Team9nine

Only got out for two hours Friday afternoon but picked up a channel, too Only abut 6-8 pounds (didn't weigh it), but chunky. They get pretty feisty this time of year and will bite lures pretty readily if you get one in front of their face long enough.

...And here I thought you just got fed up with all of us and quit posting Welcome back to our Indiana fishing reality -T9

Wife and I did an Alaskan cruise about 10 years ago and it truly was great. One of those rare times where I could just sit on deck and watch the world go by for hours as we cruised within sight of land - such amazing scenery everywhere you look, both on shore and in the ocean. I, too, would recommend a trip there to anyone. -T9

You can't mix Z-man plastics with any other plastic baits as you'll get a chemical reaction that will take them both out. Cgolf from this board got the following response from Z-Man about storing their baits which should be helpful:

Nope, but almost - Alberto for the majority of line to line connections, but while Trilene and Palomar are nearly equal in fluoro and nylon/copoly, the Palomar is significantly better in braid, so it's still the only knot I use for line to bait connections. I'll live with the line loss since you should be cutting off the working end of your line frequently, anyway. -T9

Only 2.5 inches over summer pool and in good shape - I'd say "go." -T9

This...attached to a lanyard.

Edit: My error - defaulting to the responses below... -T9

I do what OE suggests. I keep all my hair jigs in small plastic bags, 2"x3" for the majority of them. You can buy them in packs of 100 at most any craft store. I store 2 jigs per bag and it keeps them in great shape and easily accessible. Can put the smaller bags with jigs into any normal tackle system at that point. As far as drying them off, the best thing I've found is after you are done fishing with a jig, leave about 3'-4' of line hanging off your rod with the jig still attached and then just whip it around in a circle/windmill for about 10-12 swings. The centrifugal force not only straightens out all the hair perfectly, but whips most of the excess moisture from the hair -T9

That's been my experience throwing swimbaits on this lake - average 1 bass per hour. It's just enough to keep me entertained for a trip or two, but I could never live with that catch rate over an entire season -T9

We get these guys all the time hanging out and sunning on docks and riprap. Surprised he let me get this close to him to take a pic before slithering off. You just get used to them. Most times they are just as scared of you as you are of them. Had one eat a Pop-R once - that made for some fun times If you actually have a lot of poisonous snakes around, you could buy a pair of gaiters, otherwise I wouldn't worry too much about them. -T9

Depending on who replies, the answer will likely be: Uni-Uni, FG, Alberto/Modified Albright, Albright, Seaguar, Blood, or J knot The best one is likely going to be the one you tie best. If you can't tie a good knot, it doesn't matter how strong someone else says it is. Personally, I pretty much stick to just the Alberto, with the random FG, Seaguar or 'J' knot thrown in for variety and testing purposes. -T9

I throw traditional hair jigs in the spring a ton around here - my #1 bait while the water is still cold. I don't throw them near as much in the summer because other baits become as (or more) effective in many cases, but I will use the larger giant hair jigs that are designed to imitate shad for open water structure fishing. Both Bassmaster and FLW have recently posted videos on fishing the latter bait. Here is a great post by smalljaw67 on fishing the more traditional hair jig in cooler water (spring/fall/winter):

Yeah, this thread really has brought out the differences in pricing depending upon where you are, specifically with USPS. Last rod I shipped through them a month or two back was well under the 7'11" someone stated and only 3.5" in diameter, and originally priced out around $16, until the lady's computer tacked on a $20 surcharge for an oversized package. Now I just stick with FedEx because the price is always within a few bucks + or - of $25. Any more, I consider my time and $$ too valuable to be surprised at the register on a hit or miss basis. -T9

Cut it up into small pieces and ship in a large padded envelope Seriously though, I'm not certain there is a "cheap" way. I've shipped quite a few through both UPS, USPS and FedEx, and the cost seems to run between $23 on the low end to $36 on the high end (USPS). FedEx is where I usually go because they're the most convenient (and affordable) location for me. I usually ship in either cardboard rod tubes from previous rod purchases online (always save your old tubes), or you can use thin PVC piping and caps. -T9

Phenix Vibrator....

We use dogwood blooming as the start to bass spawning down this way... -T9

Zman baits are great because of their buoyancy and their durability, but about any soft plastic 3" or less will work on the jig head, or perhaps a bit longer if it doesn't have much bulk like a finesse worm or similar. I think Ned caps it off at <4." A lot depends upon whether you are fishing for 101 bass in 4 hrs like Ned promotes (where Zman baits excel), or just finesse fishing in general. A couple non-Zman baits I've used with great success include the Zoom finesse worm, tiny brush hog, and 4" lizard. An Erie Darter Jr. is also killer, but it doesn't hold up well on a Gopher head. I'm not a huge fan of seeing how many different baits I can get to work, instead preferring to stick with just half a dozen or less proven baits/shapes/colors. I'm a big fan of simplicity (K.I.S.S.) in this regard. -T9

Yeah, I was referring back to your earlier post about using a 1/4 oz weight to get a faster fall rate to trigger bites. Really, JMHO, but things started getting all screwed up once people started referring to the bait as the "Ned Rig." Previous to that, when Ned just wrote about 'Midwest finesse' as a system or way of fishing, and much of the details were still pretty much relegated to persons on his e-mail distribution list (FNN), everything was pretty straight forward. Z-Man jumping on the "Ned" bandwagon and marketing "the bait" has only compounded the confusion. Would love to know Ned's thoughts on this whole thing, but I haven't been able to get him to talk - LOL, though I know he really disliked the idea of calling the bait "Ned rig," at least initially. -T9

