the reel ess

I still use it for treble lures like Rat L Trap and Spook. It's a good value and very tough. My buddy still uses it for everything. I started using braid a while back for single hook baits and it cut down greatly on lost fish (heartbreaks). And it's not as expensive as it seems. Using mono for backing, I can fill 3 BC reels with one 150 yd spool of PowerPro 65 lb. I know 65 lb seems extreme, but it's only the same diameter as 12 lb mono. And fish seem to keep biting it with no problem. And it lasts for seasons. I can reel it off one reel onto another and I'm using the new end.

The suspending Husky Jerk slowly floats up in cold.

I use 15# Big Game mono. But anything's fine. The larger the diameter, the less you need. But bigger that 15# gets hard for me to put a uni knot in.

I caught more fish on the Chug'n Spook and Chug Bug last summer but I got the occasional big smash on the regular Pad Crasher. I don't know why I didn't think to try the Poppin' PC. If I get back in that pattern this summer you can bet I'll have all three tied on. This was working for me in July/August in the evenings.

No more than 10. Use 2, maybe 3.

I catch fish on craw lures year-round, but the red lips phenomenon ends when water warms. Could be the combination of both are required. It could be that bass finally feel warm enough to chase other forage.

I think they pretty well imitate craws. They look like the jig and craw combo all-in-one but smaller. There's an old one one in the bed of my truck now. I just saw it and the first thing that entered my mind was those sticky-leg wall-walking spiders that used to come in a box of Froot Loops Soft plastics really ARE my area of confidence so this one's a natural for me.

I haven't found any rocky bottom where I fished today. And my pic doesn't show the redness as it really looked. It was brighter red.

Last summer it was the Chug'n Spook, Jr in frog pattern with the Booyah Pad Crasher coming in a close second. I had decent luck on the Pop R in late spring and Chug Bug in early summer.

I've heard, but only anecdotally, that it's from crushing craws that emerge as the first easy source of protein for winter bass. It's been quite a while since I caught a bass on anything that didn't resemble a craw at least a little. But that's not evidence.

Is this because they're eating crawfish? Or is it due to some other factor (water temp)? I see this a lot in early season bass. I caught two today and both had red lips.

I went today and the water was cold, but the air temp was around 60. I used a black Col blade spinnerbait, suspending Husky Jerk, a crappie jig under a float, a jig and Speed Craw and the Yamamoto Hula Grub, T rigged with 1/8 oz bullet weight. I only caught two and both on the Hula Grub but they crushed it. The second actually chased it as I was reeling up for the next cast. After that one I started slow swimming it along bottom but no more takers. I might have gotten another bite if I fished another hour. That was the average. Anyway I don't know why I never tried this bait before.

We all have our priorities where we don't skimp. I like GOOD beer and I've spent $13 on one 12 oz. bottle. I consider myself to be a middle-of-the-pack angler. I have a couple spinning combos in the $70 range, one combo in the $90 range, one in the $110 range and 2 in the $240 range. One would have cost $300 if I hadn't bought used. And I spend more on baits than anyone else I personally know except one guy. He likes good baits and cheap spinning combos. I have a friend who thinks I waste mega bucks on fishing but he owns a pull-behind camper that cost more than his house and he has a dually to pull it. Says it saves him money on vacations LOL.

Squarebill in the wood cover. But I usually have a lipless crank tied on anyway.

Yeah, after I typed it, I realized that was pretty cheap and you generally get what you pay for. I would have deleted it, but you can't so I changed it to NM. I have a couple reels worth more than $100 that I didn't pay that much for. And I have a Falcon Lowrider rod I paid $50 for. So I get you.

No, I was going to say you and I have a different opinion of "cheap" but I thought better of it. That's all. Have a good one.

NM

In warm weather (3/4 of the year here): Morning: Topwater to midlevel bait (spinnerbait, Trap or jerkbait) to bottom bumping bait like a T-rig. Afternoon: I'd start at the midlevel and go to bottom of it's not working. Evening: Reverse of morning, ending up with a topwater if they'll take it. Often, if there's no sign of fish chasing bait, I'll usually skip the middle depth in the evening. In cold weather: Bottom bumping, Rat L Trap and spinnerbait in the middle of the day.

That's a great use for these reels.

Mepp's Comet. The inline spinner with a minnow body. Caught a good many white bass, some crappie and smaller largemouth with it. Second was a white Mr Twister grub may dad gave me to keep me busy while he and his buddy fished with minnows for crappie. I was probably 11 years old. I wore them out that day with the grub. We bought the local tackle store out of them on the way home. I was hooked.

I have 2. They don't cast light baits very well in stock configuration. I eventually put them on 7' M rods with the idea I'd use them for stripers. But I stopped going to the lake in lieu of smaller ponds. I found a good use for them. I can reel well-used braided line off a low profile reel onto an ABU, then reel it on to the other ABU, then reel it back onto the LP reel and I have the unused end of the braid to tie to. Good as brand new line.

Welcome. I'm a SC fisherman as well. A little ways up the road though. Mostly fish ponds but sometimes I got to L Wateree or down the river to Camden.

You'll get both answers. But try it. If you're comfy with it, do it. I still like mono for topwaters and lipless cranks mostly. And I have a cheap combo I filled with 15# mono because I didn't want to waste good line on it. I like mono where you like a lure to float and when you need some stretch. But you can overcome that with a more moderate rod tip. I tried braid in a pinch once with topwaters and I got a hook thru the braid. I mean I had to push the braid together to open up the hole the hook got into and back it out. But I've been told that's rare. I know a lot of guys are using braid fro walking baits. But I use the same rod for lipless cranks and all other topwaters. I should also note one reason I like mono for topwaters is I kayak fish. That puts me at an angle that makes walking baits dive. I need all the buoyancy I can get from a line.

I've bought two off Ebay. You have little control over how used they are. But here's a secret. BPS does repairs very cheap. I have a Johnny Morris reel I paid $50 for and put $19 in it sending off to BPS. I couldn't buy a reel that good for less than $130. WIN! But I have another older Abu reel that's never worked well and I probably paid too much for. LOSE!

Yeah, I caught some juvenile stripers on the Wateree R last May. I let them go. When I got to the landing in Camden the game warden told me they were out of season and it's illegal to even target them. The Wateree R joins the Congaree and that feeds the Santee-Cooper lakes. So the same rules apply because stripers run upriver to spawn. However, on the other side of the Lake Wateree dam, the limit is 10 of any size all year because they're stocked.