the reel ess

I should add that I've caught a good many bass over 4 lbs on this bait and one over 6 in this pic.

This little lake/large pond is the main way onto Oak Island, NC. You pass it on Middleton Blvd. I can't see any way in. It's right beside the Intracoastal Waterway, but there' a pretty tall bank beside it. I wonder if it's fresh or salt and if there's any way to access it. Does anyone know?

We used to pass Oyster Bay Golf Club on the way into Sunset Beach and it looked incredibly "bassy". But I could never tell if the public could fish there.

Love that area, Oak Island and Southport.

I'm glad you asked. LOL. I fish ponds a lot and this is a killer shallow water bait. I usually have it on a MH 7' spin combo with 20# braid and let the fish tell me how to use it. If I see fish busting near weeds or in shallow water, I'll just throw it over and let it sink and often a fish will pick it up-no skill required. If a bass misses a topwater it's a good follow up bait. If fish are active, you can use it like a jerkbait. You can just drag it around weightless. Throw it into the limbs of a laydown. The slow fall tears up the bass's nerves. You can use it as the traditional T or C rig. You can also wacky rig it. During spawn it's a stealthy bait so you can use it around beds without spooking fish away. It's my Senko because it outfishes the Senko, for me. My buddy who only fishes when we kayak only has one rod and only uses this one bait for bass and usually catches some. He just drags it slowly. The bubble gum is my best color, followed closely by limetreuse and methiolate. I have some natural colors I use for T rigs. I even have a bag of magnum size, but no luck with that one yet. It's the most versatile bait I have. And the Finesse Worm is just a smaller Trick Worm. Check this out:

WOW! You killed your PB. Need to update that. Congrats What was the lure?

A frog is a good lure in a place like that, either way.

Welcome Pops!

I have three LR's that I still use-one spinning. I find the actions to be great for lures you don't need a lot of sensitivity for. I got two on sale for $20 when they were switching to a new grip style.

I started so young I can't remember it. But my earliest memories are from a weekend place we had at a nearby lake. I would bug the crap out of my Dad to get me a can of worms on the way to the lake so I could fish first thing in the morning. I would get up with the sun and sneak out the sliding door and walk the banks and our dock with my cane pole and the worms. I considered it my duty to stick a hook in every little fish within my reach. I remember talking to all the bass fishermen that came trolling by while I was fishing. I would go up for breakfast when my parents got up. Another time I remember going crappie fishing with my dad and his buddy in the boat. They were using minnows and poles and all I had was my Zebco 33. My dad's buddy had some early Mister Twister white curly tail grubs and gave me one. I wore them both out that day and we stopped by the store on the way home and bought the store out of them. I was hooked for life, pun intended.

The old Do-Nothing Worm-->Zoom Finesse Worm. Offers weedless rigging. Rat L Trap-------------------->Cordell Super Spot. My buddy outfished me a couple times. Hollow body frog------------>Poppin' Pad Crasher. Walks more easily and "upsets" the pads more. Just gets more bites. Beetle Spin------------------> Rooster Tail. Again, more bites. I replaced almost all my worms with Trick Worms or Finesse Worms.

Try a Trick Worm weightless. Carry Finesse Worms and downsize if needed. Keep an inline spinner in the box and a light combo in the truck. It can save the trip. Popping hollow body frogs outperform regular ones. If you know a place with lots of little hungry bass, use that place to try new techniques. Cheap equipment can cost you a new PB. Buy BC reels with one-piece metal frames. 20# braid on spinning gear will all but eliminate twist. Premium hooks!!! Berkley Big Game line!!! Don't get too drunk to fish. Leave the phone in the car. Wives have a way of "needing you to do something" in the middle of a great day. Mine did last Sunday. Big bass usually are loners and won't be around the dinks much of the year. Spawn is an exception. The best times of the summer for topwaters are mornings and evenings of the most humid days. (a personal observation, not a fact). I feel you. I know they work, but I have one place they won't. And it's my best place.

The ex wife. She wouldn't get off my stringer so I kept her. Ended up throwing her back though. I've told this story here before, but I was catfishing with hot dogs for bait once and got a bite. I tightened up and started reeling and there was something live on the line. Then it just changed to dead weight. I reeled it up and it was a dead catfish head hooked in the mouth. But it didn't just die, it was rotting. All I can figure is a turtle, or perhaps a bigger cat, had the head already in its mouth and bit my hook. My ex-monster inlaw was using my Zebco 33 (primary crappie outfit) and somehow managed to throw the entire combo so far off the dock that I couldn't find it. (Tell me that wasn't intentional) A couple years after getting divorced I caught that combo and reeled it up. I cleaned it up and gave it away.

I might even fish for some tiny bluegill and put one on a hook below a bobber.

All the time. I have 6, sometimes 7 rods with me.

I have a crate that I zip-tied some more rod holders in that I carry in the rear well. My kayak has bungee cord over the rear well so I hold it down with those. I can now carry up to 7 rods. I usually carry at least 6 for bass. I'll sometimes throw in a light spin combo for places with very small bass or good panfish. If there's a dock nearby I'll leave the combos I might not use on the dock. If I need them I'll go get them.

I meant to type Lews Laser

I can't think of a single BC combo I'd recommend for that cheap.The Garcia Silvermax and Promax and the Lews look like they get good reviews. Just remember, if you go too cheap, you still might get one you can't use well. This reel gets good reviews for $60. And that's cheap for a BC reel. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress™-mettle-mt2-baitcast-reel-right-handed#repChildCatid=903506 What gives this reel the advantage is the 1-piece aluminum frame. It will probably last longer and work smoother You can pair that with a Berkley Cherrywood rod for another $30. Or a Lightning Rod for $40. Lightning Rods get a bad rap, but I have three, two of which are over a decade old.

Get there way early Lose the fluoro-it sinks Try a buzzbait too. Sometimes I'll have a hardbait and a buzbait ready. Who knows that fish want, but it's often not going to be the same things. If they won't hit either, after a while I'll switch over to a subsurface hard bait and a spinnerbait on those combos. You can start with a black buzzbait one and switch to white when the bite slows, then switch to spinnerbait when it slows again. If you're using the buzzbait around wood cover or structure that breaks the surface, hit it with the bait. Be sure you're in or near shallow water. Fish won't rise too far for a topwater. There are exceptions, but not normally. Sometimes they just won't hit a topwater. I usually plan my trips for the evening instead. It's anecdotal, but it seems like I just get more topwater bites at dusk.

Yes, I recognize the "need" for quality gear. Now that I'm able to afford it (almost too old to enjoy) I'll spend for what I want. But then I fish from a kayak, so I'm not spending big bucks on the boat. Yes, you should get a good decade of use from those.

The cool thing about ponds is that, if you can get to all of it, you can present a bait to a big fish if there are any. They may not bite, but that's better odds than in a big lake.

You're the correct one. My wife says "Anirondack chairs". I've even told her it's Adirondack, but she doesn't care to be right.

The first bass I ever caught over 6 lbs was in a 3-4 acre pond.

I'd rather catch *** lb bass a trip than 5-10 1 lb bass.

That's good thinking. I didn't have a split ring big enough either. I cut up an old spinnerbait and ran the wire thru the hook hole on the body up to the eye and wrapped it on the front eye. Then put a swivel on the wire and a keeper that I screwed into a swimbait tail. But I have some speed clips and I'm going to redo it. Thanks.