Bluebasser86

I've used them, not a fan, and I love Owner hooks. The cutting point slices a big hole in the fishes mouth and makes it easier for the to toss the bait imo. Also not really sure what the point is to the slight inward curvature is but it seems like it would make it more difficult for the point to start digging and I can't shake that feeling so it makes it difficult for me to be confident in them, so at that point they're basically worthless. I like the EWG Mustad, Eagle Claw, and Gamakatsu, and Owner ST 36s on my baits and I'll often mix them up with an EWG on the front and round bend on the back.

I agree that those deep runners are going to be difficult, and probably short lived, if you fish them from the bank. Squarebills, lipless, and mid depth baits are your best options from shore. I'd also add a couple craw colors in there. When I fished from shore more often, I always did well bumping a craw colored bait through rocky banks.

It's been an extremely mixed bag for me this season, probably largely due to the crazy weather. About the only bait I've had tied on since and has been productive January until now has been a Duo Realis Rozante 77.

I use a telescoping one that's 18' long. I've got about a 95% retrieval rate on lures when I break it out.

Their baits are great, their CS is pretty awful.

I swim/shake/glide most of the time, but mine rarely touches bottom. It can't touch bottom in a lot of the lakes I fish, not many times anyways. I was lucky enough to share the boat with one of Ned's buddies that helped develop the whole deal and taught me how to do it. The attention to detail they put into it is pretty incredible. It only took one trip of getting thoroughly outfished from the back of my boat to realize it was something I needed to learn though.

Plano Hydro Flo and Plano Rustrictor boxes for me.

Welcome back!

I bought a bunch of the Kinamis when they were discontinued and they're one of my best baits for wacky rigging for smallmouth especially.

jig

It's not going to eat all the bass. It's much more likely to die from lack of needed resources.

Spinnerbaits, traps, poppers, bladed jigs, big swimbaits.

Welcome back!

It's been raining and storming non-stop here for the entire spring, hasn't stopped me from going. Fish the conditions, they still have to eat.

Largemouth do school and feed aggressively at times, but when they do, they're very rarely difficult to catch.

I'd be willing to bet what you were seeing was carp spawning. Looks a lot like fish feeding, and just causes all kinds of commotion.

Was this topwater frenzy right on the shoreline, in the middle of grass beds, or under docks and very violent?

They're a pain at times because I can't fish a frog withing a frog chasing it. If I have a real big frog chasing I might let it grab it, but otherwise it's too big of a hassle to unhook and I'm not going to bother with keeping them.

He was a bricklayer before he was a fisherman. I think that's why he had a lot of his back problems.

Amazing. I'll take one bite from a monster over a bunch of bites from dinks any day.

I see that a lot on fish when the water starts to get warm and during post spawn when fish are stressed.

Gar love minnow baits. Search "gar rope lures" and you'll land way more of them than you will trying to actually hook them though. I don't mind the heat, but if I have the whole day to my disposal, I'll get up early and fish until around 11, eat lunch and take a nap until about 3 then go back and fish until an hour or two after dark, or go completely nocturnal.

I know of a couple. I don't understand it but I don't question somebodies decision. Usually they just become more interested in another hobby.

Pork catches pigs. I hate that they stopped making them. It makes a difference and catches bigger fish without a doubt in some situations, but I can't afford to pay the flippers out there now to buy them.

Huge tornado leveled homes in the town I went to middle school in tonight.