fin

I’ve cleaned up rods and reels that have been underwater for years, and they were fine. Sand/silt in the ball bearings is the only thing iffy. Thing is though, if one is underwater for an hour, the repair is pretty much the same - it’s got to all come apart and be cleaned and re-oiled/regreased. Retrieving a rod and reel underwater is not always as easy as it might seem. Things move about quickly and can get covered with silt quick. Whatever you use to snag it snags other stuff too, so don’t be surprised if you lose the snagger too. Good luck.

I use the small Norman speed clips partly to reduce the amount of leader I waste when tying knots, but mostly for speed and ease of change. You could stick with your tuna knot if you like that instead of trying to find a knot that has less waste. I don't use them with soft baits, but they are small enough that you could, for some baits. I just don't like the way that looks. I use the San Diego Jam knot because I have the least amount of failures of any knot I have ever used. I'd have to say the improved clinch knot uses less line, but I've had a lot of sporadic trouble with that knot. I use Alberto for the leader knot. It's not often someone asks about waste. It's an interesting question. I wonder if there's a chart somewhere that shows the waste from each knot. Everybody here has their favorite knot, and when you ask which is best, they're going to tell you their favorite. Obviously a lot of different knots work. It's pretty safe to choose one you like to tie and just stick with that until you have problems.

😆 I'm stealing that. People that don't know how to swim jump in the water all the time. I don't know how you prevent that.

Yeah, it's all relative with line. When it comes to line, the viewing angle + angle of the sun = visibility. Sometimes light colors are more visible, some times dark colors are more visible, and it's going to change multiple times even within a single cast. Best not to worry about it. I once played around with different colored markers on braid and quickly realized how silly it all was. I agree with @Bazoo that the fish is more likely to be spooked from the vibration and surface disruption than the sight. Sometimes that vibration and surface disruption works for you instead of against you.

The pictures on their site are not great, they look like they're translucent/frost, so I found a video short that shows that they are actually pretty clear. The bait monkey is jumping up and down in his chair next to me.

It looks like BBB is offering the same or similar colors in several of their existing product lines. They might be sharing the flake. I don't know how pigmentation in plastisol works.

Well the tails are clear. I went over there looking for that article and ran across these:

That's my experience too. Even with worm colors that are so light or translucent that the hook is clearly visible, I have had little success. Hard baits are a different matter altogether. I'm a sucker for clear or part-clear hard baits. I also like clear skirts. I've also had luck with that SK ghost color in their swimmer, but not with their stick baits. I bought some of those clear with silver flake grubs back in the 80's, and still have a few. I don't think I've ever caught anything on them.

That would be interesting to watch how they move those fish. I guess they drain down to a certain level then shock and net them? Probably some wallowing around in the mud involved.

Those lily pads scream Stanley Ribbit toad to me. Our lily pads died off in a drought and never came back 🙁 A frog is good too, but I loved fishing these things.

I said they are not very stealthy, but I meant visually, not audibly. I've had them swim right up to me and stare at me for a minute or so, but I agree, I don't think I've ever heard one splashing around. They also leave a huge wake when they swim across the surface that is very visible, and a string of bubbles when underwater. I also agree about the beaver sound. A kerplunk sounds more like a carp or something jumping into the water. Maybe a giant bullfrog? 😁

I doubt that's what it is, I just kind of wandered off topic there. Otters are not very stealthy, you likely would have seen it. I think it's a carp. Take some sweetened cereal with you next time and chum the water. I know they like Captain Crunch 😁.

I read somewhere that an average size otter can eat 25 pounds of fish a week. Who knows how many bass they mortally wound that get away. I've caught bass with scars that look like they came from otters. They've got some pretty serious teeth and claws, can swim crazy fast, they aren't stupid, and they look like they really enjoy their work. I've got a picture I took somewhere of one floating on its back, eating a three pound carp that's lying on the otter's belly. They aggravate me in a lake and creek I fish. They're hard to hate though, 'cause they're so dang cute. I can't imagine how it would feel to watch them clean out your pond.

It's called Xanthochromism. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/02/virginia-angler-lands-extremely-rare-golden-bass

😳 That's amazing. It looks like it might have a deformed pectoral fin. Is that how you are sure it's the same fish?

Yeah, otters will swim underwater, beavers mostly swim on the surface. An otter in a two acre pond would be really bad news. I guess they would make a splash if startled, but I don't recall ever hearing one do that, and I've seen quite a few. It could still be a carp, or maybe a koi. People will put any kind of fish in a lake without thinking.

So a leopard can’t change its spots, but a bass can? 😄 I’m familiar with bass changing from light to dark, but I’ve never heard of them being able to change their spots or appearance quickly like a squid or cuttlefish. It’s not uncommon in fish, so I’m not doubting, I’ve just never seen it mentioned about bass. I just went down a rabbithole of chromatophores and metachrosis but couldn’t find any bass down there. 😄

You can spend the night there, I think. It's about the same trip for me, but that's going through Atlanta, so you never know 😬. If I went, I'd probably go in Feb/March, or Sept/October.

The heat is definitely affecting turnout where I fish. Those lakes are kind of out in the boonies, so I don't understand why they would be so pressured, but then look how far you drove, and you plan to return. I think it's usually bank pressure that does the most damage, but I can't imagine a lot of people driving way out there to fish from the bank. Maybe the decline in fishing there was due to something else. I know they drain individual lakes there sometimes, maybe it was something like that. Good luck next week. Looking forward to another report. I've always been curious about the place, but not curious enough to make the drive.

A fishing buddy used to tell me tales of how great that place used to be, as recent as 2010 or so. He said he caught like 50 or so in a day, fishing from the bank. On his more recent trips, he was skunked after traveling over an hour to get there. I get the impression it gets heavy pressure. You know how it is, you get a legendary reputation, and that's the curse of doom. At least those lakes are stocked regularly, or so I assume, since it’s a WMA. The results you got go along with that. The fish probably aren’t being allowed to grow to a good size before they’re being yanked out of there. Did you see any game wardens while you were there? I would imagine they enforce the law a little better there than other state park lakes, but I don’t know, the wardens are still spread thin.

From time to time I’ve gone back through my pictures and wished there was like a facial recognition system for fish. Fishial recognition system, if you will. 😆 I’m sure it could be done, and it could work similar to fingerprint matching systems, where it highlights matching points of the print. It’s really interesting to see the changes that fish has gone through. For example, look at the spots running along the lateral line. It’s weird how they’re so well defined in your friends picture, and almost invisible in some of your pictures.

I broke my rod, but I got a special bite on topwater! What's wrong with us? 😆 I was thinking I would cry a lot more over that rod, but then I scrolled down and saw the pics of the fish. Ah-ha. I understand now. And being proven right to stick it out through the storm is priceless too. 😉 Congrats on a great experience.

On sale right now on their website for $10.

What does the odor tell you? I've caught some real stinkers and I always wondered why some smell so much worse. I've never noticed any pattern to it.

I thought the codes were for free shipping. I didn't even try them since it already said free shipping 🙄 Oh well, everything I bought was like half-price, so no big loss. Now I might go back and buy some of the stuff that wasn't on sale 😁