CybrSlydr

Well, I have an interview with UPS for a part-time package position in Parkersburg (my brother has an interview 15min after me). This should go well with my school schedule and bring in some much needed cash to supplement my fishing budget as well as a few other things. Maybe a kayak or little Jon boat is doable in the future. Still don't like the idea of putting a hitch on my car... Maybe I can find a cheap 4x4 on Craigslist or something to tow it around.

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Using the advice from folks on the forum, and to get a water sample of a lake for my Environmental Biology class, my brother and I went back to one of the AEP lakes and did some evening fishing. The idea was to use a bit of a jerry-rigged drop-shot, with the SpiderWire Flouro 8lb I got on sale a few weeks ago, technique to try and entice the bass that are either down deep or not there. I don't have any drop-shot weights, so I used split-shot that I have and clamped one on the end of the line. I then used about 8" of line and tied on my hook. We were using #3/0 Gamakatsu barbed hooks and Venom Lures watermelon colored worms. Initially I rigged it with the hook through the nose to see if that would work. Cast decently, but no bites for either myself or my brother. We were dredging up some significant plant matter, so I cut the line and re-tied the hook with about a 12" leader and this time wacky-rigged the worm. On my first cast, I managed to snag my second ever LMB! Unfortunately, my brother wasn't quite Johnny-on-the-spot with the camera this time, so they aren't as clear as last time. I cast it out about 50ft and let it sink. I then reeled in the slack and kept my rod relatively horizontal. I then just lightly twitched the rod. After about 20 seconds or so, I'd reel it in a bit and repeat the process. Eventually, that fish decided to bite! My brother on the other hand, had another near-catch. He was reeling in the same rig I had used and just as it was coming to the surface, it kicked free and got away. He's not entirely sure if he reeled it up and it got away from not setting or if it made a mad-dash grab after following it while he was reeling in. Either way, he was pretty upset that this is the second fish he's hooked that managed to get away - can't say I don't blame him, I'd be pretty upset too. So for now, it appears that my jerry-rigged drop shot with a Venom work and wacky-rigged is what we'll be using for a while. Thanks again to everyone who helped out with suggestions and advice - this catch is just as much yours as it is mine!

You are correct, suggested lure weight for my rod is 3/16-5/8oz.

I dunno - the amount I'm cutting off the braid to tie Palomar knots around 3.5" lures means I'll cut it too short before it wears out! lol

I recently bought some 100yd SpiderWire 10lb flouro (it was on sale and I didn't have any flouro) and was planning on putting it on the reel. Rather than mess with leaders and the like, I'll just use it all on the reel.

Since I'm new, Amazon is the place I just look for most things. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=hard+swimbait That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about - as for the spro - wow, those are expensive! Look impressive as hell though!

It's a spinning rod. I'm thinking if I'm going to dropshot then the nose hook would be a good idea, especially if I'm using a swimbait as that will allow maximum natural motion. Thanks again folks. I'll be heading out tomorrow to fish again (I volunteered to grab a lake sample for my biology class - so if I"m there, I might as well fish again ) with my brother.

Curious if you folks use these - I've got some soft plastic swims and was considering adding a hard swimbait to the collection in the future. Single or multi-joint? Brand? Type/Size for bass, etc. Thanks!

At the moment, all I have is the one rod (Blackout 6.5' Medium rod) and that won't change anytime soon - I'm pretty much a one-rod/reel guy for the forseeable future. I currently have 15lb braid on it (low-vis green). Maybe later when I get some cash I can think about another rod/reel combo. What size O-rings for the Senkos? Also, what color for the clear water we've got? EDIT: Also, I'm seeing various dropshot techniques - do you suggest weighted or weightless? Finally - can those super flukes be dropshot?

Love it!

You mean like this?

No worries man! . We tried slow retrieves with the Super Fluke and spinners - let them sink until line went slack and then slowly retrieved/danced them. Don't beat yourself up - it was great advice, the layout just didn't allow for exploitation. A couple other people came to fish while we were there but they stayed on the dam wall and used a bobber. From what we could see, they didn't catch anything either, so it wasn't his us with no success.

