JBT1981

Thanks! I've only been fishing since March of this year, and I've been teaching myself as I go. I've been relying quite a bit on YouTube videos and their sometimes conflicting information to figure out my tackle and techniques. I'm still learning.

Just a joke, my friend. Just a joke. I appreciate your information!

On a related note I have been using a 7' medium spinning rod with a fast tip. It's rated for 10# line. Would a medium-heavy rod be a better investment? I fish on weedy banks in reservoirs (maybe I'm just looking to justify buying new equipment ?)

I've had good luck with using 8# mono to bring in several largemouth bass. But I noticed that the line gets stretched REALLY thin and it makes me want to use a thicker line. I've been using a weightless T-Rig on a 4/0 hook to fish, and I've read part of it's success relies on the lure's slow fall. Will a heavier mono have any real effect on how fast the lure falls?

I caught a nice Largemouth yesterday on a weightless Berkley ribbon tail worm. I didn't feel a strike, but when I saw the line start to wander off on its own I set the hook. The polarized sunglasses helped see the line, for sure.

I've had excellent luck catching bluegills using a 1" bobber, 4# mono, and a *** hook. For bait I use 1" Berkley Gulp! Minnows. I may try putting the minnows on a 1/32" jig head to avoid gut hooking anything in the future, although that's rarely been a problem. Have fun!

Will I see the line go taught when there's a bite? When I cast it, should I reel up any slack at all? I know it needs to free fall, but will reeling the slack a bit help me feel the bite and set the hook? Since I bank fish on a reservoir with stained water, I can't really sight fish and I'm looking for better ways to reliably bring them in!

Hi all, I've had responses on this forum about the effectiveness of fishing for bass with a weightless T-rig and a finesse worm. I was wondering how you all work that lure? I've read you need to watch your line to see if you get a hit; I've always found it difficult to see the line in some lighting conditions as well as feeling the 'tick' of a hit. Any suggestions there? Thanks.

Well today I bought a 1/4oz copper color Johnson silver minnow and caught my largest Largemouth ever (I'm new to fishing, so it's a big catch for me LOL). I cast it just past the weeds into some clear water, and as I reeled it into the weed beds, the bass took it and dove right down. I pulled him out of the weeds praying the line wouldn't break. I actually cast it without a grub or anything! That was fun!

There's a lot of this stuff around my neck of the woods!

A few people have mentioned these. Are they like the in-line spinners you can use for crappie? Because those suckers pick up EVERYTHING for me even when I try to keep the rod tip up so they 'ride higher' in the water column. I'd love a kayak, but I don't think it would fit too easily on my Corolla! So, I caught my Largemouth yesterday on a Texas rig with a bullet weight (I don't recall how heavy the weight was). I think one of the responses here mentioned doing a T rig weightless. Wouldn't that make it get caught up more in the weeds since it's lacking the conical 'nose' to pry through the weeds? And wouldn't it be better to have the extra weight to punch through the veg?

Gary Yamasenkos. Green pumpkin with a red flake.

No, I'm not really sure. I'll have to look around on Google.

So I spent a few hours at a lake today with my MH baitcaster, some 20# mono, a 3/0 EWG hook and a slew of 5" plastic worms. I'm only now trying to catch something other than panfish, so I haven't really messed with a Texas rig. It performed very well in the veg! I had three strikes on it from under the algae piles it was sitting on (I missed due to early hook sets, I think), but I was able to catch a largemouth with that setup! Going back to the idea of making noise: I'd read that some people set up a Texas rig with a bead between the eye of the hook and the bullet weight to make a slight noise. Any thoughts?

I wanted to use something with a rattle or really anything that will draw attention to the lure since right now the water is so muddy.

Yeah, the wire guard ned rig heads advertised as weedless have so far been a no-go for me.

Nothing is 100% weedless, I get that. But when I bank fish for bass, I always bring back more 'salad' than fish. Weedless Ned rigs, lipless crankbaits, jitterbugs; unless I'm using a Pad Crasher frog or getting bluegill with a bobber, my lures get pretty fouled up with vegetation. Short of buying a boat to get away from the banks, how do I avoid the weeds I get caught up on?

I think a lot of the problem just might be my timing in setting the hook. I went out today, and of the numerous 'hits' on my line, I only caught one bluegill and had another huge beast take my hook, and run with it before the line snapped (hearing that drag let out and seeing the rod bend over was exciting as all get our!).

Gulp! Minnows, both 1" and 2.5". They seem to love them!

So it seems that (at least after a quick Google search anyway) that most people prefer a 6'+ fishing rod, I have to wonder what uses there are for a 5' UL rod? Ice fishing? I thought it would be easier to maneuver along banks with trees and brush, but that seems to be a small gain for a lot of bigger losses...

Gulp! Minnows, both 1" and 2.5". They seem to love them!

I'm using some cheap #6 hooks that came in a kit. Not the best hooks, for sure. I think part of it might be my hookset. I've read that panfish, especially crappie, can have a hook tear right through their lip on a strong set. I initially just tried to 'pull' or swing my rod to the side. I wasn't being gentle but I wasn't trying to slam the hook home. The few times I was aggressive with the set, the hook would come flying out of the water!

Hi, I bought a 5' UL Ugly Stik and paired it with a Pflueger Trion 120 and some 4# mono. I wanted a rig dedicated to bluegill, sunfish and crappie that was easy to maneuver with through trees etc. On the bank last night, I landed some bluegill, but I also missed a lot. I began thinking that either 1) I just need more practice (I've only been fishing for a few months), 2) My 5' rod may not be long enough to give me decent leverage, or 3) the ultralight action doesn't 'snap' home as fast when I try to set the hook. Do the rod and reel seem like the issue here?

Thanks!

Hi, I purchased a MH Ugly Stik rod to try baitcasting with, but it doesn't have a weight range for the lures it can handle. It has a line range of 10-25 lbs, though. I know these are often rough guidelines, but I'd like to know what weight lures I can be throwing with it (and how to determine that for future rods that don't list that info).