Heron

Good to know.

Baitcasting reel. Lews Speed Spool LFS.

Ohhhh yeah, thats right, I forgot. Maybe because in the fall, I never find the bait.

Just saw that one of my favorite reels is now offered in a 7.5:1 gear ratio. It begs the question - Is that in some way too fast, for practical usage? It seems so. I prefer the 7.1 but thats just personal preference, and even that seems quite fast. But of course, this particular reel is not offered in the 7.1

I think I might skip the fall this year, and switch to finding Crappie.

Ok, what exactly is it about the Fall, that signifies the need for Lipless cranks?

I use mono, and all of my backlashes have been pretty easy to pick out. Only one time ever, did I have to cut it all out and start fresh. And that, was an extenuating circumstance. Trying to cast my bait between two trees, with the closest one only about 4 yards out. Reached back, and flung that bait out there, and it quickly crashed right into that closer tree. In the time that I had watched it smack the tree, and fall to the ground....my reel was saying, "wwhhhiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." pfft. Just wrapped it up and went home.

Of course not, as with many things in fishing, it became a great excuse to go ahead and pick up that better rod I had been wanting for a while.

So how much does the conditions of the day, play a role in your decision to go subtle?

Maybe Im thinking too subtle, then

Looks like a fine compliment to the straight worm collection. I may have to check these out.

Early this season, I made a completely bonehead error, by not taking a moment to allow myself enough casting clearance, and it cost me ----- sort of. To preface this, I am a shore angler who likes to keep my fishing investments down to conservative levels, to say the least. I own two rods. One casting, one spinning. And those two more than suffice for my needs. My baitcaster is a cheap combo, from Pinnacle, which I am nonetheless very pleased with. And my spinning rig is simply an Abu Garcia blank rod, maybe a vengeance, I dont recall. And my reel is just a $9 Walmart special, of some description. But one day, I decided to head to the water, and packed up all my fishing stuff...everything, except for my brain, apparently. Anyway, I get down to the dock, I set my spinning rig down, leaned it up against the guard rail, and cast off with my baitcaster. Upon that cast, all I heard and felt was..CRRRRAACKKK!!. I look to see the top 4" of the spinning rod was gone, and the its line had been snapped. With one rod, I had chopped the top off of the other rod.....I chopped it off. I unwittingly sliced through that sucker, like a samurai warrior. I couldnt believe I had just done that. What a bonehead error. However, upon further inspection, my casting rod, remained completely unscathe. Well how bout that. And it has since survived several fish. A testament to the strength and value of a cheap combo, whilst in the hands of carelessness.

I have a story to tell... Last year, when my little boy was 3, I decided to begin his introduction into fishing. Before doing anything else, I made the conscious effort to go out and scout for a location that would provide him enough fishing action, to keep his attention. It has always been my perspective, that when introducing a child to fishing, it is so much better, to do so at a place where there is lots of action, and they are actually catching fish. The more, the better. At his age, my youngster's attention span is probably about 45 seconds, when nothing is happening. So then, a'scouting I will go. I tried several different ponds and lakes that were a short drive away. But none of them had what I was looking for. Then I stumbled a upon a small pond that just happened to be right next to where we live. The only fish in this pond are Largemouth, but they are smaller. These bass probably average between 7"-9" in size. There are alot of them in this pond, and for whatever reason, they are always, super aggressive. The first time I took him fishing, I brought him to this pond....and it was gold. We were catching fish with every single cast. Even I was eventually amazed at the sheer frenzy that had beset these fish He wasnt sure what to make of it at first. He would bring the fish in, and then when it broke water, he would hand his little rod to me, and then go run up the hill, until I released it. It was a hot day that day, so we were there for only about 45 minutes. But in that time, we caught and released 10-12 fish. Weve been back to that pond several times since. Even I have gone down there even moreso on my own, if for no other reason, then out of pure intrigue of the behavior of these little bass. And everytime we go, its the same thing - constant hits, fish with every cast. Doesnt matter what time of day, under what conditions, or what bait is used. They are always hitting, and they hit everything. Ideally though, because of their size, we keep the baits small. Any lure that is 2-3" will get hit, and provide good hookups. So easy a 3 or 4yr old can do it. The way I see it, for the purpose of introducing a youngster to fishing, or even an adult who has never fished a day in their lives - This, is the perfect pond. And Im greatful for finding it.

That stuff sure is repellant...look what it did to them shiners.

RW - you ought to make a video demonstrating this technique. Youtube viewers and Bass resource members alike, would enjoy watching this being done first-hand.

This certainly is a fine enough thread to be worthy of a pinning.

I suspect since the recommended hook is a 4/0 EWG...its probably T-rigged.

Agreed, one in a thousand. Hence, no need to purchase it.

I prefer Gucci.

Im really on the fence about this particular bait. On one hand, it just seems hokey. However, on the other hand, its design is an interesting combination of flapping action, and beaver action. This gives it action on the fall, then once it rests on the bottom, its is worked like a beaver. This sort of concept has been making a lot of sense to me lately. Not sure what to think. I doubt it will catch fish any better than anything else.

But, my results have not been consistent.

Lets compare notes for a moment. What does the phrase, "switching to a more subtle presentation." mean to you, exactly? For me, it means that I start throwing baits like... - Straight tail worms - Beaver baits - Lifelike Craws (ex. Yum Craw Bugs) - Drop shot - Curly grubs Also, under what conditions are you making the decision to use that "more subtle presentation?" For me, I tend to use it on days with high temps, high sun, still water, no wind. What say you?

10.5" Excite Maximus worm

This year has been all about chatterbaits w/ curly tail grubs. Its been a good closer. With honorable mention to curly grubs on a beetle spin.

Id go with Argyle.