EmersonFish

If I were guessing for a chance to win $1000, I would say 4.81 lbs. That is completely unscientific. I'm just glad you handled the fish well, and didn't do the old "straight arm" trick to make it look bigger than it was. Beautiful fish.

You will obviously find a great deal of information (too much perhaps) about it where WRB pointed you. Read that, but try not to get overwhelmed. If you are COMPLETELY new to the jig, you might even seek out a more "succinct" article that addresses the basics of the jig first. There may be one linked in the thread. I don't know. You will do well to learn the basics and get out and get some time on the water, then seek out the information you need to fine tune things as you go. If I were starting over with jigs, my first rod would be a good quality, Medium-Heavy, fast action, casting rod, of 7' or a little longer. On your budget, I'd focus on taking advantage of the quality rods battling for your dollar at the $100 price point. That doesn't leave a ton of money for a reel, but I think the rod quality is more vital in this case. Maybe you can find one of those rods on 'closeout' like a Veritas, or get really lucky and find a 'Crucial' on clearance like a lot of guys have recently. I'd get a reel that is at least 6.4:1, preferably a little faster to pick up slack line quickly. This is all based on my preference, and what I would recommend to start. Some people like things completely different. You'll develop your own tastes over time.

The problem is a Medium and Medium-Heavy can vary quite a bit from brand to brand, so don't pin yourself down that way. I use to use Falcon rods. The Medium-Heavy 'Weightless Worm' (6'7", XF) or 'Finesse Jig' (6'10", F) Lowriders are rods that are very versatile and cover your needs pretty well. I use St. Croix rods now. A Medium-Heavy St. Croix is a whole different animal than a Falcon. I would recommend a Medium action St. Croix for your needs. Although some wouldn't recommend anything below the 'Avid' line (my current rod of choice), which starts to push your budget, the 'St. Croix Rage' in 6'10", M, XF, or 7'1", M, F, might be worth a look.

I use a Left Hand, 5.2:1 PQ, and have used many other PQ's (mostly 6.4s) over the years. It's a solid reel. You'll get your money's worth. But now you've seen that there are more options out there than you realized, and if your budget is up to $200, you can probably invest that cash in something that will make you say something better than, "meh." The good news for us is, there will continue to be more and more reels available in "left-hand retrieve' as more right-handed people realize they were lunatics for ever using "right-hand retrieve" reels in the first place. (I'm kidding of course. I'm not trying to go there. I wish I used "righties.")

Congrats to everyone on being able to discuss this without getting it locked down. We just had this conversation, and it didn't go quite as well. I use to live on TRL, and we had a slip at a dock, so maybe it's not quite the same, but people fished around our boat and our stuff all the time, and I don't remember spending one second caring. We were responsible for the upkeep of the dock, and it wasn't really a problem. Sometimes I wonder why guys can't break off when they get caught on the cables without leaving 20 yards of line behind, but they do that all over the lake. Now I live up by Lake of the Ozarks. If you are unfamiliar with LOZ, just look it up on Google Earth. The shoreline is pretty much one long stretch of docks for much of the lake, and all of those folks are privileged to have those docks. So yeah, they get fished a lot (although the docks in prime areas obviously get a lot more attention). Doesn't seem to be near as much of a problem in reality as it is in theory around here. There are some knuckleheads on both sides of the issue, but that applies to pretty much any situation in live.

I'd like to hear B.A.S.S. and F.L.W. pitch that live bait tournament idea to all of those lure manufacturers who spend so much money sponsoring fisherman and tournaments, and promoting the sport. That would probably go very smoothly.

No practical reason not to do when/where legal. I have never done it because typically when I am drop-shotting it's because conditions call for more of a finesse presentation, and those conditions usually mean you need to have your senses in tune with your bait. The more I have hanging off of you your line, the more difficult that is for me. If I did do it, it would only be with two identical hooks for the reasons J Francho pointed out, and the Spin Shots ww2farmer mentioned might be a good choice to ensure reliable knots. When I've use similar rigs for the purposes of catching bait, I've just tied a few 'looper knots' along the line, but bait catching is a different situation.

