Dorado

@IndianaFinesse oops my mistake. Used a bluegill earlier that night but I think you're right on.

Using live Bluegills 2 feet under a float is my favorite way to catch channels! Last night........ By the way, Shimano OC Baitrunner is absolutely perfect for free lining livebait. One crank of the reel and you engage and lock for a fish on! Circle hooks prevent gut hooking for a nice catch-and-release.

I feel your pain. Never had that experience with a bass In that class but I have had that heartbreak with an estimated 28" walleye at Chatfied Reservior in Denver, Co. I extended the net from shore and she made a final run that got off due to a faulty Clinch Knot. I almost lost sleep that night because I tried for two straight years fishing to get a trophy walleye. Ever since that experience, it thought me to learn the trusty Palomar Knot and to retie often. That made me a better angler because I've never lost a fish since due to a weak knot. Learn and grow is my mantra but it's a tough pill to swallow. What's tough about your situation is that sign incident was beyond your control man. Tough one

@the reel ess dude solid response! You motivated me to build more confidence in this bait. Thanks again

@the reel ess I've noticed that you're a big fan of the weightless Trick Worm. I tried it for the first time at a friends pool to see what it does underwater. It's mesmerizing! How do you like to work it and what colors do you recommend for me to start off with? Do I treat it like a weightless tx rigged Senko? Thanks

1/8 oz is my jam too! I like throwing those roadrunners rigged with a 2.5" Gulp!Alive! Black Shad from my kayak and float parellel to and casting towards shore. Just jig it back. To this date, I have never fished such an effective multi- species bait than that. Funny you mentioned those Keitech Easy Shads. I literally bought a pack of the 3" Electric Blue/Chartreuse to pair with my 1/8 oz Chartreuse Roadrunners for the Crappie Spawn next Spring. If that doesn't work, there's always my trusty beetlespin

Thanks for this link. I used a slider head with a Zoom finesse worm (Junebug) for the 1st time during post spawn and it was instantly love at first sight.

For those who swim a ned rig besides mimicking a baitfish eating food off the bottom, what advantages does the ned rig have over small paddletails and single tail grubs?

I absolutely love grubs! Whenever I have someone join me in my tandem kayak and if they are a beginner fisherman...... I will rig them up with a chartreuse roadrunner and 3" white zoom or Powerbait grub. Largemouth bass of all size can't resist along with channel cats and slab crappie. Arguably Top 5 fishing lures of all time.

@Catt do crawdads spawn every full moon or during different seasons of the year? I had no idea that they go through the molting phases so frequently either. I like what @WRB mentioned about having a variety of skirts to interchange because it's going to get expensive and maddening trying to cover every stage especially region and species specific

Thanks all. So what I'm gathering is I need to grab tubes, Jigs, crawdad cranks, chunks, and other crawdad imitation soft plastic - one of every color. Ok! jk I get the theme in the answers. For an animal that can camouflage so easily the variables are endless. I vaguely recall hearing that crawdads get a blueish color in the winter then orange to reddish in the spring. Lure manufacturers make summer patterns that are geared towards the watermelon shades then the Fall is one big question mark. Man, Shad are so much easier!

After spending a couple years studying Threadfin Shad and picking lures to mimic their patterns and colors, it's time to focus on another common forage here in the SW. Please share your breakdown on crawdads. I'm interested in common colors from their yearling to adult stage. Traditionally speaking, what colors they take on in winter vs spring vs summer? Lures and soft baits that resemble their metamorphosis for a lack of better word?

Jig fishermen cult comment had me cracking up!!! OP, you forgot to add another common theme...... bass angler wannabes, like me, think what works for me should apply to everyone in all locations throughout the U. S. no matter what!

Fall is the time of the year where fast moving baits are king for me. I get them to chase on shallow water, similar to prespawn, except fall experiences a longer window of this aggreesiveness. Wake baits (Rebel Wake-R and micro Chatterbaits) are fun in ponds. Jitterbugs at night are a must in the early fall. Most common lures I use in Fall are squarebills. I like to burn them back and pause for exactly 2 seconds. Repeat. Lipless cranks and Chatterbaits are king too. I like to retrieve how I described with the square bills. Fall is my favorite season to fish AZ, especially for Channel Cats!

Channel Catfish have been my most common - Jitterbug (dead serious), grubs, gulp minnows slip bobber rigged, Roboworm, sassy Shad, lipless cranks

Pausing a black Jitterbug at night (in pitch darkness) near a weededge followed immediately by a crashing torpedo strike that scares the bejesus outta me

LMB - Mann's Baby One-Minus in fire crystashad Smallie - KVD 2.5 squarebill in red chili craw

What jig/Craw combos do you recommend?

@IndianaFinesse that was poetic

Absolutely agree and it was probably a apple to orange comparison now that I look back on it. However, I fish highly pressured Ponds so it's all about natural looking presentations and matching profiles to get any love

Personally, I am more of a firm believer that matching the hatch catches bigger fish. If the pigs are eating 8" stocked trout, then throw your large swimbaits. In AZ, you do this in the winter and fall when they are only stocked in those seasons. Spring and Summer, If the pigs are eating 2" Threadfin Shad throw your white grubs. You have to identify the scenario you are in and be equipped for that ecosystem. Bass are opportunitic too so they'll swipe at random stuff but then you're playing with lower odds. Fly fishing has taught me how to be observant and particular with lures and presentations. In New Mexico, we catch 25" rainbows fishing with size #26 Midge emergers. Experience is starting to get me to hone in on details and I have a lot more to learn. It's why fishing is a lifetime hobby.

Right on, I understand now. I totally misunderstood and see what you meant. I was just sticking up for the spinning gear guys LOL. You're right about casting outfits having their time and place and I have seen countless videos of SoCal anglers catching monsters off swimbaits. The videos were so inspirational that I almost had my Christmas list made up. But, I'll resist the urge and stick with my finesse gear. All good responses so far. OP - I fish highly pressured ponds in Phoenix metro area so I know all about crowds. Fish at night. I haven't figured the summer bite but here's what works in Fall, Winter, and Spring (think finesse): -3" grubs -4" PowerWorms on sliderheads -Zoom Super Fluke Jr. (Albino or White Ice) -Zoom Finesse Worms on sliderheads -small chrome w/ blue back rattletraps. -Strike King Bitsy Bugs w/ Netbait Chunk Disclosure: Threadfin Shad is our primary forage. If bluegill are your primary, I'd be Wacky or TX-Rigging a 4" Senko in Green Pumpkin w/ Black Flakes. I did this a lot in Denver Metro and rarely got skunked and you talk about pressure. Good luck!

To clarify, what does casting gear have to do with catching bass? Are you referring to using a casting reel vs. spinning reel? I could've interrupted that incorrectly too!

I only fish tubes late winter-spawn and never tried them Texas rigged. I'm old school and use a 1/16 oz #1 tube jighead with those bitsy tubes. I want to use a shroomz head next season. I throw them on #6 lb FC Sniper. Pumpkin with Green Flakes is great in desert ponds/lakes with sandy bottoms.

I like the 2.75" Strike King Bitsy Tubes work great for me and it's the first to come to mind when I hear finesse tube http://strikeking.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=699&Itemid=1094