clemsondds

Hey everyone, I have two 7" humminbird units. One is a Helix g3n and the other is just a g3. I bought a lakemaster chip and like it alot. I use it at the helm but would love one on my graph up on the bow. Do I need to buy another chip or is there someway I can share the chip between the two? Thank you all!

Ha already got one tied on (jitterbug). Going fishing tonight. Just trying to decide how to utilize my humminbirds...other than maps and depth of course.

Do you use your graphs much to look for bass or mostly hit cover near the bank?

Ok thanks! Any other tips? thanks again!

Would yall mind sharing where you fish at night? Do you focus on dock lights? Or just go around fishing shallow? Fish ledges/deep at all? Just curious what your go to is. Especially in 1-2 vis water. Thanks

awesome! thanks

Hey everyone. Looking to go down there for a week and a half at the end of May and wanting to take my kids fishing a few mornings. We will have my boat (robalo 206) docked at the house we are staying at so anywhere within a few miles is fine. Would love to find some good reds, trout, flounder, sheepshead.... Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone knows a good guide in that area; I might utilize them as well. We are staying right at the Shallotte inlet. Would love help with good locations and also baits. I was thinking up the shallote might be good. Usually I use a pop-n-cord with a jig and gulp shrimp, but looking to expand to topwater and other baits (jerkbait, crab, mullet minnow??) Thanks again!!

Ok so I think I'm going to pick up one or two of each of these: Lucky craft LC 1.5 rt, River2Sea Monroe Biggie Small SB, 6th sense crush and 6th Sense Movement L7 That should confuse me enough for awhile lol. Thank you for all your help and advice! There are several others that I am interested in and will try those out after these. Any other thoughts about the ones I have selected? Love trying new stuff!

Oh I didn't realize that r2s had a smaller version of the biggie. Yeh, I really like the pappa so maybe I'll give that a chance. It's kindof a medium knocker... Love all the other recommendations! Looks like I need to look into Norman fat boy and Spro little johns. Any others? I think I am set on silent squrarebills. I am looking for ones that rattle. Thanks

Wow lots of variation! Do those that use both silent and rattling...do you typically stick with same brand...or have one brand for rattling and one brand for silent? Just curious. 6th sense crush, silent crush and movement look really good. Too many options lol

I’m a sucker for a good crankbait! I haven’t been fishing long and I already have them all over the place. My latest obsession is suarebills. I have seen that 6th sense makes some really nice ones. I have also heard good things about the Spro little John and of course the sk 1.5. I bought a few but need to get some more, both silent and regular. Would you mind sharing which sb is your favorite? And also, when do you choose to throw a silent sb vs a rattling one? And please keep these to ones I can actually purchase...not your favorite that was only made in 1972 appreciate all the advice!

Do you use this for all your lines or just fluoro? Thanks

cool. I didn't think about that. I guess then it's just when you are retrieving that it hits the guides. Do you use an fg knot?

Oh ok. I'm confused...if it's just outside the spool, then how does it eliminate contact with the guides...doesn't it go through the guides each time you cast and reel in? Also, you use braid on spinnerbait and chatterbait? Mind if I ask what braid you are using? I think I will go this route as well. Thanks

Do you use braid to leader on all you setups? Does just having 12 inches or so of fluoro make that much difference? I'm not doubting you...just trying to figure this all out. If you are using the flouro leader due to it's lack of visability...do you need more than 12" to make a difference? I like the idea of having the knot outside the guides...I just didn't know if it was making any difference since it's so short.

Thanks! Here is what I am thinking right now. I've noticed that my biggest backlash blowups were on my cranking setups...I've seen several pros recommend straight braid for cranking. And so I'm going to try straight 20lb braid for my cranking setups and topwater. I'm going to keep fluoro (sunline assassin) on my jerkbait rod. The rest I will use braid to leader (mono-maxima 10lb or assassin). Any glaring problems with that setup? Thanks again for the advice

For those of you who use straight fluoro...how often do you apply L&L?

cool I might have to try that! Really like James! Super down to earth guy and very knowledgable. Thanks for the tip

I switched several of my rods to straight fluoro lately and am wondering if that was necessary. I switched my cranking rods and spinnerbait/underspin rods to straight fluoro since several had suggested that you get another foot or two with deep diving cranks with fluoro and also because I was fishing an extremely clear lake. But I've noticed significantly more issues with backlash and coiling with having straight fluoro. How many use straight fluoro? Is it better just to use braid on all rods and just switch up the fluoro leader length as needed? Thanks everyone!

Hey all, I've been battling with knots and line lately. Been trying to get a good system for braid vs fluoro. Using a lot more fluoro lately and am trying decide on my go to knot. I had been using the palomar and had a few lures come off. So I thought I remembered several people suggesting only use palomar on braid. So I've been using the ICK lately. I then watched a video where they tied two different lures on...both with fluoro and used an ICK on a chatterbait and a palomar on a swimbait underspin lol. So I'm just curious which knot do you go with for fluoro? And I'm not talking about connecting two lines together...just line to lure knot. Thanks

Thanks everyone! So stayed on the linville side and before sunrise, caught my first smb! 2.55lbs off of the dam. About 1 ft from the bank with a mb popmax. I later caught another smb (2.2lbs) on the linville side with a jerkbait. It was really heavy winds this week (nonstop white caps) and the temps were pretty cold...so I think all of that along with flooding water caused the bite to be off a little. But was still fun! Lake James is tough and you have definitely got to be on your game.Thanks again for taking the time offer your advice!

Thanks. Will Zman TRD Tubez work? Ha because that's all I have in the tubes department. Also, can you recommend any other spots other than rock to find them? I'm fishing a lake that is mostly clay/mud and very little rock. So trying to figure out where they might be spawning. I've looked at earth pro and found a year where the water was way down...still no rock...so trying to figure out where they might be. I know they are here...seen someone catch them a few weeks ago on a ned rig...I fished the same spot this morning with same rig and got nothing. Might have been the temp too...air temp was 33 degrees. Tomorrow morning should be in the 50's so I might try the dam again. Thanks again

Ok, been here at the lake for the past 3 days. First two mornings I have caught 4 largemouth on the Linville side. I'm really trying to catch my first smallmouth. Can I get your help and advice? I started this morning before sunup on the catawba side dam. Fished the rocks for 2 hours or so, determined to get a smb. Fished a ned rig, dropshot, jerkbait, keitch smimbait and a football jig...nothing! Went in a few coves over by the ramp and also worked a drop shot near the Lake James Marina...nothing again...not even a bite. Water temp was 62. I didn't see any beds in the area. I think that's pretty much the only rock in the lake other than riprap on bulkheads of ppl's property. Would love some tips this time of year for catching smallmouth on Lake James. Appreciate the help!

Just do a YouTube search for bass roll cast.

geez... I just meant he just did a little wrist flip/roll. Very little movement. There was no side arm cast...it just looks that way in the photo.