Bluebasser86

Couldn't find the brakes.

I use the 12lb a majority of the time on spinning reels.

I use a Dobyn's 795 and Curado 300E a majority of the time. 20lb mono does the trick. I do not like braid for big baits that sink. Just a matter of time before it cost you a bait on a cast off.

If I had to choose 1 it would be a boat no doubt about it. Kayak is great for what I do with it, but I wouldn't be able to go a lot of days I go in my boat if I was in just a kayak, too much wind here.

I usually start with a 1/2oz. If you're fishing deep, 3/4 might be better. A 1lb fish has no issues eating a 3/4oz jig.

I've had a lot of fun fishing this little guy this year. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Savage_Gear_Pulse_Tail_LB_Bluegill_Swimbaits/descpage-SGPTLBB.html

Haven't used them but they're all over Ebay for $6 a pack so sounds like a great deal.

I use a lot of War Eagle but also mix in some Booyah and homemade baits.

Length is only half the equation, girth of the fish is equally important. For example; a normal 20" fish here will be in the 5lb range, but I've had skinny 20" fish barely top 3 pounds and some fat 20 inchers go nearly 6 pounds. I'd say that fish is on the average side and right in that 5lb range.

Just flip them inside out, good as new!

Can you cast with the other hand? Not sure if that will give it the time to rest and allow it to heal or not.

Smallmouth will about take the rod away from you when they hit an A-rig. I'm sure they'll eat small baits, but I've done best with 4-5 inch swimbaits. My biggest A-rig smallmouth was on a Zoom Swimming Fluke in the Albino color at Beaver Lake Arkansas.

Welcome!

Welcome!

I use black 90% of the time, white the rest of the time. A regular silicone skirt works fine, or you can dress them with a toad or swimbait instead.

Have a couple dozen crawlers left in the fridge still that the wife doesn't want in there anymore, so the boys and I did what we could to use some of them up. Since it was just the 3 of us, I decided to give Finn the chance to actually fish. Smashed the barb down on a little #6 octopus Gammy and put a split shot on. Found one of my favorite rock piles on point right on the edge of a grass line and put half a crawler on the bottom with his little dock demon and told him to pull if something pulled back. Didn't take too long before he had his first fish he'd hooked and reeled in by himself, a little redear sunfish ? We caught several more panfish a few small bass on the crawlers before we had to head for the house. Thursday I drug my johnboat to a lake that I've never done well at. I was given an inside tip that I was missing out and what I needed to do differently and determined to figure it out. After the first 1.5-2 hours, I was really feeling like I'd made a mistake. I'd caught 1 8" bass and that was the only bass bite I'd had, but from what I was told, I needed to keep going. It was slow going because my gas motor is out of commission on this boat again, which is important for later, so I had my 40lb bow mount TM and a 30lb transom mount TM. Finally caught a 14" fish on a black and blue jig and shortly after that, another one. Built a little confidence, and really just picked up the jig rod and fished. Caught one of the better fish I'd been promised, but it was skinny. Noticed there was some clouds building and it appeared to be raining a little to the southwest of me, which there had been no mention or sign of when I got there. I was about as far as I could get from the boat ramp at this point and had a never ending maze of trees between me and it. A little rain wasn't going to stop me though. I spun the boat and skipped a cast into a standing cedar and my line jumped on the fall. A super fat 19+ inch fish had inhaled my jig. There had been a road grater tearing up the roads around the lake making all kinds of noise and I heard a boom, thought he'd hit something hard. Then I heard it again and a rumble, obviously distant thunder, but still lots of sun and blue sky and very little sign of even any rain. Made a few more flips before tossing into a laydown and another good fish inhaled my jig. It started rumbling to the west then, and I knew I needed to get moving. Put the front motor on 5 and turned the back motor on 5 and just went as fast as I could. It started sprinkling, then raining, then sporadic lightning. I was stuck, nothing I could do but go as fast as I was going and hope for the best. I was hitting targets as I skated by and had another good one catch my jig as it was falling in a deep cedar. I was still a half mile from the ramp when it really let loose. Dumping rain and constant thunder, although I never saw the lightning. I was hugging the south bank to stay out of the wind as much as possible. Still 100 yards up the lake and across it from the ramp, I had my best gap in the trees to make my way across and went for it. I was 50-70 yards off shore when the front really showed up, along with 50+mph wind gusts. Not sure how nothing blew out of the johnboat. It was pretty helpless knowing that was the fastest I could go and trying to get out of it. Checked my PFD to make sure it was still showing green on the cartridge in case I needed it or needed to put on a foam one instead. White caps started churning across the lake even though they were coming from the shortest direction, it was the fastest I've seen a storm build and hit that I can remember. The last 50 yards was a battle because the wind and waves were almost more than my dual trolling motors could fight against to get me through the last tree line, but I managed to bounce through them and slam into the bank finally. Got the reminder of how hot and sunny it was when I got there when I saw the wet inside of my truck from leaving my windows cracked. I was already soaked so I just walked into the water to push the boat onto the trailer instead of fighting the wind. Of course as soon as I did that and got everything put in the truck it started to let up.

50% shake/50% hate

I do it, but with our 2 Golden Retrievers. 70lb dog is a heck of a fight on a bass rod.

Catch fish with them, get other people to catch fish with them, post videos and pictures of fish getting caught with them. That's all I've done and it's been pretty effective. You're right though, you're not going to make much money doing it.

I'd rather use a net. A lot of minnows will sit in gravel spots with little to snag on and it's fast and easy to get as many as you need.

After is usually tough, it's the time prior to the storm that is usually good.

Welcome!

Welcome!

I like the Super Power braid, both on spinning and casting gear. I still get some nicer braid for a few applications, but for general use line, it works well.