Weedless

Well, maybe lately I fish Jigs more cuz I have been more successful with them. However, I haven't used any small plastic crawdads in a long time, mainly cuz the perch wont stay away from it, but I am going to try that again. Thanks

I have 2. They are solid and what I feel is the best for that price point.

I am curious, if a Jig is suppose to kinda replicate a crawdad (if you work it like a crawdad) why do I catch more bass with a jig then I do with a plactic Crawdad (same weight and color)? That plastic Crawdad is what I use for a trailoron my jig.

It is man made. As far as prey fish, its an on going argument with the anglers club of the lake what we have. We have TONS OF PERCH, out of 12 years of fishing I seen less then 10 blue gill and less then 10 pumpkinseed, less then 100 minnows, what crayfish??, but we stock thousands of walleye and trout fingerlings every year (again not my choice).

Well personally, I feel like the younger generation is into instant gratification, that is why they have a million of apps that you get always being doing something "entertaining/gratifying" with your phone. That being said, I believe there is a demand to watch fishing via youtube knowing that the youtube clip of their choice will be off catching (the instant "entertaining/gratifying" part) fish. There are ALOT of people that love the idea of fishing (like Wicked Tuna), but actually doing it is another thing. So yes there are alot of advertisers jumping all over these youtube videos that have lots and lots of clicks, but I am not necessarily believing that it is resulting in sales and growing the industry. So I predict that there will always be advertising in these videos but the videographer will be getting paid less and less and resulting in less Fad videographer fisherman. I believe you will always have poplular fishing videos of big catches but i do not believe it is gonna grow the industry. In the end of the day, clicks do not mean purchases and increasing the industry.

This site is has the best info hands down but.......Youtube is great for Knot tying instructions videos for this slow learner!!

Three main types of topography where I fish: 1. gradual large flats the tapers to 18' 2. 8-13' benches that drop off to 40'+ 3. Steep 45o+ slope to 40'+ The only other large fish in there are walleye and smallies, so I would assume the largies and walleyes share apex with 2 different niches. I guess I am trying to understand how there are suspended bass on drop offs that have no cover beside using the depth as "cover" compared to if bass would use the unvegetated deeper parts of the gradual flats to hang out to before they hunt....

If you have not seen this boat collision, this just shows you need to always be paying attention to others and your surroundings. The link is to a video showing another boat running over a fishing charter that it did not see, no injuries thankfully. https://nypost.com/2018/01/17/fisherman-sues-after-dramatic-boat-crash-caught-on-video/

Now to start, I know "deep" is a relative term, so let me explain and I have lots of questions. The lake I fish, bass tend to be caught in docks-13', that includes me and all the other tourney fisherman (cuz I may peak at where they are fishing ). Now that lake the submerged vegetation, which is the 95% of the available cover not including docks, only is established up to 13'ish, no coincidence. So my question is, since there is hardly any true cover/structure out past 13' does the bass utilize the rest of the open lake stating at 13.1'ish and deeper? I have caught some bass including smallies randomly out a little deeper open water, but since the vegetation gets so much pressure (not that big of lake), would it make sense to start to fish the deeper open water (13"-17') and if so when late morning? Alot of times i fish the breaklines, but not much more then 8 feet laterally past the breaklines. I know that bass are opportunist predators and ambush the prey in an around cover, but I didnt know if the times they are not actively hunting, they may go in the deeper open water where there is less pressure. Thanks

Update: I caught 17 bass this weekend using only NEKO rig. I was very pleased with he sensitivity of the rod even with the winds being a factor. I am very pleased overall.....even though I didn't win my tournament (5th)....

Went to DSG last night, and found an 7' Med Fast action Field and Stream Tec Spec Elite Spinning rod on the clearance section. It was the last one and was on sale for $49 (originally $69), after further investigation, there was an additional 40% off.....I took that rod home for $35 out the door. I have heard only a few things about them, but we will see this weekend starting in 7.5 hours how it works, I am going to NEKO fish it, to really test the sensitivity and backbone when I set the hook with a slow/firm tightening and reeling hook set. I dont think I will be disappointed for a $35 rod. I will update you later on this uneducated impulse buy!!

I have 15-20 lb Power Pro with 10-12lb fluro leader connected by an FG knot (33 wraps) on both of my dobyns. Cast well and I set the hook with authority with no issues. (obviously drag setting is key, but 10 lb line is tougher then some think)

This is a pumpkinseed.

Those are what I use (or 2/0) for texas rig with those worms. If it is thick and weedy where you are fishing, fish what you got texas rig (add a bullet weight on line before hook). But if you are set on wacky, you should get more of a circle hook, like above says. But I am bias towards T-rig.

