PersicoTrotaVA

Wacky rig or flick shake senko. A zoom trick worm or jackall flick shake worm gets more bites from smaller fish because of the smaller profiles.

It usually comes down to personal preference but one reason why right handers like a right hand retrieve is because when you are flipping, the retrieve handle doesn't get in the way. I'm a lefty and it always gets in my way when I try to flip but I can't use a left hand retrieve and change hands, its feels very awkward.

How about I put together a real nice combo for less than 200 bucks and I'll keep the rest of the 500? Powell Inferno Rod 6'10 med Whatever reel you want for less than 100(Pflueger Presidential?)

I went out yesterday for the 1st time this year. Water temp was reading at 55.4F when I got on the water around 1130am. I didn't catch a fish until 250pm. Started with my wacky rig and soon switch to a 5" senko texas rig. I fished that the rest of the day. Caught 2 fish, one 5 lber and one 3 lb 14 ozer with in 10 minutes and about 40-50 feet of one another in shallow water(1 ft or less, hint hint)...the spawn is about to start, maybe as early as next week.

When we can't catch bass, we usually bring some old bread with us and put a #1 hook on with a split shot. We make bread balls and stick it on the hook. You gotta let the carp eat it, they nibble. Eventually they will make the ball small enough that they inhale the hook and start swimming off. Set the hook and get ready for one of the most pullingest fish you will ever hook into. They don't fight much, just pull.

You're so lucky! Diamond Valley has a very nice trophy bass population. Swimbaits are your best friend, especially in trout colors. You can throw pretty much anything out there, just make sure it can get deeper, socal lakes are deep when they actually have water in them. When the water level is low, fish are gonna be a lot harder to catch but they do still eat. Drop shotting is another good technique but not with that rod and reel combo. I would stick with spinnerbaits and plastics with that rod. Creature baits, Craws and big worms should catch fish. Good luck and just go out! Screw the reports, they are designed to keep you off the water so the other guys can fish!

I usually take 3 rods, my wacky rig, my jig and my crankbait. I'll catch something on at least 1 of them.

Yes. As a leader on my wacky rig rod and I use a full spool on my crankbait and spinnerbait rods. It sinks so it helps get the bait down. It does have it's drawbacks but so does mono and braid. I would never use it on something that needs to float like a top water bait, and slow sinking bait or a suspended bait.

If you can see 2-3 feet then a bass sees about double that distance. The silhouette of the bait is still there and the vibration is still there. A bass' lateral line can pick up the slightest movement in water.

Zoom Fat Albert on a 1/16 shakey head or something similar. I prefer pearl white and I'll dip the tail in red Spike it or JJs magic. I won't shake it though, I'll just slow reel it through the bed and more times than not, the fish will grab it.

Best Tournament format out there. It really puts these guys in the hot seat. No info, just show up and fish, the way we all do it. I don't like the dink fest but imo it's a more exciting format than just the regular old top 5 for 3 days tournament.

Zoom Fat Albert Grub on a shakey head, KVD 1.0 squarebill, wacky rigged Senko.

Keitech MONO Spin Jig 1/16oz Green Pumpkin wacky rigged with a Zoom Finesse Worm in Watermelon Red Magic. 7.5lbs, my PB.

I like my Keitechs. It's like Senkos, they are soft, they tear, but they catch fish.

Anytime, any place. I like to wacky rig and flick shake them. It's my go to technique, sissy stick or not, it catches fish for me and they are not small. I caught a 7.5lber last week doing the wacky dance.

For all around jig fishing, it's a 3/8 oz imho. All other weights are specific. Lighter weights are for finesse fishing when the bite is hard and shallow water. Heavier weights are for punching through mats, branches, brush piles, grass, lily pads, etc and deep water. I usually throw a 3/8 oz though. Most of the waters I fish aren't deeper than 15 to 20 feet in the holes and the average is about 6 ft deep. They don't have many mats and grass and 3/8 oz is enough weight to get down in a brush pile or tree limbs. I usually control rate of fall with the trailer size.

I'd listen to this man. I kept saltwater aquariums for 15 years and I did a lot of research on light and how its visible in water. One trick I have learned is that when a color is reflected off the surface it usually doesn't penetrate deep enough to be visible. I would suggest using that color and see what happens.

Yes. I use darker colors in darker water and more natural colors in clearer water. This doesn't mean that the opposite will not work, it's my rule of thumb. Hope this helps!

KVD 1.0 Tennessee Shad. Quick jerk once it hits the water to get it going and then a slow crank just to get it to wobble through the water column. On a glass rod you can feel a fish suck it in, its awesome!

Have you ever seen a mouse or rat swim? How about a muskrat? A snake? It looks like a buzzbait going across the water. The noise most likely mimics the sound of swimming legs and feet.

When it's sunny I usually use the black/red and when it's cloudy, I go with the black/blue. When I'm really feeling freaky I will fish black/blue in the sun and black/red under the clouds.

I assume you mean public body of water and if that's the case, I have no idea. Lots of private bodies of water with awesome trophy bass populations in VA, most of them, we will never hear about.

I used to hook the worm, now I use a black or red O-ring. Is the search function broken?

I fish a lot of smaller water that isn't pressured much. I don't mind sharing but if someone comes up on me and starts to fish, I will let them know I don't feel comfortable with them being that close to me, it's a matter of safety not me being rude and wanting the spot to myself. There is a whole lake to fish, why come up to where I am just because that person saw me boat a fish? If I was on a pressured lake or river then yes I would be much more forgiving. In tournaments when they ledge fish, they crowd up all the time. There are plenty of schooled fish so nobody minds. I wouldn't mind in that situation. But if I am in a tournament and working a shoreline during the dead of summer and someone pulls up and starts fishing in front of me, you can bet money I am going to say something about it. It's just rude to do that to someone and yes, I have had that happen before, and yes, I will sling a 2 oz punching weight into their boat.

I would guess that I could get by with using just 17 lb FC but seriously I would be hesitant to throw a jig into a laydown or a matted grass with 17 lb line. I love my 60 lb braid for those situations. My favorite setup so far is 20 to 30 lb braid with a 10 to 12 lb FC leader, strength and just enough bounce so that I don't rip hooks out or straighten them because I use smaller, light wire hooks, most of the time.