Bluebasser86

Took the boys to Dinosaurs Alive yesterday. Tried to get a picture with Lake, but he was too worried about the T-Rex that suddenly started moving on the other side of the room to look at the camera ?

Yes

Fishing must be slow in Alabama right now.

Little after work creek fishing. That Yo-Zuri Snap Bean catches everything (almost caught a bullhead with it this morning even). The little Longear were spawning and super aggressive. They don't get much prettier than this.

That's why it looks like this now.

Exactly this, anything but Vanish, sewing thread maybe.

I throw 1.0's on spinning gear from my boat instead of casting gear. The 1.5 will be a little more of a chore because of the resistance but it can be done.

Which models did you try? What issues did you have with them? I own several of them, several different models, and they've been truly impressive. I've had an issue with 1 of them, but the CS took great care of me so really no complaints there. I fish them right alongside my higher end reels and they function like I expect them to and do everything I need them to. I have another one plus my first KK rod in route to the house right now in fact. Speed Demon in the jungle got this one out. Spartacus Plus landed this toad Sharky II catching footballs

All the time.

Xcaliber Zell Pop

I saw a squirrel fight going on in the top of a VERY tall sycamore tree in a creek bottom when the loser was suddenly plummeting towards the ground. It smacked the water so hard I was sure it was dead but the little sucker just swam to the bank and shot back up the tree. There's an old story about a squirrel trying to get a hickory nut off a stump near the shoreline. The tree rat finally got brave and swims out to the stump and grabs the nut but on his return back with his prize, he disappears in a giant toilet bowl flush swirl. About 5 minutes later a 15lb bass was seen setting the hickory nut back on the stump. There's possum and chipmunk baits out there, probably a squirrel too.

One of my favorite ways to fish a plastic. I drag mine though, never have been able to make them work fishing them like a crankbait. Everything from tiny craws and worms to 15" worms and magnum creature baits.

Don't make it harder than it has to be. Green pumpkin, black and blue, watermelon/red, junebug, and redbug. If I can't catch a fish on one of those colors, there's no fish to be caught. Sure you can catch them on lots of other colors, and some different hue might work better that one time under those one conditions (it's sapphire blue in green water for me), but you don't have to carry a bunch of different colors to catch fish if you don't want to.

2.8" fat impact on a 1/8oz midwest finesse head with a 1/0 head is a killer when they're eating small baitfish. I pour a 1/8oz herring head with a 1/0 hook for the same reason but it's a lot of extra work and I'm not sure it's any more effective.

Surprised to see no one else mention the Netbait C-Mac, both the 10 and 15 inch version. The Zoom Ol' Monster is great too. The YUM Mightee Worm is great when they've seen a lot of big curly tail worms. I pour some swinging football heads with a 7/0 Monster Worm hook just for fishing them.

Good to cover big flats and open areas mainly because they cast a mile and make a good commotion that draws them up from deep water if needed. I do like the smaller Showerblows for targets because it turns so sharp that it almost sits in one place and can really annoy a fish into biting.

Ponds are prime for wake baits like slammers and rats. Pond bass seem to love to feed on the surface anyways, and it helps to avoid those snags that are hard to retrieve when you're stuck on the bank. I've caught some on glides and and weedless plastic baits, I've also had to go swimming March to retrieve a snagged Hardgill off a stump, which is why I like to either stick to the cheaper plastic baits or topwaters.

I don't believe I've ever seen a google eye or rock bass with the war paint on the cheeks like a warmouth has. It's pretty dull on the OP's fish, but it's there. I usually see it a little more pronounced on the ones I catch.

Wow, amazing everyone made it out of that okay.

I toss them in ponds a lot, that's how I caught my swimbait PB.

Contact your local DNR, they should have some information on bodies of water if they have high levels of heavy metals. Kansas puts out warnings on bodies of water where fish shouldn't be consumed but it doesn't stop a lot of people.

Late spring to early summer

They'll catch on weeds and wood but they're great around sparse grass and wood.

Get you some Morel heads from @Siebert Outdoors instead of the Z-man heads. Better hooks and the keepers won't break off. I pinch the barbs on the hooks for guide trips, for the safety of the fish and my clients (and myself). The fish do toss them, but it's hard to tell if it's because of the pinched barb or the inexperience of the fishermen fighting them. Better hooks and not pinching your barbs will keep a lot more fish pinned though.