Mobasser

I had a brother in law who loved to fish for, and eat bluegill. He fished for them with a fly rod, and live bait also. A light fly rod and a small popper was his early morning thing. His reasoning was always the same: bluegill on a light rod are great fighters. They bite readily, most times of the year. And, a good mess of bluegill fillets breaded and pan fried are some of the best tasting fish you'll ever eat. I have to agree with him. Serve them with some good potato salad and baked beans. And, give them a little shot of Zatarains Louisiana hot sauce. Very hard to beat IMO.

I'm with A- Jay on this one. Bluegill are very good.

Tom, I think this is what it's all about. Timing. We can never know the perfect time without some time put in on a certain lake. Even then, you can be off. There's too many factors involved for us. 30 yrs ago, a winning tournament fisherman would say" I caught my fish on a buzzbait in shallow water. Now, it's, I drew reaction strikes from active bass in shallow water. I think every strike is a reaction strike. Even if a fish studies your bait for forty seconds first. When she decides to strike, she reacts. Some of this terminology confuses people. I know it's confused me a few times over the years. This year, I've been trying for big bass. In this scenario, timing is everything.

I tend to think that smaller bass react out of competition for food. This might explain why so many guys catch so many smaller fish. With the bigger bass is kind of like," ok, you dinks get out of my way, I'm ready to eat now". And with the really big fish, it seems like it doesn't happen that often. Just an observation. Good post A-Jay.

A- Jay, my wife will go on occasion also. She has fun, but doesn't have the same enthusiasm for fishing as I do.

For several years my grandson Aiden was my fishing partner. From the time he was age nine until sixteen, we fished together every Saturday. At age sixteen, Aiden took a job at a grocery store in town, and has worked two nights per week, as well as every Saturday all day. Between work, school and other things he's a busy kid. I'm very happy for him, but we can't fish together now because of his busy schedule. My other partner Mike is 72 now, and goes with me sometimes, but doesn't always feel up to it. So, after all these years, this is how it's worked out. 95 percent of the time I'm fishing alone. Ive become the guy you see in the Jon boat, by himself, fishing slowly over a good spot, and hoping a good bass will strike. One thing about fishing alone is you have no other distractions. Your mind is fully focused on the fishing, and this can be a good thing. There's been many past threads here about fishing alone. I'm wondering if this is common with BR members? Are you like me? Do you fish alone?

I have some jars of white pork trailers, of different shapes and styles. I would like to dye them a dark color, and make them black, brown, dark blue or dark purple color. I've heard that RITT dye can be used for this. What's the best way to color these pork rind baits?

I first bought Arkie jigs and #11 pork frogs after reading about Bo Dowdens Classic win with the jig and pig years ago. I bought them at Wal Mart, and set out learning to fish them. In all honesty, I almost gave up on them. I thought I'd never learn to fish a bass jig, and nicknamed them the bait of 1000 cast. One late Spring day I cast a brn Arkie jig with brn pork frog near a blowdown in about 4ft deep water. When I slowly lifted the rod, something felt heavy, and different. I ended up catching a 3lb bass on the jig. I've fished them ever since, and have caught many bass over the years. It's a great bait to learn, and add to your arsenal. But, as Catt says above, it's not a sure fire thing every time. Some days, the jig is the best thing. Other days you may catch more fish on something else. And, as WRB says above, sharp hooks are a must, and strike detection is the key. NavyVet1204, stick to it. You will learn this. Best of luck to you on your jig fishing.

Timing is a big thing in bass fishing. I'd say go whenever you can. We never really know when the best time is.

Stanley Mithcell won the Bass Master Classic his rookie year with a Zebco 404. Woo Davies also has used one. If they work well for folks, I would say go for it. Some of the better Zebcos and Diawas are well made.

I would go for sure.

I like my open face spinning reels too much to switch. I might like to try a good underspin reel at some point.

A-Jay, have you ever ordered any jigs from Jimmy D's River Bugs? He's in MN. Looks like he makes some really nice jigs. He's got black bear hair jigs and many others. I was going to order some to try, but found a guy who's making some locally, so went with him. Mine are standard bucktail, black and dark brown. I was lucky to get two jars of U2 pork trailers from him also.

I haven't yet, but plan on trying some bucktail jigs I bought from a local guy near me. Arkie style head and ball head also. I also bought from him two jars of new in jar Uncle Josh split tail eel to use as a trailer. The old jig and eel is one of the killer bass baits from years ago. I'm pumped about bringing them back now.

Years ago it was jigs. I still miss fish on them, but my hookup is much better now. It took me some time to learn about fishing them.

Have never heard of them. I'd probably avoid them. Good quality hooks are worth the $$.

