Glaucus

Perhaps. I suppose I say gone backwards because I've mostly stopped bothering with baitcasters and direct cover in favor of the spinning style of bassing. So one could say I've changed styles??

When I first started bass fishing, following the common consensus and thought process, it was with a 7' MH/F baitcasting setup. Fast forward some and I had an arsenal of baitcasting setups for this and that purpose and technique. A spinning setup was never even a thought. Fast forward some more, and I was introduced to the beauty of finesse techniques, and small line and fluorocarbon. Before I knew it, I also had quite a few spinning setups. I found myself using spinning gear just as much as baitcasting gear. Eventually and now currently, a vast majority of the time, I'm using my spinning setups and finesse techniques, from Wacky Rig, to the Ned Rig, the drop shot, to weightless or very lightly weighted Texas Rigs. If I'm walking a bank, it's with spinning gear, which is also fully capable of tossing crankbaits (particularly the KVD 1.5 and 1/4 traps for me) and little spinnerbaits such as little Booyahs and Strike Kings in 3/16-1/4oz, as well as many topwaters, including a Whopper Plopper 90. I'm not really throwing into too much slop and cover and wood these days, but my quantity and quality has increased tenfold (more bass = better chance of bigger bass). Truth be told, however, in my northern neck of the woods, cover and DDs tends not to be a "thing." I was just sitting here thinking about a little pond hopping I'm going to be doing this weekend, and realized that in a baitcasting dominated sport, I've found myself going the opposite direction.

This scene from Billy Madison popped into my head as I read through this thread.

Well, sir, I'm 28 years old and have had degenerative disc disease in my lumbar spine since I was 19. I can't stand for more than 20 minutes or sit for more than 20 minutes without back support, else I'm in pain, fidgeting back and forth, leaning on things etc. It's to the point now, where, my middle back is weakened and the muscles are in agony trying to keep me supported. Stupid strong pain meds and back support is all that helps. Option 2 is the knife, and no doctor will do that with me being so young because it can be devastating.

Little vegetation, pretty shallow... you're messing up if you're not fishing a wacky rigged Senko or a Senko at all really. Skip right past Texas Rigged worms and go have a field day.

Wacky Rig, since I mostly fish ponds. In lakes, drop shot. Rivers and streams, Ned Rig.

Go to freaking Wal-Mart and get a cheap set brother. Fishing is specialized in many ways. Cutting ain't.

My Opinion... Not much you can't do with: Baitcasting: 7' MH/F, 40lb braid, 12-17lb fluoro/mono leader when necessary and/or appropriate. Spinning: 6'6" M/F, 15lb braid, 6-10lb fluoro/mono leader when necessary and appropriate. With these 2 things, I'm confident that I can do almost anything. In fact, add a 6'6" M/F baitcasting setup spooled with 12lb mono for crankbaits, and that's what I typically fish with. Those 3 rigs cover a lot of ground.

6 dead fish and a human floating with them.

If he doesn't like it, he can net his own dang fish.

Hopefully Orleans doesn't sue me when I put this new single out there.

Fish with me, I want to be your partner Can't you see the bite is just starting? Night is falling, and I am fishing Fish with me Fishing could never be so giving I feel free, I hope that you are biting Pick the bait up, and kick your tail up Fish with me Let it lift you off the boat Starry eyes, and bass are all around us I can take you where you want to go Fish with me, I want to be your partner Can't you see the bite is just starting? Night is falling, and I am fishing Fish with me Let it lift you off the boat Starry eyes, and bass are all around us I can take you if you want to go Fish with me, I want to be your partner Can't you see the bite is just starting? Night is falling, and I am fishing Fish with me

Eh not really. Sometimes you have to finesse the big ones into biting.

My fishing buddy is a really solid fishermen, but as far as the status quo for "proper" gear for whatever technique he's fishing, it's all over the place. The man fishes frogs on 10lb mono and doesn't break off or miss many hooksets. It's stunning when you're told you should be using 50lb braid for frogs. He's all about light mono on baitcasters for everything and doesn't seem to struggle. And definitely doesn't just catch dinks.

Most of them have no idea that they're messing with your fishing. Annoying as it can be, people do kayak for the fun of it and they are entitled to do so. The water isn't just for us fishermen. I never say anything because it's shared water and if they don't fish, they probably don't know.

I had to go deep to start getting bit again as well. The heat has wreaked havoc on fishing.

This Sunday is my first tournament. It's a 4 mile long lake, semi-clear, averaging 19ft deep, with Crappie and Muskie being the predominant fish. The bass population is up and coming. Some vegetation, some sand and rocks. Supposed to be warm and sunny. In Illinois. How would you approach this? By no means a trophy lake. It's up and coming for bass fishermen. They did a shock a couple of years back and a 7 pound LMB came up. That was the talk of the land. So obviously, no monsters.

That's what I say too. Catching bass is exceptionally easy. Catching nice bass is not.

You can catch 5 bass in 15 minutes. Fishing for bass is more fun than fishing for catfish. Throwing a piece of bloody guts and then sitting and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, is no fun. There's a plethora of ways to fish for bass. Tons of artificial lures for different situations. I haven't accomplished anything by letting a bait sit on the bottom for an unknown amount of time waiting for the scent to catch the attention of something. I have accomplished something by locating the bass and figuring out what they want to hit on and how.

Y'all got anymore of them bass?

Plot Twist: OP got drunk and super glued it and forgot.

Flag football is my side hobby. I generally keep my head buzzed. 2 years ago I was out playing in 100 degree heat with the sun beating down. Ended up with heat exhaustion at best. Completely red all over, second degree burns on my scalp, oozing from my head all over, faint heart beat, massive headache, nodding in and out. Bad bad bad. Ever since I am on top of 100 ounces of water per day and cooling off every 30 minutes.

Somethin's goin' on. Brutal winter with some of the worst freezes of my life, horrible spring, now a blistering, record breaking June.

I want to get into what KVD does: bigger spinning reels for better line management and casting distance. The 35 is obviously a bigger reel, meant to hold bigger line. But will 15 pound Power Pro braid work well being that it's 4 pound diameter?

I don't pull line. The fish does. And the sound is beautiful.