Mobasser

I would try a plastic worm or lizard for sure. Fish them slowly on or near bottom.If the water is pretty clear, downsize to a 4" bait. Good luck.

Try crimping the shot on the end of your line, then slide it up and down to around 10" or 12" . Then move the shot where you need it and tie on your hook. This creates a small groove in the split shot, and you can crimp it on without damaging your line. I learned this from WRB. Or use a sliding sinker with a Peg It. You could use a bullet weights, or one of the cylinder style weights. Both can work.

Good idea.

I was thinking bank fishing, but in my boat I carry more things. Landing net and small tool kit are two more.

I still use mono for ally fishing, spinning and casting gear.I like it.

My must have items are pretty simple. 1. Extra hooks. 2. Bullet weights and split shot. 3. One extra spool of line. 4. Needle nose pliers. 5. Hat. ( Ball cap or boonie style). 6. Line clippers. 7. Pocket knife. 8. Sunscreen. 9. Polarized sunglasses. 10. Bottled water and/ or coffee. Besides the baits and lures your carrying, what are your must have items that you take on every fishing trip?

Sometimes a hard boiled egg cooked the night before, with one-piece of toast and sugarless jelly with coffee. This is usually around 4am. I woof it down quick. For early morning trips, I'm moving quickly.

Berkeley Lightning Rod, old model. ABU 4600C reel, 14lb Stren line.

Trial and error...

I've been using one for two seasons now, with no problems. Good reels.

After all the years, you realize that all these worms are killer. I would try one, and it would become a new favourite for two or three years. I went through Zoom, Culprit, Ditto Gator Tail, and Mr Twister, which I'm still using. I don't see very many curly tail worms at my local tackle shops. This tells me that our technique specific fishing calls for straight tail worms. We don't have to follow these trends to catch a bunch of bass. Curly tail worms will still catch lots fish, as they always have.

The Zoom U Tail is one I can still get at my local Academy store. It's always been good.

I still like the Mr. Twister Phenom 6" curly tail.

If you guys see the fish striking them, you might try a Rebel Crickhopper or similar bait. They work good when I've seen bass hitting grasshoppers that end up in the lake. They should work for these cicadas also

Missouri is expecting a large bunch coming in. They're not here yet, but will be probably next month.

I use the small Rebel craw in natural crawfish color. I like the shallow diving model, and cast it over and around rock dams, docks, or parallel to weed lines. Bass will readily hit this lure. By " everything" I mean LM bass, SM bass, crappie, bluegill, and an occasional catfish. Works great in ponds, creeks, rivers and large lakes also.

I still use the small one on an ultralight. Catches everything.

I spent the better part of a season fishing solely for big fish. I camped on spots and picked them apart. It can get tiring, and your mind starts to wander off when your trying to cover every inch with a jig. I like to move and cast. If I catch a decent fish, I'll camp awhile.

Congratulations on your retirement, and best of luck with your business.

Sorry to hear this. It can be hard to replace nice tackle. You'll get there. Better luck with everything moving forward.

I've fished a t rig for many years. Mostly with plastic worms, and, lighter weights of 1/8 or 3/16 oz.

In the area I fish, I have one game warden. I've gotten to know him, and, have become friends with him over the years. He covers a large area. Besides the small lake I fish, he covers two large lakes. He's earned my respect. His job is not easy. Along with checking for fishing lisence and poaching fish, he has to enforce curfew times at one lake, which closes at 10 pm. A lot of his work is done at night. Patrolling the lakes, and keeping tabs on guys breaking the law. He told me this is when many violations occur. I've seen him many times, in his truck at sunup, when I go on early morning trips. He's sipping a cup of coffee, and, has been up all night, doing his job. In over forty years of fishing, I've never once been harassed by a game warden. The fact is, if your not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about. Many of these men are fisherman themselves. They have a job to do. I say respect our game wardens, and respect our laws. Have you had any contact with you local game wardens? Hopefully, your experience with them has been good.

I'm still trying to catch a new PB, but I'm not obsessed about it. After I .ade this initial post, I became so caught up in catching a big fish I burned myself out. I still like to just go fishing, and catch any bass that hits. I'll probably devote every other trip to this hawg hunting. I haven't, and won't give up.

I suspect I'm not fishing as good as A-Jay, Catt, WRB, or Bluebasser86.

Bass gravitate to something different. It may be something small, but they like something different than the surrounding areas. They position themselves to get the best view and the best feeding opportunity. I don't know for sure, but I always figured the biggest bass get the best of these spots.