the reel ess

Of all the jigs I've tried, the Trashmaster with a Rage Bug type trailer skips the best. It's also waaaay more weedless than any other I've used. It has a screwlock at the head and an EWG type of weedless hook. The plastic is rigged as you would a toad. The downside is it's a Karl's Tackle exclusive. They cost a bit more and you have to pay shipping. But they last so long they're still a bargain. I have a couple so old the hooks have rust and the skirts are almost gone. They still catch. Just a T-rigged Bug style bait with a pegged 3/16 oz. weight is even easier to skip.

I noticed this years ago with braid because it's thinner. I use superline hooks almost exclusively now. I'll still use a light wire hook for finesse stuff, but they're always Gamakatsu or another premium brand.

I think purple is the universal soft plastic color. Light enough for clear water, dark enough for dingy water. I have good success with anything from grape to black/blue.

I caught 50+ bass in a couple hours on a Tiny Torpedo, retrieved steady on drizzly summer day. There were casts where I'd get a bite, it would get off and another would bite.

No L'il George? No Bayou Boogie? Somebody mentioned the worm in motor oil color. That was all the rage in the mid 80s. Somebody local molded them in a mold that made them in the shape of a braid. They were sold at all the local tackle shops. I thought they were the be all-end all until I got hold of a BPS assortment that had purple.

Any worm in any color as long as it's purple, Rebel Deep Wee R, Mepp's Comet, Min-O and Rooster Tail, curly tail grub, shimmy shad. I pulled out a Rebel jointed minnow a few trips ago and caught a bass on the first cast. Minnows, worms and crickets

If you won't be pulling skiers (?) the 36 lb will do fine. My dad had a 17' aluminium bass boat when I was a kid and it had a 28 lb. thrust bow mount trolling motor because my dad was a notorious cheapskate regarding fishing equipment. It was fine until the wind kicked up, but I'm sure that boat weighed north of 700 lbs.

I saw G-Man using the DT 16 crankbait bill as a spoon to eat with. Does that count?

No. Even when I buy tungsten, they're unpainted unless the painted ones are cheaper. I mean, not every soft plastic is black.

That's just typical pond water in SC. If you really dislike it, it's probably temporary.

Super Spook, Jr. But fish have a tendency to strike a walking bait where it was and not where it is. I bought a Livingston Walking boss (original, not the II model) that emits sounds. I have yet to get a bite on it. The smaller baits get twice as many bites, in my experience. I caught a 5.6 lb on a Spook, Jr last summer.

I've owned a few old 500 and 5500's. They're great for casting 1/2 oz-plus baits and taking half a day for one retrieve. That was no big deal when all reels were 4.7:1 retrieve.

My dad had some of these in his arsenal when he passed away. I'll get around to trying them sometime.

I bought the right size for a Rage Craw or Bug. Just don't prefer them.

I tried the straight hook with and without the snell. The way the hook point is positioned in a small soft plastic the point is always about to come through the bait, negating its weedlessness. I was getting hung up more in wood cover than I did with an EWG superline hook. I finally settled on the latter. I still have those flipping hooks and I'd give them a try in vegetation.

Yeah, that's a safe bet.

a crappie jig.

Here's what I do. Go where you know there are big bass. Throw a jig, T rig, spinnerbait, Whopper Plopper and a frog/toad. Given that you say the lake has a lot of lilies, I would wear the frog out. You might catch a lot of dinks. I do. But sooner or later you'll get a good one.

Fish can't see the top of a topwater. Just pick the prettier one. LOL I like the Rebel minnows in silver with blue back just cuz I like blue. ?

But he has a lot of Senko videos where he doesn't do this. He mentioned in one that he gets seconds from Yamamoto, probably for free.

My general rule is for trebles, set the drag loose, like no more than 35%. I set mine even lower with baits like the lipless crank in open water and play the fish out, especially if you're using braid. I'm back to using mono for those baits due to having lost so many good fish on the braid. For single hooks like a general T rig, I'll set it tighter, maybe 50%. It's a "feel" thing. I don't get a scale and measure the drag. On my frog and jig rods, I cinch it down to near the max. Now, I'm talking about a reel with 14 lbs. max carbon drag and that's enough. The biggest bass I've caught on it didn't take any drag. You can't give an inch to a bass that you've hooked in heavy cover unless it gets wrapped on something. Those two rods are made for this abuse. I've been using the frog rod that way for about 10 years. But in your case, you had an 8 lb leader and well more than 8 lbs of drag.

Well, there are "rights" and then there is being "right". People also have a right to stand very close to you in public. That doesn't make it cool.

Take the kitchen sink. Throw what you throw everywhere else. If that don't work, Throw the Trick Worm and Senko. If those don't work, I'm at a total loss. I visit my sister's place at the beach and it has a pond and a freshwater canal. I'll take one M spinning and one MH BC combo. But I take all the baits I normally take in my truck when I fish here. Just check the rods you're leaving home to make sure you don't leave your favorite bait home.

I've wondered about these. Thanks for sharing. What color(s) do you like? I also like the UV Speed Worm on shaky head.

Some Zoom baits will bleed into each other. I've made some color hybrids.