Update: I got the Dobyns Fury 703SF and fished with it 4 days, 1 being a tournament. I put a President on it, I can say even as windy as it has been (20-30 mph), and the line fairly slack, I can feel everything. It is very light and feels great. Perfect amount of backbone to set the hook (texas rig) and pull bass out of thick vegetation, but yet light enough for great sensitivity. Even though I only got 4th in tournament (0.2 lbs from 3rd), a.k.a. biggest loser, I caught 12 bass and felt everything on a very windy day. Conclusion:

I have been trying to master all fishing techniques (I havent mastered one yet... ) Any how, I am on a Fluke kick right now, and I am having more trouble/no success with Fluke fishing then other plastics. The lake I fish is usually fairly windy (hence the reason there are windmills all around), and when I fish Flukes, I feel like I am not getting the right action because my line is a sail my Fluke never really sinks. Now the obvious answer is to add weight but I read that weight killed the action of the Fluke. i am a grinder and will spend all day at a spot if that is what it takes, I spent 4- five hour days only Fluke fishing , anywhere from flats to drop offs and not caught one fish. . I feel like if i add wieght then I am going to have to use it more like jerk bait then the natural wounded/dying bait, therefore should i just buy jerkbaits? What kind of weight and what technique should I use with weight on my Fluke??

ebay....its coming from CA (to PA)....I have been watching the tracking, UPS isn't in a big hurry.

The Fury has been purchased.....and is a day late....its going to be late on its first date with me today....that is sad.

I am looking for spinning rod for my President reel. I am between the Dobyns Fury 703SF or the Mojo Bass. From what I read, they seem comparable, maybe the furys action is rated higher then it seems and the mojo's action is rated lower then it seems...that is what i got out of my research. I mainly texas rig senkos. I can get the fury for $105 to my door and the mojo bass for $110 to my door. Any more thoughts? thanks Im leaning dobyns cuz of their lifetime warranty....and i already have a 734c...so matching is nice, but a diversified portfolio is good too...

I don't live close to any stores that have these on display, so I was hoping you guys could assist me with pros and cons from experiences with these two reels. Thanks in advance!!!

I can't decide between the Falcon Bucoo, Duckett Ghost, and Veritas 2.0.........I plan on using it for more all around versus a only cranking or flipping. They are all around $90. I read reviews on the ghost and buCoo for a hours! I have a vendetta(spinning) and its nice but a little stiff, which concerns me with the veritas. I am getting a Lew speed spool LFS and putting on one of those. It will be my first baitcaster (im nervous), since I have been doing just fine in all my tourneys with my spin rods.

I have a Bass Tournament tomorrow and it is calling for Fog until 10am, overcast all day, and 60% thunderstorms. I assume that bass usually are feeding in the shallows in the morning (correct me if i am wrong), so would bass be feeding in the shallows longer in the morning if its overcast and the sun is not out? Also, is there a basic/solid fishing technique when its raining in the morning and mid-day? I usually never really change my approach no matter the conditions because I do not know any better and it works fairly decent. But I am ALWAYS wanting to learn! Thanks!

That is what I fish 90% of the time. Use a 2/0 - 4/0 offset hook. Let them pull, and then come out of your shoes!!!!!! Make sure your drag is set so you can rip hard setting the hook. If its a bass and they are pulling, then it should be 99.9% set. However, some times you will have perch grab the tail and swim with it.

This might not work for obvious reason that i dont know about, but is using Carolina Rig or Drop Shot a viable rig to do with a soft plastic swim baits/flukes for bass at a deeper depth (drop-offs)?? Thanks guys for your info!!!

Thanks for your response. As far as the baitfish goes, the population of shiners/ a minnow, is virtually non-existent because the Corp has lowered the lake from late fall to mid spring 4 of the last 5 years. The club raises money and restocks fish and so forth but hardly any small baitfish. The main bait fish would be sunfish and perch. I have been fishing that lake for 9 years and have not seen 1 minnow of sort for at least 3 years. (the club finally is addressing that). The water color is usually green blue with a clarity of 6'-10' average...it clears up very quick. The bottom is mainly mud bottom, there is one area that has boulders as the bottom, but 90% mud. most of the fish on these drop offs tend to be on the bottom of the side of the drops. Meaning the are where the drop meets the floor, just against the bottom at a certain depth. I have quite a few jigs, and would like them to be more successful then they have been in the past. But I never fished a jig on these drop offs yet. Do you think bass would like a bigger presentation, i.e. using a trailer/"pig", when fishing deeper or smaller presentation since it is minimal cover at those depths? Also, color choice for deeper and less cover? When using a jig, is it more common to keep it moving more then letting it sit on the bottom like I do with texas rig?Thanks alot! (sorry for all the questions, but I know there is alot of experience here that will guide me in the right direction for me to find what works best in my specific application.