the reel ess
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Everything posted by the reel ess
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If you mean the ones with legs, they do draw strikes, but the legs have a tendency to come off after only a few bites. They also start taking on water quickly. I'm a believer in Booyah Pad Crashers.
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Also, weightless Trick Worm and flukes.
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I went back today and saw a lot of big females cruising. But they had no intentions of eating. I missed one on the Pop R. They just weren't chasing anything. I caught several dinks on the jig and frog. I even caught a warmouth on the frog. I decided to return to the area I caught the 6 pounder and give it another try. I spotted some beds with fish on them. The big ones disappeared when I got close enough to cast. But I saw a decent one that refused to leave the bed even when I was close. I pitched the jig in the bed about 30 times before the fish picked it up by the trailer and moved it. A few pitches later it bit and I set the hook, landed it and returned it in less than 10 seconds. I left then on a good note because it started to rain.
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Oh, the best part, I caught it on an ancient el cheapo 6'0" Mitchell "100% graphite" rod that an old roommate left with me when he moved out. I'm certain it's no better than a $15 rod from the 80's. I was really taking it easy with her because she was having her way with that combo.
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I texted my buddy and asked him what the water temp has been lately. He said from 64-68 degrees surface temp. We have a couple nice days with temps in the low 80s and full sun so I knew the temp was rising. There was a front coming with three days of moderate to heavy rain to follow so last night was my window of opportunity. In the afternoon, it got mostly cloudy, which I like, but pretty windy. I launched the kayak just as a nice cloud rolled over. I made a couple casts with a Pop R to areas where I could see some beds. About halfway back to the boat on the second cast BOOM! an explosion as this 6 pounder annihilated my Pop R. I've caught a bunch of 6 pound bass on this lake, and this one was exactly 6.0, but the topwater strike was such a jolt my hands were shaking. After that, it was pretty much a struggle to hold the kayak in the wind. I managed one dink on the Plopper and lost a dink on the jig. But it only takes one to make the trip worthwhile. I also saw a big female either making a bed or laying eggs in one. I couldn't see a male, but it was in some lilies and she was disturbing the water clarity. She was head-down and tail-up.
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Send a DM to @cadman. He can guide you in the right direction. He has about every jighead out there. I bought some exactly like you're asking about. And you're correct that the Arky head is the ATV of jigheads. I also like the grass style because i fish in a lot of grass. Both are a good compromise.
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I've already caught a couple on the frog. When they're on the bed, a frog can be just the ticket, especially in or around the lilies. I have a dedicated combo for the frog so I always start too early so I know I won't waste productive froggin' time.
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I like braid with a swivel and a 15# Big Game mono leader. When the bite gets really tough, I'll go down to a 10 lb leader and use a finesse worm. That way you get the advantage of no stretch all the way except for the short mono leader. But the water is not clear here. I've heard it explained this way. If you have mono line that stretches 10% and you have 70 feet of line out, that line can stretch 7' before you can get a good hookset. I like my chances with the braid. But the mono leader has better abrasion resistant. You can use a Carolina Keeper on the mono leader if you like.
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How long is your leader? Or do you even use one. I've been considering the same thing.
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No, but people will sometimes ask me a question about fishing. When I answer and start to expound on the subject, they get a glassed over look in their eyes. Then I just say "Get some Trick Worms". Can't miss. My buddy's pond is hopelessly stunted. When I fish there I put every bass I catch in his basket for him to eat. He complains that I don't try for bream. He'd rather eat them. I tell him they're his responsibility.
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The local reservoir I fish doesn't have shad that I can tell. I've tried the A rig there a couple times with no luck. I'd probably try a smaller version with maybe two baits and a couple blades with a different color swimbait. The thing with the A rig, to me, is that the time you would fish it (cold water) is also a time when you can't count on getting regular bites. At least around here and where I fish.
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To me, the Trick Worm is about the most year-round lure there is. It's versatile. It can be a jerkbait, a weighted T rig, wacky worm or you can just drag it weightless (my buddy's method). I will also second the spinnerbait. You can get them with tandem Colorado blades that allow you to almost drag the bait on the bottom with the blades still spinning.
