Trox

3^ - for some reason, operah always puts me in a bad mood... ?‍♂️

He had to be doing something different with the baits than you were, and/or throwing them at different types of structure/areas? If not, that's a hell of a coincidence.... but hey, it be like that sometimes.

The moving bait that seems to always get bit for me in the Austin area is Ott's Garage Series Slim crankbait in "big shad" color... It's caught fish on Lake Austin for me when nothing else would, I've whacked 'em on Lady Bird Lake (call it "Town Lake" for bonus points with the locals lol) with it, and almost won some money with it recently (December) on Lake Travis... If I had to choose one, that would be it. Something about that silent tight wobble, that specific color, and that clearer water works year around out there, I dunno. Tends to produce better in windier conditions, but I've caught em with no wind as well.. Now, I'm not fishing from the bank, but I am typically casting it at the bank, so it should work just fine for you as well.

Glide baits... Just haven't really gotten around to throwing 'em. My buddies catch huge fish all the time on them in the lakes around my area but I just haven't gotten into it... When I see a $40+ price tag on a single bait, I start thinking about how many jigs that could buy me... then I go buy the jigs instead lol

As much as I wish that was the case for me, I feel like it is very dependant on what I am trying to accomplish during a given fishing trip. If I go out to just "fun fish" (all fishing is fun, but to me this specifically means not going out in preparation of a tournament type event), then I'm absolutely fine taking 4-5 setups. But when I'm pre-fishing for a tournament, there's 20 or so combos in my rod locker and it's strictly because I am trying to figure out multiple patterns, and when I start catching fish on one thing, I will stop using it and move to the next and so on... Now, that doesn't necessarily require 20 rods, but that is my approach... I have yet to pull out all 20 on a given day though so it could be worse I guess... Someone already said on this thread, "Better to have it and not need it..."

I've always used Amber, no matter what type of scanning I'm doing. Over the years I've fished Lowrance, Garmin, and now I'm on Humminbird. Color preference never changed from brand to brand.

Definately. If there is a technique that I haven't thrown in a while and that I know is going to come into play at the turn of another season, I will start to throw it here and there in preparation. The absolute magic about doing this though is that sometimes you will catch the first wave into the next seasonal move (prespawn/spawn/etc) and will be the only one on that bite for a week or so while everyone is still out fishing what the fish "should" be doing...

This is the story of my life as well

Some bass are super boujee and will only eat designer brands

If you fish as much as Josh Jones does, your chances go up. If you fish as much as Josh Jones in does in Texas, your chances also go up. If you fish as much as Josh Jones does in Texas at O.H. Ivy, your chances go up more... If you fish as much as Josh Jones does in Texas at O.H. Ivy and only target giant bass, your chances go up even more... I remember seeing him post his last boat up for sale on Facebook, even had a little chat back and forth with him about it, and he had about 600hrs on that motor in a single year. He's an every day fisherman who idles a ton to find the right spots, in the right lake, at the right time. I saw him each day I fished O.H. Ivy last year around March. and yup, he was always the first at the ramp in the morning. For someone who maybe goes fishing once a year and throws a senko, it may be a 1 in 18,000,000 chance, but there are definately ways to greatly increase your odds. At least that is what I tell myself

So, my wife has both of our families doing this elfster thing every year where you can build wishlists and share them with others online... got a ton of stuff off my list this year: - 3 lure wraps for those trebled baits - 3 rod covers - a couple of new towels to keep on the boat - two books - Sowbelly and High Percentage Bass Fishing - Flexstep Pro

I buy things because the packages are pretty, not because some "pro" tells me to. I'm better than that.

I can't ever keep up with what all the pros use, seems like their always switching it up anyway (saw this recent switch randomly on my facebook feed). I also don't fully trust that they are only throwing what they are sponsored by... i.e. imagine being sponsored by a sub-par company, and being forced to use it and never winning because of it... That's not good for anybody. I'm willing to bet that "company X" gladly turns a blind eye to a fisherman winning with "company Y", as long as he gives a shoutout to "company X" when it's all said and done. No one listens to last place... and for this reason, I have trust issues...

Oooh that's a good one! I think I'll follow suit

If I was you I would move just east of HW635 on the outskirts of Dallas near Mesquite... Makes it roughly an hour drive to both Lake Fork or Richland-Chambers Reservoire (which is also a big bass hangout - yet underrated), but close to everything.

Rumor has it that he is being picked up by 13 Fishing

with jerkbaits being primarily a visual bait for bass, I don't know how I would feel about throwing them on straight braid, nor have I heard of anyone doing so... I would go with the M/F mono setup if I had to choose.

you ever just take the claws off for them? I know it sounds funny, but there was a good bassmaster article written a while back that states the following around some research done: "For 60 days, 450 largemouth bass, plucked from the same environment, were tested using a robotic arm and a strike counter. Each group of bass was presented a crawfish bait at the same speed and angle of attack. The bass tested had never seen the bait that was presented (it was a prototype). The test then continued, with one pincer removed, then a second pincer removed, and finally, the legs. The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes." I've tested this theory a few times when the bite was tough as you mentioned and it did lead to a few extra bites (and better hookups)... A senko trailer can be a good immitator of this if you don't want to just go ripping up your craw trailers.

3/4oz football head jig... I just can't decide between black/blue or green pumpkin

Sacrilege! That statement actually hurt me lol. Chatterbaits brought multiple fish over 5lbs into my boat in 2021 - one 7.9, and one 9.6 (co-angler)... I will never not have one tied on, but I get it. That's how I feel about spinner baits ! I did however just drop $200 on War Eagles with a determination to gain confidence in spinnerbaits in 2022! So, fingers crossed there!

Skipped a 1/2oz football jig under an overhanging tree on Lake Austin. *tick*. It was a hair under 8lbs.

I don't know what they do as far as effecting other species populations or what their main forage is, but I've heard multiple stories from my father and other elders on how they used to catch MONSTER bass with them back when it was legal to sell them (maybe it still is?) as live bait in Texas. so... there's that... ?‍♂️ If you find the TackleTalk podcast (Audible, Apple podcast app, etc), the dude does a series called "The bait breakdown"... episode 4 is on amphibians and reptiles. I bet he talks about them in there somewhere, I just haven't gotten to that one yet. But judging by the amount of detail that the host went into with the baitfish and crawdad episodes, i'd be shocked if he didn't at least touch on the waterdog in episode 4.

More often than not, I'll catch at least one off-target species in an outing. Fishing mostly central and south Texas lakes, my most recent off-target catches by species are: - large crappie while drop shotting a mid-depth brush pile - white bass on a jerkbait - drum (2x) on a red chatterbait (last outing) - 30lb catfish on medium diving crankbait (couple of months ago) - gar on a small underspin I've also been known to catch a zebra mussel or two

I've only ever put a single layer of electrical tape on the spool and have never had the braid slip on a largemouth bass, or even the random 10-30lb catfish.

For me, this is a fear that is constantly in the back of my mind fishing lakes like Rayburn, Toledo, Choke Canyon, etc... And the fear is not necessarily bad! It's the lack of fear and respect for those objects that can make things dangerous! - Have a good navigational map (although don't rely on them 100%) - Eyes up, ALWAYS. - Sometimes locals will sell map chips with boat lanes, those definately help. And also, sometimes people will post these boat lanes in a youtube video or online, so always try a google search or two - If you don't feel confortable, slow down - If you can't afford a new lower unit, slow down some more