Mbirdsley

If your catching that many fish. Maybe every 20 fish peel 10 ft of line and cut off and re-tie. I do this after 3-4 trips to mono and flouro. After a heavy day of fishing I make sure to at least glance over or feel my line for knicks or weak spots. Smallies like the ones your catching will wear equipment over time plus when they dive into snags. Or when you get hung up

I have just discovered ocho’s and I like them so far.

Bomber 4A’s and bandit 200 and 300’s. These two are kinda the same though. The powder blue chartreuse xd-5 kills on the Saginaw river all species. I can’t catch a cold on my DT’s. Pb came on size #5 Delta craw shad rap ive started cycling through and getting rid of cranks that I bought in the last 3 years that just don’t work.

If they could get down to the $5 dollar range I would buy them

hit up big platte today. Cold front came in and shut everything down water temp was mid 60’s. The smallies should have been cruising in 4-6 feet. I didn’t see anything. Only saw a couple caught in 6 hrs of fishing. Only thing I caught were monster rockbass on 4 inch tube. After a while I was just trying to catch a master angler Rock bass. These suckers are so big you look down in 12 feet of water thinking they are Sm and LGm bass. I should keep them to eat. You can see 15 feet down at this particular lake. That was probably my last trip with my boat. Brother just purchased a 27ft sea ray for Lake Michigan fishing . Supposed to go out Saturday night Sunday morning. so many people fishing right now. Last year I had basically little platte, big platte, and crystal to myself as far as fishing for bass. Now there are a ton of people bass fishing

Honestly, it is very rare that I get the same lure or plastic to work at 2 differnt lakes or rivers other than a tube. I tend to bounce around a lot on where I’m fishing and almost never fish the same place twice in a week. These 3 however, seem to put at least one fish in the boat no matter where I’m at. Green pumpkin zoom tube, pumpkin swamp crawlers, root beer 300 bandit crank

I was slacking to day didn’t get on crystal untill 10 am bite shut down by 11:30am. caught 2 sub legal smallies and this decent one. I saw 4 of the biggest northern pike of my life in 15 ft of water. one chased one my lure had to of been 40-45 inches. 2nd pic is how clear Big crystal lake is. That fish is about 8-10 feet down. Caught the bass on zoom GP tube on 3/8 strike king tube jig

I don’t personally keep bass to eat. In Michigan there are way to many other better species to eat. I’m not a huge fish eater any more and the wife hates eating most fish. With that said it does not bother me if anglers do keep bass to eat as long as it’s within law. Knock on wood I have not gut hooked a bass in a long long time. That’s about the only wAy/reason I would keep and eat one.

Honestly, I would just keep it at this point. Let him live out his days in your fish tank. Honestly it’s not going to know the difference between your tank or the lake. The only real thing that goes through a Bass head is eating, going to the bathroom, and reproducing Introducing disease would be my main worry to another lake or body of water

I just googled the bellows gill and it looks intresting. I can see why it would work as it is the perfect profile of a panfish. I’d like to start catching bigger bass. The Wheels are turning And the monkeys driving

First day on vacation!!!! Hit up little platte lake for about 4 hrs this evening. I know generally where the fish are. It’s a good sized lake however, it only avgerages about 4 ft deep. I slowly moved towards the emerging pads that had wood on the bottom. I nailed 6 large mouths and a bonus smallie within a 30 minute period using a googan bandito bug summer craw. Small mouth shouldn’t be in the lake but, the can enter via the platte river to the dead stream into The little platte. The two lakes are only separated by a 1/4 mile. The smallie was hanging out with the large mouths in the pads in 3.5 ft. The bass ate me out summer craw bandito bugs. One bass isn’t pictured he was boarder line out of the water Longer than I like. didn’t want to stress it to much

That is normal and mine looks like that just maybe a little less epoxy. I have a lighting shock rod 7ft mh I bought as my 2nd baitcaster. Originally This past winter I replaced it with with st. croix 7ft4 heavy rod for punching. Than I got into swim jigs. So back out comes the lightning rod. The lightning rod is also my designated loaner rod. For the 45 bucks I paid for it has been a good rod.