Catt, my light line fishing is fun and effective, but around this Chara I use a stout line and rod. Med/hvy casting rod and 15lb Big Game. If you hook one and he dives once and moves even 6" to the left or right, he'll have you so wrapped up in this stuff you'll have to go in and get him out. Then you've probably spooked any other fish out of that spot. Stout tackle is a must have around these weeds.

Deep, super clear water. I'd also take along some Charlie Brewer Slider worms and Slider heads. Order the book Slider Fishing by Charlie Brewer, and learn this style. It's perfect for this clear water scenario.You might be surprised at how many bass you'll catch. Deep, super clear water. I'd also take along some Charlie Brewer Slider worms and Slider heads. Order the book Slider Fishing by Charlie Brewer, and learn this style. It's perfect for this clear water scenario.You might be surprised at how many bass you'll catch. Deep, super clear water. I'd also take along some Charlie Brewer Slider worms and Slider heads. Order the book Slider Fishing by Charlie Brewer, and learn this style. It's perfect for this clear water scenario.You might be surprised at how many bass you'll catch. Deep, super clear water. I'd also take along some Charlie Brewer Slider worms and Slider heads. Order the book Slider Fishing by Charlie Brewer, and learn this style. It's perfect for this clear water scenario.You might be surprised at how many bass you'll catch.

I used to use them more often. Years ago, I fished a lake that they worked well on. Rebels of various kinds, Wiggle Warts and Bagley's we're what I carried. But I stopped fishing them probably ten yrs ago due to weeds. I know they work for many folks, but, like you, I can't throw them anymore. They snag up on everything, and I feel like I'm wasting productive fishing time.

I shopped at the original Rogers Sporting Goods store for years in Liberty Mo. I believe Jim Rodgers was a well known MO fisherman and tackle maker years ago. At that time, I bought a few Rodgers hard baits. Crankbaits and a good Spook lure, the Walkin Jim. I would say from my own experience the baits are good. That was years ago. They were not into soft plastics at that time.

A couple of years ago, my wife bought me a clean Popiels Pocket Fisherman at a yard sale for three dollars. Mine has the original box, paperwork, and plastic bag, which it was wrapped in. Ron Popiel was a famous TV huckster, who sold these along with all kinds of other cheesy gadgets. I remember these from years ago. So my question is, honestly, has anyone ever actually used one and caught a fish? Don't worry. If you bought one or used one, nobody will laugh.

This season I've second guessed myself quite a bit. I'm trying for big fish, so I'm always wondering if I'm fishing the right spot, right time, and right bait and retrieve.

Catt, mine is Chara for sure. Just like scaleface. We've got lots of it here in Missouri. It is more a weed with stems, then grows long and lays on the surface. Mostly shallow, but can get deeper also. Like scaleface says, casting accuracy is key. Weedless spoons can work. Better for me is a light or weightless plastic worm. I slowly reel it across the thick parts and let it fall into any openings. Any treble hook baits are hard to fish, but the bass like to hang around in this stuff. Lots of guys around here avoid it, and won't fish around it. Bass hang around the edges, and where the Chara forms a shape like a small point. I don't really like it, but have learned to deal with it as best I can. I wasn't sure what it was until a couple years ago, a local conservation officer told me what it was.

Catt, mine is most Chara weeds laying on the surface, very thick. I know there's lots of different types. As a kid I'm not sure what it was, but thick and slimy moss. Fishing baits would hang up very quickly in it.

My first outfit was a fiberglass rod, and Zebco 33 spincast reel. I spent hours casting in the backyard with a practice plug. If I missed my target with the casting plug, I could always reel it in and cast again. My big brother was a much better caster than I was, and, a much better fisherman also. Fishing from a flat bottom boat on farm ponds, which had a three ft rim of moss around the edge. My problem was I always cast too hard, and would end up hung up in the moss edge, wasting a cast. We knew nothing about weedless baits at the time. The only things we had were old surface plugs from our dads and grandpa's tackle box. I always used a black Arbogast Hula Popper. My brother stuck with a small, frog colored South Bend Bass- O- Reno. His instructions were always the same. " When you feel the rod load up, ease up on your forward cast. Bass fisherman need accurate casting, not always a long distance cast". Eventually, I got the hang of it, and could drop the Hula Popper within inches of the moss edge. So in many ways, casting to a moss edge with a treble hook lure made me a much better caster. Later, we bought a small 4 pack of Creme Scoundrel plastic worms, and learned to t rig them. This was a HUGE thing for us, and changed our fishing from then on. Now, we have so many weedless baits that can be cast over moss. But, it wasn't always this way. Casting to a moss line with a treble hook lure will teach you to be a more accurate caster. It can be a good way for a novice to learn accurate casting. And, with all the new techniques and baits out there, accurate casting is still a very good skill to learn. Do your lakes have much moss? How do you fish it?