Bluebasser86

This is my feelings on it. I've never caught what I'd consider a giant bass in Kansas. I've caught several over the 7lb mark, but I've never broke 8lbs. However, I know some people that I consider much less skilled that have stumbled into a monster like that but otherwise, they rarely catch fish I'd even consider to be big ones over 5lbs.

Haven't fished a lot lately, and when I do I haven't been finding many baits. When I find one though, it's been a good one it seems.

It was late last summer/early fall on a 7' 2" M/M LTB cranking rod.

I've got 3 or 4 SC rods that are less than 5 years old. Had an issue with 1 Legeng Tournament that broke one of my first cast. Had a replacement back in my hands in less than 2 weeks. I spoke with someone on the phone in CS the day it happened and they took care of everything I needed to get it replaced. No issues with the replacement. I have heard of issues with reel seats coming unglued but haven't experienced it. I think you have to keep in mind that it isn't often you read about the people with good experiences, it's only the unhappy people who take the time to post reviews in a lot of cases so it makes the problem seem worse than it is.

I have a 120PDL with a Navarre scupper mount and the SI worked just fine until it quit working again on my unit.

A small net works well but I've always grabbed them by hand. A seine net walked through tall grass works great also but requires 2 people and a seine net.

They're one of my preferred channel cat baits in the summer and early fall. Oddly enough, there seems to be preferred species of grasshoppers by the catfish also. They eat a few types here really well and tend to kind of ignore the rest. I think maybe there are certain kinds they encounter frequently that they like, and other ones that rarely end up in the water that they don't eat normally. The ones that are exceptional flyers they don't seem to like very well. The one that can only fly short distances, those they seem to really enjoy.

I'm really curious how you've come to the conclusion that a chopper is emulating a crawler?? They're both topwaters, but that's kind of where the similarities end in my mind. The WP certainly wasn't designed to emulate them, it was a copy of large chopping muskie baits that Larry Dahlburg pursues often. When he was designing the bait for R2S, the first version was the 190 that he was in fact using mainly for muskie and pike but kept catching bass on it so they made smaller versions and found it to be an effective bass lure as well. I have caught countless bass on a WP. Despite my efforts fishing it, I finally caught my first bass on a Choppo about a month ago, all 10" of it. I'm not sure the difference, but I can't seem to catch a bass on the Choppos to save my life.

I still have several 1/4oz Xcaliber traps that I like but the 1/4oz RES has been really good also. The Owner Cultiva Mira Vibe 60 is slightly heavier than 1/4oz but has a similar size profile and is an excellent smaller lipless bait also.

I haven't noticed catching any more/less with them than any other baits.

There was a local guy here that made some called Aiking Bak (pronounced "aching back"). I remember using that stuff as a kid with my dad on a sponge bait and it worked really well. Only thing I've used since then was Sonny's and it worked well but I'm almost never chasing eater sized catfish and even if I am, cutbait, grasshoppers, nightcrawlers, shrimp, chicken livers, or pretty much whatever else you want to use that isn't as disgusting smelling will work as good or better.

Caught a beaver bass before work this morning.

Surprised you haven't run into a bigger one at Wyco, I've caught several over 3 to almost 5 out there.

Either wait for it to cool down some and go to Melvern, or go to Wabaunsee and try there. Those are really the only 2 good options within that distance to have a shot at that size fish right now. You could stumble into one at Perry, Clinton, or Shawnee also, but it's much less likely.

I have an older model of Mojo that is one of my favorite do all spinning rods I own. The color of the handle reminds me of some Fenwick rods I've had. As someone who has had an issue with my fingers/hand going numb from rods/reels that didn't fit my hands well, I'm curious to see how these feel. Obviously a lot of research went into this. I think the "Why hasn't anyone else done it", is maybe nobody else has thought of it? Every idea has to be done for a first-time. Every ICAST people complain about no new ideas, just companies copying each other, then a company comes out with something new and we complain ? A tough group to please we are.

Grass carp do that all the time around here.

I swing hard with jigs and plastics. Big fish have thick mouths and it takes a good amount of force even with sharp hooks to drive through them. Treble hook baits get the sweep set since they're smaller, thinner hooks that penetrate easier.

I remember reading this as a kid and raising nightcrawlers that I caught as a result to use for bait. I used them on 6lb test mono and a small hook with no weight. Caught countless big bluegills and sunfish, catfish, crappie, small bass, and a handful of big bass. It was extremely effective, pitching them around docks and cover just like a plastic worm.

What's old is new again. I've got bags of Hula Grubs that are probably 15-20 years old. They're fish catchers that I rarely hear anyone talk about anymore. Smallmouth especially seem to have a hard time resisting them.

Every crankbait I own fits into one deep Plano 3700 box. I hate fishing crankbaits but they work every once in a blue moon so I have to carry some.

If I could only choose one brand of spinnerbait, it would be War Eagles. Every kind of mass produced bait is going to produce some lemons. Broke the bill on a SK 1.5 yesterday just cranking through rocks, but that doesn't mean they're bad baits, something was just bad about that bait.

I've wasted a lot of time listening to fishing reports and dock talk earlier in my fishing career instead of just doing what I thought I should be doing.

I have plenty of times. There's been times in my line of work, I either had something happen the day before and knew I wasn't in the right state of mind, or woke up not feeling like dealing with people. Neither are good things. Always felt it was better for me to take a mental health day instead.

We have no interest in keeping them. I just enjoy chasing the big browns with jerkbaits down there.

As long as the weeds are subsurface, sounds like good cranking conditions to me. A Strike King Hybrid Hunter is one I like to fish.