Bluebasser86

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1096676397042324

Congrats! Mrs. Blue and I will be celebrating 11 years Friday. I'll be gone for a fishing tournament. How she's put up with me for this long, I'll never know ?‍♂️

White catfish are a kind of bullhead and don't have deeply forked tails (although they're more forked than other bullheads). That's a channel cat 100%. Funny story though. I caught an 8lb bullhead when I was teenager fishing for flatheads with green sunfish. Had no idea what it was, thought it was some kind of flathead/channel cat hybrid due to the rounded head like a channel, but rounded tail like a flathead. Obviously 8lbs is very small for a flathead, didn't even take a picture of it. I realized many years later that the fish I'd caught was actually a monster bullhead (likely a black bullhead which it might have been broken since I'd caught that fish now that the record is just over 8lbs, hard to tell since I weighed it on an old but pretty accurate spring scale).

The 80 size of this looks exactly like the MB, but it actually catches fish for me, something the MB rarely does. I like the "You Know It" color. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/River2Sea_Bubble_Walker/descpage-R2SBUB.html

Some variation of green pumpkin. I don't use regular GP very often, but all the GP flake colors. Not sure I have a favorite, kind of whichever one I grab first.

Ultimate Jerk Shad in Crackle color.

Welcome!

I'd go with the small swimbait for an open hook presentation when you need like the 2.8 fat impact style bait. The speed worm is better for working through cover like grass with a texposed hook. If they want a bigger, baitfish profile you can step up to the larger 4.8 fat impact or something similar.

Too many pros using them now for everyone not to be throwing them. Little adjustments make a big difference though.

I was anchored a good portion of the day. Had one little cut I could kind of hide from the waves, but not the wind if that makes sense. I had maybe 100 yards of shoreline I could fish effectively without anchoring, the rest was like being stuck in a washing machine. I wish I could have recorded some of my ride back to the ramp but I stowed everything I could before I left my spot to try and prevent losing anything and I'm glad I did. I casted it well enough to get first place and second big bass on the day though.

Don't fish it too fast unless you're fishing it over grass. I like to fish it just fast enough to keep it off bottom and keep the blade going. Some days, little rips and pops of the rod will make all the difference in the world. The bites aren't huge, crushing strikes a lot of the time. If something feels just a little off, I'll start to lean into it. Worse case, I just sped my bait up and there's going to be a slight speed change that can trigger a strike. A lot of times though, A fish will strike the bait from behind and it just feels like you've picked up grass or the blade isn't working right. I've got tons of video of myself just leaning on something I wasn't sure on, only to realize it was in fact a fish. So if you're not sure, do a check swing and make sure. I like all kinds of trailers, and I can't agree with the not using too big of trailers. I run a 4.8" fat impact or 5" hollow belly on the back of mine a lot when they're eating big shad and it works great. 2/3 of a stick worm is still one of my standby trailers that gets no love but is a killer, especially when they see a lot of bladed jigs.

Welcome!

I fish a lake like that and it's a complete maze to get through. There's no way to navigate without hitting branches, logs, and stumps. There's no lanes cut and the lake is less than 20 years old so lots of cedars and trees with limbs still on them. I use my johnboat and go slow or use the trolling motor, but bumping trees still happens.

The vibration given off is going to be much different also. There's going to be a much stronger vibration from the tail of a paddle tail swimbait versus that of a swimming tail worm. The Ultra Vibe and Cut'R worm have a little more vibration to them, but a longer profile.

Gas, oil, constantly worrying about what might break the next trip out, trailer tires, trailer bearings, trailer bunks, trailer lights, boat carpet, boat insurance, electrical issues, boat seats, boat covers, multiple batteries, it all adds up and is so crazy expensive and really does take some of the fun out of it. My boat just sits around unless the family wants to go or weather won't allow me to take my kayak anymore. Worse case with my kayak (other than losing or breaking the actual kayak), is I destroy my drive. A new one is $1,000, or about the starting cost of every boat repair I've ever had to do. Difference is, in that case, it's like getting a whole new motor put on the boat instead of just fixing a part of an already used motor.

I fish big straight tail worms all year, 8-10 inchers that are big around as my pinky. Most are labeled as "Mag Finesse" worms, but they're meatier than most 10" curly tail worms by a long shot.

Big wakes are addictive. The anticipation when a Slammer or Rat is crawling across the surface and approaching a likely piece of cover is hard to deal with some days.

Jig

Welcome! You didn't get a penalty for covering part of the fishes gill plate in your picture? That's a penalty in the circuit I fish.

Bass rarely jump out of the water for no reason. A lot of the bass I catch smell strongly like shad, which is not a good smell at all. I've never caught a bass and thought it was "cute", either.

Man, send some of those gentle breezes this way. If it stays under 20-30 mph, that's pretty light winds. My last kayak tournament it was blowing 20-30 with gust to 40. I caught most of my fish on a Ned rig with a 1/16oz head.

I had a drunk guy scream at me for fishing his dock on a public lake a couple years ago. He was several inches shorter than me and over 3 bills. I thought the old boy was going to get himself worked up and have a heart attack. Last fall I had an idiot at a boat ramp start yelling at me for backing between him and another guy both struggling to load their pontoons at a 3 lane boat ramp. So I went 3 wide, at a 3 lane boat ramp, and this guy lost his mind. He was screaming and cussing at me, while I had my 2 boys in the truck. I'm usually pretty calm, but I was about to help him adjust his attitude talking like he was in front of my kids. Launched my boat and parked the truck while they were still struggling. Figure I must have hurt his feelings actually knowing what I was doing or something.

Not really nemesis, but I have a couple that I despise. The main one is Bone Creek Lake in Southeastern Kansas. It's a 530 acre lake full of standing timber, grass, and bass. It's also one of the only lakes in the area and it's not uncommon to have 30 or more boats on the water at a time. Those boats are typically filled with some of the rudest, most inconsiderate anglers I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with. I feel bad for the poor fish I catch. Their mouths are mangled from being caught so many times and hauled around for the multiple tournaments run during the weekends and weeknights throughout the year. It can be a really good lake to fish, but I just don't have any fun going there.

It will work, but not ideal. You're not likely to hang into any large catfish with your bait options so most of the fish you'll be catching will be small and easily handled on that combo, just don't overdo it on the weight you choose.

Have you ever looked through the old Wyco thread?