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This year prespawn definitely raised my confidence in a chatterbait.... But it says the pictures too big

Winning set up so far has been going into the thick stuff with 3/8oz and a baby brush hog, and walking a popper on the edges. Good stuff so far!

I agree completely. However, my flipping set up is definitely just for that. Close quarter combat. I miss a lot of fish on a long cast. MH with 50# braid has been the answer for me. Yes. Entire water column in most areas I can reach.

Assuming you are using a baitcaster, your thumb is your friend. Try to pitch beyond your target and use your thumb to slow the lures momentum. For me, I often apply too much pressure and the abrupt stop causes the lure to crash into the water. You want to slow it down for a soft, gentle entry. I worked on that a lot this will get using patches where the snow had melted for my target.

My local County Park lake is warming up to the point where vegetation is taking over. It needs to be dredged, but the project is not within budget. It keeps a lot of the trout guys away, and takes some of the pressure off the water, so that's a small victory. It's to the point where traps or red eye shad are a hassle to try and throw, and I've switched to straight braid on Texas rigs because I'm pulling 5-6# of veggies in with a 1# fish buried in it. Anyway, without a disecting the whole thing, I'm just curious where you bank anglers have had success when dealing with thick stuff?

Got the newer model of the BPS pro Qualifier rod/reel combo for $120. Planned on getting the reel but didn't know what I would do with the rod. But, for and extra $20 oh well. Now I use it almost every time I'm on the water. Also picked up an Abu Revo X for $70. I'd gladly pay full retail for it.

I fish all "higher speed" reels. My slowest is 6.6:1 at 27 IPT. That being said, 8.5:1 at 36" worried me a little. But, I find myself reaching for this reel over any other and I've even switched the rod I've had it on to fit the application. Solid build and extremely smooth. Also weighs about an ounce more than I'm used to, but I really don't notice. I agree with the spool tension, fine line between my lure not moving and free fall. Overall, very pleased!

All I know, and this is a fact... The more expensive your rod, reel and lure are the number, and size of the fish you catch will increase. Seriously though, it sounds like she was probably in a phase of the spawn where they offer only a small window to be caught. And if you do, please put her back asap. Once she locks on the bed you will have a better chance to get her agitated and with some patience and persistence, she might bite. Good luck!

If you're looking for a "do nothing" technique, I'd lean toward weightless senkos, ned rig or a drop shot. They only require you to cast them out, twitch your rod tip, and manage slack.

I've had soft plastics melt together when I kept them in plastic containers sitting out. Now I keep them in their original packaging inside of my day bag and haven't had any issue. Should be ok if you avoid direct sunlight, and I usually keep my windows cracked a bit.

If you have time to map the bottom, cover the whole thing ? From the info provided, I would also become familiar with where the drop off occurs. It doesn't have to be significant in a pond that size to hold fish. Any ambush point is where I would target. The transition from dirty to clean water can also be productive, similar to a grass line. If your in a kayak, you have the advantage of working these areas from several angles. Mid-day summer time, I assume the water temps will be higher so much like we would, look for shaded or areas where water is feeding into the pond. Also, chances are if you find the bluegill, the bass won't be far behind. Hope that helps!

I would recommend a rod that has enough backbone to rip the lure out of grass, but enough tip that the rod will load and help to keep the fish from throwing the trebles. I prefer a high speed ratio on all my reels. It's easier for me to slow down than speed up. Line choice: mono if I'm running shallow, braid if the vegetation is very thick, fluoro in open/clear water. My current set up for 1/2oz is: 7' M/F BPS Pro Qualifier Abu Revo X 6.6:1 12# Suffix siege mono IMO the critical part is matching the rod and line. If you're throwing mono that stretches you might get away with a stiffer rod. If you're throwing braid with zero stretch, use a rod that has more tip. Gear ratio is personal preference.

I went out today in PA in a light rain after a heavy storm had moved through over night. Air temps dropped about 10 degrees. Stayed cloudy after the rain quit. Anyway, I found a bunch of fish during the rain on a grass line. Caught 3 in a row and the 4th one broke me off. This was on highly pressured public water. Side note, don't be lazy like me and neglect to re-tie. When the rain quit the bite slowed down, and I had to adjust, but I continued to catch fish. My 2 cents... Get some decent rain gear and stay away from lightning.

It's pretty interesting to see some of the stuff that a bass will leave in a live well. I've heard of people catching a bass and finding a still living snake that hasn't been fully digested yet. There are many reasons a bass will "eat" that has nothing to do with it being hungry so not much would surprise me.

Ha, I've lived in a few places so I speak a combination of regional language. And, around here the heavy stuff stays at home 90% of the time.

Sometimes I think I should video myself to truly answer these questions. I'll give the rod tip to the fish and reel slack which puts my hands around my belt, take a half step to transer my weight and open my hip while I set, a hard jerk up to my chest/shoulder. I'm using the trokars. Been using 4/0 with dbombs but a 6/0 might fit the magnum rage bug. Don't have any owner flipping hooks but I've used their ewgs and I have no doubt they are heavy enough for flipping. Know a couple guys who swap out all their trebles for owners too.

No. I can't say the company name on here but I will give you a big hint. It's VERY GREEN.

Rod: 7'4 H/F rated for 3/8-1 1/2oz Reel: 8.5:1 50# braid I'm missing a lot of fish pitching and flipping this set up. Using straight shank flipping hook and Snell knot with 1/2-1oz tungsten. It feels like (unless I'm right on top of the fish) I am not driving the hook into them, but pulling it from their mouth. I'll admit the rod is quite stout, and their is no standard for "heavy" or "fast". Could it be a matter of rod tip? Human error? Smaller fish? What can I do to increase my hook ups? Thanks!!!

On spinning gear I will adjust the drag while I'm landing the fish. I actually have a Shimano that has rear drag, but I'm not a fan. On baitcasting gear thumbing is something I do, without consciously thinking about it. In fact, I've slipped and depressed my thumb bar with a fish on. Started picking out the backlash and realized it was still hooked, and hand lined it in. True story ?

@Eric J. This is my 2nd year of focusing just about all of my attention on bass. You can try whatever technique you think works best for your region and the waters you are fishing, but don't get overwhelmed. There are some great techniques new and old, and endless lure options the market, but you don't want to try and learn them all in a day. Whatever you choose (and this is only a suggestion) black/blue, green pumpkin, white/chartreuse, and orange/red are my 4 basic color choices anywhere I go. One last thing that I try and force myself to do when I get a new lure or try a new technique is only take one rod and fish it exclusively. Otherwise, I'll throw it for an hour with no luck and go right back to my old habits. Best of luck!!

Agreed. This is also one of the more affordable soft plastics out there, and they are sold just about everywhere.

I'm also in that category, and I still consider myself to be a beginner. I think it has to do with the excitement when I put the time in to learn a new approach or technique and I want to share it (with certain people lol). For the most part, I've learned most of what I know from the internet, and time on the water. I have one friend who fishes competitively and I'm grateful for every chance I have to get on the water with him. I'd be happy to ride along and watch him fish and I'd never have to pick up a rod. Flip side of that, I value the guy who uses the same spinning rig for all species and owns one pack of soft plastics, and some 3/0 ewgs. It reminds me to not over-complicate things... Which I am very good at doing!

May 2, 2018 7.52# Ask and you shall receive @Graham

@Graham I'm actually in PA, but I'm a proud WVU grad.

New reel arrives tomorrow! BTW I should mention that this order and exchange was all through TW. They made it really easy, and they are handling the warranty side of things. Shameless plug, but happy to give them high praise as well as my hard earned $$$.