snake95

I fish ponds north of Atlanta. I believe the percentage of fish greater than 5 lb is relatively limited, but there are out there, including some truly big bass. My biggest bass in the past 3 years in these waters was 5.25 lb - caught in the fall, at dusk, on a dark 1/2 oz buzzbait reeled fast. Almost all bass over 4 lb caught by my son and I have been on topwater: either chartreuse or bluegill colored Banshee buzzbaits from Dicks or yum craws on heavy EWG reeled fast on surface in place of a true "toad," or walking baits such as the Rapala Skitterwalk and SK sexy dawg.

I think this is a great point. So many plastics work well as topwaters, or immediately below surface. In fact, I started gaining confidence in plastics in general "accidentally" fishing craws on surface so their claws act like toad paddles. A few others that work for me: - long-bodied grub reeled with rod tip high, so the tail splashes the surface (like a very subtle buzzbait) - straight-tailed worms fished like small snakes - compact bodied craws fished like compact toads (I have a better hookup ratio than with most toads)

Like a lot of guys, my inclination is to avoid them for two good reasons: they are expensive (by my standards) and I despise gimmicks or gimmicky things. However. I found some at clearance prices at a couple of Walmarts and so I bought a few. I've had good success with the ProRipper, fishing it every which way: burning, yo-yo-ing, etc. In classic TW review style, I even "caught a bass on my first cast" with one: chucked into a pocket among weeds and it got nailed as it fluttered down. I then promptly got another burning it like mad across a shallow flat. I've had more success letting it flutter on the fall near targets. Is it the flutter, the shimmy, or the chirping? Who knows. All I can say that I have to give it credit - it worked.

Another vote for the RES. I mostly fish small shallow ponds and throw the 1/2 oz, but still throw the 3/4 oz and burn it to keep it from hitting bottom. They kill it.

SK Banshee Buzzbait; 1/2 oz Chartreuse Belly Craw

*21. Does anyone else have as much trouble controlling their tackle buying impulses as I do? Is this NORMAL?

@Catt and everyone else on this one, this is such a good thread I'm going to print it out and give it to my son to read. Thanks for taking the time to give these explanations. I've learned a lot from this. The only thing I could add to @pauldconyers is that one thing that has surprised me as a rookie with plastics is that sometimes, the best presentation is the splashdown/bombing presentation. Forget the weight or use a very light one, cast that T-rigged worm as close as you can to a potential target: a stump, a tree, a break in those weeds. Let it flutter down like a stunned thing that just splashed down out of the sky, and then give it a very gentle pop or swim it up to surface. So often the slam comes within seconds of hitting the water when you happen to get the right target. I find this works well when the bass are active and you see signs of feeding (minnows or other creatures thrashing in the shallows) or groups of 'gills hanging out and breaking surface. So often a bass is lurking nearby and the splash and flutter causes an explosive reaction.

I also employ a similar approach. But I don't usually have to make more than one trip since I am in there so frequently "saving money" that I have no shortage of surveys filled out at any one time. Marketing genius at work. The Thursday "flash sales" get my attention too. I have "saved" a lot of $$ at that store since I took up bass fishing. Thanks, good point - also part of my strategy. Actually @fishnkamp I owe you one. The reels are now on clearance at DSG all week long for basically the same price. Thanks to you it dawned on me to just buy them in store and combine both the $10 rebate and the $10 off on $50 deals. I pride myself in being the ultimate deal finder but this one escaped me until your post. Guys - have fun buying new/old Presidents for $30 after rebate!

Interesting you'd post this because I've been thinking about the value of a ML spinning rod over the past few days. I have a reasonably large selection of rods (I'm a few more years into it) and I just pulled out an ML two-piece from my collection. I fish a lot of ponds too and find that the ML is ideal for casting weightless senkos and trickworms, and can do lighter jigs maybe 1/8 oz with paddletails. One of the things I enjoy in pond fishing is "hunting" bass - watching for signs of them feeding and then tossing T-rigged senkos or craws in the area of disturbance. ML is good for getting distance with such light baits. In short, I really like having an ML as one of my options for pond fishing. Its also versatile for use fishing spinners and small cranks for trout. It is ideal for the Ned rig which I use a lot in spots in ponds where there aren't as many weeds. While the M is generally speaking more versatile, the ML is great for some very basic yet very effective pond baits of the type you mentioned.

Sounds like a pond I fish all the time. Rain is the best condition. I've had great luck with buzzbaits in brown and chartreuse even during daytime in the rain. Could also try a whopper plopper or prop bait, or a larger sized T-rigged craw with big flapping claws dragged on surface. If not fishing topwater, I've had good success with rattling shallow-running chartreuse squarebills and lipless crankbaits.

Pflueger President reels have been on discount on Dick's 24-hour sales each Thursday for the last several weeks, selling for $48.98. I got a couple via the website today marked with Dick's price labels indicating "clearance" ($49.97). Cabela's has also been selling them at significant discount recently. Just out of interest wondering if Pflueger is planning to come up with a replacement? I know they are a very popular reel on the board.

Cool. They sometimes put the Yo-Zuris at 2 for $10 so this might not be their best deal of the year.