Absolutely nothing wrong with using Z-Man plastics on heavier heads to fish more like you're used to and take advantage of their buoyancy attributes. I believe the point smalljaw and I are trying to make is that at that point, you are no longer "Ned rigging," but instead back to traditional jig worming techniques. As for walleyes, check out this link of interest: http://www.in-fisherman.com/gear-accessories/drew-reeses-midwest-finesse-walleye-tactics/ -T9

Just received this "analysis" in my inbox from YiBF/Bass Quest. Only thing I can add is that Wheeler will definitely be making the jump. Their analysis of the others is pretty much right on from what I've heard, with Wiggins and Connell mostly coming down to enough sponsor $$ as the driver. : New Qualifiers for the Elite Series from the Southern Opens The final Angler of the Year Standings for the Southern Opens: 1 Mark Rose 579 2 Stetson Blaylock 576 3 Jesse Wiggins 555 4 Dustin Connell 545 5 Jacob Wheeler 535 6 Mark Daniels Jr. 527 Mark Rose: Strike King and Walmart Pro Mark Rose won the Angler of the Year and our guess he won't be joining the Elite Series. Rose, a fantastic angler, can definitely hold his own on any tour, but he does appear to have it good on the FLW Tour. With his Walmart team deal it'll be interesting to see what he decides to do. He's a family man and the smaller FLW Tour schedule lines up nice for him to spend more time with his family. Either way, Rose will continue to be a top contender on any circuit he chooses to fish. Stetson Blaylock: Livingston Pro Stetson Blaylock finished just three points behind Rose, but landed the Elite Series ticket. Will Blaylock make the move? We think he will. Blaylock, who won an FLW Major ($200,000) at the age of 21 on Lake Norman, which at the time was the youngest ever FLW Tour winner. Blaylock has been fishing very well for many years, and there is no reason to think he won't make the jump and be successful on the Elite Series. Look for Blaylock to join the likes of Ehrler, Lucas, and Lefebre for anglers moving from FLW and making an immediate impact. Jesse Wiggins: According to Bassmaster stats on Wiggins, he's fished a total of seven events with B.A.S.S. and finished in the money six times. Of the six times in the money one was a victory earlier this year on Smith Lake in Alabama. The Culman, Alabama pro will start next season off at the Bassmaster Classic and with his small amount of experience at the top level, it'll be interesting to see if he joins the Elite Series for the entire season. If he does decide to go "Elite", a few things are certain, he's proven he can win and cash checks, but the names joining him on the leaderboard will be slightly more recognizable (for the most part). Dustin Connell: Much like Wiggins, Connell's top level career stats show he doesn't have a lot of experience. However, like Wiggins, he does well in the events he does fish. He won a Bassmaster Southern Open last year on the Alabama River, but he did not get a chance to fish the Bassmaster Classic because he missed the first Southern Open event. Bassmaster stats show him with five total tournaments, but cashing in four of those events including the win on the Alabama River. The decision to join the Elite field for next year is exactly like Wiggins'. Jacob Wheeler: Okuma pro Wheeler is a young veteran in the sport of fishing. He's locked down an FLW Cup win, and a B.A.S.S. Bassfest win on Lake Chickamauga. At the age of 26, Wheeler might be the most accomplished angler under the age of 30 in the sport of bass fishing. Will he jump to B.A.S.S., we aren't sure, but it stands to reason he very well might make the move. If he does make the move Wheeler will be another strong addition the Elite Series field. Mark Daniels, Jr: The California native, now Alabama resident, Mark Daniels, Jr. has been extremely good on the FLW Tour. He hasn't won but he has finished in the Top 10 in 10 of his 44 FLW hosted events (all levels). He's also qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup in three times during his three years on tour. Daniels was the most dominant angler on the California Delta while residing in California, and has adapted quickly to the national scene. We believe he'll join the Elite Series, but we don't have confirmation on it. If he does, he'll be another native California angler to watch joining the likes of Aaron Martens, Skeet Reese, Brent Ehrler, Fred Roumbanis, Justin Lucas, Ish Monroe, Chris Zaldain, and Jared Lintner.

Yeah, I think if Rose declines, or one of the two other anglers backs out due to sponsorship concerns, MDJ would take the invite if B.A.S.S. offered it. However, there are no guarantees beyond 5th place, because some would argue they are just as likely to keep an existing Elite angler on board as opposed to replacing one with someone new. That's why Top 5 in pts is so critical - it eliminates most of the "unknowns." -T9

Not to get too deep into semantics, but anything from an 1/8-oz on up is typically considered "power finesse" in the eyes of a Midwest finesse angler. Pretty much the same for any jig head that uses a hook larger than a No. 1. Presentations that meet either or especially both of those criteria then pushes you more toward actual shaky head fishing or jig worming, and moves you away from "Ned Rigging". Again just semantics, but I think I'd argue that there could be no such thing as "Power" Ned rigging. Ned rigging isn't concerned about triggering bites with faster fall rates, but instead putting something small and almost neutrally buoyant in front of a fishes face for a good period of time, usually in shallow water. If we need speed to trigger a bite, it would be accomplished with a straight swim retrieve, not a heavy jig head. -T9

More or less the case here. Bass spawn usually starts toward the end of April and largely ends by late May with a few stragglers that might even go to June. I usually use Memorial Day as the approx. timeframe for finding nesting gills beginning about a week before into the first couple weeks of June. As you know, nothing is absolute. -T9

Southern Opens just finished up this past weekend and Mark Rose, Stetson Blaylock and Jacob Wheeler all finished inside the Top 5 in pts and will get invites to the 2017 Elites. Mark Daniels Jr. finished 6th and might also get an invite if one or more of the Top 5 chooses not to accept. All are currently FLW anglers. I've heard Rose will likely decline, but Blaylock and Wheeler will likely accept. I think MDJ will go, too, if given the opportunity. -T9