Sharkicane

I was wondering if y’all will throw a crank bait out when you don’t know what type of cover and/or structure you are dealing with? Where I fish there’s a mix of everything and some of its pretty thick stuff. so I’m always afraid to throw anything that’s not really weedless simply because I feel there are to many things to get hung up on.

I havnt I just have a kastking assassin with 15 lb copolymer. I though about moving to braid but I still backlash a lot. When you say tuning what do mean?

Hey all, I am trying to get an idea of what length and rating I should be considering. I want a rod that is pretty versatile. Something I can throw top waters, frogs, swim jigs, crank baits and maybe even drag a c rig on the bottom with. I know a lot of these techniques have rods that work best but being a bank fisherman on a budget I gotta have a multi purpose to. My current rod is a 6’5 MH Xf tip I like it I just can’t get baits out as far as I’d like. Im sure throwing braid would help with the distance but being a noobie I’m way to scared to spool up $50 bucks of line with as much backlashing as I get. (Mostly from messing up a cast and slamming the bait into a tree or something)

I think I went overboard with the details I guess my point is what length/rating is ideal for a rod that can be used for the things I mentioned in the original post?

Something to add to the equation and this may change if I throw it on straight braid it may not. When I throw weightless flukes and stuff I don’t like how I’m not able to feel the bait like when I throw it on a baitcaster. It’s got me thinking maybe I keep it rigged for split shotting/small c rigging. And just all my texas rigged stuff on my baitcaster. Idk though the weightless fluke is kinda tough with my 15lb co poly on my baitcaster.

I want to get some feedback on when to switch tactics vs just switch areas from the context of being a bank fisherman. So the place that I fish is ultra clear quarry pond, its pretty big lots of water to cover. For the most part I don't switch my baits up that often I tend to just throw weightless or weighted texas rigged soft plastics. I have 2 colors watermelon red and gp. My issue is trying to determine what parameters do I switch baits/tactics or just move spots. For the most part I just keep moving spots, I try to follow the shade and target different pieces of cover and/or structure. I realized today after 3 hrs of fishing up and back down the bank with little to no bites maybe my approach is wrong. I threw a brush hog w/ 1/4 oz bullet weight which is my go to for this body of water. I have been able to consistently get bites for the past 2-3 weeks with this. So today during my 3 hour fishing hike I really only cycled between my gp brush hog and a watermelon/red weightless fluke. I think I over emphasized trying to find the right place versus trying something completely difference like switching it up to a senko or trick worm or something. I didn't think I was wrong to follow the shade/try and fish the conditions but I didn't land a fish and they were there so I assume I got a part of the equation wrong. Since in essence I have to sight fish, what things have to happen before you physically move and/or switch tactics? Part of me wants to lean towards stay where the activity is and cycle threw all my various plastics till I dial it in to what they want that day. However I have gotten a lot of bites just targeting cover/structure where I didnt see any activity at all. How do I develop a better game plan for dialing in on whats going to get me bites?

Hey all, Lately I have been battling with my finesse rig, I have hi vis yellow braid (10lb pp super 8 spooled up). I have been using a flouro leader (8lb red label seaguar)but I am hit or miss with my line-to-line knots. Sometimes they hold up sometimes they don't I have been attempting to tie the alberto knot recently. The double uni is still a pain for me to tie currently. I am on the fence about swivels I like them they are practical and easy to manage however I dislike only being able to reel my line up to a certain point. This is on my finesse rig which I primarily use for weightless flukes, senkos, wacky worms, and maybe a split shot rig. I am wondering what is the best option out of using a swivel, sucking it up and learning to tie line-to-line, or just coloring the first 7 ft of my line with a black marker and throwing straight braid. I fear the coloring the line/throwing straight braid will hurt the action of the baits I am throwing. Which I could and probably am way wrong on that. I cast from the bank and sometimes have to cast in very tight spaces surrounded by trees which is why I am on the fence about the swivel mostly. Sometimes trying to cast with 12' - 18'in of line out is way to tough. In any cast I could use some *** on this subject.