I've tried that with braid and it can cut through a glove. I've wrapped around branch pieces and had the line break at the branch and then slide into the water. I felt bad and the waterfowl were not amused.

I fish from shore a lot, and like to use braid with my spinning gear. The problem is snags. Retrieving the bait is often not an option, so it becomes a battle to see if it can be broken off or might possibly bend out. Sometimes, I've had the braid break near the pulling point. These days I rarely break off at a leader-to-braid knot, using the Alberto. What is the better approach for this situation?: 1.Use a stronger leader and/or no leader to pull 'er till something gives, potentially breaking off midway up the line or sending a lure flying back. 2. Use the leader as a "fuse" to give in at the hook knot and leave the hook in the snag, rather than breaking off the line. The downside is you don't have a lot of pull. I'm leaning towards option 2. Thoughts?

Actually, according to the DSG website, much of the sale is still on until August 5. The only items on the list that are not still on sale through this period are the buy 2 get one free deals.

I also got some on sale earlier this year. And I have some similar Eagle Claw hooks I was considering using with them. My goal has been to fish them Neko-style with a thin nail inserted in the fat end and the hook Neko/wacky position. But I'm just thinking about it, haven't actually tried it yet.

You beat me to it. Was also thinking of posting this. They look good to me. Seems they heard the complaints and the praise and made the best of it.

I catch small largemouths on a mushroom head jig with a curly-tail grub 2" to 3-1/2". The mushroom head jigs I use are either the Zman Finesse shroomz or Cabelas bed jig. But frankly, any ball head or mushroom head should work fine. I fish shallow ponds and lakes and use 1/32 oz to 1/4 oz typically with 1/16 to 1/8 about the best options. Cast, retrieve and vary the retrieve speed. Sometimes a straight retrieve, sometimes rip with the rod, then let it fall and flutter down as I reel in the resulting slack and bring the rod back to position. Just this last week I've been fishing a curly-tailed senko and retrieving it fast enough that it stays on top with rod tip held high, and bass have nailed it as it creates a small wake. I've had plenty of success with white, silver, and brown/pumpkin colors, typically using the YUM grubs that retail for around $2.50 for a pack at Walmart. I hear a lot of guys talk about "keeping it simple with colors." I keep it simple my own way: if I have a color and I feel like fishing it, I go for it. I would guess more subtle tends to be better for clearer water (e.g. green and orange pumpkin) and brighter colors for more stained water, but I haven't found a huge difference myself. Good luck!

Awesome score, @Quarry Man. With all due respect to Walmart workers, that probably wasn't a mistake that you capitalized on. They WANTED to sell them to you for $16 each (or at least, either Walmart's bean counters or store managers did). You actually did them a favor - it was a true "win-win." Occasionally they will sell rods at complete blow-out prices. They do this to clear out inventory that is old, being replaced with new products, new graphics, or new packaging, or meets some other sales objective. The fascinating thing is if they don't get cleared out - they will go back on the floor at regular retail pricing. I have also seen or scored some great rods from Walmart at awesome prices when lucky enough to happen on this kind of sale, including Falcon Christie series, Quantum KVD series, Eagle Claw Skeet Reece series, Shimano Sellus, and Abu Vendetta rods all for $15-16 at one time or another. For whatever reason, $15-16 and $9 seem to be common rock-bottom sales prices at Walmart. During my biggest haul (felt like a heist) I asked the manager to verify that it really was OK to take the lot in my hand for $15 each. He was more than happy to encourage me to buy ones for my buddies and escort me to the till to make sure they rang up right (not to get security!). In the worst cases, I've picked up rods that were deeply discounted but didn't get sold, are cleared out of their system, and then they won't ring up at the till at all and get shipped away for disposal or maybe auction. You truly scored because you can't just go in there expecting to find a deal that impressive. Prices are often reduced gradually, and lots of anglers are happy to snap them on the first price reduction, especially in high-traffic stores.

Interesting post. I respect the classics, and remember growing up in the 80's endlessly reading about classics like the bass oreno, lazy ike, and zara spook, lures I didn't see much in northern Canada, and fishing classics like the Mepps Aglia and the Rapala Original. I agree some of the classics seem to be forgotten or at least talked about less these days, but of course bass still love them. I think some newer "flavors" mentioned above are destined for greatness, and I would say the common thread of those is that they build on the fundamentals laid down by the greats, maybe you could say using the Japanese concept of "Kaizen" - continually and incrementally improving and refining on past successes and standards. They also include lures that give us new ways of thinking about fishing. I think the point is, not all new lures are just fads, and even a few individual baits have the opportunity to really define the archetype of a particular category. Some look like fads. You can spot them a mile away. Lures called out as "flavors" mentioned above that have the right stuff to become classics. Maybe these deserve a place in the classics bullpen? The Ned Rig - maybe more of a concept, but it works so well in many situations and has certainly changed the way I think about bass and their habits. Call it good marketing combined with good fortune, but the picture in the classics catalog would probably show a gopher or Z-man head with a half a zinker and say "this is where it started." The whopper plopper - can hear the groans now, and it's taken up more than its fair share of thread space here over the last year or so, but let's face it, it combines many of the great features of classics like the torpedo and devil's horse (buzz and pause) with the louder ripping sound of a buzzbait plus the plopping/swimming tail of a paddletail. I'd say that one is here to stay. What about classic categories that don't have a clear archetype? Nobody would argue the jerkbait is an essential category, but what one lure represents it best? The 110 because it works great and is a beautiful lure? The X-rap because it is sold everywhere at enthusiast-friendly prices? And other classic categories that have a clear prototype, but have been improved upon, ie. crazy crawler vs the pompadour? I've never fished a pompadour but by all accounts it improves on the crawler. But hard to put the pompadour in the classics book without a picture of the crazy crawler beside it.

