Bluebasser86

I have had serious issues with hooking frog fish this year. I suspect it's largely the size of the fish I've had biting, but I know I've had a couple bigger ones that I didn't connect with also. My productive baits that usually have high, hookup ratios are just not doing it lately.

Good story telling and unfortunate that you lost those good ones. A good fishing buddy of mine was there fishing and didn't fair so well. He also only managed 3 fish but had about 55" and ended up around 110th place and then had to drive back 15 hours without getting to fish a second day.

Doing a little prefishing for the upcoming state lake roadrunner tournament in a couple weeks this past weekend. This one is one of my least favorite tournaments of the year because all the state lakes close to me are ungood to put it nicely. I went to the "best", one that is about a hour from my house. This lake use to be really good, but it took a pretty hard nosedive several years ago and it just hasn't ever recovered all the way. I think the fact that it really sits out by itself and gets a lot of bank fishing pressure (meat eaters), the big fish got removed and the numbers haven't rebounded. Last year, it took just over 90" to win the roadrunner, so I was looking for potential to get to that. It was actually better than I'd expected, ending up around 86" and missed a couple solid bites. I thought I had a real good kicker, but I always forget this lake has drum in it, unlike most state lakes. This one had a big sunfish in her throat. A drum can't eat it much further than that. Sunday I took the boys out in the boat for a little bit. A buddy from work has been asking me to bring him some fish and I've been noticing 2 things when I go out to the lake by the house lately; there's a lot of big bluegills on beds, there's a lot of catfish cruising around a couple different docks. They hammered on the bluegills while I let a piece of cutbait sit out in a couple different spots, and each one of them got to wrestle in a healthy channel cat. I ended up with almost a full gallon bag of fillets for him and his family to enjoy.

I fish from mostly a kayak and I carry a different rod for each bait if I expect both to be a potential player. I can pretty comfortably carry 12 rods in my kayak before I'm out of rod tubes though.

The obvious solution here. https://www.ebay.com/itm/294473685183?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1p8OKyfAqSJ-AvIMxkDSmZg1&norover=1&mkrid=711-173151-913341-5&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=294473685183&targetid=2451667593817&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1017588&poi=&campaignid=23874132874&mkgroupid=198266511482&rlsatarget=aud-1412318123216:pla-2451667593817&abcId=9408285&merchantid=138373420&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23874132874&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8b4gabKIUsh4Ez2p38TMCux&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2_TQBhCnARIsAF3-XhyJfvNik27Q5JH6wGZSzfMQaPh6P97MLpF5LuPHo0teKvW8gR9ZYRIaAuLjEALw_wcB

I do have some pretty colorful baits.

Flouro sinks and is more dense than mono, so you get more direct connection to bottom contact baits because there's no belly in the line. There's less stretch on the hookset, which helps, especially at distance. It has better abrasion resistance than mono for fishing in and around cover where I'm typically fishing bottom contact baits. The density transmits bites better than mono as well. The downsides are that it's not as forgiving as mono. If you get a kink in flouro, it's going to break there next time you put pressure on it. Flouro doesn't return to it's original state when stretched like mono does. If you tie a knot that is less than perfect with flouro, it's probably going to fail. The pros outweigh the cons for me though. As for the braid on topwater, that's unfortunate that it doesn't work for you because it's so much better than fishing mono. Mr. Livesay is one of the best topwater fishermen out there and runs straight braid on his walking baits also, maybe following his instruction might help solve your issue.

I fish straight braid almost exclusively with all my treble hooked topwaters and find this to be a huge false narrative. Unless you're doing long pauses, which I don't know anyone that does with a walking bait since they're typically for covering water, it's a non-issue. Hooksets are much more solid on long cast (just reel into them and lean into the weight), and there's no additional knots with a braid to leader knot. Back on topic, I grew up fishing mono for everything, and the difference between a good flourocarbon to mono for slack line presentations is huge. Flouro has it's issues, but the upsides far outweigh the down IMO.

It isn't a fun bait to fish a lot of the time, but it's very effective and when they're eating it, it's going to outfish everything else by a wide margin.

Big fan of the Diamond Shad. They were cheap and very effective baits. The diamond pattern reflected light in all directions and it really seemed to attract the fish.

I have the Snag Proof version. Good concept, but the hook ratio is terrible. It walks great, I've had some vicious strikes, I've never actually caught a fish with it.

I throw my own almost exclusively. I wasn't a big fan of them until I started making my own and could customize them how I wanted them.

I went out Memorial day to a local lake trying to avoid the crowds and it actually wasn't too bad. Fishing was much slower than I'd hoped but I got some decent ones to make up for it. I took my boys out fishing for bluegills from the bank for a little bit Sunday evening, and Finn got one that decidedly, not a bluegill. Tuesday, Lake and I went and fished the Tuesday night tournament. He isn't technically allowed to enter them until he's 16, but if he catches a limit he gets a $25 BPS gift card. Not only did he catch his 3 fish limit, but he put up 42.75" on a night when first place was 44.50" and second place (me), was 40.25". It was a proud father and son moment to say the least to have all the adults standing around watching him show his pictures and them realize they'd been beat by a 12 year old.

