Bluebasser86

Start smaller so you can get some confidence in them is my suggestion, no special tackle needed that way too. The 4" Havoc Sick Fish is a good bait and only $2.99 for a 2 pack. Get some belly weighted swimbait hooks and fish them with a really slow, steady retrieve on a 7' MH casting rod with 15-20lb line. The Huddleston Grass Minnow or Weedless Shad are also very good, inexpensive baits to start out with that will catch all different sizes of fish.

It happens sometime if your thumb slips off the side of the reel if you palm your reel during the hookset. I've never done that on a hookset but I've hit stuff while bank fishing on my backcast. That blows a reel up about as bad as anything.

In case Jon can't make it would anyone be interested in night fishing Wabaunsee this Thursday night/Friday morning? Planning on leaving my house no later than 6:30PM and probably fishing until 8-10AM. The gate will be locked so there will be no option of leaving early so if you want to go we'll be stuck there for the entire night unless you drive out there separately. Jon should know by tonight if he can go or not so if anyone is interested just let me know and if he can't go I'll let anyone interested know as soon as I found out if I'll have an empty seat or not.

I like the Avid. Lifetime warranty, hand wrapped guides, and made in the USA

I use a 200E7 for my C-rigs and braid is a must IMO. That combined with a long, sensitive rod will let you feel every rock and stick on the bottom and allow you to get solid hooksets on a long cast and keep up with a fish if it charges the boat like they seem to like to do.

Baby brush hog, Pit Boss, or B bug.

I reel the same speed my whole retrieve unless I'm doing a stop-start retrieve. I've caught a ton of fish as my bait is headed towards bottom and sometimes even on the first couple cranks when I'm over 20' of water.

I have a spot similar to that on a small creek but it's all hybrids, no smallies in our creeks unfortunately . Got to keep little spots like that under wraps or you'll have folks crawling all over that probably won't be as kind as you were to the fish. Good job!

Nothing changes that I've ever noticed except it's a larger area on bigger fish. More than likely they were just too far gone by the time you got there. Another way you can do it is to take a heavy weight (heavy enough to pull the fish to the bottom). Rig a hook above the weight like a big dropshot and pinch the barb down. Wrap the line around the hook shank several times until the line is down to the bend of the hook and the hook is upside down (so the point is actually pointing towards the weight. Then you can put the hook down through the fish's top lip and lower it to the bottom. Once the weight hits bottom you should be able to give the line a quick jerk and the hook will pop out and hopefully the fish will be back to the right water pressure so it doesn't float back up again. I know there is a company that makes a tool that is the weight and hook combined but can't think of the name of it at the moment. I think it's designed more for lake trout but it works for bass also.

That's the way I've always felt. I'm glad they're out there checking people. I don't understand why some feel the need to question everything a person with any authority is doing, unless you have something to hide. I know if I ask someone to see something and they ask why or begin to question me it sets my alarms off. If an officer is doing something that is over the line I could understand the concern but if they're just doing their job and asking to see that you have the appropriate permits and licenses and you are following the rules and have all those then why not show them and they can be on their way and you can go about your day? Seems to me a lot of the same people that complain about being "harassed" when they get checked for their licenses are the same ones that complain about officers not catching every violation and not doing their jobs. I've had many pleasant conversations with Game Wardens during and after being checked and have even been tipped off about hot bites by them since they travel all over the state doing their jobs.

Hadn't ever thought of a jitterbug for some reason. That wouldn't be as dangerous since I'd already be reeling all I'd have to do is speed up to dig the hooks in. I might have to try one while I'm out Thursday night!

That can't be right, unless something is in plain view in one of those places or a door is left ajar, then it would be a violation of someone's constitutional rights. If they believe there is evidence that may be destroyed they can enter and that may be how they'd be able to in a lot of situations because they're looking for illegally taken game that could be destroyed before they could get a warrant. The tackle box maybe, but no way I'd be knocking in any doors or popping any car doors without a warrant. The main added power most wardens have is the ability to work the entire state instead of just a city or county to my knowledge. To the OP, cops, deputies, and game wardens are all LEO's and all can ask to see your fishing license. The county I used to work for used deputies to patrol the parks and enforce game violations in place of park rangers or game wardens in fact.

