a drive, I like to keep it below about an hour's drive (two hours both ways). About the most I can spend on fishing is a half day, so I don't want to waste any more time than that driving. Every once in a long while I'll make a longer trip, but to be honest, it's rarely worth the extra effort. The lakes get better the further east I drive. But the further out I get from home, the less I know about that lake, and the more time I spend running around looking for a place to fish, instead of just fishing.

Is this a pond you have frequent access to? If so, the best thing you can do is spend the time to learn the pond. Or at least, learn the areas you can access. That's what I do with small ponds, especially if they're mostly featureless. There are usually a few areas that produce better than others because they're just slightly different enough. And it could be something as simple as a single rock, all by itself that no one else knows about. Just slowly and methodically work your way around the areas you can access, and you'll eventually figure out the good spots. Then, once you do, you can concentrate a lot more of your time on the good spots using the baits that work. Lots of times on small ponds, the best spots aren't distinguishable from above the water. And even a map of the bottom won't tell you much, as they're often just a featureless bowl. But over time you'll find that hidden rock or stump or car tire or whatever, and that's the difference that makes this the hot spot where all of the fish congregate. For example, on a small lake near my work (really more of a big pond), there's a submerged piece of concrete with rebar sticking out that I know the exact location of, and it's almost a guaranteed spot to catch a bass, so long as you don't get hung up on it. I've never seen it before, but I've hung up on it enough to know it's exact location. I've even hung up on it enough to know it's most likely a broken parking block, or something similarly sized and shaped. Cast about one foot to the right of it (I have a spot I stand on and a tree across the pond I cast toward to make sure I line it up just right), reel back right next to it. You'll usually get a bite once you're about 4 feet past it, so it's often a good idea to pause at that spot for a second if you haven't gotten bit yet. If you still don't get bit, cast and try again. If that doesn't work, then leave it alone and come back in 20 minutes. If you still don't at that point, then pack up, because the fish just aren't biting that day. I can even tell you what size that bass will probably be based on the season and weather. Usually, the warmer the water, the smaller that bass will be, unless it's about to rain.