AlabamaSpothunter

The MLF already lost all credibility and integrity, but this takes the cake......it's like they're purposely pulling the drain plug in the middle of the lake.

The ironic thing is that Zaldain is a rather poor FFS angler, he admits as much. I like him and watch a lot of his YT content, but he's way behind the tech curve. I think this is actually a great example of what we discussed in the PM.......he knew that if he wanted to be competitive, he had to embrace the technology, but ultimately, he's way behind the curve because he just this year really tried to embrace the tech and learn it. These guys feel pressured into buying all these graphs, multiple transducer locations, crappie brakes, etc. The guys who are really dialed in with FFS will tell you all they need is one LVS 34 and a 12" graph. He's still packing $25k in tech though......2 console graphs, 3 bow graphs, and a pair of crappie brakes

Yeah no doubt the scope wizards can ID fish type and size. These guys say that most fish are actually pointing directly at the transducer because they're aware of the sonar. They talk about "fanning" the transducer back and forth in order to get the fish to change body orientation thereby revealing the size of the fish. They all say the monster Bass have a clear separation b/t body and tail, and I've even observed this on YT videos that show the graph. Some of these guys have their units so dialed in with big enough screens that you can really see the shape of the fish. I can't even fathom what future generations of FFS will be able to interpret and put on a graph. In terms of species, the savants use it so much that they can ID fish type by the way they're set up, swimming/lack of swimming, and ultimately the reaction they get from putting a bait on their noses.

VMC crossover rings work the best in terms of the problem you're describing but the problem is their sizing isn't perfect for a standard 5" Senko. #5 is really the only size that works, but it's tight and fish still somehow seem to pull a Senko or two free from the crossover ring. With #6s they'll pull the plastic even more, and with #4s you'll get your problem even faster. Again I found the #5s are the only size that work with the standard 5" Senkos. I went through over 100 baits in about a month back in the Spring, the crossed over double O-Rings and the #5 VMC crossovers were the best solution, but even still I'd burn through a bag or two on a good day. Senkos drive me crazy, so incredibly effective, yet so incredibly fragile.

I know you're having serious withdrawals right now Katie.......I'd hate to be Bass when you get back home 🤣 Hope your dad is doing great, and you're having a great trip!

A-Jay is like the Golden Retriever in the Bush's Baked Bean commercials "and he ain't telling nobody" 🤣

Definitely don't want to be using that setup imho. Too short of a rod, not enough backbone, and if you do decide to use braid, 30lb isn't strong enough. 7'9-8' Heavy/Moderate Fast rod 300 sized reel, some of the beefier 200 sized reels will work though 20-25lb Mono or Fluorocarbon Like A-Jay said, you're gonna have to get a dedicated setup for this technique or you'll wear yourself out, lose expensive baits, and lose fish. To me catching a big fish on a glide is the most exciting thing in Bass fishing, but it's so far from being the most efficient, or effective bait for the job. You really have to sell out to the technique and accept the fact you might not get a bite all day. You're only fishing for a couple of bites/fish a day if that. That's a tough pill to swallow for most anglers, myself included.

20lb bags on the Columbia, learn something new every day.......that's the last place I would expect to produce big bags. All I know is your day beat mine on the Columbia River when I went......got skunked Steelhead fishing, and on top of that I paid to get skunked 😁 Fishing is the quintessential example of "the sweet's never sweet without the bitter". It sucks, but if you want to experience the highs of fishing, you got to experience the lows as much if not more in order to get that dopamine hit. Baseball and Bass fishing are a ton alike, the sport is built around failure. A great MLB hitter only hits 3 out of 10 plate appearances.

Agreed with the above.....your backlashes are being caused by too much force and violence on the cast. You went from a 2004 Honda Accord to a 2021 Ferrari. Two totally different machines.

Sounds like it's an experience deal vs. a problem with the reel. If it were me, I'd go buy the cheapest monofilament line I could find, use a 3/8th - 1/2oz bait, and just practice with it. It should actually backlash less the more you crank down on the spool tension, and the same thing when you hit the spool with your thumb......you're decreasing the spool speed by doing both of those things, and the slower the spool speed, the less chance and severity of a backlash. Until you really get a baitcaster dialed in, the harder you try to cast it, the greater chance it's gonna backlash. A nice smooth cast with your thumb hovering over the spool so that you can barely feel the line is a good place to start. Drop that thumb all the way down on the spool right before you think your bait is gonna touch the water. The more you do this, the more you'll realize how much precise control you can exhibit over spool speed with your thumb. It's kind of nuanced trying to describe how to properly cast a baitcaster, to me it's just one of those deals like riding a bike......once you get the feel of it, it's no big deal, but until you get that feel, it will buck you like a wild horse.

It's factory set for a smidge of side to side spool movement, then you adjust the brake profile based on conditions and lure weight on the water. The only way I can get my Zillion to backlash is to do what you did, or rip line from the spool by hand to quickly. Forget about what it's doing with the "lure drop/spool tension" test method. Again reset the reel for just a smidge of side to side spool movement, put the brakes on 10, and take it to the lake and start casting. If it's still giving you problems come back and maybe something might not be right. The Zillion is about the most user friendly reel I've ever used......it's the hardest reel I own to backlash, but I've still blown up a few spools of line on it through various stupid moves on my part.

