Finessegenics

I think it sets up nice for you. A nice warm streak and a small body of water usually equal good fishing. I won't pretend to know where the fish will be but I believe the majority of the fish are a long ways away from spawning.

Looking like a howler from me after day 1. With all of these guys under 6% ownership it's gonna hurt....? 35 75 66 91 68

That's a beautiful looking fish. You're spot on with the purple and gold flake. I think Sprayed Grass would be an awesome imitation of that. Some brands use more of a watermelon base compared to a gp base with sprayed grass. Zoom's is nice. So I'd stick with those more watermelon-y sprayed grass. Also check out Mardi Gras which Zoom carries for a few of their baits.

Very overlooked/forgotten bait. Theyre the idea behind the modern swimbait but I don’t know how “modern” swim baits really are because the sassy Shad has been around for a long time. That’s also another overlooked bait. Of course they still work and it’s probably one of the best lures ever created. I still throw one from time to time especially for walleye. I don’t know why I don’t cross that over to bass fishing. I guess it’s the subconscious arrogance that I’m too good for a plain old grub. My best bass last season came on a 3.5” motor oil ZMan GrubZ rigged on a 1/16 mushroom head. So that’s saying something. If you wanted to make a choice between a grub and a Keitech then I wouldn’t know where to look or if it really mattered. They do the same thing but like all plastics from the hundreds of brands out there, they’ll have different actions.

I see, I wrongly assumed the snags were coming from deadsticking it. I know what kind of water you’re talking about and it can get real frustrating. A weightless plastic like @813basstard could work well. It should be a bit more resistant to hang-ups. I personally prefer a stickworm if you think the fish are gonna be on a “slow” deal. Pull my rod tip upwards and let the worm fall to the bottom on semi slack line and repeat over and over again. I work my soft jerkbaits pretty aggressively. My cadence is usually rod twitch, two very quick turns on the reel and pause to let the bait sink for 5-10 seconds. Then repeat. The quick handle turns make the bait dart like crazy, and it seems to elicit more of a reaction bite.

If you're certain you're around fish then I'd give a small plastic a go. How are you fishing that ned? I'd try a slow but constant retrieve "ticking" across those snags if you already aren't doing that. Just make sure your jighead is light enough. The bite usually just feels "mushy" and it's worked for me in the dog days of summer and also late in the fall.

Congrats man!!

Curado K is a good suggestion but it's a little over your budget in Canada (or is your budget USD?). If you can find one used or at a discount then you should give it some serious thought. I have one and am looking for another as a frog/punching reel but I'm wondering if I should spend that much on a reel that will get so little use. The braid mainline does make a difference imo. More manageable, and you can fit more line onto a smaller spool. If you were using fluoro, especially thicker diameters, then I would have said that the Curado K or a reel with a bigger spool is really helpful (my opinion). What diameter line will you be using exactly? Whatever it is, the reels you're looking at are good. They get brought up often on threads like this. I own an SLX and I think it's great for the money. Not the smoothest but it is robust and can handle anything you throw at it.

That’s a great idea. I have the jawbreaker from Northland which is the same idea. Really, they are just alternatives to frogs but it could work

Is the moss all on the bottom? If so, a dropshot could work well. The weight will pick up the moss while your bait stays clean.

What do you guys think? ?

Speaking of April Fool’s jokes, yup, I legitimately took Chris Groh. 55lbs 11oz

This might not be the answer you’re looking for, but they work year round. Underspins and soft swimbaits mimic what bass mostly feed on; baitfish. Sure, there are certain times a year where they may be more willing to chase a bait. That’s when you consider varying your retrieve/cadence depending on the mood of the fish. An under spin will be money year round. You can do so much with it. Jig off bottom, creep on the bottom, straight retrieve, burn them closer to surface and the list goes on and on. Also, don’t get too caught up with post spawn, pre spawn, yadda yadda etc..Not all fish are going to be spawning at the same time. Some may have spawned while others are still in what we would call a “pre-spawn” stage. Present your bait appropriately to whichever group of fish you’re targeting. Hope this helps. Thats my opinion

Also a clever way to push Maxscent now that I read the article again...I can see someone who doesn’t know any better coming across it and thinking it is legit. “So good it got banned”

Early April fools joke?

Without doing any investigation my guess is no...where’d you hear this?

Can’t help you much with the rod itself. I own a lot of Croixs but never any in the LTB series. My guess is it’s a relatively old edition of the LTB. I know they updated the series some time in 2017 but I’m unsure if this was the model that preceded the current ones. A lot of guys on here use SC so someone will chime in eventually. Either way, awesome job with the cork. Looks like a different rod. You just scrubbed with magic eraser or were there some secret steps?

Your intuition is right. Slim Swimz on a 1/16 oz jighead is great. I can recommend a few but if there’s one I’d have to stick with, it’s that.

Trilene XL is really good but I’d also take a look at Big Game. It’s very popular as leader material.

That’s awesome! I wonder how old that fish is. My guess is at 20-25 years old? I was addicted to sturgeon fishing and gave it a serious go a few years ago. Caught lots of big catfish but never got the sturgeon I was looking for. Lake sturgeon are plentiful here and I caught a few this summer but nothing big. Most were in the 5lb range.

I have a feeling maybe they are slightly bigger compared to the mono jigs but I took some pictures for reference. There’s one next to a TRD. I find the TRD to be slightly too big of a trailer for my preference. Maybe I’m just being picky and should cut them down a bit I think you’re right in suggesting I take a look at crappie plastics. I have a few packs of straight tail worms that get almost no use so using only the tail section wouldn’t be a “waste” for me either. I saw those while searching the web last night. I think they may be perfect but they are hard to find here. Ordering from TW isn’t a viable option either as shipping & duty fees here to Canada are just way too much $$$. Thanks for the suggestion anyways

I picked up some Keitech spin jigs in 5/32 at a heavy discount today. (https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Tungsten_Guard_Spin_Jig/descpage-KGSJ.html - TW link for reference) With a #2 hook on these things, what do you guys use as trailers? Even a TRD seems too big. I suppose I can trim the plastics down but I’m curious as to what you guys do.

Yea, I figured that out after looking at the stuff online about the 2018 elite tournament there. Looks like an underwhelming place fishing wise but they got huge crowds.

Are you trying to sabotage my fantasy team? ?

Does anyone know how the Sabine River sets up? I know absolutely nothing about it as a fishery.