snake95

Noticed variable coloration and markings in the largemouth in ponds. Some have very distinct markings, others look washed out. In the same ponds. I am in Georgia not far from Atlanta. Definitely no other species of bass in ponds nearby. Does anyone out there know enough about the biology of bass enough to know if these variations are due to water quality, diet, or genetics, or all of these things to a degree?

Just wanted to post a note that I did a bit of a review of information on fluoro knots of the pros. Setting aside the pros and cons of using fluoro leaders with braid... And acknowledging that the pros aren't the only guys that know what they are doing, and they are sponsored by line manufacturers -- lots of guys on Bassresource also know very well what they are doing! Some notable pros talking fluoro knots: 1. Aaron Martens: doubled uni (not too hard). 2. Shaw Grigsby: doubled Pitzen (pretty easy, like a doubled SDJ but doesn't bother to go through the bottom hole at the connection). 3. Gerald Swindle: double Shindoe and other various G-man names. Double lines, wrap up the mainline, and back out through the bottom - not too different than the Berkely Braid, except he wraps up the mainline instead of down. Mike Bucca (guide, swimbait designer and guru, etc.) in an older BR article said he liked the BBK. All four above double their lines. All except Aaron's are pretty similar knots really. Noted that a lot of guys like the SDJ and Palomar, and that's clearly stated in this thread and others. I will keep practicing... ideally under "field conditions."

I love fishing them. Often I will get fish on other topwaters even after trying walking baits though. Have switched to poppers and ploppers after fishing walking baits and got bites when walkers weren't generating strikes.

Will let A-Jay answer for himself but I'd say by the time I can put the bait on and cast out, I am done letting it dry.

Thanks guys. I got both titanium and AFW microsupreme leaders to try packed in my plug bag. Going to give them a shot if and when I find some blues, and if I don't, well, I will use them up in northern Ontario looking for pike someday. Will report back if I actually find any fish in the salt.

Meant to add that for pond bass I’ve done well with the Bomber shallow A and square A. Hooks are not awesome but price is right.

Thanks for injecting this bit of education into this thread Smalljaw. I’ve had a lot of this lately and while senko and fluke follow ups sometimes get them that doesn’t fix the need to still cover water and get em on the first try. Dusting off my DT-1s this weekend.

@A-Jay @RoLo @TnRiver46 Thanks guys for the information and entertainment. I am probably going to find out for myself no matter what... but where I go my spooks often get pecked at and occasionally blasted... I know that slug-gos are popular for stripers and I have learned to follow up largemouth top water misses with a fluke or senko... So putting two and two together I'm thinking Ill try follow up baits for striper misses. Will it work?

Thanks for the insights Tom. I use the SD jam a lot and really like it - could tie in my sleep. I will try it for my situation as well.

@A-Jay awesome, thanks. Good to hear from someone who knows. This weekend I will pack up the bucktails accordingly.

Thanks RoLo can you tie direct to mono or have to add terminal tackle? Sorry - Found the answer. Google works! Made of nickel Titanium that stretches like monofilament and can be rigged with a simple clinch or Albright knot. More cut-proof, kink-proof and longer lasting than ordinary stainless steel wire. Corrosion-proof, low visibility non-reflective smoke black finish.

I fish for stripers in MA one week a year, and I am slowly learning the ropes. I mostly fish off rocky jetties instead of true surf fishing. Black bass are my natural targets, so stripers take some adjustment. I know you have to adapt to your quarry, but I have low confidence in things like diamond jigs, striper tubes, and bucktails with eel strips. I feel at home with inshore baitcasting gear, and bass baits (or similar) that have translated over to stripers for me include walking baits and poppers. I even tried pink buzzbaits and got some stripers. What other back bass methods and baits have translated over to striper fishing for you without much adaptation? What differences should I try to consider when out there for stripers?

I assume some of you guys out there fish for bluefish or catch them inadvertently when after stripers. What do you like to use for leaders when those toothy guys are targets or just around?

Yes! at or possibly above the connection to the hook. Well, good question about why BBK. I have been using it in lieu of the Palomar after I saw that the BBK tested well for Fluoro in the Knot Wars series a number of years ago. I have done well with the BBK in mono tests at the Berkely testing station they have at the Classic. But that is mono. G-man has a couple of videos out talking about "his" "Double Shindoe" knot which is essentially a reverse BBK, which further reinforced the idea of going with the BBK. I talked to Aaron Martens at the Classic recently and he told me he always uses a doubled uni, which similarly involves several loops of line. To be honest, it has been a recent development and my initial track record with the BBK was good. @Team9nine I know you know what you are talking about, so will take your advice and try a different knot. Yes I used to use hybrid for leaders too, and then went to fluoro. Why? I don't have a great reason. I feel like some of these are most likely culprits. They should be obvious enough, but to be fair, I probably have not been re-tying often enough and my hooksets are probably too hard. I will try to address these things too. And... yes maybe I would do just as well with a $7 spool of mono instead of a $30 spool of fluoro. Thanks, guys. On further reflection, what I was really wanting to ask was the wrong question: "could my nice expensive Tatsu line have really degraded enough in a year or two to be breaking on me." But... I think that was a normal reaction instead of putting the blame where it is more likely to lie: with the knot tier and line handler. I am really into knots and think I am good at them, but... I should take another look at what I am doing.

