Bluebasser86

Welcome!

Man I got excited just thinking about night fishing again! Night time is a great time to catch big fish and practice the KISS method of thinking. I fish a big dark jig, a big dark worm, and a bladed jig about 90% of the time. I don't like topwater or treble hooks at night because I've had too many baits come screaming back at me when someone didn't follow the rules and set the hook when they heard an explosion. Trying to unhook a bass on trebles is hard enough in the daylight, much worse at night.

Already have a 4.5 pound smallie to my name this year. Considering our state record is only 2 pounds heavier than that, it's a pretty good start

everythingthatswims avatar is a good example of how to hold one horizontal, mine is a good example of how to hold one vertical. Watch an episode of Bill Dance if you want to see all kinds of examples of how not to hold a fish. OP, that's a very nice fish from a creek or ditch I guess?

10-15lb copolymer for squarebills for me.

Bait monkey is not happy with what he sees;

I did some searching and found some with and some without feathers. Possible they went one direction or another and you just got the batch with feathers. Even if they don't offer the dressed tail treble anymore it isn't like it's hard to buy a dressed treble and swap them out.

I was checked for the first time this year last Friday. Officer was friendly and very professional. I know some guys get ticked because it takes away from their fishing time but I like seeing them checking people, making sure everyone is following the rules like they're supposed to be.

That is the ONLY way I was able to catch fish with them. Even on my practice lakes where they eat everything, they wouldn't touch the Devil's Spear.

From what I've heard they're just being put into new packages before they hit the market again, which makes sense because you don't put out a bait you own in a different companies package. If they don't, I'll hold onto mine until all the stores are sold out and then sell them. I love my XRK50's an XR50's, but not enough to hold onto them when they're selling for 7X retail price, I'll become a RES clone for that kind of money.

This is just one of the many reasons I love this site, guy catches a great fish on a live shiner, not a single comment on the whether it's right/sporting/challenging or whatever to use live bait. Great fish Thornback!

I have one of the popping frogs and one of the bait ball squarebills. I bet I got mine for cheaper . The frog was hanging in a tree and the squarebill was floating against the bank.

I smoked my boater at LOZ in a BASS weekend series tournament. Both fishing the same size shakyheads with Zoom Trick worms. He was using green pumpkin, I was using green pumpkin/red flake. I caught 8 keepers, he caught 3. Most of the time I don't feel like color is of huge importance, but obviously sometimes it does.

The action of the Structure Bug is crazy good. I like to put them on a swinging football head and just drag them along. They have so much action that they move around even when I'm dragging them slowly.

Yep

Twin tail grubs, Rage craws and Rage Menace are what I use.

Monday I was back at Melvern, someone had turned the switch on. Lots of them like this. Then my jerkbait got trucked by this tank, 4.5 pounds. Then this happened. I've had them chase my bait but never actually try to eat it, released unharmed and hopefully a little more wary. Seems early in the year to be talking about football? Oh, and there was some walleye on the dam I guess. After a good anti zebra mussel spray down, I was on Lone Star Tuesday morning. Water was dirty, weeds have exploded, and junk floating everywhere, fishing was tough. I had one good one to the boat on a bladed jig but it came off while I was playing with it trying to get it to jump. Caught a fish here and a fish there but no good pattern other than a bladed jig and jerkbait were about all I could get bit on. Got to the dam and was about to call it quits when I got hit by a fish that was noticeably bigger than anything else I'd hooked. Gave me a heck of a tussle on my jerkbait rod before finally coming to the net. My first Lone Star wiper ever was 6lbs 4ozs. A few cast later I decided to do it again, only bigger. Never seen a fish eat a jerkbait to the point that I couldn't see it. 3ozs shy of tying my PB for wipers. Even managed to get a video of a portion of the fight.

