Woody B

What do your "really" get from the company? (I don't have a clue how these things work) I fish for fun, I sponsor myself, and I use whatever brands I want to use.

Yep. the opposite of what happens during the Summer. The creeks will be muddy, the main lake will be clearer. But.....I believe that once a lake reaches a certain size there's certain bass who don't move around much. (except to spawn) The Dock bass hang near the docks year round. The problem with docks is this time of year they're overfished. I stopped skipping docks a couple months ago when every bass I caught had multiple previous hook holes in it's mouth. I believe the deep structure bass tend to stay in one area. They've got plenty of forage including baitfish, crawfish ect year round. They only time they move is if the thermocline causes them too. The bass that end up in the creeks are what I call the "ledge bass". They hang around drop offs and ledges, then move up onto the flats to feed. I believe these are the ones that go up into creek/river channels at times. This is just what I think. It usually works for me but I'm certainly not an expert. I can usually always find bass on what I call a "normal" Carolina reservoir. These are fairly shallow river and creek fed lakes with a maximum depth of 80' or less. I struggle at the 200' deep rock lakes. I suspect oxygen levels play a big part in bass (and baitfish) behavior. I'm surprised that some kind of oxygen meter isn't used by some. (maybe one is)

I'm going to say you've got to get used to your work schedule, then you'll find time for fishing. I work 45 to 50 hours a week and normally go fishing 2 or 3 times a week. My Daughter is grown, one of my Grandsons just started college and the other is a Junior in High School. I don't have a bunch of family, or other obligations to keep me from going fishing when I get a chance. How many hours a week do you work? Also, in your line of work be careful and remember that most of us here in the USA have your back.

Bankc beat me to the NC state record that was actually a LM/Spot hybrid. I'm pretty sure the bass I pictured in the first post of this thread is a LM/Spot hybrid. Due to silt Lake Norman has limited spawning areas. I've often wondered what impact stocking other species have on Black Bass populations, and fishing. Lake Norman used to be DD heaven, at least for my area, but it was also well stocked with Stripers. I caught a 16 pound Striper there on a crank bait when I was a kid. I sold my boat and quit fishing in 1992 due to "life". I had never heard of a Spotted Bass. I had also never heard of a White Perch, or caught a Catfish while bass fishing. I don't know NCs or SCs stance on White Perch (actually a true bass cousin to Stripers....Silver Bass) I believe TN considers White Perch to be invasive. However others have said in this thread that TN considers everything invasive if they're money to be made. Since starting back fishing in December 2021 I've caught multiple White Perch, a few Crappie(not usual 30 years ago) and a BUNCH of Catfish. I'd never caught a Catfish while bass fishing until This year. I caught a 50+ Flathead on a square bill. My Wife also caught a 21 pound Blue or Channel (I forget which is which). We've caught multiple smaller cats too. According to NC there were no Spotted bass in Lake Norman before 2000 ish. I wonder if there really weren't any or if we/them just didn't know of acknowledge the difference. I caught the first bass in my new boat on December 18 on Moss Lake NC. The water temp was 50ish, but it fought like heck. My previous colder water Large Mouth catches were like reeling in a block of ice. I thought it's mouth was small, but didn't learn about Spotted or Alabama bass until a few days later. FWIW on the Catawba river chain I've fished Lake Wylie (the most) Lake Norman(a few times) Lake Rhodhiss (once) and Lake James (once). I've caught Largemouth and Spots in Wylie and Norman. More Spots, less LM in Norman compared to Wylie. I caught Spots only in Rhodhiss. In Lake James I caught 3 Largemouth and 3 Smallmouth. Moss Lake (Shelby NC, owned by the City of Kings Mountain) Is closest to my house. I caught a bunch of spot and a few Largemouth there back in the Winter. I don't go there much now. It's a 1500 acre lake with a BUNCH of fishing pressure. The last 3 times I went there all of the bass I caught had multiple previous hook holes in their mouths. They stock Moss fairly heavy with Hybrid/Bodie bass (Striper/White bass hybrid). I've caught a couple of them this year while bass fishing. I wonder what their effect in on Black Bass populations. Moss Lake has a pretty big algae bloom going on now too.

I probably don't understand, or use squarebills right. My favorite crank I fish in squarebill situations is Rapala Ott's garage tiny 4. It's a flatside balsa crank, not a square bill. They're fairly fragile though.

I normally use a trilene knot. It will usually break right at the knot, so I don't lose a bunch of line if I get snagged in deep water (or way up a tree LOL). With Big Game the knot slipped. Same with an improved clinch knot. No problem using a Palomar, it's easy enough to tie. No slippage with it. I don't usually use line conditioner, but I'll spray some on the big game before I give up on it. I usually change line monthly or so. It seemed to me that the big game had less stretch than Stren, or XL. I can't tell any difference between Stren or XL. There's probably different types of Stren. I use "original" in flourescent/blue. I use 12 pound test for pretty much everything. It's hard to break if it isn't damaged.