Anybody night fish for smallmouth? I've tried a time or two but just can't seem to get much for results. I night fish for largemouth pretty often during the summer months and have very good results but I've only managed to occasionally catch a smallmouth and usually not when I'm fishing for them. Normally when I start night fishing for largemouth I switch to larger baits in dark solid colors but the same approach doesn't seem to work for smallmouth. I've mainly fished a jig and spinnerbait for them at night but most of my fish have come on shakyheads. I don't like treble hooked baits at night so I haven't fished any spooks or poppers for them. Anybody with some experience have any pointers?

Yep, we had one boat from Wichita at the spring get together. jr-your info list Coffey Co as one of your favorite lakes. According to Google Maps it takes 6 more minutes and 1 more mile to get to Wabaunsee than it takes to get to Coffey. Why not join in on the KC get together?

Nope, shouldn't be happening. Send it to DVT to take care of it and have him supertune it while he has it. You'll get it back better than new!

BPS cranking stick is a great rod and you'll have money to buy a couple cranks with that $100 left over

6' 8" ML/F Crucial, 1000 Symetre-dropshot, grubs, splitshot rig 7' M/F Premier, 2500 Sahara-small jerkbaits, flukes, small cranks 6' 2" Avid M/XF, 50E-jerkbaits, poppers 6' 6" M/F Mojo, Revo S-larger jerkbaits, spooks, spinnerbaits 6' 6" MH/F LTB, Lew's Speed Spool-spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, chatterbaits, jigging spoons 7' M/F Premier, 200BSF-long distance casting spooks and traps, mainly at schooling fish 6' 8" M/F Mojo, 2500 Symetre-skipping 7' MH/M Pro Glass, E5-shallow to mid depth cranks 7' M/F Mojo, 200-traps 7' M/XF LTB, E7-light jigs, T-rigs, and small swimbaits 7' 3" MH/F LTB, E7-Big jigs and T-rigs, C-rig 6' 10" M/F LTB, 2500 CI4-shakyheads 7' 8" MH/M Mojo, 5.1 PQ-deep cranks 7' 6" MH/F LTB, E7-pitching and light flipping 6' 10" ML/F LTB, Supreme MGX-grubs, wacky rigs 7' 10" H/F Extreme, Curado 300E-swimbaits 6' 6" M/F Vendetta, Supreme MGX-wacky rigs, skipping

Could possibly be the rate of fall on your bait being slightly faster since fluoro sinks.

I see the action on this bait being a little more subtle than the original Rage craw and should be a great trailer on a finesse jig!

It happens, seems to happen more often with braid because it will cut into the bait and the no stretch rips it through the fishes rough teeth with more force than heavy copolymer or mono does. Make sure to lube it up with some Megastrike to keep it from tearing also. I've had them last 20 fish and I've had baits get wrecked without catching a fish on one. It gets expensive but when you stick a pig on one it's all worthwhile!

I enjoy reading some of the articles and especially the day on the lake with a pro.

You can get good evasive action on a straight retrieve, it's just a matter of finding the sweet spot on how fast you can reel. I did a bit of a review from the one trip I really got to fish mine before I lost it on the final page of this post. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/113704-rapala-scatter-rap-baits/page-4?hl=%2Bscatter+%2Brap#entry1273151

A spinning rod with a faster action would probably help you set the hook a lot better and a spinning rod would fish an inline spinner a lot easier than a casting combo unless you're fishing a heavy inline spinner. It does sound like your drag is too loose also and not allowing you to set the hooks properly.

14lb Mustad Ultra Line for me, can't break the stuff and very abrasion resistant. Plus a local camping store sells the 1lb spools of it for $10 apiece for some reason It's something like 5,000 yards of line on a spool of 14lb I think.

If it's a bait that's readily available I'll buy an extra one or two if it's something that's really working or that I'll use often. If it's something being discontinued I'll buy dozens at times if I have lots of confidence in it.