Darth-Baiter

True. I usually use all 8#. Trying to burn up my final stash of 10. Figured Clearlake weeds; the 10 might be good insurance. Makes total sense. Gravity; it’s the law.

Typical me. Overthinking everything.

My fishing shop is picked clean. I was hoping for 14lb braid. Hell maybe even 10. All sold out, so I filled it with high-vis 20. I just tied on my 10lb leader and I was surprised the knot is fatter. The practice plug flys fine. too heavy? Usual finesse shenanigans. Drop shot, etc. man it feels thick. My old rig is rocking 10lb, faded yellow braid. On the right side. A splice knot is easy with the thicker line. thoughts?

Just got the call. Promotion interview on Monday. My first thought wasn’t “hmmm. I should start studying ASAP” it was, “ dang, I’m fishing Clearlake Sunday!” haha. I’ll probably cut my trip short. Fishing has distorted my outlook of life a little bit. No doubt.

Thanks everyone. I got a swim jig that mimics a baby crappie.

I have the 7 foot version. I don’t have a lot of rods to throw every specific bait. So I’ll occasionally paint way outside the lines. One time headed for a skunk I decided to rig up a janky punch rig and tossed it into the thickest stuff. A big bass grabbed it and I was “ oh no! Now what?” I just started cranking and pumping. That bass came out. Wrong rod, right time. It’s a great multi-task rod. it’s my heaviest rig, but I have a wrist issue that can’t tolerate much more. It is what it is.

Outdoor pro shop in cotati.

I've done it a few times successfully. if I was getting failure at such a frequency, I would relent and farm out the work to a pro. start from a clean slate. I would suspect that I was doing something incorrectly. but I'm paranoid.

lightning does strike the same place twice!!!! well done.. really well done.

last time I asked about the shaky-head. total success after hearing your pep talk and suggestions. I crushed them. now? the swim jig. summer is coming and CLEARLAKE, CA has good weed growth. not super thick, and last Sunday it was about 1 foot from reaching the surface of the lake. listening to you all talk and chat, the way I understand it..it is fun and fantastic to buzz a swim jig thru the weeds. I;ll buzz the open lanes as well as cast straight into the thick stuff. what else? do I start the retrieve right when I hits the water? how fast of a retrieve?

It was my understanding that stocked trout are the power-food bars of big bass. bass love eating the stocked trout, and grow gigantic because of them. no?

I took my brand new reel to the shop today, to get it loaded with line. done. I started asking about rods. the guy told me what he paired his exact reel with and it was frankly more than I wanted to $pend. he then walked me to the lineup and put my reel on one rod after the other. I am not an expert, and cannot even describe what I like. I wanted lighter, but not waif-like. there are some really light rods out there. ethereal almost. when I landed on the one that felt balance to me, it was kinda obvious. it for lack of better, felt like my other spinning setup. right or wrong it just felt correct. I bought it. surprise!! it is the Dobyns Kaden 712SF. I was actually shocked somewhat. I thought I was targeting a lighter rod. but the palm swell, the clean cork, all traditional looking, the bait hook out back..... headed out tomorrow if this 50mph winds do not materialize. (they will :() hope to get some bass slime on the thing. thanks you guys. putting up with us newbs must be exhausting. hahaha.. when I am not planning on punching the weeds for bass, I feel two spinning rigs with 3 cast rigs is my sirens song. if I punch, one spinning set up stays home. (my thought process at least, for now)

d**n. Mines not that old. I think it was called a Daiwa Magforce. Sound about right? Epic backlash first cast. My bass back then was white bass. And my lure of choice was the sassy shad. I got pretty good at it.

Thunder Goby was an unsuccessful google search.

that is an awesome trailer!! ever run it upside down? ZAKO? okay. what trailer is that?!! very cool looking

Calm windless bluebird days. Might be my imagination, but I get no chat-b love. Overcast, some wind, better luck. it’s not my best lure, but I’m sticking To it. I let it land lake floor and pick it up. I retrieve just fast enough to get the vibes going.

We should all agree to fish next April fools day just like that. Haha. GoPro for proof. I just saw a kid doing that. He was holding the rod at the very end of the handle. I kept silent.

Makes zero sense. I am certain if a fish could talk, the last thing it would tell me how to catch it. I imagine more cussing and name calling. Maybe haunted ghost sounds to frighten me away

Haha. Man that was awesomely funny. The other day I was talking and choked on my own saliva! Preaching to the proverbial choir

Hard to tell swinging it around like a light saber in the store. Not sure they will let me attach a reel to it. but it feels like great potential. Drop shot, neds, the occasional Hail Mary senko t/rigged or whacked. it’s aesthetically better looking than my Phenix Maxim which is camouflaged so it matches no reel on earth. looking for a home for my 2500 Vanford.

brutal!!! just googled it. looks like a great body of water. 17 years?! ouch. I might have to slip my kayak in that lake..you know, for science and stuff

Jig. I think. I keep walking by the big Mepps Black Fury #4 at the store. I really really want to catch a bass on one. I used to read the Mepps Catalog cover to cover over and over as a kid. I didn't even have a fishing rod or gear, but that catalog was magical to me. maybe I should just buy it and throw it for a day. scratch that itch!!

Lake Comanche. my Dentist swears by it. he weaves and crafts tales of hungry spotted bass and dumb small mouths. he tells me about underwater groves of trees, that nobody knows about. the lake is beautiful and it is full of emerald blue waters. fish? dont know. last time, I was skunked hard. and the winds and water teamed up to try to flip my kayak and drown me. and get this. the cover charge for my man-powered kayak is $17. I think if I had a motor it is over $20 I dont think I will ever go back, but..there is that big nagging feeling that I need to clear the air and catch ONE fish from that lake. just go, and try. one fish!! maybe if I get a willing partner to be my security blanket. hahhaha.. Lake Comanche is my White Whale. Call me Ishmael and I haven't even ventured into the Pacific Ocean on my kayak yet!!!

I'll never toss a rod overboard. that's a tantrum, and I'm an adult. I will probably lose another rod one day, but I am very very aware of my movements now. knocking on wood.

cool!!! I rarely fish Senkos. last time, I got 9 bass on the same worm using an o-ring. some bigger fish as well. the o-ring is simple and effective for me. at least in my experience.