Mobasser

My old 5500c will cast furthur than any other reel.I have.

Catt, threw my Swing Impact on Sunday on a bank trip. Slow at first, once the wind picked up it got better. 4 nice crappie, and 2 smaller bass before I had to go home. I like it. Great action on a slow retrieve

Catt, my Shimano rod has been very good. I don't own or really have a way to compare it with other rods, but I think it can hold its own with many rods on the market. I'm not sure when I bought it, maybe 8-10yrs ago. Lots of bass later, still going strong

I see a lot of threads about various rods on the forum, but not much mention of Shimano rods. Mine is a Clarus model that I bought years ago. Dark brown blank, med/hvy casting rod. Very good quality cork. Light and sensitive too. It's been one of the best rods I've ever owned. I know many like Shimano reels, but I think their rods get passed by in favor of other models. Anyone using Shimano rods? I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I made a thread about this before. My grandson and I fish together, and make it a point to pick up trash around the launch when we're done. We've even had a couple of guys help us too.Good fisherman respect the waters they fish, and want them to stay as clean as possible. In my younger days I would confront someone who I saw being careless with trash. Now I'd report them. I don't like people who trash out the lakes. Old school fisherman were always taught to pack out more than you take in. That means clean up after yourself! Live by it!

Catt and WRB sum all this up very well. Strike detection is what separates good fisherman from the average guys. Catts slack/ tension line concept is on the money too.Its never the same, day to day, but that's bass fishing!

Agree Catt! It's much better to set the hook into weeds or water, than to not set at all. The one time you don't set the hook, could be that bass of a lifetime.

Me too. Very early in the morning is when I have "Doh" moments. My grandson is on it more than me. He would never say it, but he's probably thinking "Wake up old timer, you just missed a fish!"

I agree Sam. Bream will tap a worm all day long! I've set the hook , and missed many a bream in the process

When I first started bass fishing, I read an article that stated when you feel a tap on a plastic worm to wait, and let the fish swim off, taking out slack, then set the hook. This worked only part of the time. Some bass would pick up the bait, and not swim off, leaving you waiting. Others would slowly swim off, then drop the bait, again leaving you with no chance of hooking the fish. Many times I never felt a tap, but realized a fish had the bait when I lifted the rod to move the bait. Bass are too unpredictable. Some days each strike is slightly different, some with a " tap tap" feeling, others with very little feel at all. Now I never wait. If I feel anything out of the ordinary on a retrieve I set the hook. Because of this, I've set the hook into water, weeds, wood , rocks and everything else on the lake bottom, but my notes through time show an increase in fish hooked by not waiting. Strikes on soft plastics can vary from day to day, even the same day on the same lake. But that "tap " is an addicting thing. Is it as exciting as a topwater strike? I think so. You feel what you perceive as a strike, your addrenillan is up right away. Is it a good bass or a small fish? You know only when you set the hook.My own notes through the years also show another recurring thing: almost all of the better bass I've caught struck the bait with a lighter strike than smaller fish , sometimes very little feel in the strike at all. What's your preferred method for hooking bass on soft plastics? Do you strike quickly or wait? After all these years I've become addicted to the "tap". In fact, I pretty much live for it.

You might read my thread on fishing the old stuff. I use some older tackle. One reel an ABU 4600 is 20+ years old, and still going strong. This year I havnt bought anything except line. Using up stuff I've accumulated for years. I never judge anyone by what tackle they use or how old it is. If it works good for you, then all is good. Go out and smoke em with your older tackle CrankFate, and have fun too!

James, I wouldn't give a hoot what others say about your tackle. If it's working good for you, then it's all good.Newer reels are very nice, but many older ones are tough and we'll made too. Keep on catching em!

My first experience throwing a weightless worm was over 30 yrs ago. Night fishing from the bank on a small lake, I got a hard jarring strike on a 10" Culprit worm, reeling slowly over moss, 2ft from the bank. I was bank fishing alone, and that strike scared the cr... out of me. I've thrown weightless plastic worms ever since. I like all types of worms for this, and especially big worms as a topwater bait. The Culprit has been good for me on the surface. Zoom trick worms have been good casting near cover and letting them fall. I'm throwing Zoom lizards again this year, and plan on some weightless fishing with them too. I know many folks throw weightless stickbaits, but what are some other plastics that you like to throw? Do you throw craws and creature baits weightless also? I've had the best results by letting them fall slowly near any cover, give them a little movement, then reel up and cast again. I'm looking for fish to hit on the initial slow fall. What baits, hooks, colors do you like for weightless plastic fishing?

Catt, I received a package of these for Christmas this year. I havnt tried them yet. Sounds like a good bait!

Fishing is more than a passion for me. It's an obsession. I don't take it for granted. I cherish every minute I can spend on the water.

The old sunken road bed. The bend in the creek channel. The sunken fence row. The rock pile on the deep side of a point. That drop off in the river channel. Like many bass anglers, I started out strictly fishing shallow. Cruise the bank, throwing a spinnerbait, or top water. I caught fish, but mostly in spring. After summer came to my area, deeper water was where most of the action took place. Learning and understanding deep structure fishing is a process. For fisherman who would say it's easy, I have to disagree. Finding the best areas, depending on all factors, can be a challenge for sure. I'm still learning about structure fishing, even after all my years at bass fishing. Many fisherman become secretive and tight lipped about their own favorite places, and in some ways I can understand this. They've done their homework to find these areas, putting in the hours, months, and sometimes years looking for that spot within a spot, that offers the best combination of structure, and cover and often will produce quality fish. One of my own special places is a drop off 10ft from the bank. A rocky shoreline which stays level for 10 ft, then quickly drops to16ft. A huge blowdown on the bank provides additional cover. We can usually count on a couple of fish here, through much of the season. Deep water is a relative term too. For some, it may be 10ft, for others it could mean much much deeper. Baits for deeper structure? Many will work, but I've settled on Texas rigged soft plastics as the best tool for me. Others have their own favorites too, based on what works best in their waters. After 35 years pursuing bass, I'm still learning about structure fishing. It's one of the most fascinating aspects of this sport. Always looking for those special places, and bigger bass. What are some of your favorite structure types? What baits do you like for this fishing? Do you fish deep water often, or not much? Have you found some prime spots by accident, or have you searched for them?Tell me about your deep water bass fishing.

Big swimbaits

I've probably caught hundreds of fish with rods/reels that are not perfectly balanced. I never gave it that much thought. Just went fishing

I'm saying Culprit.

Save it back, for when you need it

My first casting reel 2as a red ABU 5000. No thumb bar. I used it for a number of years.You did good for 20 bucks

Nope

I like cork

I'm a backreeler too. I like to set the drag to give slightly on a sweeping hook set, then backreel to play the fish. It's how I learned 30 yrs ago

Congrats Catt. Can't go wrong with a new Ram!