@EastNcBassinThanks for asking this question. I am in the same boat. Or on the same bank. Thanks for the info @Yeajray231 @hawgenvy and others. I will give it a shot myself.

I use snaps all the time for most hardbaits and frogs. I primarily fish from shore and I'm a bit of a junk fisherman, switching baits periodically. I typically use a simple palomar hook and snaps that are reasonably thick. While the snap might be a weak link, it's easy to tie a strong and reliable palomar knot quickly to a snap. I have never once lost a fish to a failed snap in 3 years of reasonably constant bass fishing catching smaller bass (5 lb and smaller). I tie direct to hooks and other non-hardbaits. I have read from more experienced guys that snaps can inhibit action. Maybe with some lures that's an issue, but I've never really had an obvious problem with that, from walking spooks to ripping jerkbaits. However, I think it is really important to get fast at tying good knots, and frankly, I think you can tie a good knot to a hardbait nearly as fast as you can open and close a snap. The time savings is small. I'm trying to get better at going this route.

I guess it depends on how long you are going for? I wouldn't put in whole packs of anything if I can only take one box and going for a few hours. I like to have a variety on hand, especially if I don't know the conditions. I also live near Marietta, and I routinely ask myself this very question. Here are typical boxes of mine: Row 1 - soft plastics A few of each, in any combo that fits in the row: Dingers or senkos, trick worms, and craws with flapping arms. Pick a range of colors. Row 2 - 3-4 soft plastic paddletail swimbaits - I'd take Keitech Swing Impact Fats 4.3 inch in bluegill flash. Plus terminal tackle (assuming only one box is going with you) Range of hooks on a safety pin: few 2/0 or 3/0 light wire straight-shank worm hooks for the trick worms, some 3/0 - 5/0 EWG for the stick baits and craws. Few 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz jigheads (SK squadron or VMC boxer). Few 1/16-3/8 oz bullet sinkers. There. Box is ready. Row 3 - getting into optional territory. Hard baits - topwaters and/or cranks - several options. This could vary depending on how weedy/snaggy the conditions are. Chose your story based on the options/conditions below. Mandatory: Rapala original floating minnow in silver or gold, J9 or J11 size; then: Warm summer evenings? - topwaters Weedy? HB frog of some type Walking bait (a SK sexy dawg jr, a Rapala skitter walk) OR a popper (Pop-R) OR a wakebait (Rapala DT Fat-1) Whopper Plopper OR buzzbait 3/8 or 1/2 oz (arguably the plopper is the most versatile of the two) If you want more room, the craw reeled on surface will substitute for these hardbaits in many conditions. Daytime? 1-2 crankbaits (e.g. Rapala shad shallow, KVD 1.5, Lucky Craft SKT MR) In warm weather fat-bodied/wide roll, in colder, flat-sided, tighter shimmy. OR Fall? SK RES or equivalent in 1-2 colors. Maybe the Rap shad shallow too. OR Shallow water, relatively snag-free and taking kids and happy to catch small fish? Rebel craws or minnows and teeny Wee-R or SK bitsy minnow That's 3 stuffed rows. If you can squeeze more in there: 1 x Z-man pack rolled up with TRDs and shroomz. and/or Flukes in several colors.

Where I live near Atlanta there are few alternatives within easy driving distance. A couple of small tackle retailers and some big box stores that specialize in outdoors sports, but urban and suburban traffic make getting there a special mission based on the patterns I travel. There are countless Walmarts and Dicks Sporting Goods in our area. Whatever you might feel about these stores, frankly they are the only practical options given time constraints. On the positive side, they carry many of the "standard" baits that enthusiast anglers like me use, at good prices. For example, senkos and dingers, gama hooks, and Rapala minnows. Some stores are well-stocked and tailored to the needs of the community. Some are poorly stocked and get little turnover. On the other hand, these stores may have excellent finds, one of them carries a full selection of War Eagle Spinnerbaits. They have very good prices during their frequent clearance sales. A bit of a plug for sponsor Yum: Walmart stores often have Yum bait boxes on the bottom shelf. They sell partial packs of Yum lures of various types at standard $1.98 pricing. This is a good way to try something new if you like Yum baits. Occasionally these go on sale and are deeply discounted. They sometimes contain full, regular retail bags of their lures labeled for the bait boxes; this season I have picked up various craws and dingers in that category. The selection ranges from absolutely standard (green pumpkin dingers) to relatively rare but excellent baits (vibra king tubes and mighty bugs).