Avid Angler FL

Well, first off, welcome to the site! We're glad to have ya! Also, I know how it is to be bass fishing on a hot day and sometimes I'll catch a whole bunch, and on other days, it'll wield zero results. Keep in mind the T-Rig, or "Texas" Rig. One of the most effective rigs to use ALL year round, provided it is fished at the right speed. Try this: a Zoom U-Tail worm or a Culprit 6-7.5" worm, in your choice of color, fished with a 2/0 or 3/0 offset worm hook. Then, before tying the hook on, slide a 1/8th to 3/16th oz Bullet weight up the line. Cast out parallel to the edge of the lillies. Then let it sink. Slooowwwwllly twitch the bait occasionally, and raise your rod tip a bit, then slowly allow the bait to sink. ALWAYS feel for any slight twitch or jerk in your line because it may be a fish. If you have any questions, feel free to ask em, or message them to me. Thanks, God Bless, and best of luck on the water! -Garrett

Ouch! This seems a lot more dangerous than it should be, unless people just aren't wearing gloves. I still would like to try pouring my own though. How much would the basic setup cost??

Hey, sorry to hear about your bad luck. The good news is, you're getting bit! This is automatically a good thing because it means you're where the fish are! Try downsizing your baits, or switch up the presentations. Not sure where you're located, but if the water has been experiencing a lot of extended heat, they may be a bit more sluggish and they may just be short striking it. Try adding trailer hooks to spinnerbaits, and make sure you're giving the fish a second or two between the strike and the hookset. Hope this helps!

What kind of tackle do you use? I think my 4'9" UL combo with 6lb Stren is decent for any size Rapala Floater.

True but it's not as convienient as the packaged dough baits because the dough baits have a longer shelf life, and they have a far more potent scent that I think attracts catfish in from a longer range of area. Have you, or anyone else tried them? And I do agree that hot dogs work well, but they only do great in waters full of cats, otherwise I'll find small panfish nibbling them away.

Try the Browning Superlight from Bass Pro. The reel is around $30, and the combo is around $50, but I managed to find the combo on sale for $30. The reel has served me well the past few months I've used it. Wonderful for panfish and small bass, even small catfish can be landed on it. the rod is pretty sturdy, but the cork handles begin to wear off after a few fishing trips. All in all it's a decent combo though.

Just curious as to peoples' tips and tactics regarding the Original Floater. I haven't used them so much lately, but plan on starting back. How do you fish em? Where do you fish em?

1. Bass Pro/ Tracker Boats 2. Zoom Baits 3. Strike King 4. Rapala 5. Gamakatsu Hooks 6. Owner Hooks 7. Costa Del Mar Sunglasses Those would be my top companies to be sponsored by!

More specifically though, has anyone ever used Zoom Small Tubes? They seem to be great. Great texture, perfect size for a bit of a more "finesse" approach, and they seem to be quite effective.

Yeah these ponds are like 30-40 by 60-70 yards in area. they're not huge by any means but every now and then they'll kick out a decent fish. Another tip I have for everyone out there, LEARN how to use a fly rod, if you don't already know. A 5/6 weight would be perfect as it can be uased to fight large panfish to decent sized bass. Get an assortment of poppers, so when the fish aren't taking larger baits, or if they're pressured, try to land a small popping fly on the water and work it slow.

I swear, I don't know what it is about the simple design of a shad-shaped piece of soft plastic, but it works! And the effectiveness of the Fluke is immense!

Welcome to the forum! I just joined a few days ago and I've already learned so much! Finally, a place all of us Bass anglers can come to collaborate and share tips and tricks. Good luck on the water, and God bless!

Hey, Northwest Florida, you??

Use a Texas-Rigged soft plastic worm in your choice. Good colors to start with would be Red Shad, Junebug, and Watermelonseed, and also Green Pumpkin. Cast parallel to the edge where the mats meet the water. Allow your bait to sink then SLOWLY give it small twitches and small rod sweeps to raise it off the bottom. Make sure you make a few hundred casts in one fishing session, that way, you can be very thorough with your approach. When the sun starts setting, it may be a good time to throw a popper. Try the Rebel Pop-R or a Hula Popper.

Has anyone here ever used Magic Dough Bait or Berkley's Catfish Powerbait dough chunks? I have a bag of each sealed right now. I've used the Magic in the past with great results, but haven't tried the Powerbait. Thanks for any tips or advice.

Yeah, but does jigging it vertically in about 1-2 feet of water yield any results, or am I probably wasting my time? by the way, I've been trying the jigging thing at night...

Whatever ya'll do, DON'T use berkley fireline! It's awful. Way too hard to trim, knots don't tie well with it, and it doesn't handle well. Just my $0.02 By the way though, Berkley DOES make awesome products, just not when it comes to their braided lines.

If you have the patience, use blue painter's tape! Just use an Xacto knife or similar fine blade and cut through the tape to create the shape of the black "ear" portion of the bluegill. this should do the trick!

Well I figured the Spike-It Crawfish scent I have would go good with a jig/trailer combo, and a spray every few casts on a plastic bait might help. Anything for that added edge can make ALL the difference!

Yeah I hear ya on the cranks pickin up grass part! That's how it is in the ponds I fish! I usually go with weedless plastics, Texas rigged. You just cast em into the thickest cover or right on the edge of a brushpile and let it sink, then twitch it a bit, pause, and keep slowly, S-L-O-W-L-Y working it back toward you. If you haven't already, I reccomend you check out Culprit worms! Amazing baits and well priced. I like the 6" and 7.5". A great go-to color by the way has to be Red Shad! Best of luck to you!

Nice fish by the way Endless! I have a small black/blue Z-Man chatterbait. I should give it a try next time I'm out there.

Yeah I've used small cranks, all the way down in size to the Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnows, if that's what you're referring to. I just don't know if I should cast a bait to the opposite side of the pond and slowly work back, or if I should work it at a fast speed, slow speed, etc. I just wish I knew how to think like a fish !

Yeah I think a stringer would be your best bet. It's what I use to keep catfish alive and kickin. Just make sure but stick it through their lower lips, NOT through their gills. That's what will injure or even kill fish. Another option, as you've mentioned would be the fish basket. That would be great to use! And they're usually collapsable to reduce the bulk of them!

I fish a local private lake, but on the side I also like to fish a few small private ponds. How should I go about finding the fish? It seems to be random. One day they're relating to cover and the next they may be roaming around as they please! Does anyone know what I should do?? Thanks, -Garrett

Has anyone tried Spike-It? It comes in a 5 or 6 ounce aerosol can and comes in scents such as Garlic, Shad, Gamefish, and Crawfish? I have a can of the Crawfish scent but haven't had the chance to use it. Is it really good stuff? Also, something I've done with scents in the past is to buy a bag of unscented plastics, like Zoom U-Tails and spray a generous amount into the bag. That way, the next time I fish, the worms will have been saturated in the stuff. Also useful for keeping the baits from drying out.