Come on folks - telling a "whopper" is, as I understand it, a time-honored tradition amongst anglers! Give 'em a break - 8.5lbs should do it.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice everyone! I didn't realize this thread had as many responses as it does. I don't even know if my car can mount a hitch let alone if the transmission would handle towing. I've looked on Craigslist and such just to browse what Jon boats go for. http://parkersburg.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=priceasc&query=jon boat They're out there, but they're waaaaaay more than I want to spend. It'd also have to hold two people as my brother and I would use it together. $250 was a guesstimate for a starting point as I figured I could swing it. Plus, it'd be cheap enough that if I didn't like it I wouldn't feel too bad about buying it rather than spending $1000+ on something and regretting it. If I'm being honest, it is a bit of impatience/eagerness as my brother and I are tired of going out for hours and hours and not getting any bites - so a boat/float tube/kayak would be the best way to remedy it. Frankly, thousands of dollars seems a ridiculous price so I wanted to see what the range is on these things, how much I'd have to budget. Again, thanks everyone!

I've just started fishing, have gone on 7 fishing trips and caught a total of two fish so take this for what it's worth: I have a Penn Battle II and it works great. Smooth, cranks great, drag is very nice - very solid feel and build. I really like it - but it's also the only reel I've ever owned, so... yeah.

You'd think that after they made it illegal for tobacco companies to advertise that the bass would learn not to use smokeless tobacco.

Way to go, man!

Brother and I took a trip out to Wolf Run State Park over near Belle Valley this morning to see if we could improve our luck in the fish-catching department. We arrived at the park around 5:30 and parked in one of the camping spots. We went down to the shore and saw a small trail to the left/right and checked both directions. Unfortunately, neither direction was usable as there was too much overhead tree coverage. Quite disappointing. We also couldn't walk from the point down the shore as there was no path and it was a bit thick to just hoof it - not to mention the whole shore had plenty of overhead trees. So we ended up going over by the dam. The whole area was quite nice and well kept - freshly mowed and good access. We also fished over by the trees - we tried our topwater, the shallow, medium and deep diving cranks, the Zoom swimbaits and my white spinner - not a single bite all day. Even lost the spinner as it hooked on something down below The real ***** was we would see fish breaching the surface near where we were fishing - but none of the scoundrels would take our bait either straight off the land or over under the trees. The weather was beautiful too - overcast, cool and windy with occasional rain showers. We stayed until around 1130. So getting there at 530, we fished for around 6 hours with nothing to show for it. Again. About the most positive thing we could say about this trip is I got plenty of practice tying a Palomar knot.

Big thanks for the rationale! Appreciate it! Sounds like 5-530ish then - that's nice, give a little more time to sleep.

So, you think sometime around 4am or so? Just curious what your reasoning is for picking those areas? Is it the cover, location, etc? Trying to learn why successful folks pick the spots they do so I can start picking them.

It's about a 40min drive from home so my brother and I are going to check it out either tomorrow or Sunday. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/Portals/wildlife/Maps/Lake Maps/PDFs/wolfrunlake2.pdf Google Maps link - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wolf+Run+State+Park/@39.7934575,-81.5416044,494m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8837d31fabd4962b:0x4f4675d81acb2751!8m2!3d39.7934534!4d-81.5394157 What I'd ask of you folks is some suggestion on where to fish - we will be shore fishing only. Here's the weather report for Sunday: https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USOH0069:1:US What time do you think we should get there? Any other tips/hints would be appreciated.

I'm not against them, I just figured if I'm spending about $200 on the float tube, $100 on waders, $40 on fins, $$$ on a pump that I'd see if I could do a kayak. You know, skip the middle man. However, the idea of my feet dangling isn't exactly something I like...

We've not been off to Wolf Run - and the only bass we've seen is the one I caught (in my avatar/profile photo). Lots and lots of panfish though (we call them A-hole Fish because they follow the lure but never bite, just tease us). From what I've read, those lakes are all great for fishing and are stocked by AEP. For instance, the lake with the green railing on the right? There was a guy in a float tube out there tonight with a bass on his line. So we know they're in there, we just can't entice them. I recently purchased some Super Flukes with #3/0 hooks, so I'll be utilizing them as well - a couple of split shot and they'll sink nicely (jerry-rig Texas rig lol). I've also got a couple spinners that haven't really done me much good yet aside from almost getting caught/lost.

Well, I was also considering a float tube, but the idea of dangling my feet in the water is a bit... unsettling? Then throw in the cost of fins, waders, etc and I figured if I'm spending that much, why not just get a kayak - so I figured I'd ask if it was doable at that price. For instance, Amazon has a Classic Accessories Togiak, fins and manual pump for $189 and a Cumberland with fins and pump for $248. But like I said, the idea of dangling my footsies in the water is... uncomfortable.