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When I walk the bank I take a couple rods with me rigged with whatever baits I think I stand a good chance with. Or the baits I just like to fish. I'll fish each spot with both, unless one is killing it, then move to the next spot. I'll almost always start off with a bait I enjoy fishing, then progress through the ones I need to, trying to figure out what the fish want. In other words, I'll give them what they want (as a last resort). LOL
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I'm assuming you were ignored by the local park authority. Call the city councilperson who's district the pond is in. If they blow you off, gather as many people who fish there as you can and attend an open council meeting. They probably will ignore you until they see that it affects a number of possible voters. If it requires public funds to fix, their hands may be tied. Also, the DNR suggestion is a good one. They are more likely to care though they might have to ask permission to do something about the issue if it's in city limits. Around here, the DNR taking action usually means they designate only 2 or 3 days a week people can fish there and they set the size and number limits based on what they think is best overall for the fishery. Sometimes, that means they couldn't care less if there's a trophy bass in the pond. Perhaps @MartinTheFisherman has a good point. You could speak with a biologist at the DNR about general issues regarding ponds and not even have to ask for their intervention.
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Dead of winter in the middle of a cold spell for me. You might get one day that's 55 and sunny, so you go. You are usually fishing all day for (hopefully) one bite. But it can be a big bite. Also, in March-early April, we will get several days of warm weather (middle of the week while I have to work) and I get good reports of big bass jumping into the boat. Then by Saturday we get a cold front with rain and it throws a wet blanket on the bass's prespawn festivities. Usually, followed up by a bluebird sky day and wind out of the NNE. Again, fishing all day for one bite. It doesn't affect crappie as much because they are usually deeper. But it gives bass that were getting in an amorous mood a bad attitude.
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It sounds too long for me. But maybe not for you. It would lend itself well to the big swimbaits with that extra length.
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Ah, I was looking at the 120 size. Even so, if given the choice between a jig combo and a dedicated swimbait combo I'd take the jig. You can dabble in swimbaits with the jig combo. The swimbait combo is less versatile. If you look around enough, you can probably get a frog combo that's capable of all three techniques, though not specifically tailored to swimbaits. There will probably be complete days in a row nothing will bite the heavy swimbait.
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S Waver is not that heavy. You can get by with the MH/F for that particular lure. The two other setups you mentioned were more useful, IMO. You can even use the jig rod for the swimbait. I have a few big swimbaits and the only one I've gotten much action on is the SPRO rat. I just use my basic MH rod for it. Swimbaits are a niche and I wouldn't buy a dedicated combo for for them until I had all the other bases covered. Besides, monster bass will bite a jig or spinnerbait. Google "6 bass rod system" and that will give you the basics. Just my $0.02, FWIW.
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War d**n Eagle!
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Depends on a lot of factors. But the biggest is probably whether you're in open water or cover. Also, whether you prefer a weightless approach (duh). About the only soft plastic I rig on a jighead is the Hula Grub and that's so I can fish it like a jig and trailer. That would be a weedless jighead. An EWG will suffice for most soft plastics. I use a straight shank offset bend worm hook for thinner worms, like the Trick Worm. If you're going to be flipping/pitching a T rig into heavy cover, it should be an EWG for superline. Hope that helps some.
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9 lb 10 oz Gimme the prize
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I feel good throwing the double tailed Hula Grub anytime. I don't think there are many fish that can leave it alone if it drops in their personal space. There is not much difference in the comparisons you're asking about. Find a few that you have gained confidence in and go with them. They all catch fish and you can't fish every one every time you go out. Time is better spent finding fish than it is worrying about minute differences in baits.
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As expected, BPS will turn them into the K Mart of outdoors outfitters. No way will BPS allow them to have anything of better quality than you can get from them. That's a real shame. One of the first things I noticed after the merge was the Tournament ZX line of rods disappeared. It was a line of technique specific bass rods in the $100-or-less range. They have no higher-end line of rods anymore. I don't know what line of BPS rods compares, so I probably wouldn't look to BPS-Cabela's for another one when and if I buy one.
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