BrackishBassin

Went out to a local pond last night for some topwater practice. Surprisingly, the fish were cooperating. I managed 7 fish before it got so dark I couldn't see them blowing up on the lure. The first 7 fish came between 7 and 9pm and then the action got crazy. I had 5 more blow ups between 9 and 9:30, but didn't hook a single one. They'd hit it, have it for a second or two, and then (I assume) spit it because they recognized it wasn't food. So, what do you guys who fish at night do about fishing topwater when it's too dark to see them blow up on your lure?

Everyone who's ever wet a line has gotten skunked multiple times. They're a liar if they tell you any different. Just keep at it. And remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day doing anything else.

Believe it or not, I've had decent luck with my saltwater spook jr in the mullet color. Like others said, it's less about color and more about action. Keep in mind, all they see is the belly.

I have the same issue. I just put on long pants, a long sleeve shirt, a hat, a buff, about a gallon of Deet, and I go bushwhacking. This last go round I must've gotten a spider under my shirt or something. Total of 12 bites that took two weeks to heal completely. Left cool looking scars though.

Thanks for the information!

Depends on the day. If they're up against the bank feeding, bank angler will crush a boater. Much more stealthy approach. If it's hot and they're hunkered down in the middle, the boater is going to outfish the guy on the bank. Read something funny a while back and it's so true. Boaters are always wishing they could get closer to the bank, and bank anglers are always wishing they could be casting out further into the middle. The grass is always greener on the other side, or so we think.

Looks great! How much did it run you, if you don't mind me asking?

Just ponds and a lake near me. Maybe someday I'll have the opportunity to hit up a river or creek for some smallies, but for now, I'm stuck with the bucket mouthes.

Thanks! Appreciate the information!

Wish I had a GoPro to take an underwater picture to show you. The whole bottom is thick hydrilla as far as the eye can see. Don't know about the deeper part, towards the outlet. I tend to stick to the shallows. Have to fish a jig there and see what it pulls up. 1/10 of an ounce too heavy?

Reading through these posts, I was all excited to try out a Ned Rig and then I read the words "grass has been really bad". Everywhere I fish is nothing but grass. Should I take back the shroom heads I bought and save myself some frustration?

Remember that he's dealing with not only the current but also the drifting of the canoe. Twice the movement.

Yep. I used to swim in the rivers here, but between the Vibrio outbreaks and the bull sharks, my swimming days are over. Is it unlikely that you're going to get bit? Definitely. But there's only one person that doesn't give a crap about the statistics, the person the shark decided to chomp on.

They're frequently caught in the rivers near me. The water is brackish (for the most part), but they've gotten 8' sharks. Definitely not juveniles here.

Sprinker

I took my Spro Bronze Eye popper out for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised at how well it walks. Much easier than the Pad Crashers I've been fishing. Yoy having trouble walking the popper? You use the method that was posted on the forums here?

Went out last Friday from 9-12. Zero wind and a feels like temperature of 111 degrees. The 3 fish caught were all caught on a chatterbait. They didn't bite anything else and I threw nearly everything I had with me (plastics, jigs, deep cranks, topwater in the morning along shade lines, etc.). Water had to be close to 85 degrees, possibly even warmer.

Thanks! Already purchased the hooks, so I'll be using the ones I have. Appreciate the suggestion though!

Thanks! I'll have to see if there's a place that'd get them to me by Tuesday without costing an arm and a leg.

Long story short, I run a summer day camp for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Part of what we do is take them fishing. I decided to go for bluegill since many of these kids have never caught a fish and have short attention spans to boot. So, I went online an ordered some circle hooks (less likely to hook themselves or others and fewer guthooked fish) based on recommendations I'd seen on another site. The hooks came today (size 12), and they are the smallest hooks I've ever seen in my life. Should work great in the sense that they'll be able to catch everything down to a tiny little minnow, but there's no way I'll be able to get a worm to stay put on a hook that size. Anyone have any suggestions for some easy to use and aquire bait for hooks that small? Thanks!

Gotcha. I'd go with a fast action then. Easier to set the hook with the types of presentations you'll be throwing for pan fish.

Are you fishing for trout or crappie? I wouldn't suggest an ultralight rod for anything bass related. Unless you're looking to do it as a challenge. Action just refers to where and/or how far into the blank the curve goes before it hits the backbone of the rod (fast action means that the backbone of the rod starts near the tip). I don't use anything but fast action rods. That's not to say I've tried other actions and didn't like them, but it's what I'm familiar with having come from saltwater fishing. So, I stuck with it.

I use the Pad Crashers. Don't throw them a ton, but I fished with one for about an hour last Friday and never had an issue with it filling up with water.

The gill plate coloring on mine (which is what you have circled) is a reddish orange while the bottom of the mouth is a blaze/hunter's orange. Tried to attach pictures, but the site is saying they're too big to attach. Don't feel like messing with editing them on my phone. They really need to include an autoadjust feature to the site that just resizes the pictures as needed.

I've got the lipless version. Can post a picture for you if you think that'd help.