the reel ess

I'll report back when I've used it. It's been raining every couple hours here since Thursday. We've gotten probably 8" or more in that time. I had to put a pump under the house in the low spot to keep water away from my gas water heater, a lesson I learned a few years ago.

I have a 6/0 but it's a belly weighted swimbait hook. I was considering melting the lead off it. LOL. I probably will go wit the exposed flipping hook for the first time and decide if I even like the bait before investing more than $10 in 3 hooks. Thanks all.

Thanks. I thought at first it was right up my alley. But it does have an odd wobble in videos. We'll see. I'll report back when I use it.

I bought some of these thinking a toad hook would suffice. But they're thick and even a 5/0 screwlock seems too small. In fact, I was considering a straight shank flipping hook with the point exposed. But I'd prefer a more weedless setup. What are you guys and gals using? Thanks.

I have started a small collection of vintage lures. Diamond Shad and Bayou Boogie are on my "to get" list.

I like to use my flipping stick, straight 30# braid and superline hooks. I can bring some of the brushpile to me if I need to.

I fish a lot of smaller still waters. I've had a canoe and 3 kayaks. I still have 2 kayaks. I just settled on it because it's smaller, lighter and easy to handle in wind. I can throw it in the truck and load up everything and be ready to go in 10 minutes. I wore myself out paddling the canoe alone. Of course, if you're taking someone else, the canoe is the ticket. I don't use any electronics either. If you go with the kayak, the best piece of advice I can give is get one with a good, comfortable seat. This is a bare minimum requirement in my opinion. Even a good one will become uncomfortable after a while because you can't get up and stretch as easily unless you get a very stable one. Even when I had a stable one, I didn't feel comfortable standing. If you do decide to add electronics, they make smaller batteries that weight less than 5 lbs.

You were on the right track with the T-rig. My favorite for heavy cover is a Senko style bait. Specifically, I like the Yum Dinger. I don't think there's a better lure on the market. I bought a 100 pack in black/blue a few years ago. I have bout 30 left.

10 different topwaters. OK, 8 topwaters, a Senko to pitch to targets and lilies and hopefully, some bites on the frog (technically, a topwater).

Another reason I went to straight braid whenever I can get away with it. I can't afford to be leaving $5 weights and $2 hooks in the water. My friend thought I was crazy for buying Gamakatsu. I told him my hooks are years old. I haven't depleted the three 5-packs of superline EWGs I bought in different sizes years ago. Gamakatsus stay sharp and hold a good occasional sharpening.

There's so much on YouTube about the Karashi there has to be something to them. And I could see why. It's appealing. I'm sure it works. But that price! I already have a small X-Rap that does a good job in that general area of bait. I don't use electronics either. Besides, finesse is not my bag. I know it works. I just don't like to fish that way.

On my local lake it's crappie fishermen who make the most use from livescope/FFS. They limit every trip.

I like the 110 Plopper from prespawn until they won't bite it in the cold late fall. I have caught a couple bass on it in February. As May approaches I'll start trying out the Super Spook Jr. and maybe a Chug Bug. I had a killer day in June last year when I caught bass all day in braod daylight on the Spook. Later, around early fall, I'll try the standard size Pop R. The Pop R is also a good bait for when you find bass schooled up. Just toss it in there and make noise. I'll use a toad around sparse or submerged vegetation and a frog on the mat. But I will come back to the Plopper the whole time. Big bass have made me a believer in it. You may go a while without a bite. But that's because big bass aren't a dime a dozen. As you can tell, I'd rather catch one bass on top than 2 on the bottom. I mean, I do what I have to. But if they'll cooperate, I'd prefer topwater all the time.

Someone threw two crappie in. I fish a 30 acre private lake that has a good population of crappie, along with largemouth up to and including 8 lbs., bluegill, shellcrackers, warmouth and the occasional flathead catfish. It also has golden shiners. I've caught a couple as large as 7". It has forage of different sizes, which I guess is key to supporting all the species. Most of the crappie are smallish, but they can get up to a couple pounds. In most ponds you'd be taking about all the species competing for fathead minnows and whatever small fry of gamefish there are at any given time. And that's a bad recipe. Heck, most small ponds have just bluegill and bass that get out of balance. You can end up with a good bluegill pond, but also a pond full of sub 1 pound bass if you're not diligent.

IDK. But I can guarantee I caught the same bass twice in one day. It was so deformed I told my buddy it was trying to die. I caught the one in my profile pic twice about a month and a couple hundred feet apart.

I use one reel under 7:1. I can always reel slower. But you can only retrieve so fast.

You just do what you gotta do. You would do the same. When I first got the news, but had to wait for the prognosis, one of the things I wondered was how many fishing trips I had left in me. Of course, that's lower on the list than seeing my daughter graduate college, get her masters, marry, and...have grandbabies!!! But fishing is my #1 escape.

It does seem to be increasing.

I'm in my fishing knowledge prime and I go often, recent surgery notwithstanding. I know seasonal patterns, what worked for the last 12 or so years and what likely won't. But I'm not in my physical prime. I was well on my way, but health issues arose and I'm thin and weak again. Chemo is almost over and I plan to get back in shape so I can do the things I love like fish 5 hours from a paddle kayak. I probably won't be able to reach the same muscle mass, but I can be fit.

I have hearing aids so I keep alcohol wipes. We also adopted a feral "spicy" cat. They're cheap and you'll find other uses for them.

I troll (paddle slowly with 2 rods in holders) for crappie occasionally. Trolling for bass never seams to work for me. I always got the feeling if I'm doing it shallow, I'm spooking the bass. If I do it deep, I just get hung up.

I'm so old school, new techniques and lures to me are just 10 year old ones I haven't tried yet. I'm always slow to jump on the newest things.

I had to sleep in a recliner the first week after I came home from abdominal surgery. That was after spending 10 days in the hospital. Suffice it to say I was in a terrible sleep deficit. Take it easy coming back and do exactly as they tell you. My doctor told me no heavy lifting for 3 months post-surgery. So I decided fishing two months after was OK. It was a mistake and I felt a new soreness that worried me for a couple of weeks. It's just now going away. I also had to be very conscious when I set the hook not to stick the rod butt in my scarred gut as is my habit. So I just watch a lot of YouTube in the meantime.

My dad started taking my sister and me crappie fishing before I can even remember. We had a place on Lake Wateree that I grew up fishing from. I cherish those memories. I know not everyone gets to grow up like that. We fished every chance we got and kept and cleaned almost everything we caught. Fast forward until I was able to afford my own fishing boat and do all the work. All he had to do was reel in the fish. I thought we would fish a lot. He was getting old and told me it was just not fun for him anymore. I got him to go to our friend's pond with me one more time the fall before he passed away unexpectedly. He caught a few bass on the Trick Worm I rigged for him, then sat and talked to our friend on his golf cart while I caught bass. I'm so glad he went one more time, even if it was just for me.

My good friend and his wife came to visit recently. I had a roll loose in the bathroom. One of them put it on the roll upside down. I've been wondering since if it was some sort of passive-aggressive gesture.