Goose52

(Response copied from yesterdays grub thread...) Grubs are an extremely versatile, and overlooked, bait for bass. I fish 5" single tails mostly, sometimes twin-tails. I fish them nearly always on a 1/0 EWG, rigged weedless and weightless. I toss them whenever I'm in skinny water - cast and let sink, then swim back. Or, cast, let sink a while, then bring up on the surface and retrieve like a little topwater bait. Cut the face of the bait to a popper shape and you have a small, weedless popper to retrieve through the slop. The twin-tails can be used like a small frog in the slop. Lots of ways to fish them. I don't fish them on jig-heads or t-rigged with weights, but there's lots of ways to fish them when you add the terminal tackle. I haven't been too particular on brand and have used Zoom Fat Alberts, Kalins, Mr. Twister, BPS, and Gander Mountain house-brand (which look identical to Kalin Lunker Grubs). I am partial to the GM brand as they are very durable - sometimes as many as 10 fish before the bait tears up. Results: I caught 791 fish on grubs in 2010, 455 fish in 2011 (I was using more stickworms in 2011), and 39 fish so far this year - including these two five-pounders:

Hey Roger - I like the reminders to our fishing lexicon from years past. I started fishing as a kid in the '50s and indeed remember the terms used back then. I use the term "bait" today to fit in with the current terminology but I have to change the term to "plug" when I talk with my Dad who is 89...otherwise he thinks I'm fishing with natural bait... On the topic of buzzbaits and big bass - I can't remember the details but someone here probably will about the guy that has caught over 100 (or at least a lot) of 10+ pound bass on a single bait - a buzzbait. He fishes only in the middle of the night and has been cleaning up for years with them. I think they're a proven big-bass lure - perhaps not at the 13-pound level that Catt quoted, but certainly for the 10 pound range. For me, I like topwater in general and buzzbaits in particular since I'm a "crankin'" kinda guy. I fish from the bank a lot and like a "bait" that covers a lot of water. I fish them during the traditional times like early morning and late evening...but also during the day anytime I think the fish are either shallow or up in the water column - especially when there's some wind and a light chop on the water. It's still early this year so I've only caught 8 bass so far on buzzbaits but that includes a 5.11 and a 4.80 - both caught at mid-day. I tend to use smaller buzzbaits than most and my favorite is actually the Strike King 1/8 ounce Mini-Buzz. Here's the 5.11 and 4.80 - both caught on the 1/8 oz SK: 5.11 - caught from the bank: 4.80 - caught from the boat:

Extremely versatile, and overlooked, bait for bass. I fish 5" single tails mostly, sometimes twin-tails. I fish them nearly always on a 1/0 EWG, rigged weedless and weightless. I toss them whenever I'm in skinny water - cast and let sink, then swim back. Or, cast, let sink a while, then bring up on the surface and retrieve like a little topwater bait. Cut the face of the bait to a popper shape and you have a small, weedless popper to retrieve through the slop. The twin-tails can be used like a small frog in the slop. Lots of ways to fish them. I don't fish them on jig-heads or t-rigged with weights, but there's lots of ways to fish them when you add the terminal tackle. I haven't been too particular on brand but have used Zoom Fat Alberts, Kalins, Mr. Twister, BPS, and Gander Mountain house-brand (which look identical to Kalin Lunker Grubs). I am partial to the GM brand as they are very durable - sometimes as many as 10 fish before the bait tears up. Results: I caught 791 fish on grubs in 2010, 455 fish in 2011 (I was using more stickworms in 2011), and 39 fish so far this year - including two five-pounders.

I have two ML spinning, and four ML BC rods. I use them when the weight of the bait is light enough to warrant that power and where I think I can still get a good enough hookset. And, as Dwight said, I will use MLs (and L and UL) to increase the "fight" of the fish...

WTG A-Jay ! I haven't caught a bass of ANY flavor over 5 1/2 pounds yet this year...

Depends - some of my lakes show on the standard map that came with my 798 - some don't. The biggest lake that I fish is 201 acres and nearly two miles long from north to south, where waypoints would be handy - is not on the map. Some of my smaller lakes ARE on the map but are small enough that waypoints are of less value. I can't say if these particular lakes show at all on the Navionics charts....

On the install - not a big deal in most cases. On the Navionics chip - it depends on where you fish. If you fish "big water" that has coverage on the chip, it's worth it. None of the lakes I fish (all 200 acres or smaller) have any coverage so I don't have any optional charts in my HB unit .......plus, I don't really need any nav aids in a 16 acre lake...

