BigKev77

When life gives you lemons, turn it into a mess of catfish. That sounds good to me.

Let us know how it went and how they were biting.

1/2 oz flipping jig with a good sharp hook at a good price. I am not brand loyal.

Funny story! I fish cause there's nothing better to do. Literally there is nothing better.

Some pretty serious "lakes" on this river. Hartwell, Russell, Thurmond. Yeah i'd call them lakes, lol. I am guessing you mean the lower river south of Augusta? I posted in the other big river thread but you could also look at the back water which is what I guess you are talking about when you say lakes. We call the lakes here too. Might look there for some early spawners and those thinking about it. Muddy water and current both lead me to fish shallow so you don't need a pricey finder there. Hit a lot of spots and keep moving. The other guys gave good info too. A lipless crank is a good bait too, cast and pump and reel it back to the boat. They like that little fall when you dip your rod tip and good sound for that muddy water. That lower Savanna River reminds me of our lower White river. If you are talking about one of those big reservoirs I would be lost with you.

That is how it is fishing on the Arkansas River. Run and gun hitting numerous spots. I rarely find more than a couple in one spot unless its a bunch of small spotted bass on wing dams. Wing dams, creek mouths, laydowns and vegitation, good rip rap, anything that is going to give the fish a chance move out of current. Those can be pretty subtle changes along the bank or big obvious changes like those wing dams I mentioned. Some times you can go back to those spots, that produced, later in the day and pick off another that has moved in to take that good spot. If you aren't catching keep moving. I am far from an expert but that is how I fish the river here in Arkansas.

Floral wire and wrap it twice. Twist the ends tight and cut off the excess. I do that with most everything with a skirt that isn't hand tied already. I can't remember what size wire I have 20 gauge maybe.

Great idea. Never heard of that before. Does it work any better than o-rings?

Well, I guess I choose my lure depending on where, when, and what I'm fishing. My favorite lure is a jig but it isn't going to be great for everything. You have to make the choice for the situation. You aren't going to pitch a zara spook deep into a bush and I can't walk the dog with a jig. If you want to really learn a technique the only way is to ride it out.

DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!! If I have to. Group one: I HATE crankbaits but because of that I have been forcing myself to use them. So, reluctantly, I have to chose a squarebill crankbait. Group two: If there is a jig in my tacklebox it WILL be tied on before I hit the water. If they aren't getting the job done you change. Where I fish I think those two are the best bet to get started.

I wouldn't put braid on your first baitcaster. You are going to have backlashes you will have to cut out. Just put a cheap line on there until you get the hang of a baitcaster.

Been using a telescopic retriever and it is a little hard to handle but I always get my lure back.

Check out the Senko sticky. Lots of info there and a section just for line and hook size

Lol, Good question. Never really thought about that.

Speed depends on what the fish want. Just experiment with it. When I fish it I start out pointing at the bait and sweep my rod to the side about 90 degrees, reel in the slack and start again. I can't say I ever go REAL slow but like I said before I do want to feel what it is dragging over. Just try different stuff. I enjoy trying new stuff so have fun with it and let us know how you do. Don't go too big on the plastic you choose. Not that they won't hit a big bait back there but it just seems like the stuff on the smaller side gets the most bites. A stick bait (senko, yum dinger) is a dang good c-rig bait.

I don't fish much deep water(over 15ft) on my home fishery so 1/2 to 3/4 is as much weight as I like to use. You want to have enough weight to keep it on the bottom. Use that bottom contact to tell you what is down there. That is the best thing about the c rig. Deeper water, more current, wind causing waves you might want to go 1oz to 1.5. I can't imagine 2oz.. A heavy is plenty and you can get away with a med heavy. I don't think you ever need an extra heavy rod unless you are fishing something like the weeds at Okeechobee. I don't know what guys are throwing their big A rigs on maybe they use an extra heavy. Listen to ibass8 on using the rod to move the rig and not the reel. You will miss a lot of bites using the reel to pull the lure. I drag the bait with a side sweep and not a lift. I feel like that keeps the weight on the bottom. Might not, but I feel good about it so that's all that matters, lol.

Tight to cover, shallow usually, Look for seams that separate fast water from slow or slack water. Imagine you are standing in the wind blowing down a city street. You can barley stand it but the wind is blowing $100 bills so you position yourself where the wind is broken by an object so you can grab the money as it comes by. That is how bass feed in rivers.

Still good in shallow water. 18" to 24" on my leader and 1/2-3/4 should be more than enough weight. One of the great things about a c rig is being able to read the bottom and you need good bottom contact for that. I just drag it along and when I feel something different like weight or "life" I set the hook. You will probably miss some bites until you get the feel for it.

Throw into a big gnarly mess let it fall, watch your line, shake it, watch your line, hop it, watch your line, set the hook hard, and repeat. That is just one of many ways to fish a jig. That sticky has what you need and more.

Hey, you do it your way and I will do it the right way. You see what I did there

Yep lure retriever saved us about $40+ on Saturday and we were using cheap baits. They will pay for themselves multiple times. Not to mention the added confidence when it comes to throwing that pricey crank into gnarly cover.

For t rig it would be the brush hog.

Man, I know how that feels. When I have a day like that I just figure I didn't find fish. I fish the Arkansas river on one of the tougher pools. When the flow is slow it can get really tough, but when you find fish well you know you found fish. Those other days it just seems like a baron waste land. On those days you have to run a gun and hit every spot. Look for signs of life, bait fish hitting the surface or schools on the graph. Heck even look at what the birds are doing. If they are working in the water there is a reason for it they aren't just playing slashy splash. I am no expert, not even close but that is what I "try" to do on those tough days. Doesn't always work out for me though. Edit: thought I would add. Just keep fishing! It'll happen eventually.

Well, CRAP!

There is nothing else in the world when I am on the water. There is no drink or drug that will do that for you. Well, not that I have tried anyway.