I mean it’s kinda the same any where you go. I would pre-pair for a lot of deep clear lakes. A root beer 300 bandit has worked in clear and dirtier lakes. Maybe get some perch colored ones. There are a lot shad in lakes and anything connected to the Great Lakes will have gobies

Laid off again so I’m heading up north a day early. Supposed to be mid 70’s untill Sunday. Sounds like it has been very cold up there. They may still be spawning on crystal and possibly big platte

Yes spinning reel Yeah I don’t have that issue on my 30 or 65 lbs braid set ups I was fishing braid a lot but, now I’m starting to transition to co-polymer flouro lines. With the exception of my heavy set ups and this one rod. Only reason I like it for wacky rigging or light T-rigging is being able to see the line better with hi-viz braid. Most of the time I can feel a bite but, there are the times I’ll see it before I feel it. Especially on a wacky rig

That is a very good combo to start with. That was my first baitcaster. I still have mine and it has caught a lot of fish. Only thing the reel struggles with his the bigger cranks that dive below 12-14 feet. For the money paid it is not going to do everything like a nicer reel will

I mean it has worked well. That has been one of my set ups now for 3 years. I also use it for light Texas rigging and tubes up 1/2 oz. I guess it happens more river fishing. I get hung up fishing a tube in rocks 10 feet down. Some times it takes very little pressure other times it takes reefing on it. Always breaks at the flouro knot

I have a feeling I am using way to light of braid. I’m using 8 lbs power pro hi-viz tied 10 lbs flouro. it works fine however, sometimes on snags. The braid will cut my 10 lbs flouro at the knot on snags. I’m afraid a bigger fish would do the same. I generally use it in open water. What lbs braid is usually used?

I’ve lost about 5 fish the other day on the wacky rig. Problem is I’m setting the hook. This is of course After I have spent the last two years training my self to set the hook on jigs and Texas rigs

There are also the Facebook fishing yard sales pages. You can get big lots for 30-40 bucks. Sometime deals on smaller lots from the tackle making guys who just have to much and just want to get rid of them. There was also somebody selling factory direct from over seas. Only thing with that is sometimes the skirt tabs have a slight rubber Oder. To some people that’s a big deal to others it is not eBay is another good place too look. Most of the time free shipping. I have bought from fishingskirts, janns, and lure parts online also. They all really have good stuff. Just have to keep looking untill somthing catches your eye. These places the skirts don’t have any smell

I’d like to get back there before I go up north. I feel like I have unfinished business after getting chased off. I’ll be bringing my heavy pitching rig next time. I think it’s turning into one of my favorite lakes. Best thing is it’s only 20 minutes from lansing but, it seems like people blow right past it to go to sleepy hollow. I don’t know if the size turns people away or what

Yes I was actually surprised how full they are. More so on the northern half of the lake. Only a little channel left to the swamp area( I usually don’t go in there )

It was straight bath water. Actually I think my fish finder is a degree or two cooler than most on temp. It’s not a very big lake. I don’t have map on me at the moment but I think there are a couple 25 foot holes but, that’s about it

Just got done chased by rain after 3 hrs . Was doing pretty good landed 1 keeper on a black blue flake Ocho t-riged. Originally had it tied on my spinning reel and a big one busted me off in the pads. So I rigged it up on my mh Johnny morrris baitcaster combo( first fish on a that) Caught the other one on a wacky rigged black trick worm. Lost 4-5 on that. I was throwing the ocho into the pads and wacky worm outside of them or big pockets. I need to remind my self to not to try and set the hook on a wacky rig, just start reeling fish were very active water temp was 80 degrees. Only 2-3 ft visibility. Last time I was there was end of March and I caught an almost 22 incher in 48 degree water. I always do well there. Sleepy hollow is a differnt story. seems to me we are pretty much in a summer pattern down here in the southern 1/3 of the LP. I’m interested to see what’s up with crystal and platte up north

I use p-line flouro clear a lot on my cranking rod and spinner bait rod. But, it’s not 100% flouro carbon it’s actually a flouro coated co polymer. I like pline flouro clear a lot for cranks and other moving baits. Price is good avg about $10 I also just bought some kast king 20 lbs flouro clear which is also a flouro co-polymer. I originally bought it for leaders but, spooled it up on my swim bait/ loaner rod. So far in the one time I’ve used it I had 20 incher spit the hook at the boat and landed a fat 16 incher throwing swim jigs. I just want to see how it holds up over time before I’m totally on the band wagon Price I think was $9.99 On my 7ft m/l colt I have segar red label spooled up. It works but, I just killed a spool of it. I only put 60-70 yards on at a time. So I will be looking another 100% fluorocarbon line here soon For ned rigs and other finesse stuff. When I buy new 100% flouro next time I may try tatsu or somthing more $$$ I figure I’ll save money buy not blowing through spool after spool. I’ve tried red label on bait casters and spinning rigs but, I get a lot of wind knots after so long vanish is garbage to put nicely I’d only use that for leaders and not main line.