Brad in Texas

We had a front punch through east Texas yesterday afternoon. It left behind about an inch of rain here on Lake Athens. So, with temperatures depressed to really comfortable levels from the earlier part of the day's mind-melting high 90s, I jumped in my Meyers Sportspal canoe and took off with a single rod/reel, some Keitech shad-like plastics and fished for a few hours. Late afternoon fishing in the summer, in Texas (elsewhere, too!) is so very nice. I particularly like conditions when the sun has dropped down very low or the ambient light that remains for a while after sunset. Texas is windy but there is almost always a significant drop in wind right about the time. I ended up with 6 LMBs and 1 nice bluegill, not certain how that gill managed to grab the 4/0 hook I was using, but it did. One bass was in the 4 pound range, another in the 3 lbs. area, the others were the 1.5 to 2 pounders. I used both the Shad Impact (soft jerk bait) and the Shad Easy Shiner (with the paddle tail) and both worked about the same. I just grabbed whatever fell into my hand when I plunged my hand down into my soft tackle bag. Yes, I still GREATLY prefer a traditional worm hook with a straight shaft to either an offset or an EWG hook. I like the way the hook comes flying out of the plastic on a hook-set, the angle. For me? I get most of my strikes on the fall, the others after I jerk the plastic a bit with a lifting motion so that it essentially re-falls over and over. My retrieval and depth is much closer to a T-Rigged worm than it is to the way most people fish swimbaits where they are fished faster and I guess a bit higher in the water column. This has been a very good presentation all the way back to the pre-spawn months. I rarely have gone out and not caught a 5 bag limit with it. Some pics! Cheers! Brad

Maybe someone mentioned it above and I missed it. But, clearly, these are not kayak anglers . . . but recreational kayakers. For sure, they can be a funny mess with plenty of YouTube videos showing some of these incidents. Often, it is someone in a kayak casting up toward the shoreline, say 20 feet out, and then here comes a few recreational paddlers just cutting right between the angler and the shore. It seems it is often a few girls or ladies, could be teen-aged boys, too. My thoughts: they have absolutely no idea that they are intruding into, disrupting your fishing efforts. I have never seen a kayak angler cut between a boater and a shoreline like that; I doubt anyone has. My guess is the same as others, that sometimes they fear getting too far away from the bank. Where people do or should know better, I'd say it is about 50/50 between boats and canoes/kayaks, being in the wrong. But, rare, in all regards. Very rare. Same at the ramp. I don't use one, pull my yak over to the side by hand. But, whew! I have seen boaters, especially the recreational variety, do everything imaginable including eating up the clock at the ramp. I'd give the nod to kayak anglers here by a smidge. Recreational kayakers rarely use trailers it seems to me, show up top carrying their rides. Live and let live. Brad

I am a Seagull fan, think it is just the best sounding acoustic guitar out there, certainly for the price. Always does great in tests against some bigger names, those also great guitars. The price point on an S-6 Original is hard to believe related to its quality. I try to play about an hour a day, standard tuning, though I keep reading, and again here, about Drop D and other non-standard tunings and it has be tempted! Okay, quiz of the day for guitarist/anglers (what a great combo!!!): Why is a guitar's standard tuning: E A D G B E? Brad

Not taken as a challenge, just a good question! The first is the science behind it and it is clear that fluorocarbon has a lower level of heat conductivity than monofilament lines. Lower, not higher. I think the second part just needs a clarification on my part . . . that I'm not against lubricating fluorocarbon line when tying knots. I always do it. I just don't do thinking I am preventing line burn that is specific to fluoro more so than monofilament. In both cases, I do it to allow the knots to configure properly. Without doing it, say looking at a fluoro knot under a strong magnifying glass, might appear more "open." That's a knot that is going to work loose quickly. Braid? It doesn't require any lubrication at all but ever so often, I find myself by habit running the line through my lips before I tug it together. *** One other knot factoid: for most fishing knots, you shouldn't pull its tag end to complete the knot. Doing so weakens it, not strengthens it. Knots: we should all talk. I even see some of the great pros get it wrong at times. The great angler, Aaron Martens, does something wrong, recommends it, with his Alberto/Albright junction knot, for example. But, he has a scientific mind and he'd readily make the adjustment if presented with the evidence. It'd take me 3 minutes to alter his views with a pencil and piece of paper to illustrate a point. Brad