I've never heard of dry needling. Is it supposed to relax stressed muscles? I don't "hate" needles, but I don't like them either. I had a penicillin shot in my backside Friday for Strep throat. Over the years I've had cortisone shots in various spots. Believe it or not the most painful ones were in my foot for plantar fasciitis. I got one a while back in my neck. I guess I made a face when the Doctor started the injection. She said "are you OK". I said "yes I expected it to hurt more". She said your neck is the least painful place, and your foot is the most painful. Good luck, Mrs. B and myself wish you a speedy recovery.

I have some "opinions" about braid, so I normally use mono. My normal mono is Stren but I've also used Trilene XL on several occasions. I fish quite a bit and change line pretty often. Last week I needed some line and couldn't get Stren or Trilene XL locally. I bought a big spool if Trilene Big Game. I don't like it. To me it feels stiffer, and I don't think it holds knots as good as Stren or XL. I almost think they put flouro on my spool. I had a couple lures break off at the knot way too easy. I switched to a Palomar knot to correct that, no big deal, but it's still stiffer than I'm used to. It feels larger in diameter but I haven't checked. Anyway, like others have said, since you're new to baitcasters stick with an inexpensive mono regardless of what you go to later.

I noticed that. I wonder if that was due to overfishing, stocking practices, water conditions or what? I wonder how the spots got there. NC never admits stocking them but I wonder if they did. I'm pretty sure SC, TN and other surrounding states will claim they never stocked them. If they got to their current population levels without stocking I bet the State secretly likes them. What is considered a trophy size Spot? I've never had a fish of any species mounted. I've only occasionally killed any to eat. Like the reel ess said people around here are getting 5 pound Largemouth mounted. I'm sure it varies by region but I don't consider a Largemouth a trophy that's under 10 pounds. What size Small Mouth is considered a trophy?

I will admit. This time of year where I fish it's a different pattern for Large Mouth and Spots. When LM fishing get's slow I can change my approach and catch some spots. I strongly believe without the spots I would have caught more big Largemouth this year.

What's everyones thoughts on Spotted Bass? NC Wildlife Resources Commission considers them an invasive species. So my thoughts. I'm not "really" a fan, but I'm kinda on the fence. They're easy to catch and fight like heck for their size. I stopped fishing for 30 years. I realize a bunch of stuff has changed, not just the introduction of spots where I fish. I'm sure there was quite a bit less fishing pressure back then. 30+ years ago you'd hear about someone catching a DD Largemouth every few weeks or so. I haven't heard of one around here this year. Is it fishing pressure or the spots out competing Largemouth for forage? Spots and Largemouth are also spawning and creating hybrids. I don't know if these hybrids can reproduce or not. A while back a guy caught what he thought was a new NC state record Spot. A biologist examined it and determines it's Mom was a Largemouth, and it's Dad was a Spot. It's in the aquarium at BPS in Concord NC now. At Lake Norman this year I've caught a BUNCH of spots and a few Largemouth. The ratio at Lake Wylie is around 50/50. I'm not dissatisfied with my results this year. I've caught 7 Largemouth 5 pounds and over this year including one that was 7 pounds 13 ounces. I also caught a Spot that was 4 pounds 4 ounces. It fought like a whale. Here's a link to an article on NC Wildlife website about Spots in Lake Norman. There's several more articles there also. https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/2021/Lake-Norman-LMB-Stocking-Evaluation-FINAL.pdf?ver=aUD-mcJOZQdvz8SnoQWt5Q%3d%3d Last, I think this Bass is a hybrid LM/Spot. It's mouth is either small for a Largemouth, or big for a Spot. It didn't have the rough patch on it's tongue, but it's got a Spot dorsal fin. It was 4 pounds even. It jumped and walked on it's tail like a Largemouth.

So, a short trip this morning after the thunder storms passed. I caught 7 mostly small. 3 on a flatside crankbait, 2 on a t rigged worm and 2 on a Devils Horse. It's either luck, or the Cordell isn't working for me. I even painted a Devils Horse flat black to match my painted Boy Howdy. I did catch a couple tiny bluegill on the Cordell. Regarding "working" a Devils Horse. Most of the time I work in real slow. When twitching it I think of it like I'm trying to twitch my line. This barely moves the props. This method looks just like a couple mayflies in the water. I'd estimate that in calm conditions 1/3 of the strikes come before moving the lure. You have to be able to cast it in a manner where it lands like a butterfly. I try to cast a "low line drive" and thumb it down at my target. Casting under trees overhanging the bank works great during the mayfly hatch. Don't get excited and set the hook if bluegill spit at it. (it sounds like a spit when they hit it) I've had bass hit it after bluegill have been messing with it. If there's some wind/chop on the water I'll kinda walk it like a spook. I've brought bass up that were suspended over ledges this way. I've never had any luck with a spook. I simply can't cast a spook without it sounding like someone threw a concrete block into the water when it lands. Smithwick says the Devils Horse is supposed to imitate an injured, fleeing shad. However, a real Devils Horse is some kind of grasshopper. If you want a guaranteed catch on a Devils Horse throw one out next to a bank where someone is mowing grass.

