Hammer 4

Best thing I can say is cast directly in front of you, i.e. off the nose of the yak, to TRY and cut down on the spinning. I had that problem when I use to Floattube, but I had swim fins to correct it.

Look for any oddity's, i.e. shapes of weeds that stand out, or create a point of some sort. Also look for " holes " in between the vegetation, chuck a bait in there, I would opt for a jig with a trailer, also when your frogging, target those areas that have holes between the weeds. Fish methodically, don't be in a hurry. If and when you do catch fish, make a mental note of how, and where you caught them, especially if you get a nice sized bass. Don't be afraid to change both sizes, and colors if you don't get bit within a certain period of time. As they say, time on the water is the best teacher. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

^^^^^ This would be a good start. If the veg. is really thick, perhaps going to a heavier jig would help it down to the bottom easier. But, yeah, toss a frog first.

And that's why I don't live way up there in the north country. Warm weather bird here..?

Getting down to the low 50's here at night...BURRRRRRRRRRR!

Type of cover dictates if I peg or not. Open type water, no peg, around thick vegetation or lay downs, ect, then I tend to peg my weights. Size of the bait has no bearing if I peg them.

Another Mega Strike user here.

I agree with what Tom said. Re: trout plants, be there when the truck rolls up to the dumping spot. Try to get as close as you can to the truck. When the trout start hitting the water, the bass are waiting. Stocker trout are usually small, maybe a wee bit larger than a hudd 68. For that reason I prefer to throw an 8" Hudd, as it presents a bigger meal. A 68 will get bit also.

Open water, top exposed hook. For heavy cover, weedless hook.

Same for me.

I've tried different blades in my area. What works best for me are willow blades, could be 2 chrome/sliver, or 1 chrome and one gold, this would apply to all sizes of spinnerbaits.

You could check with some of the tackle shops down your way about colors. I've caught tons of spotties, sandies, and calicos on a 1/2 oz swimjig with a 3" Big Hammer swimbait in various colors. A long time ago I bought some of the best swim jigs from a guy in San Diego, don't recall his name. These will work best on a incoming, or high tide, which is when the bite is the best.

I'll have to give a try on the next spawn. Thanks for the tip..

Mostly 1/2 oz for me, in a shad pattern, with double willow blades, in chrome, or chrome and gold. I also choose my spinnerbaits that don't have the blades extended way past the hook, makes for better hookups.

Looking at the pic's of the reel on TW, it appears to have the anti reverse switch.

Did you buy your 150 new, if so, is it still under warranty.? Maybe consider sending it back for a replacement. I have more than a few Tatula reels, ranging from the 100 to the 300, and none them have any issues what so ever.

I have a couple of Diawa Tatula XT's. These run $ 99.99 at TW, good value, rods are light and have good action imho.

1/2 oz spinner bait with willow blades, retrieved fast enough to keep it on the surface, just like a buzz bait. Caught a few 5's and 6lb'r doin that.

I can't even imagine trying to bend my knees even 90 degrees after surgery. Hang in there, hopefully you will have full range motion and no pain soon.

I have baby bass and trout. both seem to work.

168 S waver, I work that bait only with my reel, a couple of handle turns to get it to change directions, then a pause, then maybe burn it with 2 turns of the reel. This gets some good action on the bait.

Well, today I'm feeling the effects from yesterday. Feels like I semi pulled my left Lat muscle, and the carpal tunnel in my right hand feels like my hand is on fire. BTW, 3/4 ton tires are heavy, mine happen to be 315/17 TKO's, so even heavier.. Thanks for all the replies.

Maybe I'm odd, but even years ago I never felt comfy with shorter rods, i.e. anything under 6'8". I'm 6'1", even when I fished from a float tube, shortest rod was 6'10". I fish the bank a bunch, all of my rods except one is 7'1" or longer, they just feel better to me. Oh, and the short one, is 6'9" only because the brand and action, ect was only available in that size.

So, I put off changing my fuel filter on my 2003 Duramax Diesel long enough. Today I finally did it, better performance, and less smoke. But, at my age (73) with a bad back, and slightly shaky hands (meds do that) and having to remove the front wheel, which weighs a ton, then having to slide in under the fender well to change the filter, btw, nice design GM..sheesh. After I was done, I felt beat, and beat up. Hands have a couple more battle scars, back was killing me. After all that, I think next time I'll break down and pay to have it done, only down side is labor is a minimum of $125.00 bucks, when takes them about 1/2 hr. to do the job, yeah, I thrifty like that..haha Any of you gents that are 70 or older still do any maintenance on your cars or trucks. ?

Everyone does have their preference for either 4 or 8 carrier braid, same holds true for brands. Do a braid search on here and you will see what I mean.. I've always used a 8 carrier braid. At the moment I'm using seaguar 50 lb stealth gray, so far, so good. Some brands have an issue with color fading, i.e. dark green turns to a light shad of green, that wouldn't deter my choice when choosing a braid. A couple of other brands to look at would be Power Pro, Sufix and Diawa, ect. I would learn to walk a frog, it never hurt to have skills when you need them. Let the fish tell you what they want, could walking, or a straight retrieve or a reel, stop, twitch, and repeat. Time on the water is essential.