Glaucus

There is such a thing as pressured fish, and they are - or I should say can be - harder to catch. This is where finesse techniques come in. Personally I don't consider pressure when I fish. Whether they'll bite through power fishing or through finesse fishing, I know they will bite once I get it right. The thing about pressured fish and the fact that they will avoid certain lures is funny to me when you consider that the same people who talk about pressure will also insist that bass are not intelligent and have a short memory. You in fact cannot have it both ways.

Depends on your location and the water. There's no such thing as storm = this lure. There's no such thing as wind = this lure. There's no such thing as sunny = this lure. Etc etc etc. Every body of water and location is different. Now, there is such a thing that on THIS body of water, in THIS location, on a stormy day THIS lure is good. It's not universal.

Bruh, it's OK. Sometimes I intentionally look stupid. We're not tryna date you lol

Followed that beast up with this one today. Another Ned Rig masterpiece. Didn't have time to get a horizontal photo of this one. She was of the same quality, however. Not sure which was bigger. She was missing half of her top lip, if you look closely. Don't believe I did that to her. Earlier in the day I caught another quality Smallie at the smaller dam. I thought she was going to be my star of the day until that one on top happened later on. I love the camaraderie of the bass fishing community. My friend helped me land the first big girl the other day, and then today there was a teenager there fishing with his dad and the teen saw me fighting her and without hesitation grabbed his net and netted her for me. Once again over the wall and I'd have possibly broke off. I'm going to have to start standing in the water below the wall.

Weedguard ShroomZ but I do check the hook every few casts. I know they're little Smallies because I can see them. It's only the little guys that get off frequently.

Finesse TRD in Coppertruese with a Green Pumpkin 1/15oz ShroomZ Jighead. I've been using the 1/10oz ShroomZ Weedless Jighead at river dams due to the fast moving water and the plethora of rocks, timber, and other trash to get snagged on. I've been doing well. The 1/15oz head would allow me to better fish the rest of the rivers and creeks, and probably still get away with fishing the dams, albeit with more snags. If I'm not at the dams making long casts, I'm kayaking or wading. Right now I'm using a 6'6" M/F rod with 15lb braid with an 8lb fluoro leader. I'd scale down to a 6' ML/F rod with 10lb braid with a 6lb fluoro leader. Better for kayaking and when wading the inability to cast to a spot is minimized; and I could still do well enough at the dams. Ned Rig catches big ones, little ones...all the ones, all the time.

Be surprised by what a big bluegill can feel like. Happened to me last month at a pond, over and over again in the same spot. Sometimes it would rip the Senko apart. Finally hooked whatever it was. Reeling it in, hmmmm it's got a little weight but it isn't fighting like a bass...This feels weird... Ended up being the biggest bluegill I've ever caught. Biggest bluegill I've ever seen in real life. Didn't even do the machine gun tapping they're known for. As for turtles, that's possible too. I've had turtles bite my Senkos right in half. But they don't really pull hard. It's a quick thing. They're so sharp that they really just bite it and it's done.

This thread is a tad old but I wanted to revisit it. I've been having great success at a couple of river dams using the Ned Rig. I'm catching some really nice fish, and a lot of fish all in all. It's not unusual to walk away having caught 40! However, I'm batting .500. I keep my drag set properly, I'm using a M/F rod that is in all reality a ML/F rod for most companies, and I keep pressure on and my rod tip up. My hookset is a reel set and I simply lean into them. I have noticed that it isn't the bigger fish that I'm losing. It's the small fish, particularly Smallies. I'm chalking it up to smaller mouths, and most likely to me, softer mouths that makes it easier for them to shake. It's a little frustrating, but I'm glad it isn't the good fish, and catching a bunch of fish makes it feel better. Still though I'd prefer to not lose them. Anyone think my theory is correct as to why it's the smaller fish getting free?

A few feet maybe. Never had one pop a bait in the air to that extreme. Though if it did happen I hope that I had some beers in me and a buddy present because that would make my life. Awesome.

Seriously? Wow

It seems to be all about the jigs.

Already know Smallmouth fight harder than Largemouth. Consensus and experience tells us all this. Recent experience tells me this again. Caught a big SM yesterday. Took me 5 minutes to safely land it. Peeled drag like a boss. Did some cool air stunts. Caught a big LM today. Took me a minute to safely land it. Bout the same size fish. Larry hit harder but gave up. Smallie wanted to drown me.

Larry decided to eat my Ned Rig at the dam today.

Weightless Texas Rigged Senkos and Trick Worms. One of the ponds I fish is similar. If it isn't topwater, it must be a weightless T-Rig. Any weight at all brings up the slop. But good news: Senkos and Trick Worms are always good, especially in these environments.

Step 1: Take your nightcrawlers Step 2: Open the lid Step 3: Feed the birds Step 4: Go fishing

2-6lb diameter on a baitcaster is a nightmare waiting to happen, especially for a beginner. I would ignore this advice, OP. That's way too thin for a baitcaster. Experienced people can get away with 20lb braid (6lb diameter), but it will have it's fair share of problems, especially with digging.

Step 1: Take your mono Step 2: Throw it in the trash Step 3: Use braid

Biggest Smallmouth ever on this particular river. Throwing the Ned Rig off the dam. It doesn't just catch dinks! I was shaking for awhile. My buddy gets credit for it too because he climbed down the wall and lipped it for me and raised it up to me so I didn't have to horse it up the wall and risk breaking it off. And then we waded down to some islands and this behemoth ate his Ned Rig. My buddy down the wall doing me a solid.

That's completely false. Scales tell us who wins a tournament. Scales tell us our PB. Not everyone lives in the land of DD bass. Not everyone fishes for LMB. A SMB doesn't need to even be half of 10lbs to be incredible.

Just when I was appreciating my location, a 9 year old ruined it all over again. I was fishing a river and this kid shows up trying to chit chat. He asks me, what is easier to learn on, spinning or baitcasting. I go through the quick tutorial and afterwards I said, I'm surprised you know what a baitcaster is, a lot of kids don't. This little dude tells me, that's because I'm from Florida where we actually have fish! ?

Learned that lesson years ago when I thought 6lb mono would be a good idea on a baitcaster, or when I thought 8lb mono on light spinning gear with a T Rig was a good idea around cover. "Ain't no stinkin 8lb bass coming from this place in IL." It's not about the size of the fish... ah, the growing pains. And then there's the time I thought jerkbaits were crankbaits.....

Back at it this fine morning

Went Smallie hunting again with the ole Ned Rig. First picture is my first cast. Second picture is my second cast. It was on from there. Another 30 Smallies in about 2 hours. Had to make the second picture gray so it would fit on here. Sorry for the dumb face. My wife texted me and that was my reply back. We're weird.

Apologies if I came off as rude. So often will people complain about recreational boating as if the water is for anglers only. I do understand common courtesy. I also understand that not everyone is really aware of what they're doing. Of course you learn of wakes and boating etiquette in courses. I look at it like driving. We all learn how to drive, but we all break the technical rules in one way or another without realizing how it could impact others. And as for fishing, although that isn't your complaint, people who don't fish just don't understand. I get irritated as much as anyone else, but I also must maintain my rationale and head. Most of the time, people aren't just jerks trying to screw me over. I offer forgiveness and move on.

The water isn't just for anglers. People boat recreationally. Recreational boaters who dont fish almost certainly dont realize they're interfering with your fishing. We aren't a superior species of people who get to claim territory.