the reel ess

I don't think quality is the aim. Maximizing profit is.

My local lake is usually tough. I mean 10+ fish days are unusual there. There have been days I only catch one, but it's a big one. But I wouldn't catch nearly as many larger bass at other places.

Yes, the piedmont region of SC not far from the NC line. And the surface temp is about 60, maybe a bit higher. I don't have a temp gauge of any kind, but I have the barefoot feel test.

Not to hijack, but I think it's relevant to the OP. I fish a smaller lake, say 25 acres with a max depth of 20' and an average depth of about 10'. The fishing has been terribly slow. I caught 5 bass in 3 trips, 4 in one trip. Coincidentally, there has been a brown scum on the water and lots of tiny bubbles. Is that an indication of lake turnover?

I fish a lake that has no shad that I've observed. It does have golden shiners. I've caught one before. But I don't think there are any baitfish that school up the way shad do. Therefore, the bass don't school up in large groups to pursue them. The lake sometimes turns into the Dead Sea in the fall and doesn't recover until late winter. Last fall was OK. This one has been very tough so far.

There is no shame in fishing the way nature intended it. We don't feel shame when we fish for other species with live bait. I would probably use a finesse, octopus or some kind of circle hook to avoid gut hooking.

I would expect the bream to destroy every crawler I cast. They bite the claws on my jig trailers, sometimes taking them off. Vicious critters, they'd be dangerous of they had some size.

I caught over 50 one day in a light drizzle. They were annihilating the Tiny Torpedo on a steady retrieve. I had to adjust the blade several times because they kept smashing it. Of course, there are other variables so there have been rainy days when I got skunked.

It wasn't for me either. I just tied a jig on my rod and never took it off. I fished every piece of wood cover with the jig. I got better. It also allows you to skip, a skill that's not possible with a T rigged worm, unless it's weightless.

The shaky head sure does work.

I'm guilty of not using big worms enough. I wanted to learn to use the jig so badly I just tied it on and never went back. Lately, I've been using shaky head with a straight worm though.

Yeah the hooks on Jitterbugs and Hula Poppers are crap. At the least, hit them with a sharpener. Or you can put rings on them. I did that with some Spooks.

I like them in all colors I've tried. But don't be afraid to buy a bag of the bubble gum color. They'll flat eat those up at times.

Unpopular opinion here. But for kayak fishing, which is 95% of what I do, I like all the same rods I'd use from the bank or a boat. I like the standard handle length for solid hooksets. If I've had a good day or jig or frog fishing I'll have a few little bruises in the ribs. ?

Been using braid for about 7 years and have yet to damage a rod with it. I understand straight fluoro though. I just don't care for it. If the water ever got gin clear here, I'd use it. I rarely even use it for a leader. It was simpler for me to go to braid on every combo except my spinnerbait/buzzbait rod. I use straight braid for jigs and frogs. I use a short mono leader for treble baits. I started this after fishing with a FL guide who used braid for everything. 20LB on shinning, 30# for jigs/T-rigs and 50-65 for the frogs. Cool thing about braid is, when one end gets old you can simply reel it onto another reel and you'll be using the new end.

I have nothing against a bead. I would check my knot regularly. The last time I put one on it broke. But I still like the rattle idea, especially in off-color waters.

In all my years of fishing, about 40+, I've noticed the early bite being better on large bodies early. And on small bodies, evening seems to be at least equal. Anecdotal evidence, of course. But there's just something about being on the water at sunrise that is spiritual to me. You know what they say about sunrise/sunset pics. Indicates you didn't catch anything worth photographing. I had to work hard for 4 dinks. Sadly, it was my best of the last 4 trips.

I'm in SC and the bass are completely ignoring my frog the last 3 trips. I've seen a few bass chasing bait in the lilies and weeds, but no dice. Eventually, I'll switch my frog rod over to a T rig for pitching until next spring.

When it comes to getting accurate with spinning, I'm still working on my dominant hand. Also, my depth perception ain't what it used to be.

I never use a trailer. It could also be something like they really want another color or they're in direct sunlight. It can be hard to get bass to take something at or near the surface when you're in full sunlight. You could try to slow your roll, so to speak. I've been a trailer hook guy for a long time. Lately I went to the Megastrike Big Bass spinnerbait. It has a swinging head on it and they claim it negates the need for a trailer hook. Presumably the bass can inhale it more easily. One other thing I'd consider is the line type and rod action. Braid has no stretch, while mono has the most. I like to use 15# Big Game mono for my MH-Mod spinner/buzzbait rod. It's actually the only bass combo I use mono on anymore. But if you're using one of the other lines, you could drop down to a medium rod to make up for the lack of stretch.

I know there are a lot of pros out there using $100-200 rods. I've seen lots of BPS Pro Qualifier reels on some of their decks too. If his IQ wasn't at least greater than 6 he wouldn't be able to outsmart a bass.

We had a senior skip day when I was in school. Actually, as long as you didn't get more than 10 unexcused absences you could fill all 10. So I took senior skip day in my sophomore, junior and senior years. Instead of going partying with the seniors I went fishing with my buddy.

How are there so many Whopper Plopper clones? I have two different brands of knockoffs, one marketed by a CA company. It looks exactly like a first gen WP. Not arguing. Serious question. Thanks.

Have you been to Fellsmere yet?