Team9nine

My stats as of yesterday are, I have to fish 10 hours to catch a bass over 18”/3 lbs., so about one good fish every 3 trips average since most trips for me are between 3-4 hrs long.

Agree on the good percentage. It’s always a good trip when I get at least (1) three pound (18” or better) fish (MY “quality” target), so more than one is considered an above average day in my book.

That many? Just 3 good fish out of 16 caught. The water shot is just a 2nd pic of the largest one. Best is 4.78 lbs., and all others caught (not pictured) were 2 lbs or less. @N Florida Mike - “picture optimizing” 😎

Over 2 inches of rain the previous day cooled surface temps a bit (72), but the rain originally forecasted for today never materialized, so took advantage of a cloudy day. Started slow with just two small keepers throwing topwaters around spawning bays during the first couple hours, so ended up moving out deeper. That was the deal, as I added another dozen plus keepers to the mix on cranks and jigging spoons.

Agree w/MNF's thoughts; but given the two options you posted, I'd pick the better unit (UHD2) over the better transducer myself (since neither are LS transducers).

Finally figured out how to trigger a few decent bass bites today. Picked off a limit of greenies along with a dozen or more crappie this afternoon. Water temps up to 75 degrees here.

Worth it…and if you’re already a good caster, there are few headaches, you don’t need to treat it, or “all that,” whatever that is 😉

I’d probably ditch the bobber. You can nose hook, hook through the middle and use a slow lift and then let settle to the bottom, or even Texas rig. Split shot will help with casting, but it’s a soft lob, not really a cast, otherwise the crawler will get slung off. If you get serious about crawler fishing, this is the book to read:

From your neck of the woods, check out these two: Technological Angler - Dr. Jason Halfen Doctor Sonar/High Tech Fishing - Bruce “Doc” Samson Both have a variety of YouTube/website/newsletter/DVD/class options available that focus as much on the old 2D stuff as the newer tech.

Hmmm…. Ned - because I like catching lots of bass. Buzzbait - because I like(d) covering water, and a top water, shallow and around cover, is a really fun ‘anticipation’ bite - and quality, too. Jig - so incredibly versatile; fishes faster than about any other bottom plastic and with better feel; attracts quality fish

Looks like a bullhead - channels have forked tails; bullheads are rounded or lobed. Growing up, it seemed like bullheads were much more common, and we considered them a nuisance. These days, it seems like many waters have lost their once prolific populations, and it’s always a nice surprise when I catch one. In Indiana, we caught channels and flatheads on bass gear quite regularly. Down here in SC, the bullheads I’ve caught by accident have greatly outnumbered the channels, and they run quite large, so I’m always happy to see them come aboard.

Busy boat made for a fun afternoon even if the size was a little lacking - about 20 bass and 30 crappie. Cranks and spoons for the bass.

Sending positive thoughts your way...

Kreh is a good loop knot - same as the Rapala knot minus one less line bend back through a loop. I use it most times that I want/need a loop (not often). The double or triple Surgeons loop knot is easier to tie, but a bit more difficult to control the loop size IMO, especially with larger lures, and not quite as strong as I recall.

Not saying it is slick, but I’ve done it more than once 😉 Set the reel down in the yard and hit freespool (or open the bail); grab the end of the line and walk down the sidewalk until you hit the end/joining knot; Let the line lay, go back and cut the line off; grab the reel, walk back to old end and retie, then wind the line back on the reel.

Yep - It always amazes me how consistently better fishing for bigger bass is in NC versus here in SC. Seems like us and GA kind of got left behind in that regard, while surrounding states continue to kick out quality.

High blue skies, light and variable breeze, post frontal. Received over 2” of rain, but the water was relatively clear. Surface temps 69-70. Ended with about 20 bass on a combination of cranks, spoons and jigging Raps.

Been a while since I’ve been on a good jigging spoon bite, but after a lot of futile casting and trolling with a variety of other baits, I finally figured out that was what they wanted. Caught a good 2 dozen bass up to 3 lbs. in a stiff south wind with regular gusts of 20-25 mph.

LOL - fixed

One of the only books that I’ve read that tackled the weather question with “real-time” underwater scuba observation was “Lunker” by Bob Underwood. It’s a classic, and a must-have (IMO) for your library.

Bomber Fat ‘A’ in Firetiger

I can verify that it is April 1…Oh, and Josh Jones just posted he broke the Texas state record bass this morning, but that’s about all I know on this 😉

The big girls are still MIA, but caught 10 more up shallow this afternoon to a bit under 3 pounds. Water low 60s.

Some of the craziest variable winds I’ve ever fished in today, combined with the weird haziness created by the drifting smoke of the areas wildfires. But I finally found a group of biters. They weren’t big - nothing over two pounds - but I caught nearly 2 dozen bass along with a dozen scattered crappie, so I’m not going to complain.

This ^^ for me, too (I usually prefer 65-70 yds min. ‘fishable’). If not, back on the spool to be used as leader material.