Very good! Several states have this rule as I believe you mentioned. So, removing the hooks from a lure and using it as a streamline float would be okay . . . as long as a single lure/fly, etc. drags behind it. I actually like that rule. I've never been a big fan of Alabama Rigs, Donkey Rigs and others where multiple lures are dragged around, not for sport fishing. Doesn't seem very sporting to me. Thanks! Brad

Well, balance is important but it means something different to each angler. For me, the idea of balancing an empty reel on a rod is okay but there is another better qualifier. The position where it does matter is when the line is out, lure in the water, when fishing. Even slack line adds weight to the rod tip pulling it down like a dowsing rod. If your presentation requires a little tension and creates a taut line, even more so. And, this is where I'd concentrate . . . it is where I hope to find myself most of the time. Line out, fishing. Maybe seemingly perverse, it'd be a slightly "on the heavy side" reel that would balance best if measured in the actual fishing posture. Brad

I'll attach a video by Jeff Kriet below where he talks about cashing several checks from tournaments by fishing with a traditional worm, this over creature baits. He says that he often pulls out fish missed by other anglers when he is fishing behind them. Lots of videos, of course, on succeeding with worms, no doubt about it. One thing that is sort of just the way things progress is related to the fact that if you are in the business of making plastic baits, there isn't a heck of a lot you can do to differentiate the appearance of one worm from another. Then, along came the era of added appendages dangling off the various creature baits. Now, we see new renditions of creature baits almost every year. The hardware issue: worm hook vs. jig would lead to another round of product differentiation developments. We now have dozens of each to choose between. Brad Kriet on worms

Good point about different laws in different states! I'm uncertain, though, what part of what he does in that video would be illegal in Maine? Curious only. I was specifically interested in his idea of pulling the trebles off of a very small hard-body bait, then using it to act as sort of a float to better operate a small fly or something else dragging along behind it. Can't recall where in the video he shows this but it seems around the 5 minute mark or so. I think he has further refined his ideas, made some modifications to his riggings, best practices in another video he sells or something. Agreed on the video being a "pretty good watch" as often, it seems especially so with fly anglers, they seem very meticulous in all details, keep exacting records. They are often the very detail-oriented, precision anglers within the community of fishermen. Brad

Here you go. Really worth a watch for any ultra-light anglers, fly guys. Brad Fly Fishing with Spinning Rod

I have that rod, the St Croix UL in the 6'9" and it is an excellent choice for longer casts. Too, if you hook into a bass, if you use proper spinning gear techniques, it'll handle them easily. Let me go find a particular set of vids that I'd highly recommend you, others, watch showing how to use spinning gear to toss light stuff. One thing he does is modify (remove the hooks, etc.) from one of the ultralight cranbaits, run his line through it and use it as sort of a float that adds some weight to your cast. He even recommends a color. Cool Stuff. I'll see if I can find it for you. Brad

With Elaztech, I'd just slip the hook into the worm with its orientation the same as it would be with a ring . . . and I'd doubt it'd ever come out, tear, etc. You might want to size the hook up a notch but I am not certain that'd even be necessary. I think your problem is solved! Ha! Brad

All of these good knots tied correctly will do the trick. But, with fluorocarbon, imagine tying a simple overhand knot with a length of a relatively light gauge copper wire. As you loop it over to make the knot, all is well, then as you cinch it down, the stiffness of the material makes forming a tight knot difficult. This is the issue with fluorocarbon, in general, the stiffer ones in particular, that it is a denser material (than, say, nylon monofilament) and harder to cinch down tightly. The wetting it down? It has absolutely nothing to do with fluoro and line burning. That meme got started years ago and is now oft-repeated but was then and is still now . . . inaccurate. It is simply that what can appear to be a tightened down knot with the wraps all snugged in well, really isn't. The spit is just a lubricant that helps the denser fluorocarbon slide into a secure knot better. Hey! There likely isn't an experienced angler here or elsewhere who hasn't casted off a lure at one time or another. It does happen! Brad

