Bluebasser86

I've caught some skinny, sickly looking fish with hooks in the soft portion of their throats that had very little sign of rust. I doubt it's very possibly for them to work loose a hook in their throats and fresh water does not quickly break down a hook like saltwater does.

Hardwood trees last a long time and are usually readily available. They'll allow larger fish to hide as well as small baitfish and fry. Evergreens are always popular too. You could look up how to make a Georgia cube. Pretty simple and they'll last forever and pretty resistant to snagging when you're fishing around them.

I don't like the cold, and September and October are 2 of the worst months of fishing for me typically, but it doesn't matter if I'm ready or not because it's coming.

How would you Texas rig a circle hook though?

Did you get your money back for the kayak? That stinks getting hooked in the thumb, have to be careful removing hooks yourself in places full of nerves like that.

You likely need a few larger, apex predators to control your bluegill population or they'll become stunted. Crappie should never be put in a pond that size IMO, they overpopulate so easily and become stunted and worthless.

Welcome!

Been catching more flatheads on lures this year than I have actually fishing for them.

We're doing online for the first half of the year to see how things go. We've got the option to for him to go back in January if there's no problems though. Since Lake is only in 1st grade we're not too concerned on him missing much other than the social interaction, especially since he's already testing way higher than his age. More concerned about the potential health issues with his asthma so playing it safe for now.

I'm not afraid to fail. A big part of fishing is failure. Every cast I make that comes back empty is a failed attempt at catching a fish, so Ifail a lot. I'm fortunate to have lots of good lakes in the area so I don't have to fish the tough lakes, but I choose to anyways because I don't learn anything catching the dumb ones. The thought of intentionally going somewhere that is tough when there's a good bite somewhere else seems crazy to a lot of people, maybe it is a little bit, but I learn more earning those tough bites than catching those fish that are jumping in the boat.

I doubt the bait would work properly. If anything it would give it more lift I'd think. Bending it back towards the hook point reduces the surface area, reducing resistance and the water should push down on the bait slightly as it swirls off the back of the blade, like the wind off the back of a car swirls down to the road behind it.

I don't know with the actual chatterbait. I make mine to be fished slowly along the bottom and I bend the blades slightly so you might try it.

Same goes for strapping down and launching a boat. I'd rather do it myself than have someone break something because they didn't know what they were doing but tried to do it anyways. I had someone force the wrong plug into the wrong connection on my depthfinder once. Thankfully I got it back out and the new connection was only $30 but I was still pretty mad that he didn't just let me do it or ask if he wasn't sure how to do it.

Christie Craw, Rage Craw, Rage Menace are all great. A twin tail grub is a good "old school", choice also.

The jig box is great for bladed jigs. Really like the big utility boxes for plastics too. 2 of them happen to fit perfectly into the center storage of my boat so that worked out great. Thinking I might need the spinnerbait box next. I like my cook's go to system but the hooks still rust in it.

It ain't the fall that kills you, it's that sudden stop at the end.

I fish bladed jigs a ton and use a 6' 9" H/F rod to do it. It's a big, single hook and bites are often on the end of long cast so I need a rod that will bury a hook.

I was ahead of the game on this Covid mess. I'd rather not go out to the stores anyways, because I really hate driving there and not finding what I went for. So I order everything online so I know I'll get what I need. Haven't had any issue with getting what I want/need despite all this mess. I haven't tried to order any Maxscent flatnose worms either though although I do have a pack somewhere I think.

I'm also in the cheap throw net category. I tear them up too fast to buy an expensive one. Something in the 6-8 foot range is my most effective size. I have a floating mesh bait container I keep them in if I really want them alive. Otherwise, I just put them in a bucket and when they die I catch more.

6th Sense offers their Cloud 9 in the Black Magic color also. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Cloud_9_Series_Crankbaits/descpage-6SC10.html

The family was supposed to be at Table Rock with my parents this past weekend at a resort, but nothing was open at the resort except for the rooms so we switched our plans and went to Tuttle Creek Lake where my family use to camp nearly every weekend when I was a kid. The lakes were a bit flooded and extremely muddy, not quite what we'd hoped there, but we had a bunch of fun with my family members that stopped by each day and also playing the water and fishing. Not many bass to fish for there, but I did catch quite a few crappie and some saugeye, which my dad filleted and fried for everyone that wanted some the last afternoon, which was a huge hit. The first morning I kept up my streak of catching flatheads while I was fishing for saugeye with a 4" grub, a ML rod, 10lb braid with an 8lb leader. I thought for sure my aunt and uncle that were camping would want it but my uncle had to take off to deal with his cows and I wasn't cleaning it so it got turned loose after getting it's picture taken. When we got back I had a few extra days off just because. I took Lake out to a local park that doesn't have a great reputation but we did really well. Caught around 30 with a 4.20lb fish being the largest. Flipping a Big Bite Baits Yomoma into the grass and a T-rigged 8" black jelly worm caught a lot of my fish. Also got a few on a ned and the big fish at a homemade bladed jig. Thursday the whole family went out to our favorite lake. Caught all 3 species of bass, my wife's 3.54lb smallmouth being the largest. Also had several drum, a few white bass, 2 walleye, several crappie, and a channel cat. The boys caught a bunch of bluegill out from under the docks by the ramp with some nightcrawlers I had left from our trip too. They got a kick out of watching them zoom up to their bait and grab it.

I did it once to save my friends Triple Trout he snagged in a pond. Only time I've ever done it there was a big bass attached to my lure I was swimming for.

The lake I fished tonight has a lot of that in it. Did well on an 8" black jelly worm, black wacky rigged Ocho, and a blue bladed jig.

One of my favorite spots on a local lake is a big mud flat. Only thing it has going for it is water willows all along the shoreline, but the rest of the lake has water willows also. The rest of the lake is rocky, laydowns, just much better looking, but that mud flat with it's weed bank has fish on it without fail and usually some better than average ones. I believe it doesn't hold more fish, it's just that the ones that are on it don't get the pressure because they live in a less appealing looking spot.

You have to get out of your comfort zone or you'll never learn anything.