senile1

Losing jigs, T-rigs, or any other bottom bumping bait is a part of catching bass with these baits. If you are fishing in the their lair you are going to hang up occasionally. Having said that, I would wonder why you aren't hanging up some with the T-rig weight as well. Compare the jig head type and weight you are using to the sinker you have on your T-rig. What is different about them? Should you be using a different jig head? Consider the weight as well. Over the years, Siebert Brush jigs have performed well for me under the circumstances you mention though any jig head made for brush should help.

It has been three years since my last trailer tire replacement. The last time I replaced them I was driving down the road from a long trip, looked in my left side mirror, and noticed a huge bubble on the side of the left tire. I was fortunate to get them replaced before complete failure, though that has happened a couple of times as well over the years. These Taskmaster tires appear to be worth looking into.

As your bass boat ages I think a bit of worry may just be a part of it. I have always had yearly maintenance and ran premium fuel without ethanol but I still worry . . . . a little. My boat is a 2000 Stratos 295 Pro Elite which I bought in 2007. The original Evinrude 200 horse Ficht 2 stroke motor bit the dust in 2024 so I have repowered it with a 2024 Mercury. Along with the motor, I had to update the steering, shifter, ignition switch, fuel gauge, and trim gauge. Everything mechanical on the trailer including the axle has been replaced but the solenoid in my surge brakes appears to have just shot craps. I had to use a lockout key on my surge brakes to back the boat into my driveway after my recent fishing trip. Other than that, the trailer is in tip-top condition but to look at it you wouldn't know it. After 26 years the red paint is quite faded. I plan to remedy that next winter. Due to updates to our home which have taken precedence, I have put off a refinish of the boat's gelcoat, replacing the seats, replacing the windshields, and replacing the carpet. However, that is due and I plan to have it all completed next winter as well. Hopefully, when finished, my 2000 boat and trailer will last longer than I. I will still worry that it won't though. 🙂

@Joedodge, congratulations on the Master Angler Award! Missouri has this award for every fish imaginable. I've caught quite a few and a number of different species over the years that would qualify but never thought to apply.

Nice work, @A-Jay, and on your first trip out.

It has become more busy for sure. This trip, I stayed at a location quite a few miles up the James River Arm. With it being mid-April there weren't that many boats except in the area between the Cape Fair Marina and the 76 highway bridge. I was looking for fish around spawning areas but every cove I checked had no fish, though they could have been a bit deeper and not visible in the stained water on that arm. Surface water temperatures were 62 to 65 degrees. On the main lake I suspect the temperatures are closer to 58 to 60 degrees. The last report I had read from last week stated that fish were in all three phases of the spawn.

I spent the last four days at Table Rock Lake with my wife. We had some other activities going on, but I was still able to get in approximately 19 hours of fishing in the four days. I caught 28 total fish. Bites were consistent in the morning hours, but slowed to a crawl in the sunny afternoons. Yesterday, after Wednesday night storms, it was cool and cloudy until late in the day and the bite was pretty good up until 3 pm. The pattern was nothing but channel banks and it had to be the right mix of characteristics for biting fish to be there. The drop had to reach 15 to 20 feet within a boat length from the bank, and 35 to 40 feet of water had to be fairly close by. The Ned Rig was my main go-to. I caught a couple on a jig and craw, but nothing on a jerkbait, t-rigged senko, Zara Spook, and a Brush Hog. I was hoping to find some big fish but, unfortunately the best weight was 3 lbs. Below are a few pics.

Last week I fished a northern Missouri body of water right after a strong cold front. Water temps were still low 50s and a finesse jig with subtle trailer was catching the bigger fish. I caught a few dinks on a Ned Rig also. This week I spent the last few days at Table Rock Lake and, similar to @Jig Man, the Ned Rig was my best producer with 26 fish. I caught a couple on a jig and Rage Craw but nothing on a jerkbait, t-rigged senko, brush hog, and Zara Spook. There was some topwater feeding going on in the early mornings, but it was few and far between.

Awesome! It sounds like you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I hope you catch some healthy bass.