Short Answer: Yes, it's common, but don't settle for it. Don't let it shake your confidence; but keep trying new approaches. You might throw everything in the book at them and find that in that body of water, mid-summer, mid-day; one bite every 2 or 3 hours is as good as you'll do. You might find the sweet spot, and have onlookers thinking you're the local KVD. Who knows? That's the beauty of it.

I'm sure you are like me. I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas when a rod is on the way. That would be a real heartbreaker. I know places that ship a lot of rods have to take a calculated risk and ship economically. It's a numbers game, and they are competing with retail, as well as other mail order businesses. But an NRX, thrown in a cheap tube, not totally mummified in bubble wrap? I buy cheap, fiberglass, catfish rods that are made to take a beating, and they are shipped in PVC, with bubble wrap around the entire rod so that they are snug in the tube. I pay a premium, and they are hell to unwrap, but it's reassuring knowing they will likely arrive okay. Probably better that it arrived totally jacked, and not just jacked enough for you to get all the way out on the water, and break it catching a fish or something.

I'm just speculating, but it sounds like you are at a point in your knowledge and comfort level of equipment where you're not going to be 100% comfortable with anything you buy. I know it's tough when you are investing money. You want to get it right; but one of the realities is, we all learn our personal preferences over time. Some people like shorter rods, some longer, and so on. None of us can tell you what you will like. I do know the Premier is a good rod. It's more traditional in style than a lot of the others out there. Maybe not as light as some others in its price point, but very durable and solid in construction. Certainly a rod that will hold value well enough that you could resell it (at a reasonable used price) if you decide to upgrade or try something different.

I ordered one of those Powell Diesels from TW. $58 to my door. It arrives today. They only have the MH, 7' model, but it's a glass rod, and I ordered it to handle the very same thing you are looking for. We'll see how I like it.

Don't let these "threads" discourage you. These are generally discussions regarding the lowest common denominator when it comes to tournament behavior. For the most part, people who fish tournaments do it for the same reason you would; for the enjoyment of a little friendly competition. Most people don't deliberately steal spots, or even worse, advocate for and confess to previously "seeding" (or salting) an area with bass. That's actually grounds for disqualification in many, if not most, events. People want to win for the satisfaction of it. Most tournaments are not about money. Not much satisfaction in winning in a non-sporting way. There are a few bad apples out there, but they have a way of getting weeded out. You might enjoy club tournaments where everyone knows each other a little better.

Fall is great, but here in Missouri, it means nasty Winter is right around the corner; and I'm never in a hurry to get any closer to that. I'm going to hang on to Summer as long as I can.

That's a pale, meek looking little Green Sunfish. 'Greenies' are great flathead bait. They are typically very sturdy little guys that will live a long time on the hook and move around quite a bit. They also make pretty good cut bait for channel cat once they die.

It's true; that is a great fish anywhere, but you are right to point out that, relative to other areas of the country, catching a fish that size in Idaho is a special accomplishment. Congrats!

Welcome to the forums. I'm sure your English will be just fine. We all speak Bass around here, so don't be afraid to ask a question or comment. I confess to not knowing much about fishing in Spain, so maybe I'll learn something.

Welcome Morton! I'm in Central Missouri. Good to meet you.

Sounds like an opportunity to really focus on what you are doing; maybe try some tactics you would be less inclined to do if you had to worry about another guy fishing the back. In any case, a good solo fisherman is a lot better than 50% of a team, but is certainly at a disadvantage to a team of two good anglers that works well together. To be fair, I've never fished a tournament alone, but I've fished plenty of "buddy" events, and fished alone outside of tourneys a lot. I'm more productive personally by myself. I plan to fish some tourneys alone now that my boat situation has improved. I'll fish the 'Big Bass Bash' in October, then maybe the 'Anglers in action Solo Pro Series' next year, where everyone fishes alone.