That appears to be coontail with a healthy dose of algae growing in it. Brad

For when an angler wants a weighted hook as we are discussing, me too. One thing I didn't mention about this hook in an earlier post is that the VMC's have a much longer shank than most others. I like that aspect. I usually remove its centering pin and put on an Owner CPS. Between the CPS being a stable but wobbling anchor point for the nose of a shad or fluke, this, and the long shank, it just really provides for a nice "bite-down" zone for the bass to get hooked. If you see a typical underwater scene on video, watch a large tank at a BPS, zoo aquarium . . . with fish of all sizes occupying areas in close proximity, they show fish of all species and size variations - big bass, smaller bass, bluegills, minnows - sort of co-existing. You see this, too, at certain times of the day in the Sahara desert where videos show various species (hunters and the hunted) all together drinking from a water hole. But, what always stands out to predators is something dying or injured. Predators are attuned to seeing it as an "easy meal." It makes your plastic the "go to" choice among many others. At least a few anglers have mentioned that bass will hit something falling through the water column when it is floating down horizontally as if it is stunned, injured, dying. Of course, this doesn't mean at times they don't prefer to chase something moving darting around up and down through the water column looking frisky. I do better trying to use a retrieve that emulates something injured. Brad

I use fluorocarbon for leaders, not as a main line. I love the stuff. Since I use it as a leader, my set-up comprises two knots: one at the hook, the other at the junction knot. Again, no issues even with two knots. Knot tying skills likely make a difference here. I do believe mono is much more forgiving regarding sloppier knots. Mono cinches down deeper owing to its elasticity. Well, anyway . . . I was going to ask you if casting "far" is a big deal fishing with a Senko for you? Where I think fluorocarbon lines would likely be less bothersome to more people would be in situations where one is either fishing deep or making casts that are sort of casual. No bombs. I think this depends on how we are fishing, where, and more. So, one other way to string it up, if a full spool of it gets the best of you, would be to just tie it on as an extra long leader. If you are only making short casts, say 60 feet, 100 feet (33 yds. on your spool) of leader spooled on your reel to braid would keep the junction knot well reeled on and under no tensile pressure. This works great on spinning reels, not certain how it'd work on a casting reel. It's a third option between the two more common ways of using fluoro. Brad

Some really great rigging advice. I'd only add that you'd likely surprise yourself how very far you can "lob" a Carolina Rig by using an under-handed "pitching" motion, this, instead of an overhead sort of cast. The latter often causes that cartwheeling effect where things can get knotted up, tangled. The pitching motion I am describing is reeling up but leaving a length of line out where you can grab the tail of your plastic lure back near your reel, then pitch it out with a long pendulum swinging motion. I use it more for the drop shot where I am grabbing the weight instead of the plastic since it is at the end instead of the plastic lure. Brad

VMC has a drop dead hook and it centers the weight on the hook so that a fluke or shad looking bait maintains some interesting falling characteristics. The general idea is to make a fluke or shad bait look like it is dying or injured. If you use weightless presentations, you likely utilize this a lot. I'd recommend getting as light a weighting as they offer, else build your own, to get down to the depth you want. If it is too heavy, the lure will fall down through the water column too fast. Brad

These sorts of lists are more for fun than much anything else. They are also intended to "catch eyes" and I see them all the time, oft-repeated ones like "The 10 Best Cities to Retire" and others. Some magazines include articles like this in almost every issue. As regards accuracy? Hmm? An analogy: Most of us, if asked to list our favorite meals or restaurants, in order, we might go really strong for the first 5 or 10 . . . then it really falls apart after that if asked for more names. We sort of "fill out" the list struggling to complete it. Here in Texas? We have a half dozen lakes that are perennial favorites. Even some of the best are also known to be very frustrating. I read all the time about anglers going out to the legendary Lake Fork, skunking or catching just a few small bass they could have pulled from a pond, then asking "What's the secret?" The secret is, by the way, that most anglers can "not catch fish" just about anywhere, any time, even on lakes with the best reputations. Still, guess I'll be another wanting to read down the list of "100." I have been programmed to do so. Brad