Hey all, I am looking at getting a 3rd rig currently I have a finesse/spinning rig, and I have my everything else rig which is a 6'5 MH XF Daiwa Alexa. With the heat turning way up in texas and fishing from the bank I feel like I need to add something that can get some distance with to my arsenal. Since I can only cast out so far with the 6'5. As summer goes on I feel like some of the bites I might have get deep/far from the bank to get.That is what's driving me to think about investing in a 3rd rig. The primary purpose of this rod would be throwing moving baits, top water,carolina rig, crank baits, spinner baits,and maybe some swim jigs. Also, I can only get one rod at the moment :(, otherwise I would probably get 2-3 of these. Not sure if anyone is familiar with Hook Spit Performance Rods or not, but that is one of the options. From what I have heard and read they seem to be pretty good rods. All 4 of the rods I am listing are under $50 bucks which I feel like is a stellar deal that I should not pass up. Here are my choices for rods,it is semi-limited because this particular series is being discontinued.(They are changing the color of one series and the other they will no longer be selling any other brand rods but their own). Hook Spit Rod - All of these are Heavy rated seems all the Mediums and MH have been raided already since this one has been on sale for a while. Crankenstein - 7'4 Hvy - Mod (1/2 oz to 1.5 oz) This one had a decent tip to it, for a heavy it didnt feel like a broom stick. (so far I am leaning towards this one) The Punch - 7'6 - Heavy - Fast - XF (3/8oz - 1.25 oz) This is a for sure a broom stick so I am thinking it wont work for what I need it to but idk. Big Tex - 7'3 - 7'5 - Heavy - Fast (3/8 oz - 1.25 oz) This one had a little bit of tip but it still felt pretty stiff. Daiwa Alexa - 7'2 MH - XF tip - The exact same rod I have in 6'5 but bigger. While I do really like my 6'5 Daiwa I feel like maybe the other rods might offer more in the way of versatility and better action for the applications. Any tips/advice on which one to go with would be much appreciated.

Are swim jigs and paddle tails baits you would use in ultra clear water? Or are these baits something you want to throw when there isn’t 5 miles of visibility? Right now I can consistently catch them on a trigger baby brush hog or speed vibe craw with a 1/4 oz weight. So I know they are feeding on the bottom close to the bank. I would just like to find something that I can fish quicker to find them. I’ve had 0 luck with spinner baits, chatterbaits, crank baits. Little to no luck with any top waters either.

Hey all, I have been practicing pitching quite a bit recently I’m getting better but still a long way to go. I want to find out exactly what I need to do to make the bait enter with little to no splash. I’m fishing from the bank so that might be a factor I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve tried several things but I can’t seem to get it to land softly consistently. What am I doing wrong or maybe not doing at all?

Hey all, Just wanted to give my thanks to the forum in helping me with everything so far. I finally pulled a decent sized bass out of this local quarry lake. I didn’t have a scale but it was about 15 inches long and he girth was about 8 inches. So around 2lbs which is my pb now. Caught it with a watermelo Senko. Had to get the hook out through the gills it was hooked really deep. Apparently that bass really wanted that Senko cause it was just one giant pull and it was on.

Hey all, I am wondering how rainy days effect bass in smaller ponds/lakes. Learning how to read and interpret the conditions is something I know very very little about. Although I am trying to learn more. It has hard to apply some knowledge because I feel like sometimes fish in small ponds/lakes don't follow the same rules/cycle as bigger bodies of water. I am in the Houston area it has been raining off and on the last 2 days. I am going to try and get some fishing done tonight and tomorrow. I assume the rain/pressure/temperature differences will have an effect on the fish. Would yall be able to shed some light on what effects those might be? Also, what tactics should I use to try to catch them? The main place I fish is ultra clear water, however I am going to try a new place that has more stained water. So tips and advice for both places if possible would be great.

