Mobasser

I first learned about the Rebel Ringworm shortly after I started fishing for bass around 1980. A tackle shop owner recommended them to me. He also explained the concept behind this worm design. When cast, the rings would trap air, and create bubbles when the bait was retrieved or falling though the water. I'm not sure if this was true or not. My own reason for this being a successful worm is the way it looks. The rings make it appear larger than it's size, which is 4" mostly. As a novice bass fisherman, this was one bait that worked, and I was able to catch bass with it over a few years time. Then, it was gone, and no longer made by Rebel. I forgot all about them and moved on. Now I've " rediscovered" the ringworm, and we have several to pick from. Currently, I'm using Mr. Twister 4" ringworms. Zoom makes a good one, as does Roboworm with the Zipper worm. My best colors are junebug, black/ blue tail, and watermelon. I've only fished the 4" size, but they're available in longer lengths also Like all plastic worms, these can be fished several ways, depending on your own waters. It works on bass of all sizes.IMO, one of the best plastic worm designs of all time. P.S. If you fish clear water, a watermelon ringworm rigged with a split shot and slowly crawled along the bottom is deadly, shallow or deeper.

Nice fish Mike!

I've had a few, and have always been partial to GM small block V8s. 64 Chevy 1/2 ton truck, 283 V8 all stock. 62 Chevy Bel Air, rebuilt 327, Holly carb, Edelbrock manifold, glass pack mufflers. On the topic of Volkswagen, my dad had a 57 Beetle when I was young. It had German writing on the dashboard and controls. You can always spot the old Volkswagon by the small oval rear window in the back. I think my all time favourites are the 60s muscle cars. I like them all.

The basic Scum Frog is the only one I use. It's a great frog. Nice fish Pat Brown.

The CC spin is a good one. It puts out a lot of vibration, and can be a good night spinnerbait. It was designed by Missouri Hall of Fame angler Charlie Campbell.

I got to spend the day with my kids and grandkids, had some good stuff cooked on the grill, and received a gift card to Academy. Had a great Father's Day.

Make me buy stupid amounts of tackle that I know I don't need. My wife laughs at me because I do this...

Happy Father's Day to all the dads here on BR. Hoping you all have a good Father's Day.

I own three pair. Agree they're comfortable, well made socks. I like em.

I'll start going at sunup. We're supposed to have a major heat wave here also. I know it's hotter than heck here right now.

My conservation officer friend told me about a guy he found last summer. He was alone, and fishing in extreme heat during the day. He made it back to the small boat launch, climbed out of his boat, and was sitting there in the sun. He was in bad shape. He was lucky that the conservation officer found him, and knew what to do to help him. Now, the officer makes it a point to ask guys when he sees them putting in, " you guys have plenty of water?". This should be an annual thread. This season, I plan on hydrating the day before I go fishing, as well as when I'm out there. At my age, I may have to pee a lot, but I don't care. That means everythings working as it should. A-Jay has a good chart that shows the effects of dehydration. I'm hoping he can post it here as a reminder for all of us. Dehydration can happen to anyone, young or old. Drink up when it gets hot.

I consider any time I can spend with my grandkids is special time. You can both benefit from this.

Between 1949 and 1997, the Johnson reel company of Mankato Minnesota made what many consider some the best spin casting reels ever made. They were one of the few reels that competed with Zebco during the 1950s and 1960s. This company also made reels for Sears and Roebuck, as well as Montgomery Ward. In 1955, they produced the well known Century 100. This reel was unique in its day. Remove the cap, reverse the spool and handle, and the Century could be used on top of the rod, or hung below a spinning rod. It worked both ways. They were nice looking reels too. A dark green cap, with the black body gave them a sharp look. I recently bought two of these old reels at a yard sale. They were in a box with a bunch of junker reels. Both of them are a little stiff but still work. A good cleaning and a dab of oil and grease will make them run smooth again. In 1997 all production of these reels was moved to China, and I don't think they're sold in the U.S. anymore. Did you ever own and use one of the original Johnson Reels?

I've had to take some short breaks away from fishing, mostly trying to get jobs wrapped up. But, I'm.always back at it, as soon as I can.

Sounds like the way I have to fish in my lake, which is deep and gin clear. Here's my rig: 1.Zoom finesse worm - t rig with straight shank 2/0 hook. 2. Brewers Spider Slider Pro head 1/8 oz with Brewers Slider worm. 3. Kalins 4' grub, rigged on Owner 1/8 oz head. 4. 31/2 tube. BPS tube head inserted. My best worm colors are purples, black and blue shades. Most all fished on 6lb co poly line. I'll move up to 8lb line later in the summer when weeds thicken up. All the tubes, grubs, etc can work. But the small finesse worm is the killer bait for me.

I finally retired my Zebco Cardinal 4. I used it for many years. I think it is one of the very best spinning reels ever made

I only use the Scum Frog myself Mike. I just check to make sure the hooks are sharp.

I've caught LM on craw baits with only one pincher. It actually outfishes a friend's crawfish bait with two pinchers. Things that are weak or wounded get picked off first. I think the fish see it as an easier meal.

Virgil Ward, Harold Hensley, Guido Hibdon,Larry Nixon, Tommy Martin.

In some ways, I started like this. Fishing with my older brother in a row boat on farm ponds on our grandfather's farm in Chillicothe Mo. My brother was older and a much better fisherman than I was. He taught me a lot. It was mid to latter 1960s. Good memories of those days.

This is a cool photo. I sometimes wish things were still this way.

Over the years, I've read and heard about bass hitting a bait first to stun it, then attacking again to eat it. I've never learned if this is a fact. Many predators of all kinds do this. Frog fishing is an example. I've had many bass swat frogs over thick cover, and totally miss them. When the frog gets over an opening, they smack it hard. Over open water, the bait is clearly visible, and, an easy target for the bass. Fishing a frog over large thick areas, I've had cast that got two or three hits from bass that missed the frog, or we're not committed to eating it, and I have no way of knowing if it's the same fish or not? And, we know that bass are curious by nature, and at times will strike at most anything they think is an easy meal. Has it been proven that bass will try to stun and injure something first, before they fully commit to eating it?

I got back into tubes a couple of years ago, mostly from reading through some past post here. I think I hook more fish on a tube over a Ned rig. I like the head inserted rigging also. I like the slow fall of tube baits on a light head. There's an older guy near me who uses tube baits almost exclusively and catches scores of bass each year, making long cast along shorelines with them.

On January 25th 2022, I made a post about my nephew Kyle. The post was called How To Motivate A Young Man. Kyle had come to stay at our house, in the hope that I could help him. His problem was that he would not keep a job. He had three good jobs, and quit them all within a month. At the time, I thought he was lazy, and, I came down pretty hard on him. My wife took him to a specialist, and he was prescribed medicine for an anxiety disorder. Now, he's a different person. He's worked for the county road crew for two years, and has moved up to a supervisor position, with a good pay raise. He has perfect attendance on his job, and, is attending night classes at a local junior college, studying computer programming. He's engaged to a really sharp girl now also. I'm proud of him, and am very happy for him. My nephew taught me a lesson in all of this. Anxiety is a very real thing. It can affect people in different ways. What I thought was laziness was not the case at all. If you know a person who suffers from anxiety, try to get them some help if you can. They may be able to turn things around in a good way. Kyle and I will be fishing together this Saturday morning. He's doing fine now.

I use Scum Frogs in green pepper or white.