Nice hooks, Allen. Thanks! I especially like the 7329. VMC has come out with several nice hooks and I like many of them. Brad

For sure, you can use a spinnerbait on clear days, calm water but Pickle_Power is correct that they . . . really shine when the sun isn't, so to speak. And wave action makes them even better. I can think of one exception and that is small pond fishing where hungry bass can hear those blades swirling from all over and will come in to try to ****** a meal. Pond bass don't usually have shad to feed on and they often seem not to care as much about sun/shade/calm/waves. There are other exceptions, too. Fun lure, for sure, from a boat/kayak to actually throw up on the bank, then drag it back into the water when the fish are really shallow. Good job on your catch! Brad

kwaldeier, Hooks get larger from 1/0 to 2/0 to 3/0 and so forth. But, they get smaller as you count up in the opposite direction without the "/0" appended to a numeral value; so below a 1/0, you have 1, then 2, then 3 and so on and each of these is smaller than the one before. I have a few 14 hooks that are so small and I use them under some circumstances when I am fishing for bluegills. Brad

Just in case, I thought I'd add a comment about tying various versions of Alberto/Albright knots. For novice anglers learning junction knots, it might be possible that someone will make the passive loop using the braid main line, then make the wraps with the fluorocarbon or monofilament leader. What wraps around what is not optional but I have actually seen a video where a saltwater angler tied it in reverse: He wrapped the leader around a loop of braid. That is one way to guarantee you'll lose a lot of fish. Often, a knot tied reversed like this won't even withstand the good tug it takes to set it. When braid is wrapped, then snugged down onto fluorocarbon or monofilament lines, it'll cut in a bit, grab hold. But, if a novice wraps the leader around the braid, no, it won't cut in and grab. Brad

Agreed. I just let the season and circumstances dictate how long I'll let a presentation sit. If they are actively biting, if not bitten, move it. I have found, though, just generally speaking, that there are times when I am rather surprised at how very long it takes a bass to decide to bite. Well over a minute, for sure, but like two amateurs fist-fighting in a parking lot, what seems interminable to watch is almost always over in about 30 seconds. One minute is a long time for many anglers, certainly I suppose those who are more oriented toward power fishing presentations. I bet a single minute would feel like an afternoon to them. Too, I fish out of kayaks and my canoe and, again just generally speaking, we tend to fish much slower, work over water much more thoroughly than bass boats working by on trolling motors. Brad

Other than advice from Ned, the master himself, I think this is likely one of the high probability retrievals . . what NYWayfarer mentions. You'd want to drop the Ned Rig down, and see if it, first, gets bit on the drop; then; secondarily, you'd want to dead-stick it maybe with just a little wiggle to get some attention. For a time. But, if no bites from these first two opportunities, "hopping" it forward a bit makes more sense than dragging it. The 'why' behind it is when the Ned Rig is stationary and just being lightly wiggled, all the fish within a certain distance can see it. Saw it, too, on the drop. Depends on the water color, the bottom condition, of course, so who knows??? I'd say, though, that a Ned Rig that comes falling through the water likely gets the attention of bass in a radius of 5 or 10 feet, maybe much more at times. So, no use staying in that same "circle" if not getting bit, so hop it into the visual field of some more "suspects" in a different area. In essence, the hopped Ned Rig will then be seen by some different fish. One of them might have the reaction you are looking for! Brad

I use the Owner product but have seen these others a time or two. Sounds about right that the price would be cheaper, the quality a bit less making the reality of either purchase more in line, price-wise. By the way, I like a CPS twisted onto a 60 degree bent jig hook. That "points" the centering pin in the proper direction for hooking up baits. There are sources for these hooks where one can buy 50 of them very cheaply. Just be sure to get very sharp hooks. What would be ideal would be to have a 60 degree bent hook with a pretty long shaft length. That'd give a bass a really large area to snag the hook once it bites down. I sure like seeing what you guys/gals are also using these centering pins for. Some really novel approaches have been shared regarding uses other than as just attachments to hooks. Pretty cool! Brad