bassr95

#3 Mepps inline spinners. I used to fish them all the time and now I don't think I even have one in my box. Not really sure why, those things caught a lot of fish.

Negatives?...It's an open hook bait meant to be fished on or near the bottom. That makes it useless in the weedy water I usually fish, I know because I tried it.

4" green pumpkin Chigger Craw...I think...can't I please have a few more? haha

I've never had any issues with foul hooking fish on a wacky jig. Try waiting a bit after you feel the bite to set the hook, so the bass can eat the whole worm. Usually if they just eat one end of the worm, they are dinks anyway.

I have two Pfluger Presidents and I can't see myself ever needing a nicer or more expensive spinning reel.

There are many times that you can see a bass, and nothing will convince him to bite. There is a huge difference between saying a senko did not work on that fish, and saying they don't work in general! Because I've caught a hundred bass that prove they do work!

It took me a day or two to get comfortable with LH retrieve and I love it now. I'll never switch hands while pitching again!

Sounds right to me...

Most of the time, actually. I usually go to a swim jig if my spinnerbait keeps fouling up because the jig comes through weeds better. I usually catch a lot more on a spinnerbait than a chatterbait, so I might not be the best source of info on when to throw which one

I usually start around 12" but I shore fish weedy ponds a lot, so I will go up to 18" or more to keep the worm up out of the weeds.

Exactly this.

Don't do it, it will not work. I use a longer leader when fishing a d-shot from the bank because your line is at more of an angle.

You really can't go wrong with monofilament from any major brand. In my experience there is not a significant difference between brands when you are putting mono on a baitcaster. Your choice of line size will have a large impact on how much memory the line has.

Almost no spool tension and 2-4 brake blocks (usually 2). Depending on your experience with a baitcaster you might want to add a bit of spool tension until you get used to the reel. I have 2 BB1s and a BB2, and I love them. I rarely have to adjust the brakes when switching lures. One thing I have noticed with the reels is that the spool tension adjustment can a bit finicky, as a small adjustment makes a big difference.

A $10 spool of red label keeps my jig rod in business all season...unless I get too many "professional overruns"

Just my own experience with spinnerbaits...you don't have to have dirty water to throw them. They catch a ton of fish on several super clear (10+ ft visibility), super high fishing pressure lakes in southern Wisconsin. Slow roll that thing through deep weeds and its game on, especially with a little wind blowing! I like a 1/2 oz or bigger spinnerbait for fishing deep weeds

I agree. Unless you're fishing some really heavy cover you can get away without a flippin stick or 65lb braid. I used my 7'3 MH *** with 15 lb flourocarbon to pitch a pit boss into fallen trees a couple weeks ago and pulled out a 4.5 pounder and several others over 3 pounds with no trouble.

X4. I thought he was being sarcastic at first...

Pretty much exactly what I was planning to reply. A 1/2 oz white and chartreuse War Eagle catches fish everywhere, from ponds to natural lakes and reservoirs. The only downside to these baits is that eventually the wire will break after it gets bent by dozens of bass. Not a big deal in my book.

They catch fish all year long, but I usually don't pick one up until the water hits about 50 degrees. In colder water I seem to do better on a rattletrap or jerkbait

I get a premium membership free through my college bass fishing club. Honestly I would not pay for it. There is definitely some good info on there, but it's mostly on large, popular lakes like Kentucky or Guntersville. Half of the spots marked are just some guy pointing out obvious bottom contours, like "main lake point" or something. Occasionally there will be a spot where somebody filled out all the information on their catch, like time of day, lure, depth, cover, etc which can help clue you onto some potential patterns.

Those baits can easily be thrown on the same rod. I'd use a 7' medium power fast action baitcaster.

I'm from Elgin too. I'd be down to fish the Fox this year if you want. It's been kind of hit or miss with finding the smallies out there, so I wouldn't mind learning some stuff from you!

I agree about the intermission...boring and pointless. Still fun to watch overall though.

From what I have been told, it's the first generation hybrid bass (FLMB X NLMB) that display so called "hybrid vigor", and grow ridiculously fast. After that first gen dies off, the bass population actually declines to lower then original growth rates. Not sure if it's true, but stocking FLMB may not be a good thing in the long run.