roadwarrior

You're on 'em. Congratulations! 8-)

This weekend I stayed in town, pond fishing only. Saturday, before sunup, the GYCB Kreature was hot. The pond usually takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to fish, but Saturday morning the bite was strong early and I fished a little longer. No size to speak of, but nine largemouth 2- 4 lbs. Around noon I returned with my Baby Bass for two fruitless hours, no strikes. Sunday morning was a repeat, but I decided to fish a little deeper. Saturday I fished the Kreature weightless, this morning with a weight and bead, unpegged. Similar results, no big fish. Returned about 11:30 with Mr. Baby Bass. For an hour and a half it was nothing but chunk and wind...no slaps, no follows, no nothin'. As I headed towards the truck I decided to stop at an area that has treated me well over the years, but have had no success fishing the past several weeks. I had already fished this particular spot for more than an hour over the last two days, but what the heck... After my fourth or fifth cast, I tossed the Baby Bass straight out to where a steep drop-off empties into the main channel and let line out as I walked the bank. This was my last cast and I was just straightening out the spool to leave. I walked down the bank about twenty yards and by this time the lure was laying on the bottom. I reeled up the slack I had created on the walk and eventually started fishing the bait, out nearly one-hundred yards. My Shimano CTE 200GT is a slow cranking reel. At a steady pace, the reel moves the Baby Bass just fast enough to wag its tail. I felt the bait nick the ridge of the flat as it came out of the channel. I continued to reel, paying more attention to my line pattern on the reel, not really working the lure. Suddenly, my bait got hung-up...BIGTIME! To anyone else it would look like I was casting to the middle of the pond, fishing dead water. However, on this pond, it's all about structure. Big bass patrol the flat which supports a large bluegill and minnow population. The bass attack from deep water, using the ledge as a reference. When the Mattlures Baby Bass moved out of deep water, the predator struck. Most of the bass in my pond will fight for a short period, but tend to give up in skinny water. The bigger bass are even more prone to a short fight, but not every big bass in my pond has been caught. This fat girl that I had on didn't like my hook, at all! She only came up once and if she had gotten away I'd be guessing about 12 lbs. : She was a fat toad, 23 1/2" long and probably only 7-8 lbs, but she was full of spit and fire. This bass would not give up, she never gave up. I can hardly wait to catch her again...when she's full grown.

A 21" smallie on a Fat Ika? You might want to give it another try. : Good to hear from you, I'm glad you're having a big time.

The St. Croix Avid AC66MF is my "all-around" baitcaster. Although I would generally recommend a rod with Moderate or Slow Action for crankbaits, this rod has a soft tip and works very well for a number of lure categories. I have the rod matched with a high speed reel (Shimano Calais 6.2:1) which is a perfect match for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits and top water. I feel the tip is too soft for soft plastics and jigs.

WOW! Those are some mighty fine fish. 8-)

My best pond is the focal point of a city park, bike and running trail. It's VERY busy on the weekends with kids, dogs and people who are fishing for bluegill and keeping everything with a fin. Most people are pleasant, but they have no concept of "fisherman etiquette." So, what to do? My suggestion is to work around it, find another place to fish, don't go or leave. Man, it's a PUBLIC PARK!

You'll get bored with this bait in short order. You'll catch too many bass and they'll be too big. Don't ya just hate it when that happens? :

I hope you will take the time to post a detailed report, whether you like it or what you find that you do not care for. I'll be watching! 8-)

Welcome aboard! Shimano is revamping their line-up which will result in some significant discounts on current stock.Their best reel at your pricing point is the Symetre 2500. If you are patient, I think you might be able to find the Stradic 2500FH close to the level you are wanting to pay. Both of these are outstanding reels that have earned a reputation for superior performance and durability.

Nice fish. Great pic, too! 8-)

Welcome aboard!

