Hattrick7

I wouldn't limit yourself to those areas only or psyche yourself out because you might not have those areas to fish. I would pretty much bet that bass would be stacked up somewhere along those drop offs and those rocks. I would say that 95% of the times the bass hit my t rig is when I'm dragging and then either hit rocks or some kind of ledge. I don't fish any structure like big rocks so it's tough to say but if you could get away with throwing it weightless or the smallest weight you can get away with. But really you gotta just go out and give it a go. You probably will get hung up but you may also hook into your PB?

You're missing a lot of bites by not throwing one. The thing that makes the t rig so versatile is the ability to change the bait on the fly. My go to is a 3/0 ewg hook and 1/8 or 3/16 bullet weight and I carry a "speed bag" which consists of different baits like stick worms, creatures, curly tails, etc. and in different colors. It's easy to reach into the bag and change out the bait without having to dig throw my tackle box looking for the package. For baits I'd recommend a stick worm, pit boss, and some curly tail worm. Whatever the water color is and pick your colors accordingly. It's a consistent performer and a super fun bite. Good luck!

Pit boss in green/green. Has gotten bit in every lake/pond I've thrown it in so far.

I use to use a spinning setup and then learned a BC and yes my timing was way off. When I first tried to overhead cast with a BC the bait almost went straight down compared to what I was used to with a spinning set up. You just gotta give it time and practice with it and you'll eventually get the hang if it. One tip I'd say is just get your timing down and forget about distance. Once you get your motion and release down everything should fall into place.

I usually fish every day. I live walking distance to my local lake. Fishing time varies though from 45 minutes to a 3-4 hours depending on what lake I'm fishing that day.

They work awesome for me on a T rig. When the head gets thrashed from that I cut off the top and save it for a jig trailer.

Bottom is usually my go to nowadays. Especially that t rig bite. I don't think I can ever get tired of that feeling. You know that thump or tap tap. Just getting the hang of jigs and that's a super fun bite. But so much versatility in that t rig. Speed bag of plastics for changing baits on the fly is very convenient.

From there I would throw a dropshot with a roboworm in morning dawn or some other lighter color with lighter fluoro line. I think that should at least get you bit if there's bass around. I would also throw a t rig with like 1/8 weight with a lighter color stick worm or the green pit boss just to see what kinda profile they'll hit. Maybe both? Also a spinner and crankbait and I'd make sure it's swimming towards the bottom. Hard baits in lighter colors.

Roll casting gents. Roll casting. No need to throw out a bomb. Accurate casts to targets.

I normally do use two hands but when i'm 20 feet from the bank trolling I don't need two hands for that.

When I'm casting over and over again one handed with a spinnerbait for a solid two hours vs my Revo SX yeah I can tell a difference. Is my arm gonna fall off? No but there's that fatigue for sure compared to my Revo.

I just got a Tatula and I think it's a very nice reel. Casts great, very smooth retrieve. My only complaint is that I start to feel the weight after a while and the fatigue from it.

Nice man! I'm getting going on jig bites also. Gotta love that thump.

For me it's all about line diameter. I just started using braid and I know I'll never really need it where I fish but putting 20# braid on my BC being equal to about 8# test or whatever diameter just isn't gonna work for me. I spooled up 50# because 12# diameter is the lowest I feel comfortable with.

Freshwater I only fish for bass and the occasional trout if I'm in the mountains. I have zero interest in fishing for catfish, carp, bluegill, etc. I've never fished for crappie so I can't really say but I don't have the patience to throw out a line and then sit until I get bit. Saltwater I love fishing for calico bass primarily but also like fishing for sand bass, halibut, yellowtail, barracuda. Would like to try tuna fishing soon. Sand bass and halibut fishing can get a little slow though.

I've recently given braid a shot with a flouro leader and I've gotta say that it's So Nice not having any line memory! Love the increase in sensitivity also. I usually throw it out looking for some change in bottom contour (breakline, rocks, etc.) I usually work it by lifting my tip, reel slack and repeat until I feel something different. When I feel rocks or some change I'll slow it down a lot but still lift my tip and that's when I get bit. That "thump" is addictive! I use a 6.4:1 I think but it wouldn't make much difference to me since I'm mostly lifting my rod tip.

Always. The bait feels naked without one. Mainly use a single tail grub with the tail pointed down.

I have both and I actually prefer the one that clicks. Just that feedback is nice but the spool tension isn't that big a deal to me anymore. I wouldn't worry about accidentally hitting it and knocking it loose or tight. I've never come close to doing that. I think you would probably knock your drag tension higher or lower than you would your spool tension knob. When I first started using a BC I adjusted the spool tension to where it was barely falling with my brakes off and then adjusting my brakes after like in the videos. I did that with every new bait I tied on. Now I don't even really adjust it really unless the weights a big difference or it's super windy. I keep my tension on the looser side and just adjust my brakes as needed. I think it's really just getting out there and using the reel as much as possible and then you'll get a feel for how it reacts with different baits and wind conditions.

Thanks guys for your input. I can relate to when the pros say never give up. It can get mentally tough for sure. Next tourney is in June and looking forward to it.

Last Saturday was my first ever tourney. Also from fishing out of the back of a bass boat. The #1 thing that I learned was to go with my instincts. I had a feeling that the bass were deeper. Started off early throwing up to the bank and reeling back but the water was so clear that it was easy to see there wasn't any real action up there. Maybe the lone stragler 12 incher but nothing of any real size. I did start throwing a red eye shad out a little deeper but with no real bites I soon started beating the bank again. I pulled in two on a drop shot and sure enough they were out deeper about 12-15' of water. My instincts were telling me to either throw a t rigged worm/creature or a jig. I did end up throwing a baby brush hog with no bites but I know what I did wrong and the weight was not enough. I threw everything...spinner, crank up shallow. It's a little tougher from the back. I shoulda trolled a t rigged pit boss or something deeper coming off an angle. So at the end of the day, we all gather round and talk about what worked and where and what they caught the bigger ones. Sure enough, t rigged baits or jigs about 15-20' of water were where the big ones were biting. Some on spinners and cranks but those were really barely keepers. The DS did well to get bit but it was the t rig or jig that produced the ones that won it. Had a lot of Fun no doubt and didn't really expect too much from myself being the first tourney. Sure did learn a lot though.

Just the topic I was looking for. Great advice guys. I'm gonna be in my first tourney as a non boater tomorrow. Lots of good advice.

I was just using mono and didn't have any issues. I decided to try fluoro and I've been fishing it about three days now and all I can say is wow, the sensitivity is really that much more responsive. Definitely a big enough difference for me to start using it for all bottom bait applications for sure. It feels a little weird though almost like a really thin wire in terms of stiffness.

I think you're gonna be getting frustrated with 8# on a BC.I think that # test is better suited for a spinning reel. I would recommend starting with 12# mono like sufix elite. When I first started on a BC I went to about 1/16 full and found that the more its spooled the easier to backlash. So I would go 1/8 tops and maybe a little less just to get the hang of it. I hear fluoro is almost invisible in the water and you can always just tie on a leader if the bass are line shy with mono.

Thanks guys for the responses.

For you fluoro pros out there, how are you guys setting the hook with a t rig? I normally use mono but tied on a little fluoro. Got two bites but both came undone. First time using fluoro.