My 9SV is doing the same thing, pretty sure the universe is telling me to upgrade graphs, and throw in a black box and LVS 34 for good measure 😂

Shush, I was hoping he would slip up and leak the coordinates to Menderchuck......he'd have fools from Alabama making the pilgrimage up there for SMs like he catches 🤣

I don't doubt it, I was just listening to a podcast discussing the fact that SMs, and SM bags seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I think this is supported by evidence as well. B/t the Gobys and Zebra Mussels, along with in some years, a month longer growing season because of increased temps, it all adds up to growing bigger fish. Not sure if Andy is fishing a place that has those things though. Either way, incredible catch and fish, congrats!

This was why I was especially excited for you to buy that place......such a talented angler as yourself getting to know a single body of water as well as you have, and certainly will going forward would yield exceptional results. Now that you know the quality is there, it's going to get ridiculous in regard to your ability to specifically target the biggest fish in your lake. You're building a puzzle that doesn't reset every time you go home, you can come back to your "saved" game the next day or week and build on your progress. I know you love your variety, but seeing you really flesh out one fantastic fishery is really exciting to me. We're gonna know what really lives in that lake soon enough 😎

Can't imagine a more secluded dream of fishing hole than yours Katie, and I definitely can't imagine anybody more deserving or appreciative to fish it than you! I was thrilled when you told me you were looking at property.....even more thrilled when you bought it, but now to see you fully enjoying it, and seeing how awesome of a fishery it is really brings it full circle. Dreams are possible, Katie and her paradise are proof of that.

The "front" in your example would be the hours leading up to the increased wind, slight drop in air temp, drop in pressure, and ultimately the rainfall on Tuesday. Weds. would be post frontal + 1 day, and so forth. The common thought is that the best time to fish is leading into that front, so the hours leading up to that rainfall event, and during it given it's not to dangerous to be out in. The more I fish, and I've spent about 300 days a year over the last two on the water......the more I realize there is no definitive answer to "when's the best to go fishing based on weather/fronts". Perfect example, 5/31-6/1 I was on the water hours leading up to and during the perfect pre front and actual frontal event the other night. Textbook conditions for a big fish bite, 3.8lbs was my biggest that night. Just got home from getting a 7.1 and a 5.9 on just another "post frontal" night fishing the exact same time frame, and milk run. The best time to fish is when you can!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said! I really hope I get to see another 25lb LM in my lifetime, but I highly, highly doubt that will happen. Ken Duke said it best, when she was caught every Bass angler in world went "I didn't know they could get that big"

I believe this is 100% accurate, and have always questioned the folks who wait a significant time between bite detection and hook set. I've seen enough underwater videos to know that the biggest fish many times simply inhale the bait and spit it out the fraction of a second they realize it's not legit. It was either Dave Mercer or Tactical Bassin that said how often they observed a fish put an entire crankbait inside their mouth, spit it, and the whole time never detected the bite. In my own observations many times when you observe a fish moving your line before you actually feel the bite.....it's a big fish. Sometimes it's a competitive or spawn deal, but more times than not that's a big ole' slaunch doing it. I think the smaller, dumber fish will hit the bait harder, and hold on to it longer thus allowing the delayed hookset to work well.

The afternoon before they snagged her, they offered another guy who was sitting on top of her a couple thousand dollars to turn over the spot......the other guy declined. They made sure they were first in line when the lake opened the next morning, and that's when they snagged her. All three worked at Casinos IIrc, they worked nights, and fished during the day for her.

Most of the problems people have with knot failures on FC can be boiled down to when they cinch the knot up imho. It's fickle if you don't go slowly and smoothly, and ALWAYS wet your knots when cinching them down. I use the palomer for small diameter FC knots like 8lb FC, and also use it for heavy diameters when fishing bottom contact stuff where I'm hitting them with a huge hookset. For whatever reason I find it handles the shock better than my other knots. For everything else I use the San Diego Jam knot because it's faster and easier to tie than a palomer. Occasionally if I'm lazy I'll tie the improved clinch knot as well. FC has come a really long way since it's inception and when it most likely got a bad rep for knot failures. The modern day higher end brands are pretty awesome. While I don't love Shimano Mastiff, it specifically has nano ridges that aid with knot tying and strength.

I'm glad you posted that first pic especially Katie, now I understand what you're talking about when you say pencil reeds. I've never fished around anything like that. My home lake has Water Willow which is native, and Alligator Grass which is "invasive" even though it's wonderful vegetation for fish. It's very thick stuff, and you can only really fish the perimeter of it. If you lay the hammer down upon hookup and move the fish from the edge, it's not a problem at all. I can see how those would be heart break fuel, sparse enough to fish effectively, yet clumped up enough to catch a treble outside a fish's mouth, or all together wrap your line up. I haven't seen anybody get to fish 100% unaltered nature like yourself. To me the idea of fishing water that hasn't been altered or effected by mankind is priceless, and something that we don't really have down here. You're already getting your money's worth on that property, love to hear that. It always amazes me no matter how remote a piece of nature I find down here, I always find at least a piece of trash.

So many awesome fish, and this thread really comes alive when the folks up north finally get back on the water. You guys sure do make up for the lost time during the winters. I love seeing the fishy places you folks fish, @MIbassyaker and @ol'crickety look like they fish in a Thomas Kincade painting.

A guy I follow closely named Jimmy Zinker has caught 5 DDs this year on Orange.....he fishes almost exclusively at night with a Muskie Jitterbug and Pat Cullin's black Buzzbait. Some great info on the Big Bass Podcast about his techniques, and the way he modifies the Jitterbugs. I'd give it a go at night. Good luck, hope you catch a DD! Nothing more tragic than state "management" agencies destroying Bass fishing through spraying. One of my biggest pet peeves.

Lol, exactly.......if you look at them wrong they sink to the bottom 😂