Hammer 4

I'd wait till you catch a bigger bass..?

If, your fishing from shore, I use a split shot. This is for lighter baits, i.e. 4" worms , ect. On 8 lb or less line. I favor slow rolling it just off the bottom if possible. Fishing from a boat, 6 to 10 ' of water I'll use a drop shot.

Credit cards aren't all bad IF, you pay them off every month. Doing this just elevates your credit score, which will help you down the road, i.e. if you decide to buy a home, ect. I'm on a fixed income, and every now and then I'll charge something for an amount I know I can pay off way before the due date, I never make payments. So, give that some thought.

So, it's possible the Real water temps are 2 maybe 3 degrees cooler at a deeper level..I would do what Scott suggested, have fun while the fish are aggressive, then target the bass. Sorry I couldn't have been more help.

Possibly, what State are you in..? If your in the north, then maybe. Also was the water you took the temp at, surface or mid depth temps.?

Could be that your bass are in the spawning mood, and have Zero interest in feeding, so the pickeral are picking off all your offerings..no pun interned. Is your water clear, stained, or muddy.? If it's clear, can you see bass beds.? That will give you a clue as to what's happening, i.e. no bass biting.

Don't have any pickeral here, but curious what baits you have been using. Have you tried a senco whacky rigged..?

Just to add, you can find tungsten weight via the interwebs if you look hard enough..Not as fancy as some of the high priced weights, but get the job done.

Might have been a really old spool, one that maybe didn't pass qc with flying colors..???

I too have never used a trailer hook on my frogs, as said above..but I'd also add, to bend the hooks up, and out about 1 to 2 mm..still remains weedless, but better hook ups.

I usually keep 1 or 2, just in case. Otherwise I cut them up into 1 to 1 1/2 foot lengths and recycle them. I have about 10 I need to cut up. lol

Well, Tom kinda shot down my theory as far as fluro is concerned...

No expert on the subject, but...I would think that, and this depends on some variables, like how warm is the temps, for how long the line/oils are exposed at what temps, ect, ect. I think we all know that oils and some type of grease will lose viscosity when warm, and with age, i.e. like the oil in your car. Fishing line I'm going to say will become more pliable when warm, what that warm temp is, I guess depends on the line. But, if you think about it, in cold weather say around 50* fluro for example would likely retain more memory than if it was 80* to my way of thinking, of course, some fluro lines have more memory than others. Also, have to ask, how long does it take for a reel spooled up to absorb that heat, and how long does it retain it.? If, I were using fluro, I'd rather use it warm weather, same for mono. Maybe someone here that has the knowledge on the subject can comment.

Man, I hope you don't go out more than once a month..even that would be a bit much...?

I have some shakey heads with zinc colored hooks, and they have caught fish, I don't that color makes a big difference, although, some guys swear that red gets better bites..

^^^^ This. Staff is at bare minimum..

There's some really good folks here on BR..Enjoy your rig Martin..

Steady retrieves get followers, give the bait a twitch,or stop, the a couple quick turns of the reel to get a reaction strike. Bass fishing 101...

Fluke vs jerkbait. Both work really well, the thing I like about a fluke is, it has a completely different action when fished weightless. It also doesn't have treble hooks to contend with..lol The different ways you can fish a fluke just makes it so much more versatile. I always have bags upon bags of flukes from baby flukes up to the magnum flukes. I have maybe 4 jerkbaits. Being in So. Cali, I throw them year round.

Pretty dog gon cool...

Keep one of your fingers on the line at all times. Best way to detect bites..besides watching your line.

If your rod is rated up to 2 oz's, keep the lure weight at around 1 oz. Seldom if ever are a rods weighting are accurate, they are usually over rated. Get whatever reel your feel most comfy casting, if your right handed and you get a eh reel, you will have to switch hands after you cast. I use all left hand reels so I don't have to switch hands, up to you.

I do the same on my frogs. When I cut the legs, I cut them at an angle, so they flair out just a wee bit, whether that makes a difference or not, I don't know. A pro cut em like this a long time ago, so I kept on cutting them that way.

Awesome..!!!

This video actually made yahoo news, it has some outrageous amount of subs already.