visagelaid

I would get a white buzz bait and throw that bad boy until you caught a fish. I would throw it early in the morning, and I would continue to throw it until i hooked up. Some may find this hard to believe. But I've never caught a fish on a jig...So i really cant say anything.

Ned Rig

My only concern with that is that you are 16 and dont know where your life will take you. I thought at 16 that I would be in VA forever. Then in my 20s I thought I would never leave MD. Now im living in AL when I got a job offer I couldnt refuse. So If I would have pulled the trigger on the VA license, I would be out quite a bit of money. I would say hold off until your life has a little more direction.

Welcome! I live in Huntsville. Good to see some more AL fisherman on this site.

Everyone takes things so personal these days. Got to be like water off a ducks back. You'll lead a much less stressful life not caring what other people, especially those on the internet, think about you. You do you bro, but hopefully you dont leave.

Early morning and late evening. But you can catch them all day.

These are pretty good.

Welcome Back!!!!!!

Short answer is yes. I do it all the time. Especially in stained water. Fluorocarbon is apparently the preferred crankbait line of choice because it sinks and doesnt mess with the action as much as lines that float.

I would go 65!

Ive really come around to braid with a fluorocarbon leader. You get the invisibility benefits of fluoro, and the hook setting power of braid. Ive been experimenting with it for the last few months, and have had good results. Im late on the leader train, but it really does work.

Good Luck and Welcome!!!!!

For me fishing a crankbait, once i feel that pressure, its almost natural for me to sweep that rod back. Its not really a hookset, but it increases that pressure and you'll know real quick if you're hung, or if youve got a fish.

If youre fishing a crankbait, there isnt a whole lot of need to "set" the hook like you would on a jig or worm. With a crankbait, when you feel them load up on the bait, you simply reel faster, or you could try a sweeping motion that will dig the hooks in better. With a crank its all about pressure and keeping that fish pinned and the line tight. With a jig or worm, generally once i feel the bite or bump, i will reel down and see if i feel pressure. If it is heavier than normal, i set that bad boy. But just realize that sometimes fish are going to come off regardless of what you do. It is just a part of fishing.

Welcome to BR! I also live in Huntsville and fish a lot. I dont have a boat sadly, but you can PM me any time if you want to chat!

Welcome!!!

At least youre catching some fish!

I use the 4 inch. It definitely matters except for when it doesnt. I was fishing a tournament and my boater was fishing a dropshot with a 4 inch kvd dreamshot. He caught a couple fish so I pull out my dropshot. He is still catching fish and i cant seem to hook up. I end up putting the same plastic has him. Still no fish for me, and he is killing them. I end up switching to his same plastic, leader material, hook, and sinker. He caught 9 fish before i finally caught one in a matter of 30 mins. So yes. Sometimes it matters.

For the dropshotting, I have had lots of success with the KVD Dreamshots.

Luckily I live in northern Alabama and can fish many of the lakes that are on people's bucket list. I fish Guntersville, Wheeler, Logan Martin, Pickwick, and Smith lakes pretty regularly. My bucket list is still like Fork, Big-O, Falcon, and Sugar Lake. Those would be awesome, but I also realize how fortunate I am.

Hello and welcome to BR! This website is great for beginner, and the articles are really great to get a good knowledge base going. If you have questions, the members have been really helpful in my experience. Good luck and welcome!!!

Welcome back to Alabama! Where in AL are you?

Hey Tom, I would be the size of the tournament anger market. So the number of tournament anglers. Sorry if it was confusing.

If it was me, I would send it back. Using something that came damaged (regardless of how small) is never a good look. But I expect to get exactly what I paid for and undamaged.

The only time I've limited myself is when I am fishing my neighborhood lake and will only take 2 rods with me and enough tackle to fill a backpack. I find that it limits my changing of baits. I also told myself I am going to learn how to fish a jig, because I have zero confidence in it (still never caught a jig fish). I took only one rod, a jig tied on, and a pair of needlenose with me. 2nd cast, I broke off the jig.