I guess this was posted before you joined the Forum: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174058462

Woo-Hoo! 8-)

Agreed, but to answer the question directly: Regarding single hooks: I generally fish rugged structure. I rarely "replace" a hook, they tend lose themselves! Regarding treble hooks: Over the past few years I have been buying lures with quality hooks- Sammy instead of Spooks; Lucky Craft LV series and Yo-Zuri RatlN' Vibe instead of Rat-L-Traps. Still, I have a fairly substantial collection of lures that I have replaced the hooks at the time of purchase. Otherwise, I replace them as needed. Hmm... Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits? I think ya got me there. 8-)

Welcome aboard! The answer to your question is simple: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft. This is a different line than the original formula Hybrid. (I think there is a lower fluorocarbon component). In use, Ultra Soft has virtually no memory. I would also suggest spooling up #6 (11.9 lb test) on your spinning tackle. The strength of #6 is about the same as #8, but you will find it handles better.

I bought the 3-pack special a few weeks ago. On my first outing I caught three little bass on the "striper" pattern. (I started with this one just because it's silver which is a better match for the baitfish in the pond I was fishing). I didn't think my first outing was very special, the fish were active and I would have done better on another lure or soft plastic. On my second outing I had nine strikes (baby bass pattern) and landed three bass including one that went 25". Now wer're talking! However, since then the bite has been much slower. Overall I have fished approximately twelve hours and caught nine bass. The good news is three have been 5+ lbs. The bad news is that this is my estimated production for the pond. On average, 4 hours = 1 bass 5+; 12 hrs = 3 bass 5+. No difference. So, that's are my initial report. On a VERY positive note let me add that the lures are fun to fish and the strike is awesome! The weight of the bait allows for the longest casts I have ever made without a hint of backlash.

Well, on another thread I stated that "My hook-up ratio using soft plastics (single hooks) is something north of 95% and once hooked, my landing ratio is much higher". Why? #1 Razor-sharp hooks #2 Solid hook-set (snap-set). No "double sets". #3 Dependable line and proper drag setting #4 Constant pressure on the fish, never allowing slack in the line #5 I mostly fish structure in relatively open water I like bass to jump, especially giant smallmouth! If a (single) hook is embedded in a bass, it should not be thrown. However, if we were talking about treble hooks attached to a lure, that is a horse of a different color. The weight of the lure changes the equation. Lures create leverage that can dislodge even well set hooks.

Well, my response is certainly more speculation than observable fact, but anyway: A couple of my DD bass were suspending, staging or just basically inactive. The bait (6" Senko) was simply placed in EXACTLY the right spot at EXACTLY the right moment. The others were aggressive and actively feeding. All but one (my PB) were caught in water 10'-20' deep. My PB was caught in relatively shallow water (5'-8'), but immediately adjacent to much deeper water. She was actively chasing bluegill and was caught on a Norman Fat Boy, bluegill pattern. As a general answer, if a bait appears immediately in front of a big bass, even if it is otherwise inactive, their is a fair chance she will bite. Otherwise, bigger bass are caught while they patrol their territory or are hidding in ambush. Either way, they are "hunting".

Great advice: "Don't travel with your in-laws unless you ABSOLUTELY have to."

Do you think that fish is diseased or is that an odd pigmentation pattern? I have never seen anything like that on any fish, anywhere.

Hmm... "It carries no warrantry." Buyer beware. You have been warned.

I was given a spool of 8 lb test Gamma Fluorocarbon which I chose to test on spinning tackle. It was extremely stiff and totally unfishable. Perhaps it would be an acceptable choice for baitcasting equipment, but I have yet to find any brand of fluorocarbon that I like. I have not fished the Gamma Copolymer, but several other BassResource.com members, whose opinions I value, have given it rave reviews.

GREAT fish! Nice pic, too. 8-)

Why not sharpen them manually? They may not be as good as new, but I've never had an issue with hooking fish on the hooks I've sharpened manually. Heck, if I had money to burn, I'd be happy to replace rather than sharpen. Unfortunately, that's not the case. P.S. I use a small pen-type file. Works great. You answered your own question: "They may not be as good as new." The physical integrity of the hook is compromised and the design is altered. The "broadpoint" on an X-Point for example, is destroyed. If a point has rolled, it cannot be "unrolled". Razor sharp hooks are the most important component of what we might refer to as "the mechanical" part of fishing. Hooks are inexpensive relative to nearly ever other cost involved in the sport. There are a number of ways we can all save money here and there, but skimping on this fundamental piece of the puzzle is not one of them.

Look who's back... 8-) Welcome back!