Woody B

I suppose it varies quite a bit. I've heard people say the topwater bite is best when the water is clear. I do better with stained water. (as I've told many times) I bought my boat in December 2021 after decades of not fishing. I caught a few bass on a spoon my first trip. My Dad said "Did you throw a Devils Horse any?" The next time I went, just for kicks I tossed a Devils Horse under the end of a deep dock, near the main creek channel. I caught a 2 pound bass. Water temp was 52 degrees. It was sunny, the water was stained. I think top water fishing is best when it's warm enough for insects to be falling in the water but a Bass basking in the Sun will hit a topwater lure pretty much anytime.

I use Navionics on a tablet instead of the charts in my sonar unit.

I don't have live sonar but I'm considering it. I don't utilize the electronics I have as much as I should/could(?). I fish a 13,400 acre lake most of the time. I know plenty of spots with structure that normally hold bass. I decided today I was going to look for fish with my electronics before I made casts attempting to catch them. I hate the thought of getting skunked so I went to a stumpy flat where I've caught a bunch of bass hoping for a quick catch. I caught a 16 inch Largemouth on my 3rd cast, and a 13 inch spot on my 5th. (at this point I hadn't looked at my electronics) I knew with 2 catches that quick it should be a good day to catch some. So, I mostly went to "new to me" areas. I would idle past (~5mph) looking at my sonar. (Side view, down imaging, and traditional sonar) I would mark the areas where I saw fish, turn around and only cast in those areas. I caught 23, which is a good day for me. I'd guess that I made ~1/2 the number of casts I would normally make. Obviously the bass were active today. I caught 2 quickly without even looking at my electronics. I may have caught more had I just fished like I always do occasionally glancing at my electronics instead of trying to target fish I saw with them. When I got to the landing this morning there were some guys waiting for a club tournament. Their blast off was at sunrise. I went 45 minutes before sunrise. I asked them about live scope, active target ect. None of them had it. One guy had Mega 360. Mega 360 isn't "live" is it?

I caught 23 today in the rain. 12 Spots and 11 Largemouth. Flatside cranks, spinner baits and texas rigs. This 3 pound 15 ounce Spot jumped over a lay down to get a motoroil colored worm. I attempted to cast right beside the tree trunk but the wind blew my line across it. I crawled the worm over the trunk back into the water. This spot jumped over the trunk following the worm. Pretty much every one of them hit after the bait had bounces off of wood.

12 pound original Stren. The same line I use for pretty much everything.

I saw a few listed on ebay for as much as $80. I've got a few. My Grandfather fished almost exclusively with a "Yellow Darter". (yellow spotted creek chub darter) I'll take a picture next time I have my vintage tackle out. I got my butt whipped one time over one. I was 10ish. He took me fishing. He got a brand new "Yellow Darter" out, opened the box and threw the empty box into the lake. I said he shouldn't throw trash in the lake. He whipped me with a belt and called me a hippy. (Don't flame my Grandfather, things were different back then) I had forgot about a Lazy Ike. I've probably got a few of them somewhere.

Or after carrying them around in a live well all day stuff them in a sack to weigh them for a "mines bigger than yours" contest. Regarding eating bass, there's warnings on a few of my local lakes stating not to eat Largemouth Bass for more than 1 meal per month. The reason is supposed to be PCB's. The sign specifically states "Largemouth" even though the lakes are full of spots. I'm pretty sure there's no warnings about any other species. I'll look at one of the signs this weekend. Are Largemouth bass or black bass in general more likely to carry pollutants than other species. I would think bottom feeders like Carp and some Catfish would be exposed to more pollutants like PCB's or mercury than predators who normally feed on live prey. I don't keep bass. I've never had one mounted either. My PB was over 10. I've caught several over 8 pounds. I released them all. If I catch a bass that's injured or accidently injure a bass bad enough I don't think it will survive I put it in my live well then give it to someone who's fishing at the landing.

No brand loyalty here for fishing stuff or pretty much anything else. I will seek out stuff Made in the USA when possible.

