the reel ess

I grew up on a SC lake that had no vegetation. Hydrilla was introduced, but it never took over because the water is stained and they drawdown in winter. I used to wish the same, but fishing was pretty good. Now I fish a reservoir that is loaded with grass & moss. You can't use anything Texas rigged because it's buried in grass or moss. You can't use a crank that's designed to dig a certain depth. You only have the top or middle of the water column.And since it's all over, you can't just go to the grass to look for the fish. But you adapt.

DO NOT EVER use Tru Turn hooks. I learned this after one purchase.I read recently that most of that twist is happening when your worm is out of the strike zone and you reel up fast, which makes good sense. But, yeah, as mentioned here, the worm needs to be aligned as closely as possible. It could also be that you're using a hook a size or two too small and if it were larger, its weight would cause the worm to not flip.

The second episode is up.

Try a lizard, weightless if necessary. Bass hate them.

I went this morning and caught one on a Trick Worm with very little hookset. It bit and ran so fast I only had time to tighten up and start reeling. I just leaned back and reeled it in. The gamakatsu hook set just fine.

KVD's the new Bill Dance in terms of being a great ambassador for the sport. He's well-spoken and has a way of explaining. He's accomplished about everything you can in his sport, so his opinion carries a ton of weight. Swindle is the new joker of the sport. maybe not the nicest guy there is, but very funny. Could have had a career in standup.

It all depends on the reel's spool. I used Berkley Big Game 17 on my spin combo until someone turned me on the Fireline. 17# Fireline has the diameter of 8# mono, no stretch or memory and after you use it an hour or so, it's as limp and castable as small mono. The only negative I can see it it's slightly visible in clear water. But I don't fish in clear water. It hasn't seemed to hurt me. If I was to fish a clear place, I guess I'd tie on a floro leader.

Mono has about 10% stretch before it starts to be damaged.That means if you have out 30 ft of line and need to set a hook on a heavy fish, the first three feet of your hookset could be wasted. Then if you're setting on a soft plastic, the fish could be swimming sideways or toward you. Then you have even more slack than you think and your set might barely tighten the line. Superlines will take up a lot of that stretch. Now a 300 yd spool of Fireline costs about $17 and it will last forever on the reel. You don't have to fill the spool with it. Just little less than the last half the spool will do. I have a 1000 yd spool of Trilene Big Game 17 lb that I use for backing.

My wife is insanely afraid of the kitchen after I clean and bag fish. I have to cleanse the ccounter and sink until there is nary a hint fish meat was there. She refers to it as "raw fish". I tell her when I go fishing (hopefully) I handle maybe a dozen "raw fish", drink a bottle of water and eat a snack without washing my hands with soap. Unbelievably I haven't been poisoned yet.

I do it with Fireline (zero stretch) and Gamakatsu hooks. Because I'm not very good at it either.

It's not even required for happiness. Take my lawn for instance. I know a couple (friends of mine) who own a small pond that is choked. They bought some sterile grass carp, which helped the grass, but this hasn't helped the moss. The moss has attracted snails. The snails host a parasite (yellow grub) that infects the fish. You can still eat them, but who would knowingly? The fix for the snails and to break the life cycle of the parasite is to stock shellcrackers (red-eared sunfish) to kill all the snails... It's an expensive cycle.

I would start with a med hvy combo, 12-14 lb mono, assortment of 6" plastic worms in any color (purple), $5 crankbaits in shallow-med depths & maybe a spinnerbait with willow blades, Senko-type worms. Don't be afraid to try new things when the conventional won't work. Get a Beetle Spin, Roadrunners, Rooster Tails, small worms, etc for when they won't bite bigger lures. These can save the day. Don't accept everything you hear from other fishermen as Gospel. A lot of the guys giving advice are Monday morning QBs and just spout what they heard. Don't plan your fishing trips around perfect weather or the Solunar table. Go whenever YOU can. Buy the best quality tackle (esp line & hooks) your budget (or wife) will allow. If married, start a rat-hole slush fund and never tap it out completely. Then you won't have to justify the purchases to her. This is also a good secret to a happy marriage. If you see a method that looks like fun, try it. Most people have a lot of methods they refuse to try. They're missing out. To me it's fun to take a few fish for dinner, but put the biggest ones back and catch them again later. It makes me feel like a part of nature. It's nice to fish in private places or even creeks due to low pressure. Don't hesitate to ask permission of landowners. The worst they can say is no. Treat where you fish as if it was your own property. Most of all make it enjoyable. Don't sweat the one that got away. If you don't find it enjoyable, you might as well be playing golf.

