thinkingredneck

Lots of Seibert and Northstar fans on this site

I cannot tell the size of the fly rod poppers. They appear to be panfish size. Bass poppers would be on a size 2 hook or larger. Panfish are usually 8 or 10. Lots of fun on a Bream bed. If you don't fly fish, you can throw them behind a small clear bobber. More fun in my opinion on a fly rod, size 4rod with a floating WF line. Bass rod would be a size 8.

Update: went a couple hours yesterday and caught a 4 lb.. used an old fashioned Uncle Josh Pork trailer. Black 1/2 oz jig, crawdad color trailer. In rip rap. Lost 3 jigs to hangups. Fishing from shore. time to get more jigs ! The bite seems more subtle than on anTexas rig.

Largemouth zoom trick worm candy bug were top 3 (in MS) zoom speed worm june bug (in FL) white and cartreuse tandem spinner (in MS) SMB Gold in line spinner (in MN)

Reading through a lot of posts and articles. Starting with black blue Arkie 1/2oz jig with black and blue zoom super chunk. Fluro line on one rode and braid on the other. Like said, I need to eliminate variables for a while. Caught one while fishing at dark for an hour. I plan to expand variables later.

Well, I went out and thre a jig at around dark near some rip rap. Caught one on my 3rd cast. Just saw the line move. The Bass was about 2 lbs. Cool

I've caught fish with worms, cranks, jerks, spoons and spinner baits. Mostly worms, I love fishing a worm. Never really tried a jig. I can tell from the tone of articles that jig fishing is considered the Holy Grail lure. That jig fishing is loved by most serious bass fishermen. So, I read the jig sticky thread, watched all of the videos on this site plus several others. Now I am planning to leave all of the other lures at home until I figure this jig thing out. Notice that I did not say MASTER it. So I bought some Arkie jigs in three sizes, in Black, Black and Blue, Blue Gill, and brown.(BPS kit) Got swim jigs in 1/4 oz and football in 1/4 oz (Strike king) Got black and blue , green pumpkin chunks, rage craw in falcon lake craw, pit boss in 4 colors, and menace in grey and white. Also, two colors of Uncle Josh pork trailer. MH rod with 65 lb braid. Got some Megabass scent. I figure I will start with black and blue Arkie in same cover where I catch with worms. Would you recommend that I use a worm or spinner to find fish or just go for it? (Eventually, I will go try Seibert Jigs and Northstar as I lose these)

Assume everyone is carrying in the south. I don't carry while fishing because I afraid of ruining the gun.. The worst thing I usually see is boats leaving a big wake or getting too close to my yak, and also littering.

I have lived in OR and my daughter still does. Very left wing and a bit expensive. They have some food fishing. The rain got to me. But I loved it in the summers. Anything south of Carolina and TN will have brutally hot summers with a lot of humidity. Lots of bugs, reptiles, etc. I live in MS which is where I am from. If you could leave out June-Sept, the deep south is great. Low cost of living, plenty of LMB and other warm water species, good salt fishing, deer hunting from Oct-Feb. We do 8have a good many yankees already here, and we all get along. They think buying one of these big old cheap houses is fantastic until they try to stay on top of the verdant growth, insects, mold, mildew and rot. They are baffled by the right wing politics, religion, and race relations. It is as bizarre as Oregon, but the flip side. I have lived in OR, WA, TX, AL, CO, FL, and MS and loved every one of them. There are no SMB on the Gulf except where they were planted near cold springs. Good luck. I would seriously look around Mobile Bay and Northern FL if you can handle the summers.

Thankfully, we can fish year round down here.

Please don't take this as a "holier than thou" post. I have embassinglybroken most of these rules at one time or other. I felt like the horse's rectum that I was, too, when I did. Filed in memory just as vividly as every fish I lost through poor angling technique.

There are ethics, or rules to live by, in outdoor sports and we need to be sure we pass them on. I have tried to teach my kids that how they behave is just as important as their accomplishments. The types of things I try to observe and teach are 1. Respect other people's property and don't tresspass. Respect and obey game laws and creel limits. 2. Clean up after yourself. Everywhere. And take care of your stuff. 3. Pay your fair share. If you are going in someone's boat, buy the gas, food and expendables. 4. If you kill something, do so humanely, quickly and then eat it. If you practice catch and release, fight the fish as quickly as possible and handle it as little as possible. 5. Never make fun of another person's stuff or circumstances. Nobody care's how much expensive crap you have. 6. Slow down and don't leave a big wake when you pass someone on the water. Especially kayaks. 7. Respect other people's preferred fishing style. It takes skill to be good at any type of fishing, including bait fishing. Listen and learn. All knowledge gained crosses over and helps you be a better angler. 8. Don't spook the fish. Be quiet. 9. Don't crowd or cut someone off. Respect their space. 10. Keep things in perspective. Fishing is supposed to be fun. Unless you make a living fishing, it ain't that big of a deal. What are some other rules to live by while fishing?

I like my Ugly Stick. I have an embarassing number of rods, including a fly rod worth a couple grand that is hand made Bamboo, and some pretty good "fishing poles" by Sage, Orvis and Loomis. I like high end stuff and yet I enjoy my Ugly Stick. It certainly falls in the all terrain category of "if I had to choose only one rod on a desert island." It seems to be a great "fishing pole" for us cousin marrying, barefoot, dentally challenged, back woods, red neck Neanderthals down here. Get over yourself. As Geirach said, and I paraphrase here, a Bamboo rod is about the same color as the old Bull Manure most fishermen are full of.

I was talking to a fishing buddy, and we thought it might be fun to try all of our unused lures--the ones we have never gotten wet. That would take a good year.

Interesting. Some of the old Sturgeon guys illegally use WD40 as a fish attractant in the Northwest.

Love it

Nice!

The reason I brought this up is that I have had several hooks rust on jigs and hard baits. Tried opening the boxes to dry, but this is a humid climate. Thanks for your ideas.

When you change lures, what do you do with the wet ones? My bag has mesh pocket, but hooks hang up. I have stuck them in a piece of pool noodle, but then I hang up, especially on treble hooks. I fish from a kayak with limited space. So far the pool noodle seems my best answer, but still not ideal. Sometimes they end up on the floor of the yak, between my legs--not good.

I think fishing from a kayak has helped me. When fishing from a a kayak you have to plan, you can only paddle so far and you can only take a limited amount of gear. You cannot run and gun. You pick apart structure, because new structure is a paddle trip away. You are in the water and more aware of surroundings. Stealth is easier. I have caught fish under the kayak. I just started bass fishing in late middle age/early old age and come from a trout fishing/fly rod background. It all crosses over. Now, would I buy a big bass boat if I could--of course. But I honestly think wading streams and kayak fishing have helped me become better, because it forces me to plan, slow down and pick apart structure. I may get a bass boat when I get some more kids off of the payroll!

Consistency like that is hard to achieve. Beautiful work and good fish!

"A" for straight shank hooks "B" for offset hooks

If your old carbonlite was perfect, why not just get another one?

I read about the boomerang tool and decided to get one. I am truly impressed. I use a lot of braid and it works very smoothly. This thing is a step ahead of other line cutters. I also like the retractable cable on it. I keep it fastened on my life jacket. just wanted to throw this out there.

Many in shore salt water fishermen use spinning gear. Now you can't use ultralight in the slop very efficiently. Most bass fishermen seem to go on the heavy side, IMHO.