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I’ll 2nd the Gambler Flappin’ Shad. I like to cut the tail at an angle to create a “V” similar to a Zoom Ultra Vibe speed worm. Then it can be fished like a fluke as well as a mini buzz bait on the surface. Sometimes it’s killer around sparse lily pads & grass.

@Swamp Girl Love it! This is so great. You’re doing a great thing & introducing future generations to fishing & allowing them to fall in love with the outdoors. This is making the world a better place. 😁

I got to the 2nd line of the 2nd paragraph, then I was like NOPE! I didn’t read the rest. 🤣

I’ve used baby brush hogs as jig trailers and they work well. You just have to trim them down a bit to fit better.

I got ya. But still, 1000 bass for the year is super, super impressive. Of the 300 I’m attempting to catch this year, 90% of mine will be dinks outta local ponds, etc. Most of yours are good, quality fish! 😁

I like the SPRO John Crews Little John Type MD 50 Crankbaits. They have silent & rattle versions.

Nice fish Katie!!! You’re talking about catching 1000 bass in a month & I’m just hoping to exceed 300 for the year. 🥴 Right now my count is 137. Life just isn’t fair! 🤣

I agree 100%. I have 3 of these rods now in 7’3” MH and they work great for frogging. This is a dynamite rod for frogs, weightless flukes & senkos, 5” swimbaits (like a unitoad with a 1/8 oz - 1/4 oz weighted belly hook), t-rigs, weightless swimming worms, etc. I won’t even say it’s a great rod for the money….. because it’s just a great all around rod. The fact that I only paid $50 each brand new for mine just makes it better. I too prefer to spend less on rods so I’m not heart broken if one breaks.

I can say they don’t really work on largies in stained water either. No smallies where I live, but I’ve thrown bubblegum & Merthiolate flukes & trick worms in many ponds & lakes…… without much success. Might’ve caught 1-2 largemouth, so I’ll eventually switch back to my normal watermelon, green pumpkin, Junebug or shad colors then start catching more. I’ve been bamboozled too. 🥴 About the only bright colors I’ve had repeated success with are White, Chartreuse or a combo of the two. That goes for soft plastics, spinnerbaits/buzzbaits, crankbaits or any topwater such as frogs, poppers & swimming worms. Go figure! 🤷‍♂️ Think my packs of bubblegum flukes & merthiolate trick worms are going on 10 yrs old and they prob only got 2 baits used per pack. 🤣

I really like spinnerbaits around submerged wood. I have my best luck banging the spinnerbait over every branch or limb on the way back to the boat. Lotta times my strikes come when I pull the spinnerbait over a limb, then let it slow fall & flutter for a second or 2. I’ve become a fan of these Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbaits. Chartreuse & white works well in clear or stained water. Almost always throwing 3/8 oz. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Booyah_Counter_Strike_Colorado_Willow_Spinnerbaits_/descpage-BYCWSB.html?from=gshop&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=11473504443&gbraid=0AAAAADkexy7KjX5GCHFAXzRRO5iq3E2l7

Congrats @Swamp Girl. Sounds like a little slice of heaven. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned less = more. Less house to maintain = more time to fish. Hope it works out for you.

I don’t fish it as much as used to. The pond has a lotta grass on bottom making some lures difficult, like dragging a jig. In the past I’ve had some luck with a lightweight shakey head (only 1/16 - 1/8 oz) jighead using a straight tail worm or a Zoom ultravibe speed worm. Also a 1/10 oz Ned rig with a big TRD. These baits don’t foul with the grass as bad. Also, I’ve had luck with a 4” swimbait like an easy shiner on a 1/8 oz ball jighead. Shallow cranks have caught me a few and a 1/4 oz lipless crank like a redeye shad. Also have had luck with a popper, especially on windy days. Mostly I fish the 2 corners on East side of the pond, the corner with the pedestrian bridge and the corner just south of it near the office buildings. Never seem to have much luck in other areas. Keep in mind, I’ve never really worn them out fishing there. If I catch 2-5 bass in a 3-5 hr outing, I’m usually doing well. Rumor has it, there’s some bigguns in it tho. Biggest I’ve ever caught was about 5 lbs.

Can’t speak about the Grove Pond. I’ve never fished it. But Town Hall/Halle Park Pond is still open. I work pretty close to it & fished it a few times last year.

My wife is stuck in NYC because of the blizzard. She & her sis went to see a few Broadway shows over the weekend. They changed their return flights when the blizzard was coming. My sis-in-law got out on a flight early yesterday morn. My wife not so lucky. Her flight got cancelled twice & now she’s stuck there until at least tomorrow.

I never use leaders. It’s either all braid or all fluoro on all my reels for 2 reasons. Exactly because of this scenario. I don’t want break offs from a weak point. I don’t wanna add another possible reason for my rod + reel + line system to fail. There’s already enough that can go wrong. I’m way too lazy to learn those complicated leader to main line knots. 🤣😂 I tie all my baits with the palomar. One knot, end of story.