@bishoptf, I lived just above the bootheel area of Missouri up until my mid-twenties. That area is full of the type of lakes you describe. In the far south of the state these are flat, muddy-bottomed lakes with a maximum depth of 7 to 8 feet and very little to speak of in the way of humps, ridges, ditches, etc. I would catch bass on them if I was there at the right time in spring, but finding the bass at other times was tough unless they had some vegetation. I didn't know then what I know now about bass fishing but those lakes are still tough. However, it is like any other lake in one respect. You have to fish it often and learn what little it does have on bottom and what the bass are feeding on. They just take longer to learn. Hopefully, you have electronics so that you can find slight structure, underwater cover, and fish. Additionally, with the lakes being so shallow, you are probably going to spook a lot of fish with your electronics, trolling motor, and boat when you are learning the lake. That means you may not be catching many fish while you are mapping out the lake. Once you know what is there being extremely stealthy and using long casts is key to catching fish. One thing you have going for you is most of these lakes are less than 100 acres.

@C.Tucks, that's a beautiful smallie.

Katy, what are your current surface water temperatures at your pond? Since I am not familiar with your area you may want to take my advice with a grain of salt. If it just reached ice out and water temps are still below the mid 40s, I would expect that dragging a finesse jig or Ned rig on the bottom very slowly would get some fish. I fish a few times every winter and, when used where the fish are located, these tactics usually catch some with the added bonus that some of them will be larger. Where I am at that translates to some 3 to 6 lb'ers being caught. There are some caveats to this though. When the water is that cold I need to be on the body of water at the right time as there seems to be short bite windows during the winter. If you want to catch the bite window it is possible you will need to stay out all day to hit it. Number 2, I typically drag a deep basin holding fish or steeper drop-offs around it. The fish I catch in shallower water tend to be near these drop-offs, though a greater number of my winter fish come from the deeper basins. I don't know if you can get near the 10 foot area or if you can fish shallow water nearby but that would be the areas I would look at. Again, I am not sure of all the details of the condition of your water, but I hope this might help. Ed

I agree with those voicing safety concerns, so I would say this depends on how big your "no wake" lake is. On most lakes less than 100 acres, you should be able to get back to the ramp somewhat quickly with a trolling motor and avoid storms unless you are just not the observant type. If it takes you more than 10 or 15 minutes to reach the ramp the outboard might be good to have. Observing the clouds and not waiting until the last minute to avoid a storm would be key in this decision as well.

There's a three-letter word starting with A for the person that parked on your spot. Never take someone's spot unless they actually have chosen to leave. (Especially a kayaker who is at the mercy of the wind.)

@A-Jay I love the pics of those beautiful bronze Michigan bass!

I have others but I seem to use these the most. Rage Craw Rage DB Craw Brush Hog Baby Brush Hog Rage Bug Rage Menace

The following are always on my deck (with a bit of variation): Jig (often two with one black/blue and one natural colored, finesse jig in colder times) Ned rig Senko (often a 6 inch, but a 5 inch when bite is tougher - T-rigged or wacky) T-rig (can be worm, tube, finesse worm, craw, or creature) Moving bait (varies according to lake, weather, and wind - spinnerbait, crankbait, lipless CB, bladed jig, jerkbait - Often multiple rods with these)

Oh my! Words fail me. Simple amazing! I guess a joke will do. You failed to make it to 60 lbs?

If I go to the lakes with the best chance of catching larger bass the trip is 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours one way. If I just want to catch bass the trip can be 11 - 55 minutes one way with a much lower chance of larger fish.

That 19 incher is a beautiful, thick fish! As for weighing the fish, do whatever works best for you. 🙂

My wife and I took a late winter trip to Myrtle Beach at the beginning of March and caught this little guy sunning himself at Huntington Beach State Park.

@Glenn, thanks for that info. I kind of thought if it worked there might be some restrictions on casting distance. Still, pretty cool that someone is seeking to progress toward a reel that doesn't backlash and can provide adequate casting distance. Personally, I find it fun to dial in a baitcaster so it doesn't backlash much and I enjoy the reels I have. But this is still something that will appeal to many in the fishing world.

@A-Jay, like you I find these claims suspect. Big claims require solid, real-world and empirical evidence. I would never consider one of these reels without that evidence. I am willing to give them a chance to address my thoughtful uncertainty by presenting their evidence.

@Bluebasser86 Nice work! I didn't realize Kansas spotted bass record was only 4.44 lbs. I also see it was set in 1977 so it has stood for some time.

I did a little search and found this in Svivlo's FAQs. Link: https://svivlo.com/faq/?srsltid=AfmBOoqJHQR3k6KZEAXecrIn4C-GPXIKvuZ5gZYNA4u1lQG_eVKDPzbU. Quote: Do I need to use my thumb?Only when releasing the spool and to place the fishing lure in a specific location. When the bait lands in the water, CastGuard will slow down the rotation of the spool. If you place the bait in a tree immediately after casting, the spool will only rotate a few revolutions before stopping.