Bluebasser86

A 2" grub on a 1/32oz jighead will catch about anything. 6lb is heavier than I like on my ultralight. I actually have 3.5lb Techtan on mine and landed channel and flathead catfish to almost 10 pounds on it. Gives those tiny lures the best casting distance and most natural look.

Hoppers and small poppers are the most fun, but a small woolly bugger is tough to beat.

The late summer berry hatch is on! Never got an official grass carp on a fly rod before (caught one, but it was hooked outside the mouth), managed to entice one to eat an egg imitation and get an official first on the fly. Just a little guy, but still took about 5 minutes to land. Found a huge school of black crappie in a tiny brushpile off the front of a deep dock too. Hammered them for 20 minutes before I got tired of catching them.

I use Eagle Claw Magworm EWG hooks. Never bent one even with braid in heavy cover.

Good hooks, they'll work well and tangle less.

I swap the stock hooks out for 2X EGW short shank Gamakatsu. They hold onto fish much better than the stock hooks do.

Only time I had good luck with Vanish was walleye fishing. I'd much rather use Seaguar Red Label for about the same price.

Yes, it's an excellent reel that I've used a ton for swimbaits and A rigs. I've landed stripers over 20 pounds on it, it'll handle any bass you'll hook.

You can get nicer, and more durable ones, but for all the longer they'll use them, the Zebco Dock Demon combos are a great option for $10. My son has the spinning combo that has been through a lot and survived. I swapped the reel to a nicer one, not because it needed it, but because I found an ultralight Browning laying in a bush along the shoreline that I had no other use for. The reel was surprisingly good for how cheap it was.

I've had great luck with KastKing Super Power. Handles very nicely, available in lots of colors, and it's cheap!

I use 20lb braid on a couple casting issues and haven't had the same problem. You need to make smooth cast and try to avoid whip casting a bait. 20lb braid cast very easily, shouldn't need to put a whole lot on a cast to get it out very far.

Found this basic lure guide. Obviously there's lots of exceptions, but it's a pretty solid starting point for anyone needing help.

There is no black and white rules to achieving the furthest cast possible. You'll have to adjust your reel to the bait you have tied on. The proper rod is as much if not more of a factor than the proper settings on your reel as well. You need the reel to be set so when you cast the line can flow at just about the same speed as the lure is traveling through the air. This keeps the bait from having to pull line (slowing it down and shortening casting distance), but you also don't want it spinning too freely because it will over run and tangle, which will also slow down or stop the spool.

I was mostly worried about the bait. It was the only one in that color I had. The tournament had just started and that was my second keeper in my first 3 cast. First time I've fallen out of the boat in 30 years. Thankfully I had the camera going so you all get to share it with me.

Are there stripers or hybrids there? That was my first thought when you say you saw white. What are the metal leaders for? Unless you're catching pike, muskie, or pickerel, you don't need a metal leader.

Didn't do a lot of fishing on my days off this week with the holiday, but I still made it out for a couple shorter trips to avoid the crowds. Took my son out again on Monday, and my parents (Papa and Nana as my son calls them), went along with us so Lake could show them his fishing skills. Tuesday was just me for a few hours in the morning. I got started off with a bang, sight fishing this one with a wacky rigged 4" stick worm as she cruised the shoreline.

Smallies hit topwater really well into the low 50's here. I don't put topwater away until November most years. Moving baits are usually the go to baits this time of year. If they won't eat topwater you might try something like a fluke or squarebill. One thing about topwater smallmouth, most of the time if you get a little ripple on the top it will help the bite a ton. Flat calm days I get a lot of swirls and followers.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome back Andrew and thank you for your service!

Guy is lucky that he didn't get wrecked by that buck. Not sure where they're from, looked like that deer had a small body for the size of it's headgear. He wouldn't have tried that with one of the corn-fed monsters from here, not without suffering a severe injury. Wonder if he got nailed for this video? Pretty good sized fine for harassing wildlife most places.

The Bills are really going to have to work if they're going to try to beat out the Jets for last place

Look for something in that 7' M or MH range with a 6 or 7 ratio reel. That will cover a lot of applications. Favorites are going to be really subjective, since what I like in a rod and reel can be really different than what the next person likes.