PennBass

Tackle storage has always been a problem for me, especially because I'm pretty limited on space. I've tried wall pegs, tackle boxes, and bins, but they either take up too much space or are too unorganized. I had an old plastic drawer lying around and added a few cardboard strips to hold all my treble hook lures. Take a look: Ever since I started doing this I've been able to fit all my tackle in a small closet in a relatively organized manner, and it's much easier than sorting through a box of tangled and rusted hooks. Just thought I'd share my solution with others. Hope this helps!

What do you mean by "twirling around"? Not sure if you're referring to the side-to-side motion in the water that a lot of fish seem to like. I've had a lot of luck using a fluke above the hydrilla and letting it settle into the weeds. As for the jigs, streamlined, heavy jigs can really get through cover well. The Nichols Mango Jig is a great example:

I was thinking about designing and building my own kayak lately, and I need the knowledge you guys have to get started. I've never owned a boat before, so I'm not sure what should be included in a kayak design. What do you guys look for in a good fishing kayak for calmer bodies of freshwater? Pontoon v. conventional, flat bottom v. V-hull, rod holders, width, sit in or sit on top, etc. etc. Any information will help, thanks!

I'm guessing that the rain must've washed lots of sediment into the water, so you'll be focusing on baits that bass can find in muddy water. Bright colors like chartreuse and white, or dark colors like black and brown should work the best. If possible, try to find the clearest water you can find, like where a stream or creek enters the body of water you're gonna fish I've found that in muddy water, fish tend to stick closer to cover or the bank than normal. I've accidentally spooked huge bass that were sitting in 4 inches of water on the bank. Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwater, jigs, basically anything with a sizable presence should be your go-to

if you have a chatterbait, put on the bulkiest trailer you can find and wake it. I caught my PB in the dead of winter with ice covering half the pond in chocolate milk-colored water doing it

If you're not already sold on the pflueger, here's my experience: I bought a president two years back as my first reel for bass fishing. Worked it hard, almost every day, fishing jigs, buzzbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics, basically everything on it and it handled like a champ. I was new to fishing though, and made the mistake of dunking it in water several times so it feels rater geary right now. Essentially, the President is a great, versatile reel at an unbeatable price that I would recommend to anyone that listens

I was casting so that my lures were scraping the concrete haha. Thanks for the great advice!

Took a trip to a nearby river the other day to check it out, and didn't have much luck. I was positioned between two bridges about 40 feet apart. The bridge further upriver had very loud construction going on, and half the river is blocked by a rock pile that makes a calm spot, and there was a school of small bluegill gathered around an area where a small stream was flowing from the rock pile. The bridge downriver has 3 pylons in slow current with a depth of around 6 feet in the middle. 30 feet downriver from the second bridge there's some weeds that extend to the surface. Rocky bottom, visibility isn't all that great. A few feet from the bank, it drops off from 1 feet to around 3 feet. Everywhere around the banks you can see little crayfish ~2 inches long crawling around. The only fish I caught was on a gold and black jerkbait fished fast, but a firetiger jerkbait I had tied on was bitten off quite fast, maybe by a musky or something. I tried throwing jigs and wacky worms towards the pylon but didn't even have a bite. Any suggestions on how I should approach this area next time?

A foldable kayak that can fit into a backpack for all us bank fishermen. Pretty sure there's a big market for that. It'd be great if Zman made a swimbait similar to the Keitech Swing Impacts.

All because of careless fish handling ...

If there's not too many weeds, I would try a lipless crankbait using a yo-yo retrieve or just ticking the rocks/weeds. If there's any significant pieces of structure, try getting a jig in there. If those don't work, you could always try a spinnerbait slow-rolled on the bottom or skipping a fluke under overhanging branches if there's any

You guys got it rough! Up here in Pennsylvania the hottest it gets to is 90. I don't know about all you guys, but the fishing has only gotten better as the water warms up. Have had a lot of luck throwing buzzbaits near bluegill beds and frogs on thick mats so far

I fish a university pond and recently, with the warm weather, it's become really overgrown with hydrilla and filamentous algae. The pond is probably 3 acres total, shaped like a rectangle. It's deepest end is on one end of the pond at maybe 5 feet but the rest of the pond is 2-3 feet. The other end of the pond is around 1 feet deep, and is weed-free and full of small gravel because of a small spring, but the bottom is mud and leaves everywhere else with no real structure. The hydrilla grows within a few inches of the surface in most areas but the pond surface is now covered in a film of thin green algae. I've had a few bites on hollow body frogs and flukes but the weeds make it hard to fish many baits. I've tried swim jigs but even they get hung up. What baits/techniques would work here? Thanks

weightless flukes

Love the subtle action