I mostly have KO's from overseas and have had decent success with them, mostly the smaller 13MM sizes on a dropshot. I did get one of the Berkley Meobas but haven't fished it yet, kind of saving it for an upcoming tournament since they aren't TPE material like most of the rest of them.

It's typically at least a copule feet of visibility to several feet of visibility.

I use a few of my own that I tie but lately my favorite has been an 1/8oz Ned Jig. It's caught me a lot of fish and some really nice ones.

This is one of my favorite smallmouth jerkbaits I've ever owned and I sure wish I could find more. This would be a close second, also discontinued and very difficult to find without paying crazy prices.

Yes I do, they’re still a great hook.

I've had a pretty solid streak of catching catfish while bass fishing lately. Most have been smaller but a couple have been nicer ones. I scoped a decent blue cat with a Ned rig, that was a good time. She was really testing the ML spinning rod and 8lb Seaguar Gold Label leader but I got the best of it in the end. I caught a decent little flathead with really nice colors on it a week later, also on a Ned rig. It was the only fish I caught from that lake on the trip. The wind that was supposed to be blowing 2-12 was rocking white caps down the lake straight into the area I was wanting to fish. That's what I get for not checking my Deep Dive app and just trusting the weatherman. I swear that app is more accurate than the local news.

Had to go back a ways to figure out where my last report was, that was a rough break! The fish haven't been getting any breaks though. I took my boys out a couple times, once to the lake right by the house in the boat and they absolutely smashed the panfish of all kinds. I bought some nightcrawlers and the water was super clear. We could see the beds so I'd just point them out and they'd go in for the kill. They like putting fish in the livewell and that thing was thumping full of big foreheads by time we were done. Lake was rotating back and forth between bass and bluegills because I was catching so many bass and he thought it was really cool watching them eat the bait. He caught the big one of the day out from under a dock on a Ned and at the end of the day, I had them pose with their sunfish buffet, a bluegill, a redear sunfish, a green sunfish, and a warmouth. Then we went out in the kayaks at another local lake that has a history of being a dink factory but has suddenly kicked out several big bass. The boys wanted the $1 per fish caught deal and Finn made me pay for agreeing to that. The panfish were spawning there also and he put 23 of them in the kayak. I managed to find one of the over the slot bass, with a spawned out 20 incher, big enough to eat most other bass in this lake, but this is the same lake my buddy caught a 21 and 21.75 in a Tuesday night tournament about a month ago, then a boater caught a 7 pounder, and another guy in our kayak club caught a 22.50" 7.7lb fish last week from it, so maybe it's not a dink factory anymore? That would be awesome since it's 20 minutes from my house. This week the Tuesday nighter was at the lake right by my house. It's been fishing great and I thought it might take 50" (3 fish limit), to win it. I had a really rough night, breaking off my very first flip thanks to the copius amounts of zebra mussels on every dock. Then I lost a few bites while watching my buddy Deric fishing the docks I wanted to start on and catching them on a wacky rig. I jumped across the lake and caught my limit in 3 cast on a wacky rig to calm my nerves. The bigger fish have been eating the free rig under docks but I switched it to my rod with 17lb Tatsu instead of 15lb to help combat the zebra mussels and I think it was the right move. My first fish I boated on it was a 16.50" fish, a nice fish for this lake. Then as I rounded a point, there was a dock I knew had a little brush so I dropped my rig into it. The fish took off and I could feel my line grating on the mussels but it drug her back through, a 17" that was my biggest of the night. Then I'd been mixing in a Fishlab Bio Wake Shad 6" because they love that bait on this lake and I caught several on it, including a 15" fish that rounded out my limit and gave me just enough to squeak out the win and secure my spot in the championship tournament.

I like the faux leather because it saves my palms a little bit from getting stabbed by flopping fish on the measuring board. I guess I don't really understand how having that on your palm effects your ability to tie knots or your sensitivity? They're fingerless gloves correct? I've never felt my palm was a big part of my ability to tie knots or feel bites.

Another vote for the Revros. I've had 3 of them for a few years now and they're excellent reels for the price.

I'm a 1/16oz about 95% of the time regardless of depth or wind.

I use to troll a lot in my 2 man when I was a kid. I get bored trolling now but I do troll for other species, mainly pulling spinner rigs for walleye.

Sorry for your loss @Jar11591 and @Glenn . Unfortunately it’s my turn today. Cassidee’s body has given out and she can no longer stand for any longer than it takes for her to go to the bathroom and needs help getting up to do that. She wouldn’t eat most of yesterday but I made her some rice and scrambled eggs and she ate the whole bowl of that. She wouldn’t do anything but lay on her side yesterday and couldn’t hardly lift her head off the floor when I leaned down to pet her. She still has her smile, still wags her tail at me, but her old body is tired. It’s been emotional for the whole family, she’s been such a great dog and she’s been here my boys entire lives, it’s going to be a rough day.