king fisher

There is a reason commercial long liners, use circle hooks. They have a high hook up ratio without the need to set the hook. The problem with using circle hooks with lures, is many times fish will not hold on to an artificial lure long enough and take it deep enough to allow the hook to turn and catch. If you use a circle hook with bait, or artificial you must not only refrain from a traditional hook set, you must slowly bring the line tight after letting the fish swallow the bait. A line that stretches, helps aid in slowly getting the line tight. If you do use braid with a circle hook, it is important to modify the way you come tight to the fish, because you will not have stretch helping slow the process down. May be much easier to use another type of hook.

Night crawler under a bomber. If the wind is to strong for a bobber, Night crawler Carolina rigged. Kids just want action, and nothing gets action like a live worm.

In general I set the drag at 1/3 breaking strength of the line. If I'm fishing in heavy cover, I set the drag higher, but never locked down. As soon as I pull the fish out of the cover, I lightened up on the drag. I lost a double digit bass a few weeks ago, because I locked down my drag to get a backlash out, and forgot to reset it. The big bass made a hard run, I was trying to back my kayak away from a tree, and expected the drag to give, it didn't, end of story. I am opposite of most bass anglers. I like to take my time and fight the fish with a gentle touch. In my experience more hooks pull free, or line breaks due to horsing a fish than get off because the fight lasts to long. I have landed many large fish, that were barely skin hooked because I backed off the drag, and played them with a gentle touch. Of course a big fish must be quickly forced away from cover, before any amount of finesse can be applied. If I'm fishing light line around heavy cover, than gently leading the fish through the cover instead of forcing it is the only option and my drag will be set at 1/3 breaking strength. Most of the time I will not be fishing light line in heavy cover. A short answer would be I set my drag depending on the type of cover, line, rod, and technique.

I may need to go get checked out by a dementia specialist after reading this thread. I have done every one of the mistakes already listed, plus, put my real on backwards. One time I even completely forgot my rods at home.

Though not a fineness technique, a small inline spinner can be used as a search bait in any pond, clear or muddy. Once fish are located, slower bottom bumping finesse techniques may help you catch more.

I use steel over decoys, but have a few tungsten, or Heavy Shot in my pocket for cripple's when hunting over water. Tungsten is expensive, but not as expensive as using a whole box of steel trying to dispatch a cripple, quickly swimming out of steel shot range, that could be stopped dead in the water with one shot of Heavy Shot. Field hunting cripple's are not a problem for a dog to run down, so I only carry steel when hunting on land. Jump shooting I use Tungsten because I usually wont use many shells, so the extra cost is not great. I use an 870 12 gauge for all waterfowl and upland birds. When I miss which is more often than I like to admit. The fault is not due to the gun or ammo.

Don't feel bad. The water temp. at a lake I fished a few days ago was 74, I only landed one 6 inch bass in 10 hrs. of fishing. Sometimes they just don't want to bite. Keep trying. Next cast could be your PB.

I had the Strike King Spence Scout, and a similar lure made by Cotton Cordell. The Cordell one had a molded plastic lip, and the small fin toward the back was also plastic. Both came with skirts, and caught many bass. I can't remember the name of the Cordell one.

Nothing like Floro to make me a hypocrite. One day I'm bad mouthing the stuff, and the next day I'm using it. If someone doesn't like my opinion about florocarbon, just wait a couple days, like the weather my opinion is sure to change.

I carried a Savage 110 22 250 when I ran a trap line in Alaska. I used it to harvest caribou for food, and shot many fox, wolves, even a lynx for fur. It was a dependable, accurate, inexpensive rifle. Comparable in quality to many bolt action rifles with much higher price tags.

Spinnerbait. Bought my first one summer of 1976. It was a Fleck Weed Wader. I fished that Weed Water every time I went bass fishing for many years. I now own dozens of spinnerbaits and still fish them every time out. Rattle Trap. First time I tried one in 1978 I caught so many fish compared to my friend, that he begged me to loan him mine. We spent the rest of the day taking turns fishing that trap. In all the years of fishing for many species of fish, that was the biggest difference I have ever seen a lure make. Catching bass every cast was fun. Watching my friend beg, priceless. I always have a Trap tied on.

I haven't given up on the A rig yet. I will say snagging an abandoned gill net with one made me do the math and consider the logic of fishing with such an expensive lure in my waters. I was able to break it free from the net, so I'm positive I will get it back if it snags again ( bait monkey logic). I plan on using it the next time I see bass busting bait in the open water away from all snags. I wont be throwing it near wood in 30 knot winds any more. At the time, I was thinking they should not only be illegal in some tournaments, but banned in all 50 states, and many foreign countries.

I fished two days dawn to dusk. First day I mostly pounded the banks. Lots of small bass around a pound or so. I was excited to try a chaterbait for the first time, but not luck. As usual for me, spinnerbaits and crankbaits caught the most bass. Next day I found a submerged tree in 20 feet of water, with a large bait ball above it. I marked larger fish in the branches, I assumed were bass. The afternoon winds had not picked up yet so I was able to fish many different baits including my new A Rig. No luck. I placed a marker buoy and left planning to come back later. A couple hours later the wind was blowing over 20 MPH and I decided to throw a crankbait as I drifted by the buoy. I made four drifts for four fish. Two 4.5 pounds, two over 3 pounds. Wind then picked up to 30MPH forcing me to fish a sheltered spot the remainder of the day catching only small bass. Fishing was slow, and no big fish, but I was happy to find fish with my electronics, and catch some. The four pounders were long and very thin. I'm confident that I will be able to fish this same spot later in the year for more and fatter fish. No luck on the A rig. Another new lure I bought somehow thinking it would be magical and make up for lack of knowledge, angling skill, or both. I will try it again with less expectations. I did catch a bass on a Jack Hammer for the first time. The bait was bigger than the bass but it was a bass. I guess the bass didn't realize the chaterbait was $15 and my H2O square bill was $4 because they liked the square bill. The log I snagged definitely understood the dollar value between the two.