First of all, dip bait is a good "numbers" bait, but if there is an "arm's length" catfish in a pond, it didn't get that way by picking up little scraps. You are right to lean toward live bait or cut bait. Not knowing what kind of cat it is complicates things a little. You can probably rule out blue cat, so that leaves flathead or channel. If the pond is fed by a creek, or someone put them there, it could be a flathead. Either would probably be feeding on the live bait available in the pond. The Santee rig is perfectly fine for your cutbait. Just don't get carried away with the leader length. It would also work with a smaller live bluegill, greenie, or whatever you are using, but it's better suited for cut bait. If you think it might be a flathead, you'll want to fish close to whatever heavy cover is available for it. In that case, I'd just use a Carolina Rig with a relatively short leader, and I'd "belly hook" the bait which means behind the anus/above the anal fin. If you are unsure about that, you can still hook them in the back, but can swim more naturally on a bottom rig hooked in the belly. If you are going to use a circle hook, make sure you know what you are doing. I could write a book about that, so I won't get into it, I'll just say that if you do think you are dealing with a flathead, and using a circle hook, that can be a tricky proposition. You have to recognize how a flathead often takes a bait, and be incredibly patient. If you are fishing in the thick of heavy cover, a circle hook can be more problematic because, by design, you have to let the fish take it, and turn before you reel up on them. A flathead will have you in a tree real quick, which is why, if I have the rod in my hand, I will opt for a J-Hook in those situations. If it's a channel, the most likely scenario, cut bait would probably give you the best odds anyway. But live bait will give you the opportunity to catch a big channel or flat.

I might commute. I live in Jefferson City. I may decide between now and then that I would rather find a place where I can get a slip. There will be a lot of boats loading and unloading, and potentially some full parking lots at ramps near the weigh-in sites. Plus, it's still takes me about an hour to get to the ramp I'll likely put in at, and gas is crazy. We'll see. If I have to take the boat out of the water anyway, I'll probably just drive home and sleep in my own bed. I will say this: If I catch an 8 lber. the first day, I'm not leaving town. I most likely will concentrate my fishing in the Gravois Arm because that is closest to home and where it's easiest for me to fish in the weeks leading up to the event, so I'll weigh in at Alhonna... assuming I have anything to weigh in.

Since you are staying near the dam, are you planning on using the weigh-in site at Alhonna Resort?

To be honest, I haven't fished for bass at LOZ much. When I have bass fished there it's been way out west in the river. I co-own a bass boat with my dad and he lives down at Table Rock, so the boat stays with him and that's where I fish most often. Anyway, it doesn't make sense to go down there, get the boat, and go somewhere else. This year I bought a boat to use for multi-species fishing. I just built a casting deck on the front so I could bass fish around here, and I planned on that tournament being my first.

I don't recommend it. Bending the tip weakens it, but more importantly, what makes a circle hook effective is the overall shape of the hook in relation to the hook point and how it pivots as it slide along the corner of the fish' mouth, ensuring penetration. Just bending the tip doesn't give you a circle hook, it gives you a J-hook with a bent tip.

I fish them a lot, and I will fish them on a variety of rigs (Texas, Carolina, Shaky, Split Shot, etc...), although most frequently I'll Texas Rig them with a 1/8 or 3/16 oz. weight. In that case I'll hop them, drag them, or flip them into cover and twitch them. Even if I am hopping them like a lot of people fish a jig, I like to pause between hops and twitch them. I also like to fish them on grass lines, throw them just into the grass and kind of rip it out and let it set.

It's hard to say on the braid without seeing it. It's probably fine. At least strip off the line that's been exposed before you tie anything on. The old fluro that's been on that spinning spool for a couple of years though? I'd part ways with it.