Bluebasser86

Hillsdale has been fishing good the last month. Been catching a lot of fish but yesterday I even managed a good one too.

I fish mine on 15lb Big Game.

I carry at least 2 ML combos in the boat at all times.

I use a 1.0 sized crankbait a lot. Catches all sizes and all species.

I've taken my cast net 3 times in the last month and haven't thrown it once. I could have just grabbed the shad by hand Sunday.

Fished a benefit tournament Sunday. I had the 2 sons of the guy who the tournament was in memory of. They haven't done much fishing since their dad drowned this summer, so I think they were happy to get back on the water. They were even more excited at the end of the day when we'd squeaked out enough for first place and Cole (the younger boy with glasses), managed big bass of the tournament. We caught a lot of fish, but the big fish were nowhere to be found for anyone it seemed. In the end, they took home a good chunk of change and a bunch of prizes. Monday I was greeted with bluebird skies, light NE winds, and chilly temps as a major cold front had pushed through this weekend. I really wasn't expecting much, but then I caught one on one of my first cast with a buzzbait, had a lull before finding another area with a few more biters, and continued to pick them off here and there. About 11AM I pitched next to a tree and stuck what I was positive was a catfish or big drum. It surged away and it was all I could do to stop it before it made it back to the trees. Then it was a strange, thumping headshake during the fight like a big drum rolling, but up popped a solid largemouth to my surprise. She fell for my trusty sapphire blue Big Bite Baits YoMomma. I managed a few more little ones, one more pretty decent one, and a bonus fish to finish out my 3 hour tour. Weather was great, the dogs loved the cool air.

Spots will eat anything a largemouth will. I've had my best luck with them on baits like walking topwaters, jerkbaits, paddletail swimbaits, shakyheads, dropshots, and Ned rigs. They're often much more open water/baitfish oriented than largemouth tend to be though, at least they are here a lot of the time.

I believe the ones with the flat bill and the ones with the dimple at the line tie are a way to tell which is older (not sure if it applies to suspending models though). I've heard guys say that one is older than the other by whether it has the flat or dimpled bill but I can't remember which is which.

Been dealing with some rough seas here lately.

I never do as good trying to follow the bite that everyone else is on as if I would just do what I'm good at doing.

I've got to stop following lure companies on Facebook. All it leads to is them dropping new colors and me spending more money.

I like the bright blue, some companies call it sapphire blue, backwater blue, swampwater blue, it's bright blue whatever they want to call it. It works great here, especially during the summer months when the water turns green with algae blooms. Also a great color at night. You cant really see how green the water is behind me in the last picture. Blue was the only color of anything I could get them to eat that day.

My oldest has been using a spinning reel since he was 2. I just upgraded him this year to a 2000 Daiwa Revros on a 6' M/F Daiwa Arid X and it's really perfect for him. Small enough to be handled easily, light enough to target panfish while being stout enough to fish for bass, and it's nice enough to reduce tangles/problems to make fishing more enjoyable.

It would keep me out for sure. I might be able to get myself to go up there to fish for Halibut and Ling cod, but like a car dealership I've got 0% interest in hiking into any salmon streams or chasing greyling or anything like that could potentially make me any part of the food chain other than the top.

Sapphire blue is one of my favorite colors or plastic, jig, and bladed jig. I'm fine if nobody is fishing that color. I've got a 100pk of sapphire blue BIg Bite Baits YoMommas that's been my best pastic for about 2 months straight now.

6' 9" H/F Hammer Micro/Tatula 150 6:3.1/15lb Pline CXX

I use them a lot, I make my own. The 1/4oz is the size I use the most by far and I drag it instead of using a steady retrieve.

Bear, a crocodile at least has the common decency to kill you before they eat you. Bears will start eating you before you die. More than one bear attack victim has been found with large portions of their bodies consumed but still alive ? The odds of a crocodile breaking down a door or a cabin or tearing up a tent to get at the person inside is pretty slim while bears have done it plenty of times. Bears are terrifying and a large part of why I have no interest in ever visiting places they live.

Great fish and I'd like to thank you for knowing how to spell "striper" correctly ?

I'd have a hard time heading to LOZ at any time of year without a regular jig tied on.

Supposed to be in the 60's for highs pretty much for the foreseeable future here. Fishing a benefit tournament Sunday, supposed to be in the mid 40's at take off ?

Pony is decent for bass but it has some monster wipers if you feel like chasing those. Shawnee State Lake has big fish in it too.

I fish jerkbaits on 8-12lb mono, cranks on 8-15lb copolymer, and most of my treble hooked topwaters on 20lb straight braid.

I prefer them over the silent or rattling versions.