Bankbeater

15# Big Game for the reels that I use for jigs, heavy Texas rigs, and big moving baits. 10# Big Game for the reels that get used for light moving baits, and jerkbaits.

Four inch plastic worm either weightless or on a split shot rig.

A few of my older spinnerbait lasted to around 30-35 bass. I feel I'm lucky if I can get 15-20 bass out of a new Strike King or Booyah spinnerbait.

Spinnerbait in the vegetation.

I don't know what you would see through the glasses, but it sounds like a good way to step off the side of the boat.

If the bass are still spawning I would try a small profile spinnerbait with a fairly good size blade. Maybe chartreuse or black. If they have finished spawning I would try a Texas rig around wood.

It is what keeps us going back on the water even when the skunk is present.

Around here some springs are memorable for the fishing, and some springs are memorable for the weather. The one constant seems to be that a nasty front will come through the day before a trip.

This time of year I fish mostly from the bank, and once in a while I will locate an area where the bass seem to be stacked up. The water is usually shallow, and the area is almost always around some type of dead vegetation. I'm not sure if I'm casting into beds or if the bass are going after forage in the cover, but by the amount of dinks in some of these lakes, I don't think I am hurting the population any.

Actually my wife reminded me of this one when she told me not to forget my keys. My friend and I were fishing a lake that is about 45 minutes from his house and about an hour and a half from my house. We were in his boat, and met at the ramp. We finished fishing around 4, boat is back on the trailer, his SUV and boat are parked up in the lot. I am unloading my stuff from his boat and putting it back in my car, and he asks me if I have his keys. I told him no, and we proceeded to take everything back out of his boat and SUV looking for those keys. After a while we gave up and I offered to drive him back home to pick up the extra set, but he said he didn't want to leave the boat and SUV alone since it was getting dark. He calls his wife to bring the second set of keys. She was fuming mad, but made the drive. She gets to the concession area and calls for directions down to the boat ramp. While he is giving her directions I find his keys in the car door handle of the SUV that you pull the door closed with. He took the keys and threw them up under the seat, and found them there after he got home.

Well that explains a lot.

On the first two I hit something behind me when I was casting out, and on the last one I did manage to get the tangle out of the spool, but not from around the handle.

Probably Mann's. Since they stopped making the One Minus I don't really have a reason to shop that company, also their customer service really went south since covid.

I'd go with @papajoe222 suggestion with the lighter wire hooks. You might also try taking up some slack and letting the fish have the bait a couple of seconds longer before setting the hook.

That's cool!

I like to fish with light, compact, jigs. Around 1/8, or at most 3/16 size. I'll put on a trailer like a UV speed craw, or a cut down Rage Craw. Something big enough so that if the jig starts to sink in the vegetation the trailer will catch it.

This is the one bait I have fished with on a regular basis that I have no confidence in. The only fish I have ever caught on this bait is one skinny dink bass.

I think my catches are about half and half. It doesn't matter if I'm in a boat or walking the bank, if I start seeing sunfish swimming out in the open and catching them, then I change locations.

I will fish the t-rig or jig on a tight line unless the bite it very light. If the bass are just barely hitting the bait I'll keep the line tight until I feel that first tick. It is usually only one tick and very light, so when I feel it I'll drop the rod a bit to put some slack in the line. Then I'll wait a few seconds to see if the bass is going to pick it up and run with it. I don't want that fish to sense any resistance.

Welcome to the forums.

As another angler that has used BPS reels in the past, I would buy the Shimano.

Oh I thought this was about the spawn.

I've been using an SLX 150. It works good with 1/4 ounce baits.

I used those green extremes from back in early 90's. I went through 3 of them, each one went back to the store because of problems. One of the reasons I'm leery of house brands today.

Their high end rods are pretty good for bottom contact baits, but the lower end rods I only use for moving baits like crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.