A-Jay

Hello Rob and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Pitching & Flipping with Lighter weights (and you'll have to tell us what that means to you) with casting gear is relatively tricky for even a seasoned caster. The technique is routinely most effective with a weight that will at the very least load the rod. That's where choosing balanced tackle comes into play. The rod, reel, line & bait all need to be working together with the human handling it - to make it all go according to plan. Check to ensure your rod isn't the problem. If it's not loading, at least a little, with the weight you're tossing, I'd either switch rods, bait weight, or perhaps go to lighter line. Another option is to us more conventional gear & roll cast it. A-Jay

I've done a good bit of shooting myself - not competitively but just to defend myself & my boarding team on a moving boat. Easy. Think of that constant trigger pull, the same way a revolving spool caster's thumb has to be. Some casters do not ask the reel to do all of the spool feathering & light touch required to ensure an accurate cast that includes a quite entry, others do. My reels assist my thumb ~ not the other way around. YMMV A-Jay

Your avatar is scaring people away ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource. I'd like to be the first to inform you - you have No Problem. That's bass fishing. No one catches them all the time. "Doing what successful people do" (trying to copy another angler's approach) can never consistently produce fish. The are just too many variables in plan. Keep reading, Keep learning & most importantly KEEP FISHING. There's more to learn in a life time - and just when you think you're getting the hang of it all - you'll find out ~ you're not. But that's the good part. Have fun, be safe & Good Luck A-Jay

Picthing, flipping, short range, & long range - it's all just casting. I'll say that the type of reel braking system is another one of those personal preference deals. And I don't think any single piece of equipment can replace comfort & familiarity with the gear. I believe that equipment & design can help but it will rarely replace practice and experience as a route to success. A good thumb can trump marginal design any day & twice on Sunday. Six of one & a Half Dozen of another. A-Jay

Thanks Paul - I appreciate it. I like recording the trips - it adds another layer of fun to something that we've loved our WHOLE LIVES. So Good. A-Jay

A Lot of Tough Love in this thread ~ But we respond because we care. Really, if not, this one would remain unanswered. And that's clearly not the case. A-Jay

OK ~ Sounds like your winter approach could benefit from a good bit of deep jerkbaits & some drop shot action to keep the bait (hook) up & out of the danger zone. A-Jay

Thank you Sir ~ I certainly appreciate that and would expect nothing less. and this thread is kind of making me hungry. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

That's Very Nice Robert ~ And once you get that son of a gun all tuned in ready to rock out those 3 inch steaks, We'll all be expecting an invite - And I like mine fairly rare - like a good vet could probably revive it. . . I could bring some local brew, some Dandelion wine and something is a mason jar that usually enhances just about any gathering. but it's gonna take me a couple days to get there. A-Jay

Boom ~ A-Jay

Too bad you lost a fish. You may not really need a new partner. Your account of this event reads like a calamity of errors. I'd be looking in the mirror to help locate where they originated. btw - I fixed Number 1 for you. Better Luck next time. A-Jay

Hello Bruce and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

After initial spooling and routinely afterwards, All my Nylon line gets a generous blast of this. Makes a world of difference. YMMV (there it is again ) A-Jay

Good One. Unfortunately, I know that state well I have a winter home there . . . . A-Jay

Nice Catt ~ Breaking it down to the simplest of terms. Love That One Right There. A-Jay

Watch this video - do it like Scott. I'll also use spinning gear when throwing into a stiff wind. Braid & a 10 or 12 lb leader. I have my success with these baits in at least 10 feet or so of cleaner water with a CLEAN BOTTOM. In shallower stuff & with vegetation down low - I'll fish something else. Right tool - right job. A-Jay

I'm all about the basics. A-Jay

There ya go ~ I often present the blade in the "Clean" bottom areas adjacent to deep weed but seriously dislike mowing my bait after every cast. I will move to clean hard bottom spots in a heart beat if I can't get the bait back un-gunked. A-Jay

I'll be interested to hear your results Paul. I'm betting you'll have some. I debated a little about giving this particular gem up. I could tell you that "I got them on a blade bait" and a motivated angler could fish a blade bait for a while and may not unlock this one for some time. It's been a pretty major producer for me the last two seasons (works with lipless baits as well) but it's really what this site is all about. Best of luck to you as those temps plummet ~ bundle up. A-Jay

Another component of speed control that is sometimes over looked, especially in colder water, is how long the bait actually sits on the bottom. Bass, especially smallmouth, have no problem picking a blade bait up while it sits motionless on the bottom. When I first started having success with these baits I was under the impression that they needed to be on the move to get bit. Strikes on the fall are super common. And there are days & times when that's the way the fish will eat it. But after having a few bass eat the bait off the bottom on the initial cast & fall while I was fiddling with something else, I started experimenting with the "Pause" as it relates to how long the bait sits there between hops on the retrieve. What I found was there are times when after 1 or 2 or even 3 or 4 hops, if I let the bait simply rest there, when I went to pick it up there would be a bass on it often not feeling anything in the way of a strike. Other times, I could actually feel the bass pick it up, especially on a very hard bottom. There seems to be a fine line between waiting long enough to allow the fish to get to & eat the bait, and waiting too long to where there may be a loss of interest. Sort of like the pause when presenting a jerkbait. When the fish are chewing, a little experimentation here will get you an answer in short order. So there's something else to consider when presenting these most effective lures. I'd encourage everyone who does to give it a try. You might be surprised . . . . . A-Jay

Thanks Doug. Looking ahead, Good Luck to you. A-Jay