Bluebasser86

If you're moving much faster than a crawl or if there's much wind they don't work.

Bigger moving baits usually do best for me this time of year. Bigger baits is the main theme as the young of the year bait fish are growing and have been thinned out and our bass turn to those big gizzard shad to start packing it on.

I usually tell my good friends to just bring minimal tackle, their favorite hard baits, plastics, and terminal box, then just fish out of my stuff to cut down on clutter in the boat and reduce the amount of stuff they have to pull out of their boats to put into mine because I know how much of a pain that is. There's a caveat though, if we find out they're eating Rage craws and they didn't bring any, and I toss them 2 packs of craws and don't get any back, they know at the end of the day I'm expecting them to float me 10-20 bucks to cover my baits and the convenience of not having to pack all their stuff for the day, the same way I do when I jump into one of their boats. What your situation sounds like is what I have when I'm guiding. I'm providing everything, but I'm getting paid quite well for it while you are not. You're either going to have to have that uncomfortable conversation, not while you're on the water because then you're trapped on the boat with a potentially disgruntled fishing partner, or you're going to have to start giving him all the baits that don't work so he stops borrowing yours.

I like braid to a leader when I can get away with it, but that's rare here because of the wind. Even a slight bow in the line makes feeling bites all but impossible. I've gone to Seaguar Finesse Fluoro as my main line and have been really happy with how it's performed.

Very nice!

I put #6 on the 90s, reduces weight to help them ride higher and reduce diving. The 110 you could probably get away with #2.

After an extended session of puppy fishing in the front yard, time for a well deserved nap.

I make a lot of my own bladed jigs and have done direct connect, single, and double split rings. The biggest problem with the double split rings is the tendency for them to bind during the cast and not want to fix themselves during the retrieve. A jig with a flat eye (perpendicular to the hook point instead of inline with it), requires only a single split ring and don't tend to bind as often, this is the main configuration that I use. The double split rings I've used have been with a swinging football/weedless bladed jig that I make for fishing through timber. Works just fine provided the blade doesn't bind.

Heavy cranking rod with a 200B Curado.

Twofers are always a nice surprise.

You do need to set the hook a bit, but don't overdo it, that braid will drive those trebles very easily. I would lose the leader if it were me, but since you're also fishing a crankbait on the rod you may need it for abrasion resistance. I also do not like the hooks that come on the 90 ploppers and change all of them out. Normally, I would never suggest an EWG treble for a topwater, but because of the straight retrieve used with a plopper they've been by far my best option. These hooks seem to sew them up better than any other I've tried on a 90 Plopper. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_EWG_Treble_Short_Shank_2X_Magic_Eye_6pk/descpage-GETX.html The EWG's lock them in and the fact that they're short shank keeps that bait from flopping around and tearing the hooks out like you were having happen at the bank when the fish were jumping or shaking.

When you're looking so good in your suit that you have to stop and check yourself out in the mirror.

Xcalibur Fat Free shad/fingerling, before they were all Bomber. It's one or the other for sure, the rotating trebles are a dead giveaway.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Slow down

Bad day at work for guys in my line of work means you don't go home. I forget about everything I've dealt with, seen or heard at work when I'm on the water.

Yep, the whole broken vs solid stripes thing is way over emphasized.

I have always used a well placed knife. Push in a little back of the eye and roll up towards the top of the head. You'll usually get the telltale death flop if done right. It's a lot less messy and more efficient than clubbing smaller fish species.

They mostly use trebles in that study. I've never seen a fish, alive or dead, with a treble hooked bait stuck in it minus catfish with their leathery skin. Odds are I would have as much as I fish if they stayed hooked long after breaking off.

I've removed so many old hooks and jigheads from fish's throats that were left by other fishermen. Fish are excellent at shaking the hook loose after they've broke off. I saw a study done recently with pike and even hooks placed deep in the fish's mouth were shaken loose within 48 hours.

Ouch! I was a groomsman and Lake was the ring bearer in my wife's little sisters wedding this past weekend. The first time in a tux for both of us, he pulled the look off better than I did.

I got the 7' 3" M/F Worm/Jig rod

Hillsdale was pretty decent for me during our Thursday nighter last week. Caught a few more after the battery died in the camera. Coty finally did put one in the boat for our 5th fish right after it died also.

We get the best of both worlds, temps below zero in the winter and above 100 in the summer with sauna like humidity. You have to adjust, the fish still have to eat. It was blistering hot with the humidity putting the heat index well over 100 and almost no wind last Friday but I still put 43 in the boat in just over 4 hours, water temp in the mid 80's and very clear, but the fish were mostly less than 5' deep. Actual Temp 94° /69