IntroC

IMO the most important thing is the lake you’re fishing. If the lake doesn’t have a good population of bass even the best can only do so good. Big lakes can be intimidating. Find a small lake with a good population of bass. And work fishy looking spots shallow.

“Bass after dark” and “The Big Bass podcast” are my faves. “Cast and Crank” has some real gems.

Chad shad and Chimera shad are both excellent glide baits. Can’t go wrong with either.

Yes, you can definitely use that rod for a Chad shad

To add to the post above. The invisibility factor of fluorocarbon is also a myth that has been driven home by manufacturers. Of course it’s less visible then braid but compared to mono there is no difference in underwater testing. Doesn’t matter the poundage.

I’m thoroughly convinced fluorocarbon line is a gimmick for the fishing industry. Snaps off lures like no other line, mainly talking large expensive swim baits, everytime you snag something or stretch it you have to respool since it doesn’t have memory and is then much weaker then the rated lb/test. Knot strength is awful, backlash again respool. About the only benefit it has is it sinks.

If I catch a state record bass you can bet your sweet patooty that thing is going in the record books 😉

I will say this, when I first started fishing, which was roughly forty years ago, I didn’t catch very many fish. Many days were skunk days. Fast forward forty years, I have many good days, some excellent, some not the greatest and very very rarely skunk. There is definitely more skill and instinct involved in some fishermen. Of course the luck factor is there but I do my best to rely on luck as little as possible.

I live in ND and there probably isn’t a shad in the state at the moment and definitely not in the two bass lakes I have been fishing. The lakes I fish are primarily Bluegill carp and bullhead for forage. Anyway I hear a lot about the effectiveness of A-Rigs in winter down south and am curious if anyone uses them with success in lakes that have bluegill as the primary forage. I’m sure you could catch a couple here and there but is it worth adding a few to the arsenal? Thank

To feel a nibble on the end of my line🤷🏻‍♂️ I was strictly a walleye guy for many years. Grew up fishing for them. In ND that’s all anyone really fishes for. I found myself getting bored fishing for them at times and would fish for other species. At one time is was a hardcore Muskie angler to the point of obsession, something happened, I then started fishing for bass. It really fits my style. Fast paced, a million ways to catch them unlike any other species. I have grown to love bass fishing. If I ain’t fishing for the biggest bass in the lake, it’s numbers I’m fishing for

Curious what water temps you were fishing? Crazy cold water bass are hitting poppers. Cool

I prefer late afternoons when the temps warm up a little

How does a feller get his hands on a klash 9?

That’s a good question. I was really giving this bait an honest go, working the shorelines with it in places I normally do good with swimjigs. Stained water, rocky face of dam type areas. I do fish the S-waver more like a twitch bait with an occasional pull to make it glide. That being said I got on a ledge area where I was catching one after the other on nearly every cast with a different bait, not the S-waver Mostly cookie cutter 1.5 to 3 lbers and just thought I’d throw the S-Waver in there to see what would happen. I will add that this has been a spot that’s held big fish in the past. Any way throw it in there and a 5lber nails it. Then a four pounder. I believe on this day I also caught a couple smaller ones as well. But it did draw bigger bites out of the school. I’m guessing it’s something they haven’t seen before that drew the strikes. This same scenario has played out a couple times almost to a T. I definitely don’t think it’s a numbers lure but on these two occasions it drew a bigger bite.

I agree %100. Sometimes I just go out in my garage and look at all the teeth marks on my baits.