I have been tying fluoro leaders over the past few years, using them in fairly clear water for lighter plastic presentations ranging from Ned Rigs to weightless senkos. Mostly I have done well, but lately had a lot of fluoro breaks at the connection knot, or possibly in the line above it. I think it is well established that fluoro is generally not forgiving when it comes to knots. I switched to the Berkley Braid knot and had good success until recently. I have been using high quality fluoro - Tatusu 8 lb and 10 lb. The spools of Tatsu are kept in separate pouches in my tackle bag, and I spool off what I need periodically. Been in there maybe a year. I thought they were treated well - no sunlight or crazy heat. Could it be that my Tatsu has degraded over time? OR... is my knot tying degrading?

This is amazing... so is the consensus that tackle is running low around the country? Both increased demand and lack of supply at the same time? Maybe the fact that Dick's is abandoning and cutting back on fishing in some stores is a factor? What do you guys think is driving this? People with more time at home? I thought it would go the other way because a lot of people don't have as much disposable income. I have not shopped in-store here in North GA in a while, so I haven't seen for myself. I have noticed on many trips around Georgia and throughout the US that the demand for fishing gear does not seem to be even, in normal times. Seems like you midwestern guys are even more crazy about tackle than us southerners.

And if you live near an Ollies Bargian Outlet try there. Last year the one near me had tons of devil's Spears in white that lingered all year. May have thrown them in the trash at year end!

Good post. I got one on a 110 plopper yesterday but couldn't get a bite on them after that. A few weeks ago I got a short strike on the 110 plopper and then nailed 'em with a quick fluke follow-up to the blowup spot. I fish in GA and you'd think our ponds would be on topwater fire right now but I have found topwater success to be fleeting even this far into the year. I don't know why. I am doing far better on ochos and flukes on the fall lately. Not a ton of fast reaction strikes. I know you can get 'em earlier (have seriously caught them on walking baits during a Christmas warm spell), but I normally don't have lots of topwater success until the summer. Might be me, might just be the particular ponds I fish, I don't know why...

Jumpin' minnow -- but with a ball on the back end. Hm....

That is an improvement. How about the: Finesse Anywhere Reverse T-rig? Definitely feel better about casting one out instead of a tiny child.

Probably not what some of the guys would go with, but I fish spooks and sammys from shore using the Falcon Jason Christie 7 ft MH/MF. Rated to 3/4 oz and the Super Spook is 1/2 oz. Also throwing 1 oz sammys - it is clearly underpowered for this -- something more H/MF vs MH/MF rated a little higher would be ideal. I am a short dude and fish fairly overgrown clearings and honestly don't have a problem walking these lures with the 7 ft rod.

I am primarily a bank angler and have one and use it rarely. It is a good quality product that does what it says. I haven't bothered to figure out if you can make the maps Koz mentioned. **correction - the newest version looks like it has this feature - that would be good!** It is cool and has one big pro. Cons Requires a separate rod to be practical Creates a splash about as subtle as a cannonball when cast Not very practical to use to hunt for fish using a 2-rod setup A little scary that you might cast it off Pros Enables you to learn the bottom contours and conditions without going scuba diving So, I have used it to learn about certain spots, usually on dedicated trips with the intent of just learning about the bottom, not fishing. I have never bothered to figure out how to make electronic maps, but it has helped me identify structure and contours in general.

@ChrisD46 I fish it horizontally from shore. It is a different presentation but seems to work as well as a Ned rig. I fish it two ways in one cast: fluttering down in front of a target then bottom hopping on the way back if not bit first. I use trokars but mostly VMC nekos size 1 and 2.

@NYWayfarer good rig for sure! I also have a lot of success with this - usually with one of the big TRDs. I think this is every bit as effective as the Ned rig in most cases, and perfectly weedless. I have tried all kinds of alternatives to achieve weedlessness: shroom heads with weedguards, and Owner ultrahead jigs. I prefer this rig. Remarkably, I get a nearly perfect hookup ratio even with the neko hook embedded well into the TRD. It is a little easier to rig with the bigger TRDs than the regular because there is more room to get the hook in place. I like the Zman TRD neko weights, though I am sure some would say they are overpriced and unnecessary. To each their own, I am a Zman fan and I can justify nice Neko weights easier than a lot of fancy fishing gear. I don't know why they call this the tiny child rig. Have seen Yamamoto guys calling a regular size version of this the Chicken Rig. Since its a smaller version, I think I'll call this the Chick Rig. It doesn't matter, but I wish someone would popularize a better name for this thing.

Not glamorous or flashy, and not a squarebill... But I find it hard to beat a floating Rapala Original in shallow water from shore. The original original black and silver and white is awesome. I like a size 9 or 11. Also a deadly and subtle topwater - fished in short jerks in calm conditions.