I've only heard/felt the spool chatter on "magic" reels that leave the tension knob just tight enough to remove side play in the spool. I noticed it on my Shimano's and Diawa's when I finally started adjusting the spool tension this way. I "think" they're fixing a problem that really isn't a problem. Am I correct in what they're trying to accomplish?

NO!!!!!! That won't catch bass. You have to use nightcrawlers with a spin cast reel equipped with 15 year old monofilament.

I haven't done much saltwater fishing. I had family in Long Beach NC when I was a kid. I was down there with my bass tackle one year when the Tarpon were running. I put a fairly big spoon on my Abu 5500C and cast it as far as I could. A Tarpon grabbed it, and proceeded to run all the line off my reel. I didn't even slow it down.

I'm getting over strep throat. Today if the first day in a few that it doesn't hurt to eat. I had Pizza from a real Italian restaurant for lunch and a juicy rib eye from my grill for Supper. (Dinner for non southerners LOL)

Old thread resurrection. I like to fish a Devils Horse and have several that are 30+ years old. They're fragile, and I don't like the original hooks. I recently bought a couple "Boy Howdy's " They're plastic (I think) so they'd probably be more durable than a ' Horse. I tried 1 today. It "will" twist your line but so will a Devils Horse. Doesn't seem any different to me in that respect. Every couple casts I hold my rod tip up with the lure almost touching the water and let it unwind. The hooks were....OK I guess. I sharpened them. They're 6's, or at least look like it to me. I put a EWG short #4 on the rear of a 'Horse, with a split ring. This makes it sit a little lower on the rear. The Boy Howdy sits like that with no mods, but has a #6 hook. I suppose a #4 would make the rear sink more. For me it cast and fishes like a Devils Horse (with the bigger rear hook) However, it didn't get bit. It could be the color. All I could find was shiny silver. I've been having success with darker colored ' Horses. I fished the "howdy" along with a flatside crankbait, and swim bait. The crankbait and swim bait were getting bit but the ' Howdy wasn't. I switched to a Devils Horse later, but only caught 1 on it. I either switched to the 'Horse too late, or it just wasn't a top water day. I've been told that bass...fish don't see the Devils Horse, just the disturbance. Perhaps the glossy silver finish on the Boy Howdy was a turn off. I painted one flat black. I'll try it tomorrow morning.

I had an osprey come after a devils horse. I saw the bird coming and jerked it away. The bird followed to within 5 feet of me and my boat. A muskrat got tangled in my line once, but got loose.

A wake boat came by ignoring the no wake zone. The big waves flipped the truck. The trailer is lighter. Instead of just flipping over it done a 360. (I'm joking people)

7 largemouth and 5 spots today. I think I caught this one twice. I didn't take a picture the first time. Both were 16 1/2 inches and colored exactly like this one. 1st one on a crankbait. Released it, took a leak, then caught this one on a Devils Horse. That's 2 weeks that I think I've caught the same fish back to back. (the one last week was a dink)

I only use bait casters but I use 12 pound Stren for everything. It doesn't cost much......or last a long time. Every now and then I'll try something else but I keep going back to it.

I'm pretty sure I've seen the button sets for sale on e(vil)bay. If not there's sometimes units for sale with busted displays.

Tracker Classic XL. I messed with my transducer location until I get a depth reading at (almost) any speed. Boat will go 35 mph in normal weather. (Been 39 when it was 22 degrees LOL) I normally cruise around 30 mph. After messing with my transducer a bunch I only lose depth from 24 to 26 mph. It comes back as speeds above 26. I can't give you a magic transducer location. I moved it up, down and side to side some until I got the readings I get now. Lowrance Elite Ti2 with 3 in 1 transducer, but I suspect you could mess with yours and get it to work as well.

There's a shoal on a lake I fish quite a bit where people anchor and tie their boats together and do...whatever. Last Saturday night, around 11 there was a BUNCH of boats there. There was also a huge boat that looked like a barge with music playing and people dancing on the deck. At least they weren't riding around making 6 foot waves.

In my case, 12 pound mono. The split ring/hook should have been stronger than the line. I suspect the hook had started working it's way around the ring, or was never installed all the way around it. I firmly believe an inspection a cast of 2 before this happened would have prevented it.