Well my fishing marathon has unfortunately come to an end , it was a good time though. Started it off at Melvern with Dad. Windier than they said it would be by at least double, supposed to be 7mph, but I've never seen 7mph wind make white caps. I was just hoping for a fish, any fish. Didn't take long before I caught one and a few more across the dam. Dad got his first one by the support post of the outlet/inlet, to my surprise it was a chunky largemouth, and he actually caught another largemouth a couple cast later. One of my smallies off the dam was nearly square, 16.5" and 2lbs 13ozs. We ran to a spot up the lake and got several more smallmouth, a few whites, a walleye, and a couple largemouth, including this one that was 4lbs 7ozs which is my second largest from Melvern. All the smallies (and most the fish for that matter), were busting at the seams. Sunday Nicole and I went to Shawnee. It was tougher than anticipated but we still got some trout, a bunch of bluegill, a few bass, and Nicole caught a drum. I managed to sight fish a little golden rainbow with a micro jig under a bobber. It took a lot of trying and swapping out spools on her reel but Nicole finally caught her first fish from the new boat. Her mom's boyfriend wanted some fish to eat so we brought them 6 trout home, yuck.

Monday I was back at Melvern, someone had turned the switch on. Lots of them like this. Then my jerkbait got trucked by this tank, 4.5 pounds. Then this happened. I've had them chase my bait but never actually try to eat it, released unharmed and hopefully a little more wary. Seems early in the year to be talking about football? Oh, and there was some walleye on the dam I guess. After a good anti zebra mussel spray down, I was on Lone Star Tuesday morning. Water was dirty, weeds have exploded, and junk floating everywhere, fishing was tough. I had one good one to the boat on a bladed jig but it came off while I was playing with it trying to get it to jump. Caught a fish here and a fish there but no good pattern other than a bladed jig and jerkbait were about all I could get bit on. Got to the dam and was about to call it quits when I got hit by a fish that was noticeably bigger than anything else I'd hooked. Gave me a heck of a tussle on my jerkbait rod before finally coming to the net. My first Lone Star wiper ever was 6lbs 4ozs. A few cast later I decided to do it again, only bigger. Never seen a fish eat a jerkbait to the point that I couldn't see it. 3ozs shy of tying my PB for wipers. Even managed to get a video of a portion of the fight.

Well my fishing marathon has unfortunately come to an end , it was a good time though. Started it off at Melvern with Dad. Windier than they said it would be by at least double, supposed to be 7mph, but I've never seen 7mph wind make white caps. I was just hoping for a fish, any fish. Didn't take long before I caught one and a few more across the dam. Dad got his first one by the support post of the outlet/inlet, to my surprise it was a chunky largemouth, and he actually caught another largemouth a couple cast later. One of my smallies off the dam was nearly square, 16.5" and 2lbs 13ozs. We ran to a spot up the lake and got several more smallmouth, a few whites, a walleye, and a couple largemouth, including this one that was 4lbs 7ozs which is my second largest from Melvern. All the smallies (and most the fish for that matter), were busting at the seams. Sunday Nicole and I went to Shawnee. It was tougher than anticipated but we still got some trout, a bunch of bluegill, a few bass, and Nicole caught a drum. I managed to sight fish a little golden rainbow with a micro jig under a bobber. It took a lot of trying and swapping out spools on her reel but Nicole finally caught her first fish from the new boat. Her mom's boyfriend wanted some fish to eat so we brought them 6 trout home, yuck.

Man mine is! That thing scares me even when I know it's coming!

I've got the same rat, just need the water to warm up enough to throw it. Great looking fish!

I like the Sick Fish. I mainly fish the 4" on a weighted swimbait hook. Sometimes I have a hard time with white bass or crappie hitting them and not hooking up, when that happens I add a belly treble. That one is obviously been chewed on a time or two If you're only getting bass you really shouldn't need the belly treble though.

3" Power minnow/ 1/16oz jighead 78 pointer 2" Bass Assasin/1/32oz jighead

You'll be fine storing them like that. I prefer to leave mine in the original package and store them in binders or Ziplocks.