the reel ess

5' LIZARDS! Talk about big bass baits!

I used to be absolutely clueless about this. And maybe I'm still no genius. But I'd start a day off throwing buzzbaits and other topwaters around docks or any wood cover near deeper water. If this got bites, I'd keep it up with a white spinnerbait for a while until the bite stopped. If not, I'd move to some secondary and main lake points near deeper water and throw some big c-rig worms and cranks. If all this failed. I'd start skipping docks relentlessly with a wacky rig or creature. If that failed, I'd go to a local pond where they can't get away.

That could've been a white perch. They eat everything. To prepare for them, take anything. LOL. They like crappie jigs and live minnows. But they'll also hit Shad Raps and even larger crankbaits like Norman's. They're fun on panfish tackle. Taste good too. They're a bit invasive in SC so there's currently no limit on them here. They compete with everything, are voracious eaters and eat fish eggs. I certainly wouldn't put them in a pond.

One of those lures designed to catch fishermen.

At low light when I get strikes, I'm using a black/blue skirt, silver blade. I seriously doubt bass could distinguish the blade color from the skirt. But then, I doubt they'd give a hoot one way or the other. Middle of the day, maybe. But I never get bites on a buzzbait midday.

Rooster Tails, Beetle Spins with white grub, Rebel Wee Craw in small size. Crickets for bream, hot dogs (yes, hot dogs) for catfish. You should be well-stocked. It's unlikely there are stripers in there. They can't survive in a place where they can't get deep enough to get proper oxygen and temp in the summer. Oxygen gets low in a pond in the heat of summer. Hank Parker has hybrids (white/stripers) stocked in a family pond, but it's big and he aerates it and stocks with shad. If they're there, they like fishy lures like soft swimbaits, crankbaits, bucktails. If they're in there, there'll be shad or blueback herring too because they eat too much to be put in a pond without a lot of bait. So you'd want to match the hatch. Good luck.

I never had any faith in lipless cranks until a couple years ago when I started fishing a local reservoir. Now they're a go-to bait for big fish. My buddy turned me on to them in winter. We will fish deeper places in the reservoir and reel them very slow-as slow as possible to keep them out of the bottom muck and grass. But yesterday we dusted them off again. He caught 3 on one and one fish broke him off. I only caught one but it was about a 3 pounder. Gold chrome is the color of choice in this place. You can fish another color if you want, but won't catch them. I don't usually believe color matters that much but I've been proven wrong on this lure.

That gives me an idea for a new scent product. I have a friend with a pond who feeds the fish by hand, when he's not too lazy. I've been there when he does it and there are some huge ones in there. He says the catfish won't bite anything else and I believe him because I've never caught one even on live bait. I'll bet they'll bite a hot dog while he's feeding them.

I've caught a whole slew of fish on the Pop-R, and some nice ones. It culls none.

I just bought a Chug Bug in the frog color. I've used it once. I notice it walks, whether I try to make it or not. I didn't get a bite, but I'll pull it out one evening at sundown. I know just the place I'll try it. It does have a rep from everyone I know for being a big bass lure.

I keep looking for a way to use my pitching combo and I keep coming back to a MH spinning combo with braid. Light or weightless is the way to handle the weeds. I did catch a couple on a fluke letting it drop into the weeds and yanking it back out.

I simply don't have the feel for jigs. I have a decent assortment of jigs and trailers. I get bites and miss the hookset. It's not that usual "tick-tick" feel of a soft plastic. There's a weedguard in the way of a fat hook that requires a major hookset.

I found that too. it was easier from a boat on short casts because I had the leverage to pull the baits up. My buddy is a power fisherman and he's on the trolling motor. His idea of finesse is slow rolling spinnerbait or slow cranking a Trap. So in order for me to get the bait in the zone with a breeze, I had to use 3/16 oz. When I use the kayak, I'll have better control with a lighter weight.

Do you guys ever use the T-Rig hooks with weights already attached?

No, I'm not. Smaller profile, right? Thus far, I've resisted it due to cost but as I dig deeper in the bag of tricks I find I can afford whatever is necessary to catch a fish. Thanks.

No, I was not pegging the weight. I never have. What's your favorite method? Thanks.

Well, it's getting hot. Fish are slowing down in the local reservoir. Its mossy in shallow areas, and weedy in the rest. Not the kind of weeds that grow to the surface like a mat. More like bottom grass. Yesterday, I broke out the T-Rigged Speed Craw and caught three on it, all decent fish. But of course it was fouled almost every cast. I'm sure I could catch more if I could keep it clear of weeds longer on a long cast. Any suggestions? Any sleeker rigs than the conventional bullet weight-straight offset 3/0-4/0 hook? Thanks, Rob

In case you didn't know, they're sterile (correct me if I'm wrong about this). They aren't replenishing themselves. If you catch one and it dies, you're out one grass eater. The bigger, the more valuable it is.

Ultra Light Barbie combo? Most people avoid catching the grass carp since they don't want to take a chance on hurting the fish they bought to eat the weeds. I saw some cruising a private pond maybe 4" below the surface. They would thrash about ever 20 min or so.

Or Torpedo in short rips.

I've had this happen. Sometimes they just want to kill it!

I've caught a lot of channel cats on hot dogs but never a bass.

I left home this morning with a Senko clone tied on. I was feeling extremely confident on it after it produced bigtime for the two trips. I only managed one dink on it. I caught about a 3 pounder on the Rat L Trap and several decent on a Zoom Speed Craw T-rigged. And a couple on a fluke. My buddy actually caught 3 on the Trap today casting to the deepest part of the pond. He even had one break him off. They bite the gold color so well there, we keep spares.

Today a Rat L Trap in deeper water and a frog in the scum found me some larger fish. Nothing huge today, just better than average for a pond. Just keep doing the right things and they will come-if they're there.

We have about the same idea A Hvy BC-Pitching jigs and heavy plastics, frogs MH BC-Spinnerbaits, Heavy topwaters, like Frogs, Flukes, things with single hooks M BC-Cranks, RatLTraps, topwaters, things with trebles MH Spinning-T-rigs, Trick Worms M Spinning-Jerk Baits, wacky rig, finesse stuff