RoLo

I'd suggest fishing nothing but green-pumpkin lures, then put lure color totally out of your mind. Now devote 'all' your attention to finding fish and lure delivery. You might be amazed. Roger

You've mentioned over a half-dozen lures you fished, more than I generally fish on a given day. I might be off-base, but it sounds like a "locational" issue to me, followed closely by lure delivery. To be sure, there is no lure and no color that can substitute for the correct Location and Delivery. Roger

I personally would target the '2500' reel. Bear in mind that your reel is a major player in the overall balance of your outfit ('combo' if you will). The trend toward lighter and lighter reels is understandable, but there is a tipping point. When you go with an unduly light reel (as I tend to do), you're more likely to end-up with a tip-heavy rod. Roger

Ain't that the truth?

A day like that ranks right up there with a Personal Best, which in one way or another it was. Those are the days that keep us coming back for more, like a crack addiction. Roger

Well Done!

By the way, a wacky worm can be fished weedless by burying the hook-point in the worm, and also by using a hook with a weedguard. The latest is a fluorocarbon weedguard...finally , a use for fluorocarbon Both Wacky-rigged and Texas-rigged stickworms catch lots of bass, the choice boils down to personal preference. I can't say that one rig is better than the other, but I prefer fishing a T-rigged stickworm over a W-rigged stickworm, because it requires less patience. Roger

General Topwater: 30-lb Braid Heavy Cover: 50-lb Braid (formerly used 65, but scaled back) Roger

The answer to your question would hinge on one's definition of "finesse". In my view, the goal of a 'finesse' delivery is to deliver the lure as "naturally" as possible (minimum drag). This is typically done by using a smaller lure, thin line and subtle lure action. Naturally, the thinner the line diameter, the less water resistance (drag), the more natural the delivery. To that end, no line has a higher ratio of breaking strength to line diameter than polyethylene braid. As a result, my finesse outfits are spooled with 20-lb braid. Many anglers prefer 10-lb braid for finesse fishing, but we're only talking about a difference of 1/1000th inch (0.001"), or 1/4 the thickness of a human hair. Slashing the breaking-test in half (by 50%) to reduce the line-diameter 11% is not an attractive tradeoff. I use straight braid all the time (no leader), but for the angler who feels more confident using a line with a refractive index closer to water, simply attach a leader of nylon (Big Game), copolymer (CXX) or fluorocarbon (yuck). Roger

I'll always jump at the opportunity to assist a youngster fishing. The joy I'd get from 'my' next fish wouldn't hold a candle to the joy we'd BOTH get from the kid's next fish. Roger

There you go. It's not the wand, it's the magician

Raul will tell you, the Jitterbug never disappeared from his tackle box

Is THAT What A "Rat's Nest" Looks Like ? I've heard about them, but NEVER had one! Roger

I can't get enough of that stuff, our kids are the future of our sport

Me, I don't need a reason

Sometimes, after boating a bass at a spot I'll promptly leave riding on a hunch that it was the only active bass at that spot. SHAME on me

The Post-Spawn period typically provides the best topwater bite of the year, no matter what your latitude. Since we all LOVE topwater action, fish your 5 favorite topwater and subsurface lures. Roger

My sentiments exactly. The "bent-rod pattern" is so rampant in saltwater, that most captains keep a pair of binoculars perched on their console. When fishing off Sandy Hook, I often initialized flotillas, that I ended up leaving because it got too crowded and hectic (I'm a lone wolf). It doesn't feel good to know that you gave birth to 3 armadas, and then catch heck from someone for being too close. Well, it's all in the game, it's called competition, and if it gets too hot, you can always leave the kitchen

Good Question There probably is a way, but I've been happy with green-pumpkin black-swirl Roger.

I throw War Eagle spinners, and their skirts are cut to resemble a built-in trailer. Although I never add a trailer, I 'always' add a trailer hook, yup even in the Florida slop. Roger

Trolling for any game fish can be a very productive method. By no means cheating, trolling is NOT a mindless approach, which better describes chucking & winding. When properly executed, trolling involves a great deal of knowledge and specialized gear. I've had excellent success trolling in fresh and saltwater, which makes me ask myself: why don't I troll more often? I admit that I lack the necessary patience to troll properly, but more than that I don't like putting out my fishing partner, who also lacks the patience to troll Roger

As Farmer noted above, adding weight to any lightly-salted stickworm will give you the sink rate and tail waggle of a Senko (learned that around 2005). If you want to start out with a heavily salted stickworm for less than the price of a Senko, buy the Gambler 5" Ace. It provides the same length, same diameter, same texture, same weight and same action as a Senko (compare them in a swimming pool). Roger

Nose-hooking is very popular, but "body-hooking" the fluke imparts a long fluid glide that isn't possible with a nose-hooked fluke. When body-hooked in the groove provided, the hook serves as a ballast and keel. For the "Fluke Jr." I use an Owner 1/0 Wide Gap Plus, a lightweight hook that gives a 'Fluke Jr.' a nice lazy descent (Killer!) Roger

My heart just skipped a beat! What daya say Russ, and how have you been? Roger

Based on your images, it's a very small pond (5 acres?). On a waterbody that small, you really don't have to bother with broad coverage lures, but 'fan-cast' the entire shoreline with your favorite bait (high confidence lure) and fish it slowly & thoroughly. Everyone has their own go-to baits, but I'd probably rake it with a 5" worm and 1/8 oz bullet sinker. You will learn of any existing drop-offs, sunken humps or holes if you pay strict attention to the elapsed time to reach bottom after each cast, and by studying the angle of your line. This can be done with an 1/8 oz sinker, and doesn't require a Carolina rig. Roger