Bluebasser86

Going to be a group of us on Milford next month for our end of the year fish off, really looking forward to it!

Big Game isn't much more expensive and is a proven line, I wouldn't risk it.

Caught several up to almost 3 pounds on my Speed Demon combo Friday, felt really nice. The handle looks better in person than it does in pictures, I just hope those screws stay put. I think the reel feels more solid than the Sharky III does. I sure does pick line up in a hurry, I really like that. The rod is very nice but I was sure it would be after having a casting Speed Demon rod.

Spinnerbaits can be tricky because of all the different blade/skirt configurations. I've seen things like smooth vs hammered blades, nickel vs copper blades make a huge difference. I prefer a bladed jig, but really like fishing spinnerbaits too. Buzzbaits are one of my favorite topwaters. They are hard to snag and seem to attract big fish, plus there's no treble hooks. Not much more to ask for from a bait.

Strike King 5XD or 6XD are my choices for deep diving cranks. I also suffered at the hands of weak billed Rapala DT baits, no more for me.

A chartreuse black back Rackit was getting bit well this week for me!

I like to take the fly rod with me once in a while to cast bugs and buggers. Not only catch bass but lots of sunfish, some catfish, and the occasional surface feeding carp.

I like to hook them through the nostrils and free line them. Haven't used live sunfish in a long time, I prefer crawdads or shad.

The small ones have to be reeled painfully slow to keep from rolling in my experience.

Isn't the Nettywop a dance?

Welcome!

The Strike King 1.5 in River Minnow or Green Gizzard Shad have been my best in the past. The Booyah Flex II has been really nice too. I really like how well it cast, even in a stiff wind, which is always a big bonus fishing here.

I fish one all summer long. Not a spook specifically, but a walking bait. A Paychecks bait Repo Man has been doing real well for me this year. I like to fish mine on braid so I can make long cast and still get a solid hookset by just reeling into them and sweeping the rod, keeps me from yanking the bait away from big explosions.

Flatheads are eating machines, capable of eating most any other species of fish in a body of water. In the cases where they're being considered invasive, they were not native to the body of water and someone introduced them illegally and now they're eating the local fish out of house and home. I believe the Redbreast Sunfish is one fish that is getting hit really hard by them, and when a fish isn't use to a type of predator, they're not as cautious of them, making them an even easier target. I love catching flatheads, but I've also seen what they can do when brought into the wrong environment, like when someone foolishly puts a few in a pond. They're designed to be apex predators and they fill the roll well. Even bass aren't safe. I had a 20ish pound flathead dump it's stomach (a common escape attempt where they literally throw their stomach up and it comes out of their mouth), and a 4-5 pound partially digested largemouth floated to the surface. Once they reach 20-30 pounds, anything up to 10 pounds is fair game.

Saw a really nice report on OA from last night, 30' of water on a 1oz jig, some really nice fish too. All of them after dark until midnight.

I prefer my baits with character, they catch fish better that way imo. A beat up baitfish is an easy one to catch in a bass' eye.

I use cheaper rods for moving baits and higher end stuff for feel baits like T-rigs and jigs.

Nice!

Welcome!

Haven't caught a fish from my pond all summer (not that I've tried hard, but still). Was filling my deer feeder and setting my stand up so I made a few cast with a little plopper and actually had 3 bites but of course this was the only one that hooked up.

I like to get in and rub elbows with the crazy, like seeing a wild animal in it's natural environment.

I'd really like to see them netted in mass and given to homeless shelters. Seems like it would be a good win-win. Remove a bunch of unwanted fish and give a bunch of protein to homeless shelters.

Asian carp make great cut bait for big catfish. In the last few years, they've gotten to where they seem to prefer it over shad or cut common carp. I think it might be because of the obvious numbers of them, but also they have very small scales, no large, sharp spines, they grow much larger than shad, and don't have as thick of bones as regular carp. For whatever reason, they've been in the Kansas and Missouri rivers for several years now and haven't gotten as bad as they are in the Illinois river.

Here's some baits side by side to give an idea of the size of the bait. Top to bottom-Rackit, SK 2.5, LC 2.0, SK 1.5, Rackit, Bandit 200, Bandit 100.

I have several of the 65 pointers, but they just don't do it in the wind. Great when it's calm though. The little Duo has a weight transfer system that cast like a bullet and the smallies are just chewing it. Just over 3", so it certainly fits in that small bait category.