Live Scope and other versions are referred to as "Forward Facing Sonar", but there's more to it that that. It if forward facing but it's not the same as "normal" sonar. It's instant You don't see movement, at least in real time on "regular" sonar. I'm willing to bet that someone around here can do a better job explaining it that I have.

I used dish soap for years on my (prescription) glasses. A friend suggested I use a product called cat crap. It works great, and does better for anti fog than dish soap. I had to wear a mask for 1 1/2 years at work. Fogging was a problem, even with the dish soap. The cat crap works.

I've got a Zillion SV TW as well as a Curado DC. Both are regular US models if that matters. The Zillion is smoother and the drag is super. It's probably me but for casting the Curado is better for distance under 1/4 ounce or over 5/8 ounce or so. I skip pretty good with the Curado, but haven't tried with the Zillion. If I try to really launch something (without tightening the brakes a click or 2) with the Zillion I get a little backlash at the beginning of the cast. If I tighten the brakes it's like a big thumb at the end of the cast. Both are really good reels. FWIW I keep the brakes on the Curado at 2 most of the time. I keep them on 7 or 8 on the Zillion.

I'll answer your question with a question. Have you had any problems with your generic 10 pound mono?

My Sister lives in Cary. I've been to Jordan a few times but it was decades ago. The real ess is right, dog days of Summer is tough. Night fishing, and early mornings are your friend.

What part of NC are you in? I caught 11 bass today(Labor Day) in Lake Wylie. I fished mostly in NC today. I've got licenses for both NC and SC so I don't worry about where the State line is.

Hate is a strong word. I don't like spinning gear.

I would beat the water to a froth casting everything in my tackle box, everywhere on the lake........but that's just me.

First holiday (except Christmas) I've had off in a couple years. I went fishing this morning. Caught 11 Bass and a 3 inch bluegill. It would rain, I'd put on my raincoat, then it would stop raining. Then I'd take it off, it would start raining, and so on and so on. I had a good time though.

A true "Pro" regardless of what they're a pro at is usually head and shoulders above the rest. I know a (retired) Professional bass fisherman. He just oozes knowledge every time I talk to him. The real question is, do the pros enjoy fishing of has it got to the point it's just a job? I'm not going to pretend I can out fish a professional angler, but I bet I have more fun.

I caught 11 bass today between 9 and 18 inches. It's the first holiday (except Christmas) I've had off in almost 2 years. It rained off and on. I pretty much had the lake to myself. I kept having (longnose) gar follow my bait to the boat but no strikes. I'm not sure I wanted to deal with all those needle teeth anyway.

Nevermind.

I've got a couple that are decades old. I prefer a Devils Horse but the IMHO the torpedos are great too. For some reason MANY of the modern top water lures weigh a BUNCH. This makes it difficult, at least for me to cast them so they land like a feather. It's not that hard to make the Torpedos land correctly.

Big number 1. Ugly Stick ( I can't help it, I've always been this way)

I'm certainly not a big bass expert, or any kind of bass expert but I believe the big lure big bass thing is mostly a myth. (when speaking of artificial lures) I believe water clarity to be very important in choosing lure size and presentation for any size bass, but especially when targeting big ones.

I use mono for everything, even in 6 year old threads. I thought they quit making Stren magnathin. I normally use either "original" Stren or Trilene XL.

My Ionic has been great. I've only had it 5 months so it's several years early to tell if it was "really" worth it. I'll always wonder if a cheaper 1 would have been just as good. One of the reasons I went with an "expensive" one is the bluetooth. I rarely even look at it anymore though. Both batteries, trolling motor and cranking that came in my boat were undersized. My 88 amp hour trolling motor battery was done after 6 hours or so. I would occasionally run my cranking battery down too. I combined them into one big cranking battery and went with a 125 amp hour lithium for my trolling motor. I've never run it under 60%. Let us know what you decide to get. I'm please with my ionic, but will always wonder if I could have spent less.