I saw this video on a braid to flouro knot, seemed pretty easy to tie. However, I can't see it well enough in the video so I can't look up more detailed instructions.

I will get some of those. If I Texas rig the trick worm would the 2/0 or 3/0 hook be better ? And do you add a bullet weight? I plan to wacky rig them as mentioned but I’ve read Texas rigging them works well to.

Do you ever use a swivel with your flukes? I’ve seen some videos about it. I’ve got some ball bearing strong swivels I was thinking about using with them. (Also, could double as insurance cause I don’t necessarily trust my knots just yet lol)

So maybe 1/4 is to much? I ordered 1/16-3/16 so maybe those will give me better results.

Hello BR, I want to get a better understanding of flukes and on bullet weights more specifically what size and why. To start with on the matter of flukes, I am still learning how to fish them so there is a good chance my technique just plain sucks. Also my color selection is pretty limited I have got green pumpkin and some watermelon ones on the way. The place I fish is pretty pressured and clear as I have mentioned in previous posts. I really like using flukes cause I can fish it a bit quicker (although I have yet to get a good bite on one just yet). Right now I just have zoom super salty flukes I texas rig them and fish them weightless(I have some warning shots ordered not sure if those are in "fluke" category or not). What other fluke style baits/colors would you use in clear all the way to stained/muddy water? Do you rig them any differently or is weightless texas rig pretty much the way to go? Do you fish them in thick/dense weeds/grass? Now on to bullet weights, after reading some posts I have come to the conclusion I might be using to much weight when I texas rig with a bullet weight(I use a 1/4). I see a lot of people like 1/16th, 3/16th, and 1/8th how do you decide which one to use? What soft plastics are good with bullet weights and which one are not?

I will be more careful and on the look at for them. By the time I noticed it it was pretty well cinched tight. Does that make a difference or will trolling it still get those out?

I’m extremely impressed and pleased with my results this morning. Just tiny flick of the wrist and it goes a mile out there. I could even cast my little shad rap #5 with no issues. I only got 1 wind knot which I am going to assume was my fault. I either tried to cast to hard or was working the fluke terribly. Power pro super slick 8 ftw.

I will get those added. The 2 wacky rig jig heads i got I just got them in green as well. Is that to much green lol? would brown or black be a more versatile color for the jig head?

@Catt @ww2farmer @WRB @NYWayfarer @Dorado @KY Bassin @ib_of_the_damned @Gundog @the reel ess Okay here is my list ill I’ll be ordering based of the recommendations from this topic. Please let me know if I left anything off or need to add/change anything Zoom baby brush hog - green pumpkin, watermelon w/red flake zoom super salty fluke - watermelon w/red flake (have several in green pumpkin already) zoom trick worm - watermelon w/ red flake, green pumpkin GYCB - Fat ika - watermelon w/black flake GYCB - Senko 5 inch - watermelon w/black flake (I have some in green pumpkin already) GYCB - 4inch - watermelon magic YUM warning shot - green pumpkin VMC weedless wacky rig - 1/8 and 1/16 oz has 1/0 hook. ( got these to cover all wacky requirements instead of getting these and wacky hooks on top of it) Gama EWG 2/0 hook (already have some 3/0 I think these should let me Trig all the soft plastics) Gama Aaron Martens TWG drop shot hook size 1 bobber stoppers ( I have some 1/4 bullet weights already, figured I could use these with those for a drop shot rig instead of buying more weights)

I picked up some hivis power pro super 8 in 10# test (it’s all they had) and got it spooled up. Hopefully it does the trick. They didn’t have the flouroclear in under 8 either. Pretty limited options lol

yeah I am the same I usually go early in the mornings before work and on tuesdays or sundays my off days.

Sounds good I might go with that, there is a lot of matted and sparse grass, branches, trees and other cover where I fish so braid would probably be a good choice there. What size leader do you use? Does it change at all or just keep a set length tied on?

I'm seriously considering braid and just using a leader, what kind do you use for your finesse rig?