Armtx77

10lbs...Coastal Camo has been a hard find in these parts. I drive by Duffy everyday and they don't have it. Cabelas,Cables, my local joint in Metairie...nodda. TW says it will come in later in the month.

I made a order on 5/2 and it shipped yesterday. It is going to be short a couple of 300yd spools of 832 (Coastal Camo)and 1 pack of 1/16OZ 3/0 EWG hooks. I didnt "need" any of it, but found it odd that they were short those two items.

5" Senkos with the T-Rig.

I recently bought a CZ 452 from the son of the Hildebrandt Spinner Creator. Older gentlemen, in lates 60's he and his wife moved to Slidell LA from CA few years ago. I went to buy a rifle at about 9am and didn't leave until after dinner. He has several cases of original, hand tuned by his father, spinnerbaits. Not to mention a bunch of marketing materials around the home. The stories he told about he, his brother and father. About the business, his father and his brother, were captivating. Really, really nice guy. I have made offers to buys all of it or some of it when the time comes, but he has stuff that is framed and in shadow boxes. One of those days where you make friend that you didn't expect to make. We shoot 22LR matches together 5-6 times a year.

Just wear the PFD! Sad, sad news.

A lot of the Cinnamon colors, remind me of the old pumpkin seed.

I actually grew up on the Upper Mississippi Rock Island IL. A lot of good bass fishing here in SE LA and you are absolutely right; 5 people, will call the same bayou, 7 different names. I pull out my phone, bring up Google maps and have them point to it.

So, the past few seasons my nephew has been tagging along with me , when I do some river, wade fishing for Hybrids. He turns 15 in July and it is time for a good spinning set up for him. I have a Diawa BG 1500 or a Shimano Sedona 1000 as the donor reels. He is familiar with the 1500 spooled with 10lbs 832 and a Fenwick HMG ML/F 7ft. 100% of his fishing has been with in line spinners in the 1/16-1/8 range and small tubes under 1/4. He LOVES the micro set up and has caught them up to 3lbs.... ....but he wants to start tossing some Trigged Craws and heavier lures up to 3/8th of an ounce. I have tried to throw craws with that set up and the fast action is just to springy for the feed back THAT I NEED in a T Rig. I'm willing to spend $150.00 on a rod. I am not brand loyal, but he likes cork handles and he prefers 7ft but a few inches either way won't break him. I would like to keep it at ML, but with an XF tip. If I have to go to M/F I completely get it. Shoot away! Tell me your river spinning set ups and how you like throwing craws on it.

Early morning and I'm sliding a ScumFrog over the cabbage, looking for the fish that have had their morning cup of coffee. By about 8AM I am tossing something T-Rigged at them. If I am fishing small rivers. I typically start with a BizzBait Craw on a Dirty Jigs Pivot point and than switch to a 1/8oz Rooster tail, with a Gold or Copper blade.

Black and blue, motor oil, watermelons and all the flakes that come with it. Pumpkins and all the flakes that come with it. The only thing I go out if my way to get in specific colors are my Bizz Bait Killer Craws. I use these a bunch in the crawfish infested waters of South Mississippi and SE Louisiana. I match the hatch with them and my Spotted Bass numbers exploded two years ago.

Black and Blue is by far my biggest producer...senko, craws, jigs. I think you can pick up more fish in clearer waters on match the hatch colors than you can in darker waters.

That is old school.

It is a cool little lake. The times I have fished it, I always think of it as really, really small version of Table Rock. We crushed them on Watermelon and red flake Gander Mountain Stick Baits, but it was like I was catching the exact same fish over and over and over. I think once they opened it up to keeping some fish about 4 years ago. It really helped get some size going.

My fishing mentor growing up was a local guide and this reminds me of when people who ask how many we caught when we were putting the boat in t he trailer: ' it was pretty bad out there' ''We caught 3-4 dinks under "12" 'River is too high or too low" My favorite is when he would ghost a Hooksett, drop to one knee, stick the pole into the water about half way and proceed to land a fish that was not there. He would even come to the back of the boat and high 5 me. I never tell them how many or where I caught them. Both involve hard work and time...why give it up?

I have never gotten rid of one. I have a couple of Black Max LH circa 93 that are still in service. At the same time, routine maintenance goes a long way.

Didn't know that. My dad has caught several in the 4lbs range the past couple of summers at Hawthorne. Im a numbers guy, but understand that is not everyone's take on it. With the state record being around 10lbs...your best bet is going to be stumbling on it in a farm pond. I grew up fishing the Mississippi all the way to LaCrosse WI and you will be hard pressed to get them consistently over 4lbs. To each his own. The OP asked what to fish next...Hawthorne will get you on some fish with an outside chance at one in 4's.

Yep, a bunch of them in the 1/16-1/8 size. They still catch fish, especially on small rivers and creeks where there is no choice for them, but to bang against structure.

Lake Hawthorne was really good before they let people keep the fish. I had my best day fishing ever about 4 years ago there. My dad and I stopped counting at 200 and every single one was about 14" long.

Yeah, I don't get 7+ and up, final drive ratios. You are losing torque and giving up longevity, to get that level of line pick up.

Once you figure out what works as far as colors go, it is easy to buy a bunch and keep them in a storage container than just grab a bag when you need one. I find myself giving the stuff that doesn't work for ME to kids at the local lakes. Usually accompanied by a couple of 3/0 EWG hooks and show them how to rig and fish them. I ran into one of those kids this morning, fishing that Senko and he says it killer for HIM...LOL

I would put up a game camera first and see if you can catch them in the act. Than call the Wildlife and Fisheries

I dont know, maybe 500 fish caught the last two years on braids and I have yet to break a rod. I broke some jaws and some fish learned to breath people air too, but never broke a rod. Maybe you just had some bad luck.

T-Rigged Senko, on a Gamakatsu EWG 3/0 hook and 1/16oz weight.

I have been fishing some small rivers lately and have been using 10lbs Coastal Camo 832 on my spinning gear and relatively clean water. I have watched spotted bass eyeball up a YUM craw and when a twitched it...LIGHTS OUT! Thanks for the reminder, I need to order some more 3" craws.

I have the Diawa HMG spinning set and have used it several times. I have a Diaws BG 1500 for it and found it to be more than adequate. I would buy another.