mikey z

@JLBBass Awesome! I've heard a couple stories about the FSGA ponds. Sounds like getting the special license and online registration might be worth it. You're gonna have me stalking around Hinesville looking for this tin man pond lol

I live right near there! Was it one of the Ft Stewart ponds?

4.75 lb largie on 1/2 oz War Eagle double willow spinnerbait in pro's choice (white to chartreuse). No trailer.

I don't think it's this, my theory would be that when bass are hanging around each other, what gets their attention is that the one bass got something to eat and it makes them not very keen about anything else because they start competing over which one of them gets to eat. I think this might be the case because when you find a school of them, a lot of times you can get several back-to-back catches.

Well, just the other day I tried to strongarm a long cast like an idiot and just a slight backlash was all it took for the line to completely snap and send my jig flying away. The lure hit my target at least! ? Lesson learned

@snake95 I had pretty much the exact same thing happen to me, but with a topwater walker. He didn't do much diving and wrestling at all though, he was charging towards me most of the fight

Whereabouts in GA will you be, just out of curiosity? I'm in Savannah

Novice jig angler here keeping this epic thread alive! I've been reading every response over the past few days and I'm getting the distinct sense that I should be using a jig with a high quality trailer keeper and just swing away immediately every time I feel any type of resistance. I mention the keeper because every time I have a swing and a miss, the trailer slips down the hook and it gets old having to push it back so often. Am I on the right track?

@TheBasslayer I have landed two snapping turtles by foul hooking them, one was friggin' huge and angry! I just ended up cutting off my $10 jerkbait with that one ?

Fellow bank burner here, I have caught plenty of bass on a drop shot with a nose hooked trick worm or finesse worm and light wire hook. I broke off on a massive one with a wacky rigged magnum trick worm on drop shot this summer. Best catch on it was a 3 lb with a nose hooked finesse worm, shaking it in a gap between thick matted grass.

Probably when a cottonmouth quietly slithered by from behind me within inches of my right foot, luckily he was choking on a crappie about 3 times the size of his head so he was zero danger to me ?

Sidearm and roll casts separate winners from losers here ?

So does this mean I should toss some baits in a couple man-made ponds less than an acre in size scooped out during construction of a highway overpass about 2 years ago?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but with that heavy extra fast casting combo, I'm thinking you should be able to spool up some heavy line and bury the hook point deeper in your soft plastic when you texas rig it to make it extra weedless and snagless and ready to fish some heavy cover. With all that rod backbone you will be putting a lot of force behind your hook sets. Plus you'll be set for topwater frogging and fishing weeds come spring!

Flatsided crankbait is my #1 producer in the ponds I fish as far as numbers lately as the waters have been getting significantly colder. Spinnerbait is my #1 for quality...caught my PB slow-rolling one a couple weeks ago. I caught one on a jig on a very cold morning last weekend. I've been wanting to spend more time slowing way down and dragging a jig but the cold has been having me want to move around the water, keeping me a bit warmer walking the banks lol

Yes, you've been pitching. People use the terms interchangeably, but technically, flipping is a different technique. Basically, it's a modified pitch where you take control of the line with your non-dominant hand. There are a couple good tutorial videos on YouTube for it

You just answered some of my main questions for fishing pressured or inactive bass without me even asking! I think I might take some time with my most suitable flipping combo this weekend. Thanks Captain!

I spent some time practicing it in the yard by trying to flip a lure into a bucket. I got like 3 in out of 50 lol. Haven't spent much time at the water with it at all. Thanks for the tips! The waters I fish are very low visibility and the bass seem to be skittish a lot so there must be good use for it. I'll remember what you said about letting it fall too. I always thought one of the positives about the technique was the zero or minimal splash.

Hey Luke, flipping is when you have maximum control of your pitch by holding the line with one hand as you cast with the other hand. It is a super precise, extremely stealthy water entry method. I'm pretty terrible at it though lol. I think I need a better quality longer rod for it

At this point I'm starting to feel like jig fishing is the kung fu of bass fishing ?

Lately, I've been taking three rods, one of them for swimming through the water column such as a spinnerbait or tight-wobble squarebill, one of them a larger bottom bait such as a jig, and one of them a small or finesse style bottom bait such as a ned rig or shakey head. I would've liked to have a 4th combo for topwater, such as a walking bait. I've had the most luck with the crankbait and the spinnerbait. Just throwing what's been working for me out there to possibly give you some ideas. Hope it helps!

@MickD, you rock man. Thanks for the tips, I'm looking forward to fixing it and having a couple casting combos to bring. I spend entirely too much time re-rigging! What do you recommend for degreaser? After a quick Google, I already see a couple conflicting answers on that.

I think I'm gonna buy a Lew's Classic Pro as my new primary and continue trying to fix the Black Max. Who knows, maybe I can still get good use out of it. Thanks again!

Reviving this topic because I have a related question. I've had my Abu Garcia Black Max for about 6 months, and a couple weeks ago was the first time cleaning it after fishing for (rough average) about 1 hour a day. I took it apart and cleaned it because it started squeaking internally. Found out the roller bearing had rusty red coming off the rollers when I rubbed around the inside with an oiled q-tip. So I oiled it and oiled and greased a couple of the other areas (making sure not to overdo it) and it worked great for a bit, but now I'm back at square 1...it already started squeaking again. And the drag is acting funny too. It slips way easier than before unless I basically white-knuckle tighten it, so it's either too loose or too tight. I am heavily considering purchasing a new reel, and I probably will a little later today. Pretty much just wanting to see, is this an easy fix? Or want to know your thoughts about whether or not I'm making good choice to just step up and buy a whole new reel. Thanks!