Lottabass

Walked the frog thia mornin'...

Yesterday I saw an eagle. Heard quail calling and roosters cackling. Got scolded and swooped by a kingfisher. Watched a crow chase my frog down the bank. Tied up to a tree and had a good snack (hot dog, cheese stick, and fritos...I wasn't catching much so maybe I should have texas rigged the hot dog instead of eating it!) Watched a deer walking in the shallow water (how come they don't sink to their knees in the muck but I do?) It was a good day.

Went fishing yesterday. Only caught 3. Sometimes you're the windshield. Sometimes you're the bug.

The duckweed is bloomin" and the frog bite is boomin'!

Sufix 832 Hi Vis Yellow. 15# for small baits. 30# for most everything. 40# for frogs. The only exception to the braid is that I use thick (25#) mono for squarebills. I use a sharpie to color 3 feet of the line (it's a mental thing). My lakes are always dirty.

I like what the fish like. I dislike what the fish dislike.

@Swamp Girl Maine is a pretty state with pretty bass!

@the reel ess Great story and beautiful bass!

What are your thoughts on sinking braid as opposed to regular braid that floats? Due to my failing eyesight, I must use hi vis yellow line for jigs and plastics. I can't see anything else anymore. Clear mono and FC is invisible. I even tried some of that colored FC and I can't see it anymore either. Would sinking braid provide better feel on horizontal lures? I'm not having any problems with my set up now, 30# Sufix 832 his vis yellow, but always trying to improve. Thanks for your input!

@Smirak I have the same "old man" problems you do! And I've found a bluegill can pull a worm out of the crossover ring even when you've got it on tight! Been running the hook through the ring AND the worm. Don't know if this is the right fix for this problem but that's what I do.

Due to poor performance with the Gamakatsu Circle hooks on my hardbaits I am using those hooks for wacky rigs. Use 6 inch stickbaits and Flik Shake worms and all bass have been hooked in the corner of mouth with this hook. I've never had a problem hooking bass on a wacky rig but I wanted to find a use for those circle hooks I bought.

Maverik jerkbait with single J hook on the rear and front hanger caught 6 good ones yesterday. Had 2 bites with no hookup. All were on the rear hook in the corner of the mouth. A stick worm with a BB shot provided a lot more bass.

Stunna with double J hooks on the rear caught a few but the best bite was a wacky worm. Water temps have dropped due to cool, cloudy weather the last few days. Had to put on longjohns again!

@michaelb As far as the double hook on the rear it is just something I'm trying. I'm having about a 70% hookup on the rear hook with a single and I was gonna see if the double made any difference. Most of the hookups have been on the rear hooks. I've only used the doubles a limited amount of time but both hooks have been stuck. The single hook on the front hanger is not getting much use for some reason, maybe because of the colder water. Maybe this will change post spawn as the water gets warm.

You folks are lucky to have water clear enough to see beds and spawning activity. The lakes I fish are all dirty water and have no hard bottom. All MUCK! You couldn't wade these lakes because one step in the water and your foot sinks up to the knee. If a male bass was trying to sweep out a bed he would have to use a backhoe to get through the muck! I'm pretty sure they spawn on the abundant wood that is present.

@EchoHorizon23 I will report results with the double J hooks, good or bad. This setup allows me to make short pitches to specific targets like a limb coming off a standing tree or a horizontal log. This bite is pure reaction due to deflection. A cast that doesn't contact wood is a wasted cast.

I am retired so I look at windfinder every morning. It is fun and interesting to look at barometric pressure in correlation with wind direction and speed. Overall, it is pretty accurate, but you can cuss 'em when it's way off! 🤣

@Swamp Girl Excellent strategy!

Fish at night.

@Swamp Girl Here in Iowa water temp is like a roller coaster (along with spawning activity) with the trend being upward as spring progresses. Bass spawn from late April to early June and not all at the same time so fishing deeper water near spawning areas is never a bad thing. BTW, when you read a water temp on a depth finder that is surface temp. Also, if you have no temp gauge ag websites usually post soil temps in your area and that can help you guesstimate water temps.

Thank you! Looking forward to summer when one reliable pattern is fishing large squarebills (2.5, 4.0, and 8.0) in brush and standing timber. Will the double J hooks be less likely to hang up? Will they hook fish as good as treble hook baits? I intend to find out. BTW, I fish these big squarebills on a short, stiff rod with a long handle and use 25# mono (to keep these baits from running too deep). The water is dingy and thermocline is usually about 5 ft. Last summer sqarebill bass!

Catching some good ones on topwater Rogue with double J hooks on the rear hanger. Most of the fish have come on a wacky rig the last few days.

Swamp Lord or Scum Frog Launch Series for me. Walking may be important in open water but if you are looking for bass in matted vegetation or duckweed just a medium steady slide will allow you to cover more water. If there are bass under those weeds they will show themselves and then you can slow down and walk it or pause it or twitch it, whatever works! Also, there are days when there are bass under duckweed and they won't come up for a frog, you can catch them with a swimjig or a squarebill. Throw it right into the duckweed and these baits will swim in the open space under the duckweed. It doesn't work in areas where the wind has piled up the duckweed in thick layers that the baits won't go through on the cast. Are they covered in weeds after going through the duckweed layer? IDK and IDC, all I know is this is a way to catch them when the frog bite ain't working!

Learn how bass live, what they eat, when they spawn, how they react to water temp and water visibility, and weather. Then choose lures that will operate at the speed and depth that gets bites. It sounds complicated but it's really not. Start slow and build your knowledge over time. Fish as much as possible and pay attention to what is going on while on the water. Don't get caught up in the lure (and color) race. You can catch a lot of fish on a handful of lures, but you gotta find 'em first, and that's where the knowledge part becomes the most important.

Me too! I live alone and have no other obligations, a good retirement, and more money than brains! 🤣