Does anyone use these for bass anymore? I recall Virgil Ward was on their payroll back in the day. Do you use a trailer? Looks killer in the water. I bought one in gold at BPS Myrtle beach on my last visit The guy in the tackle dept told me I could spend a fortune for trout/redfish/flounder if I wanted but the spoon with Powerbait trailer would do the trick. I caught 2 keeper flounder.

Yes, let us know. Sometimes the fishiest looking ponds are full of less than 1 lb fish that are years old because there is not enough food for them and no one is taking any. But they can be really dumb fish. Imagine you live in a small area with very little food. My friend has a pond like that. I've had a couple days there with over 50 bass caught. Obviously a frog is a great idea. It will also cull some of the smallest fish.

I try to draw the line at $10. The most expensive lures I have is a Spro Frog and a Rapala floating minnow. But then I'm a $40 rod guy too. I have one Falcon rod that I bought 2nd hand for $50 and almost never use and a bunch of Lightning Rods that I love.

Don't feel too bad. I once caught 5 bass on 5 casts with a Spook once and the 6th broke me off-because I got too excited to retie. Then I didn't catch anything on it for years. My buddy made fun of me for trying so long with a lure that "didn't work". But when it does, it does. I've had a Torpedo in my box for years and never caught anything on it until last weekend. I mopped up with it. Depending on time of day, season and location: Black buzzbait Zoom 7.5" Trick Worm Spinnerbait Carolina Rig Crankbait in Craw pattern Frog Ratl Trap Rapala Floating Minnow Size 11, gold Pop R Rebel Wee Craw

Bandit, Bomber, Rapala. I caught a lot on the Rebel Wee R when I was a kid. Those will have to completely stop producing before I go paying mad money for Lucky Craft. Rapala is as expensive as I'll go. And I'll go swimming to get one back.

Milk crate with 3 rod holders. It has one more built-in, so that's 4 rods. Maybe one Plano 3700 box-I have 4 rods on the kayak so I'm probably covered or I can paddle back to the launch. A few bags of whatever soft plastics I think might work. A Playmate cooler if I think I want to take some home. A beer or two, a paddle and me. Oh...and pliers and clippers. If I remember. I dropped a pair of pliers last time out.

If it's a really small place, maybe a small buzzbait like a Pond Magic. Bigger place can take more noise. If I start in the dark, I like a black/blue one. The Torpedo can be a quieter version of a buzzbait. And if you twitch it, it'll stay in the strike zone longer. Let us know what you find out. I can never know too much.

I can't comment on everything on the list. But the Torpedo and the squarebill are fabulous baits.. I had a banner day last Saturday on the Torpedo. It was overcast and a little breezy. They bit it around flooded timber all day. So much so that they bent the prop up. I had to Google it to see the way it was supposed to look.

http://www.banditlures.com/product/flatmaxx-shallow/ This is my favorite. It gets hung up a lot less than you'd think. My buddy's pond has flooded timber and cypress at one end. I've fished this among all that wood with good results. It catches fis too. I've got several square bills but I only seem to use this one. But I use a kayak. When it eventually gets hung, I just go get it. You can help by reeling it SLOW. If the fish will still bite at that retrieve you'll get hung up a lot less. You could try removing the front treble and replacing the rear with a single hook. But it will still probably get hung some.

The same way snakeheads and flying carp got where they are in the US.

1/8 oz Roadrunner fished very slow. That's a Jimmy Houston tip. Wacky worm. 6" purple worm with flat tail. Rebel Wee Craw, small Bomber Model A in craw pattern, 3" or crappie sized grubs, Beetle Spin, jointed floating Rapala minnow in smallest size, Snag Proof Frog (my personal best came on the Snag Proof Frog on a July day when I didn't catch anything else) bass can't stand this lure to pass by.

If it's a shallow place, try bubble gum or limetreuse Zoom Trick Worm weightless. I friend turned me on to that and I'll bet I've caught as many pond bass on that as other lures combined. You can cover a lot of water with it quickly too. It won't produce spring thru fall on bigger waters, but will in a pond. +1 on the Ratl Trap in the early spring and fall. Rebel, Rapala, Bomber Long A floating minnows, Rapala slash baits. Those are my fav's.

Great, thanks. I don't mind getting soaked when it's 80+ degrees. It's a drag early spring or late winter. I avoid kayak fishing in the winter because of this.