Jar11591

Size 2 wide gap finesse Gamakatsu hook, 6lb hybrid line on a 7’ medium/fast spinning rod is the set up I use to throw wacky senkos.

Great day on the water. Topwater was on fire at sunrise. Did some damage with a Pop Max and a Chug Bug, and when the topwater bite died, they slammed jigs and spinnerbaits all day long. Biggest went 3lb 5oz, but my buddy and I were catching them all day.

An extremely busy year prevented me from being on the water as much as I’d like to be, but I was able to get out for several hours this morning. It was windy, cold, and sunny and the bite was a bit “off”. Had to grind for 4 or 5 fish that all came from downed timber. Only one was decent enough to be picture worthy: October is typically a great month for me, so I’ll be trying to get out as much as possible over the next month. This lake produces a lot of big fall bass.

Walking a frog requires a much more subtle twitch of the rod, and some slack in the line. It can be done, but not as easily as a spook style bait.

Nicely colored black crappie.

Got on the water later than normal this morning. Sun was already high and hot, but still managed a good one on the first cast. Pitched a 10” Culprit ribbon-tail worm to a submerged tree. She went 4lb: The first cast curse was real though, as I only managed a pickerel and a couple more tiny bass the rest of the day.

Got on a good, very shallow frog bite around mid-day today. The best one went 4lb, and she slammed a Pad Crasher right next to the boat.

Back on the water and back on the forums after a few months. Due to life’s craziness I hadn’t been able to do either as much as I would like. But the hectic schedule has opened a little bit and I should be able to get out a lot this year. Did pretty well on my first trip of the year. No lunkers, but a decent average size and I caught em all day. Most fish were caught super shallow. Got the best fish on a weedless frog.

I would say you’re about right with 3 pounds.

Juvenile esox can sometimes be tricky to distinguish. Hard to say. Could even be a pickerel.

Yes, I use 6lb Yo-Zuri on one reel, size 25. Never have any issues with line twist, and I do treat it with KVD L&L before each time out. I use it exclusively for wacky-rigged senkos, and to me it’s the perfect line for throwing them around logs and more open-ish water.

2.5-3 pounds.

More than 2, less than 4.

Wish I could tell ya. I fell 3 ounces short and was pumping my fists and gritting my teeth like I just hit a walkoff in the World Series. Afterwards I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

Coloration and pattern on the sides and fins tell me it’s a pike, no doubt.

Netbait Paca Craws & Chunks Rage Tail Menace Zoom Baby Brush Hog Culprit 10” Ribbon-tails Yamamoto Senko

Wow that’s a beast! Can’t wait for the report on her.

Thats one of the best mounts I have ever seen. Very impressive.

This is very, very false and I would recommend getting that notion out of your head and never thinking about it again. My advice would be to use a popper, more specifically a small one like a 2.5” Chug Bug and work it slow over any weeds that come near the surface, but not all the way to the top. Sunrise and sunset will give you the best odds, but there are times bass can be coaxed up to the top throughout the day. Topwater is a presentation that i have extreme confidence in, and on most lakes I fish, it’s rare that I can’t get something going on top every outing from early summer through fall. This is copied from a post I made last year, offering some tips for topwater fishing: Some suggestions: 1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water. 2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X. 3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way. 4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve. 5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast. 6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank.

Weird bite today, but the fish played nice, including some good ones. Topwater at daybreak produced nothing, but around 11 a.m. a very quick window opened up when they started hitting on top. Picked up 4 in a span of 10 minutes on the Pop Max before the topwater bite shut down again. Texas rigs also produced some good fish, a couple around laydowns and a few more in the thickest weeds I could find. 10” Culprit ribbon-tail:

Are you located somewhere that the lakes freeze in the winter? I’m certainly no expert, but I know lower water levels could make a lake more susceptible to a winter-kill. Prolonged ice and snow cover combined with shallow depths and decaying vegetation can deplete the oxygen levels enough to cause fish die-offs. If your water freezes over in the winter, I assume it’s possible that a winterkill threw off your ponds ecosystem and left the bass with not enough prey. Normal water levels would make the winterkills less likely.

Beautiful north country bass!

I always recommend a topwater-dedicated setup. Something like a 6’6” M-F rod and a 7:1 reel.

My mother and father travel occasionally, and whenever they do, they buy me a lure that is used in the location they traveled to. I don’t fish these lures, I have them all on display. This year was a couple of hair jigs from Rockhall, Maryland that they use down there to catch the “rock fish”, otherwise known as striped bass.