the reel ess

I've said this to some guys who look at me like I'm an insane elitist bass snob, which I'm not. $100 does seem to be the dividing line between good and junk BC reels. That said, I have an old Abu Garcia 2005LP with a composite or graphite frame I'm doing my best to break. I bought it off ebay thinking it was a metal frame. I was determined to use it after paying for it ($50). I caught my PB and a lot of other good fish on it. But I know it's a matter of time and if I'd used it more it would eventually give up. But it's smooth, strong and has a flippin' switch that I don't use. Best cheap reel I've ever had.

I have this habit of keeping one or two combos that are not well-balanced to justify buying another rod or reel to balance out my arsenal. They never get completely balanced.

I always bought the best my wallet and conscience would allow. So I have one great BC combo that, had I bought it new, would have cost $260 and a couple $120 BC combos. I have $70 and an $80 spinning combos that work just fine. A $200 St Croix is not necessary to cast and retrieve a Rat L Trap or Spook. I've caught my best fish this season on my cheaper combos. Whenever I wear one out it'll be replaced by the best I can afford. If I buy another that's not intended to replace one of these it too wll be the best I can afford.

You got me

largemouth that has been shallow a while. Their pattern is a lot more noticeable after "getting a tan". But they are individuals.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/163648-whats-the-most-underrated-productive-bait/#entry1852919 FWIW, Here's Ike's Panic Box. He says he uses these 4 lures to continue catching fish after they quit the standard presentations. Of course, they're down-sized for numbers of bites. But they'll work even better when fish are turned on. They'll just attract bites from more small fish. Split Shot rig with finesse worm Grub In-line spinner Hair jig-real pork frog trailer These are highly underrated by the bass fishing crowd nowadays. I overlook them because at this point I'm not fishing for numbers. If you go really small, you're usually targeting small fish. I mean when the bass wouldn't bite the standard offerings last time I was out with a buddy, we started trolling for crappie. We caught a bunch of tiny bass on 1/64 oz tube jigs. Maybe we would have caught bigger ones with a bigger jig but at that point we were after crappie, of which we caught 20 and kept.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/fishadvisory/index.htm But you won't find a pond on here. I wouldn't worry unless the pond is in the regular flood plain of the river you mentioned.

I catch bigger ones with bigger artificials. Live worms seem to attract smaller ones and panfish and catfish. If I was trying to get larger fish with live bait I'd try bigger bait like a small bluegill or larger shiner. I've been thinking of doing just that to try to get that ol' monster personal best. But I do like to catch some in between the big boys.

Farm raised are probably more unhealthy than wild caught. Just keep the number of meals below what the DNR or state health dept. recommends. The older (bigger) a fish and the more it relates to bottom, the more contaminated it will be. Avoid the meat around the abdomen. Just cut around and discard it. That said, I don't like the taste of catfish. It makes me mad when they bite a bass lure and get slime all over my line. I'd need to be pretty hungry to clean one. But bluegill are one of the least contaminated fish there are.

Weightless Trick Worm for me. I have a buddy that kayaks with me and only fishes when he's with me. It's the only lure he uses and he catches them regularly on it. The ol' T-rigged worm. I even usually overlook it in favor of a craw. At one time I'd caught more fish on the plastic worm than all other baits combined.

Well, since I'll also accept fake blonde, that's at least twice as many. Alas, I'm married anyway.

To me fake blonde is better than no blonde. Three things a human being can't be too much of: Too Blonde, Too Pretty or Too Rich

The main advantage I get from a BC reel is better cast and spool control. You can put your thumb on the spool and slow and stop your cast at the exact distance you want and begin reeling immediately. More difficult for me with spinning. No flipping the bail and pulling against the slack to avoid loops and twist. There's another advantage. No line twist (unless you use some bait that causes it). As mentioned before, braid has helped out spinning a lot. You can get a 20# braid that casts like 8# mono but doesn't have the memory. Spinning rods tend to be more limber for the same action. a MH spinning rod is usually about the same as a M BC rod. The braid helps with hooksets on that regard. I use both for different reasons and the arrangement of the BC reel on top and exactly where my hands want to be just feels better and allows me better leverage and hooksets and since I'm right handed causes me to fumble less for the reel handle when I get excited. My left wrist and hand are stronger (hookset) but less articulate (reeling). I know others have other ideas and that's fine. As I said I use both, but when it's a big boy on the line I do have more confidence in whipping him with a BC combo.

Whatever I put on, be it bug spray or sunscreen, I always wash my hands afterward before fishing. But then I'm putting soap on my hands. I have heard not to reach into a minnow bucket or bait tank with chemicals on. Use the dip net.

Seems like I lost my best bass for a long time when I was a kid thru early adulthood. It was a combination of cheap tackle, bad habits and a lack of concentration and attention to details. There are several links in the chain to catching a large fish that can easily break if we're not careful. This is why I use rod and reel combos that can whip a 15# striper to catch mostly 1-2# largemouth. For that once-in-a-while monster bass that's a fair match for that combo.

I caught a bunch of good bass early-mid spring on chart/laminate Trick Sticks. Then nothing. When they were biting it, I doubt color mattered much.

Just like us, fish don't get to grow old without having some ailments. And one year old fish are adults. Everybody's got something. If we're in an environment that's unhealthy sometimes we can just leave it. A fish's environment is all over him. If the water's hot and conducive to bacteria, what's he gonna do? Then the fish isn't even smart enough to know he's got skin lesions. One of the biggest bass I've ever caught, a PB at the time, had actual bleeding sores on its sides and was missing an eye and most of its fins. It was surely about done for but was still eating. Of course, I didn't eat it.

Hair splitting abounds I have the one very good (for me) combo, but I catch most of my fish on two much cheaper combos with Lightning Rods.

The BuCoo looks like a great bargain in its price range. The only drawback to me is the EVA grip. I don't own any bass rods with them and I'm not sure how I'll like it.

I have a 15 year old 7' Falcon Lowrider that's still the lightest I have. Extremely sensitive too for about $129 regular price. But I bought it used for $50 from a guy who was raising money for a custom motorcycle build. I know there are better rods, but this is by far my best. If you go on their site, they list specific uses for each rod so you'll get the one you need.

I caught some crappie a couple weeks ago and when I filleted them, those size fish poured out of the gut. We have those pickerel, as well as redfin, way down here in SC, but I haven't caught any. Not invasive. Our record is 6#. I think some people call them jackfish. I hear they'll ruin your hollow body frogs.

When my dad was fishing, he would agree to meet me there at a particular time then show up early. That's my pop!

Find somebody who knows what they're doing (maybe a local tourney guy) and ask if they'll give you pointers or if they want to fish with you sometime. Chances are they'll take you. You'll learn more from their back seat than your front. If they're really good at helping people learn they'll get you on the front and give lots of good advice. I started fishing a local place a few years ago because I tagged along with a guy who has a key to one of the gates. He showed me a lot in my first year fishing there. Now I usually take my kayak and I've learned my own tricks. But his advice got me started. It was very different from the major impoundments.

If all else fails, have another rod handy with a wacky rigged or weightless worm. After the miss reel the topwater in quickly and toss the worm over and let it sink. Often it won't make it to the bottom. Bass love a consolation prize..

Why add another knot as well as cost? That said, I have used braid for topwater on a very moderate spinning combo in a pinch. That's how I discovered the hook/braid issue. Just one guy's humble opinion.