Along with many of the others mentioned. I occasionally use. Heddon Sonic. -- lipless Crankbait Heddon Sonar-- Blade bait Rebel Deep WeeR -- medium diving crankbait Heddon Crazy Crawler Bomber Model A all diving depths, and sizes. Bagely Balsa B and Diving B Heddon River Runt-- Good wake bait, or shallow diver.

The only lure my friend has that I don't.

I would have to say everything in my box. Someone already got me to bite when I spent my hard earned cash on them. Probably wouldn't be any different if I were a fish.

The old lure from Heddon that looked like a beer can.

I use trailers on jigs all the time. Most of the time I don't use one with a spinnerbait. I use a trailer hook on a spinnerbait if I get bites, but don't hook up. I don't use a trailer hook if I am getting snagged. If I am getting snagged and missing strikes, I try a different lure.

For 30 years my favorite was a single gold Colorado with black skirt. Now one lake I fish often I prefer the light colored ones in first picture, Lake Chapala I have luck with dark colored skirts in second picture. Dark colored ones crushed them at Chapala a few days ago.

I currently use a 7'6" medium fast bc. with 12 Ultra Green line. for bass. 9' medium fast bc with 50 lbs. braid for inshore use. Sometimes use the salt water rod for bass. Casts a 3/4 0r 1/2 0z walking bait a mile, and is soft enough tip to walk the dog easily.

Rebel Buzz Frog worked great for pike on lakes in Alaska with thick weeds. I have never tried one for bass. I'm not sure if they are still made. I have a few that survived many ferocious pike. I may have to dig one out and give it a try for bass.

Inline spinner. Mepps or Vibrax #3 floating Rapala Rebel Craw 1/4 oz hair jig Hula grub

I forgot one picture. Five and a half pound bass really wanted this 6th. Sense Crush 100 square bill.

After fishing salt water for 6 weeks, I finally got a break from work. I was going to go to my favorite small lake with big monster bass close to home, but my wife suggested I take a few days and go on a vacation in Chapala Jalisco. I was able to Kayak fish for three days. The first two days were OK. I fished an Island I never fished before and landed 14 bass between 2 and 4 pounds, with one 5.5. The next day I fished a spot I had fished before and had a similar day with a 5.7 being the biggest. The last day the wind was blowing and the waves were big. I had planned on launching at a different spot, and when I got there I had second thoughts. Launching was similar to launching the kayak on an ocean beach. The wind was blowing 15 MPH. straight in to the bay I was going to fish. I almost cancelled, but my wife assured me the weather was going to improve, so I unloaded my gear and she drove off. I had previously flipped my kayak and lost gear on this lake before, so I was extra cautious as I tied everything down. I managed to launch without incident and pedaled towards a rock island I planned on starting at. I was completely wet by the time I got to the first rock pile and decided to only make a couple casts with a spinnerbait, before going around the point to more protected water. I never made it to the protected water. The first cast on the windward side of the rocks I hooked and landed a 3 pound bass. The day only got better from there. Every time I would drift by one of several rock out cropping's, I would cast just outside the breaking waves hook another bass and try and land it on the lee side of the rock. If I didn't catch a bass I would either go to another rock close by, or change spinnerbaits. I was planning on fishing crankbaits, but new I would snag in the abundant tilapia nets, and wouldn't be able to get them loose without risking flipping my Kayak. The spinnerbait bite continued for 2 hours until as predicted the wind died down to zero and within a couple hours, the lake was calm. I tied on a square bill and started fishing the same rock piles. One rock I found when a large breaking wave revealed its location. When the wind calmed I pedaled over, and with my fish finder found not only one rock but a 100 yard ridge I wouldn't have found if the water had not been so rough. I spent most of the afternoon fishing that ridge. When they quite hitting square bills I could get a couple more on a spinnerbait. I would then fish a few other rock piles, before returning and crushing them on the ridge again. When the day was done I had landed over 30 bass. Six were 5 to 6 pounds, and many 3-4 pounds. I had just landed a 5.5 and decided I had time to make one last cast. I hooked and landed one last bass of 8.3 pounds. For the first time in my life I didn't extend the day with multiple last casts, and met my wife at launch at the exact time I said I would. I know this is the kind of day people expect to have fishing for bass in Mexico. The truth is a day like this is rare. Even the best lakes with the best guides can be slow at times. A day like this for me is epic. Chapala is not a well known bass lake, and I can only fish there a handful of days a year. I only have a kayak, I have limited places close to where we stay to launch, and there are hundreds of nets to tangle in. With these limitations, I am happy to catch some decent size bass with a chance at one or two over 5 pounds. With my best 5 bass weighing over 30 pounds' it was by far the best day of bass fishing in my life. And to think I almost didn't go because of the wind. The bass in the picture taken at dusk looks like a 4 pound fish, but really was 8.3 pounds, just a bad picture. The other pics. are of 5 to 5.5 pound fish. I fished almost every lure in my box, but kept going back to the ones in the picture.

I put a spinnerbait or crankbait on and cover lots of water. If I'm not going to be catching anything at least I'm going to get to see lots of new scenery. I might even find a new hot spot I didn't know about.