the reel ess

Congrats! You're "hooked". Topwaters are the best. Before I ever caught a bass on a topwater I read someone saying they'd rather catch 2 on topwater than 4 by other techniques. I understand. Get yourself some Pop R's and Chug Bugs. They love those as well.

I'm looking forward to the day when blueback herring have been introduced into every fishery I go to. It's my understanding that any tank with corners will kill shad or allow them to kill themselves. And the circle where the flat bottom meets the sides is enough of a corner for them to die.

Generally, and this is just my experience, it seems to have a similar effect as a spring pressure front moving through. You're in a stable weather pattern, fish are biting OK, and along comes a major low pressure. Fish will usually do a lot better in front of it than behind it. You get those bluebird skies and the temps and humidity drop. You think it's great weather. It's a welcome relief. But the fish don't respond the same. Not that there are any absolutes. They get over summer fronts better than spring fronts.

I still have a few off their discount rack back in the day. I'm pretty sure they were made by YUM. Both have a Fort Smith, AR address on the bag.

I've seen more fish with injuries this year than normal. Those marks might still be from a bird's talons and it's just healing up. The first bass I caught over 5 lbs. was missing an eye and had bleeding sores all over it. My dad chastised me when I tossed it back. I said "It's too ugly to have mounted. And did you want to eat it?"

I use a 1/2 oz. Arky jig as my standard. On my jig reel I have 50# braid so I can yank good fish out of wood cover. I use it on a H-F jig rod. Watch Gerald Swindle's videos on jig fishing. When you set the hook on a jig fish, you have your drag already almost cinched down and you just crank the fish to you. Big fish will give you a good fight anyway. I made the mistake of playing them like I was using a worm and lost a few before I got the hang of it. The technique calls for heavy tackle.

I meant to say $100 rod. My most expensive outfit would cost you $260 if you bought it new retail. But I bought that rod used for $50 from a friend and put a nice new reel on it. So I have $180 in that combo and another I have $200 in. All my other ones are decent reels and lower priced rods. When I was on a budget I spent where it mattered most and skimped where I could. Now those old Lightning Rods just won't wear out so I keep using them. Now that I could afford about whatever combos I want within reason, I still take cost effectiveness into consideration. I've been shown up by people with much cheaper stuff than mine.

LOL. Well, they're using better equipment than me. To me a $100 rid is high end.

Pros have better equipment than most of us. But the spool needs to be loose and you control it with your thumb. The pitch is way easier than the skip. I don't use the underhanded pitch much at all anymore since I kayak fish almost exclusively. Just keep in mind, making noise upon entry is better than not getting to the desired spot. Rod length might depend on how tall you are. Since you want to swing the bait parallel to the water, a long rod would not help a short guy. My pitching stick is 6'10" and feels just right to me.

Same. I have lost many fish on one of my spinning combos with braid because I insisted on using it for Pop Rs. The line has no forgiveness. I fished with a FL guide who used all braid and I asked him about that. He said he thought I was right but he could not afford to lose the number of baits he would taking people out almost every day. So I lost a big one that day because I was not used to the setup. If I were to go back I'd take my own topwater combo.

Last time at my honey hole I almost zeroed. I lost one on the frog and got one on a jig near the landing where I take out. So I decided to go to my buddy's dink factory pond today for some sure action. I ended up with probably 13 total. I could catch more there, but I do what I like and try new techniques out there. I tried a custom 1/4 gold shiner grass jig made for me by @cadman for the first time. I put about a 4" Keitech gold paddle tail swimbait on it. The fish were chomping it. I'd just reel it slowly over logs and stumps and they would grab it and hold on. It was actually easier than detecting a regular jig bite. I'm "hooked".

This is easily the best fishing message board out there. I used to be a member of 3, including Bill Dance's. It dwindled to the point you couldn't get an answer out of people. Now I'm only on this one.

Booyah Pad Crasher and Popping Pad Crasher. I believe the Popping Pad Crasher walks more easily and makes a little more disturbance on a mat. Same here. Except I don't have 40. I only throw 2.

I agree with all of your sentiments. I'd like to know what his convictions were for. Right now, sheriff's departments aren't even putting people in jail for anything that's not violent due to COVID. And they're letting people out of jail and prison early. That helps the inmates not get sick but has a complete opposite effect on society. Also, it seems the prosecutors don't throw the book at anyone anymore in order to ensure a high conviction rate.

never mind

My jig/worm rod is a 6-10 Bucoo SR H-F that could double as a frog rod. Then you could have a MH with a moderate enough action for trebles. To me, that covers the most basses. I use heavy braid n the jig rod and 15# mono on the trebles rod. Reel is a personal choice. I use 7.3:1 on both. But everyone doesn't fish the same as me. Most would say a MH and a M. And there are some lures that wouldn't be easy to cast on a MH baitcaster. The standard size Pop R comes to mind as well as weightless trick Worm. This is where spinning gear shines, IMO.

I don't see where we disagree.

This was a truly senseless murder. According to the sheriff it stemmed from some sale of a vehicle that the killer thought he was owed for. If you kill someone they can never pay you. And this trash has killed two additional people and dragged two others who apparently were not criminals into his crime. He has ruined 6 lives, not to mention the families of the victims and his two accessories. I looked the woman up on Facebook. She has two small children.

He should never see daylight again.

It probably made the police work pretty easy. He was the odds-on favorite for just about any crime in the county.

I was still using a Procaster from 1983 up until maybe 3 years ago. I had worn out parts several times, but Daiwa would still send me replacement parts free of charge. They didn't even charge postage.

I have that same reel in the 350 size. My dad had it when he died. I think he broke the crank on it because it has an obvious aftermarket one. It's funny that it says XHS Extra High Speed retrieve at 5.1:1. They were almost all 4.7:1 back then. This 350 model is BIG and pretty heavy and has a very smooth drag. It also does not have instant anti-reverse. I doubt he used it much because it works like new. It's not even noisy. I cleaned it and took it out once for old time's sake and caught a bass on a lipless crank. Honestly, it would be a good reel for stripers or catfish. It's a bit much for largemouth.

I caught this guy a while back. He was still chomping.

Indeed! It's guerilla warfare fishing. Next to topwater, it's my favorite. I always keep one rigged and with me.

Topwaters (excluding the frog) will have most success in the lower light periods or on overcast days. One exception is when you see bass schooling and chasing bait right to the surface. Prop and walking baits can be an all-or-nothing deal for me. Feast or famine. I get a good many more bites on Pop R's and Chug Bugs. But then, I fish them a lot more due to confidence. Add spinnerbaits to your repertoire. You won't be sorry. It's a big fish bait. My current PB came on one. Also, if you like T-rigged worms, give jigs a try. I like a 1/2 oz Arky jig with a a Rage Craw trailer. It's another big bass bait. I made myself a promise to learn jigs and have had one tied on for a couple years now. Pitch it all around wood cover and openings in vegetation. But set the hook HARD and give the fish no time to play.