ThePolkFolk

I'd say the biggest of the day was 2.5 lbs. Mostly little dinkers but they sure were agressive. Had a 6 incher bend my medium spinning rod all the way when he hit. Fun times and no one got skunked.

Lol yup, pretty much some YouTube during lunches. I rarely use data anywhere else though.

I read the magazine at work during breaks. Helps me keep my data usage under the limit.

Yeah, that was an oversight on my part. Overall it was still a good day, I would probably start off on the east side next time so we can finish on the west closer to the launch.

Fishing the docks and some of the weed points turned out the best for the time we were out there. Darker worms were the ticket for us. Nothing large but they were busting up all around us, saw a couple dead shad floating around. I imagine they were chasing the shad/shiners before it got too hot out. The most interesting part is that they stopped using the outboards and only do the trolling motors now. Makes getting around a bit tougher and luckily there wasn't too much wind.

Thanks again for the info everyone. Hoping the rain holds off until the afternoon Saturday!

Gotta have that snap!

Maybe you spooled it on too tight? I pull on the line to make sure there is tension but not so much that I would describe it as "tight" Do you use baitcasters with mono/flouro and have no issues?

http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Extreme-Arky-Jig-1000.htm Black and blue + Green Pumpkin are good starter colors. Arky is a good all around head but you may want to look into more of his products. I personally like the Dredge Brush series.

The hardest part about fishing...is finding the fish. Especially for bank fishing. Do you know any background info on the waters you are fishing? Before any trip to a new lake, I will try to bust out some topo maps for the water. Looking for any structure that may hold some fish, I'll mark them on a paper map, then I use Google Earth to see if there is any cover in the same area. I find it even more important in bank fishing since shoreline access can be pretty limited. Even for lakes I frequent, if I land fish in a new area, then I will mark it and review it later to see if there was any structure/cover that the fish were holding on. Once you find out where the fish are hanging out the rest will come easy.

Love me some Gambler soft plastics. Cheap and they work. Since Roger turned me onto the Ace, I have been replacing all my GYBC senkos as they are used out.

Get a set of pliers that will do what you want but get a boomerang snip for cutting the braid.

But what flavor dipping sauce was used?

Thanks for the assistance guys, glad I found BR as everyone is knowledgeable and willing to help. The topo map shows a good couple points that I'll have to check out first for sure. Other than that there looks to be a lot of cover to work through, be it docks or pads. I will be out there a day early with my buddy to get a quick lay of the land. Should be a fun time regardless as I haven't seen/fished with this friend in a while. Also if anyone was wondering, the leadtime for the boat rentals was about 4 weeks out when I called in about 2 weeks ago.

Great resource for DIY work. Lot of really nice builds on there.

Thank you guys for the tips. Should be a good long weekend either way. @Hez I've been using Navionics free app. Is the $10 upgrade worth it in your opinion?

Has anyone ever fished this lake? Taking a buddy out to rent one of their bass boats in a few weeks. Hard time finding a good topo map for the lake. Google Earth shows a lot of thick lily pads on the east side so a Gambler Big EZ worked on top will probably be my first bait for the morning. Anyone have any tips on location or baits? Or maybe just a good topo map?

Looks like you were just trying to cool off, not too crazy with how hot it is down here now lol

Go to the Fishing Tackle section and look at the pinned posts at the top covering different techniques. There is a lot of info in there on how to detect bites and how to set the hook for each presentation. Different techniques can require different hooksets. Wacky senkos I will gently sweep to the side and up while reeling down while my heavy punch rigs I have to reel in the slack and set hard normally straight up.

He may already have an extra lifejacket for you. I would ask your friend if that is the case. I will already have one ready for guests on my boat.

If you're talking about a Stradic CI4+, then I can assure you that it still looks pretty darn good with the hi-vis yellow.

Welcome to BR! What kind of reel and what kind of line? If you have already set your drag to max tightness then that is odd. If you are using straight braid it might be line slipping on the spool?

Want big profile? Go Gambler Big EZ. Personally I wouldn't worry about the belly slit. There are other ways to go ultra weedless without sacrificing hook up ratio. I prefer using the screwlock hooks but that is not necessary.

I like using a fairly beefy hook. Typically some size of Trokar flipping hooks. 50 braid and a stout rod generally will work for most of our slop down here in Florida. I use 65 lb now but never had an issue with 50. Many people have no issues with the palomar knot, I've just always been raised on the snell knot for punching cover. Like the other posters have said, don't be afraid to try other presentations as well.

I will own one of these one day. One of the smoothest, clean breaking triggers I've ever fired on a striker fired gun. The modularity definitely is a bonus as well.