For sure the Carbon Black is a nice reel. I have two of the older Rick Clunn (blue model) reels that are part of the same gene pool as the Carbon Black and they're nice. But, at 9.4 ounces - about the same weight as the Carbon Black, they just don't see much use any longer. I've got lots of 6- and 7-ounce class reels to play with now and you get sorta spoiled. I think the whole point of many of us buying the new JCL reel is because of the exteme light weight and to see if BPS could successfully make a durable 5-ounce class reel at such a low price point. Even as a BPS BC reel fan, I have to say that the jury's still out on the JCL...

3/0 EWG with either 3/16 lead or 1/4 tungsten for me.

X2. Good thing you were in the big boat and not in the 'yak with your legs hanging in the water... !

Wow - it looks like Shane and Dwight scared everyone off... Well, I said I was "in" so I'm going to post some fish pics - even if they're losing entries! At least it will bump the thread... For 3 years now, my biggest bass have been caught between October and February - outside the period of this contest. I've only caught two nice (nice for my lakes) fish since the contest started - both caught this past Sunday within about 30 minutes of each other (and it was dink city for the rest of the day). 5.02 / 21in - a whopping 34.6% of the TN state record - caught on my trusty 5" grub: And a 4.80 / 20 1/2in - caught on a daytime buzzbait bite (love topwater in the daytime!): The combined weight of BOTH of these fish don't match the percentage of Shane's and Dwight's entries... but at least it's an entry.................. :lol:

Smalliemeister strikes again! WTG Dwight...

...I could be arrested! (Good thing there's a statute of limitations.) I sure did a lot of high speed driving back in the early 70s in that car. Some of it was even legal - no speed limit in Nevada until 1974! Lots of other stories too - 40 years is a long time and that car has been on the road the whole time - less about 6 weeks for engine swaps, repaint, etc., and up on blocks for a year while I was stationed in Japan.

WOW - WTG Dwight! You guys caught more smallies over 5 pounds in two days than I will catch LMB over 5 pounds for the rest of this year...

This coming September, I will have owned that one for 40 years...

I get to the water in two different cars...the "new" car (a 1988) and the "old" car (a 1972)...

Hey RW, they do look similar huh. Anyway, my photos are of triploid (sterile) grass carp (aka white amur), specifically stocked for aquatic weed control. Very controversial in my little lakes - while they are great fun to fight, they eat the cover used by the forage fish and by the bass...with negative effects on all the other species in the lakes.

Here kitty kitty..... WTG - great catch!

WOW - great fish above! I only fish my little neighborhood lakes and don't get to big water at all. I target bass, but have collateral catches of bluegill, redear, warmouth, white crappie, channel cat, yellow perch, and stocker rainbows. The only "big game" I have are grass carp. Some folks don't like 'em, but I'll never turn down the opportunity to fight and land a 40-50 pound class fish!

Search for "Longfin" in Long Beach CA. One-pound spools of YZ US for $25. I've bought 15 MILES of YZ from them so far...

I have two 6.4s. One is still NIB - that one is smooth without the rough spot once per turn. The other 6.4 has the rough spot and that's the one I've been fishing. I don't notice the rough spot during retrieves so that's mostly a non-issue for me. I only have a couple hours on it so far so I have no idea of how the 6.4s will hold up. The reel DOES cast very well.

3' spinning rod. I sometimes take it on hikes when I think I might be able to make a few casts into a stream or pond but I know I won't be spending much time fishing (in which case I'd bring my 5-piece pack rod). Plus, it's good for clearing spiderwebs that stretch across the trail...

WTG Shane and Dwight. You're both looking pretty safe up there in the 80% range! I'd have to bump up my 9.06 LMB PB by 2 1/2 pounds to 11.6 or better to get to 80%. Someone from California would have to post a 17.6 pound fish! Congrats!

Gone_Phishin was asking about spool weights - not reel weight. The 11.27 gram weight I quoted is about .4 ounce.

My only Curado 200E has line on it so I can't weigh the bare spool - perhaps someone out there can get the weight. I do have a NIB Curado 50E on-hand and the spool (assembly) on it weighs 11.27 grams. I think the 50E has a theoretical advantage over the 200E in tossing lighter baits - the 50E spool is lighter, it also holds less line than the 200E so overall spool weight is lighter and start-up will be easier. Assuming the rod will load, my guess it that the 50E could toss a bait from 1/16 to maybe 1/8oz lighter than the lightest bait tossed by the 200E. Theoretically...