plawren53202

No wind to speak of, but I was using a weightless fluke. So I could picture that leading to a little spool spin that might not normally be an issue with mono/copolymer but would be with braid, esp. 20# braid; or I could also picture that being an issue because it wouldn't be heavy enough to pull out a small line dig like a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait or jig would.

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments--exactly why I post on here. Sounds like the 20# braid and line dig is the culprit. I was throwing a weightless fluke, which I can usually throw on this rod on mono/copolymer but I'm certain the fluke was not heavy enough to pull out a line dig like a heavier bait would. So I would bet that's what happened. I have an out-of-town fishing trip coming up this weekend, and want as much time with the line in the water as possible, so I think I'm gonna switch back to Sufix Advance for this weekend. Then if I try the braid experiment again later, I'll be sure to go with something heavier. Here's another related question: in reading up/watching videos on whether to go with braid on my baitcaster, some people expressed concern about braid being too unforgiving for some applications. I know a lot of people throw a frog on braid; seems like it would work okay with a jig or weighted texas rig baits. But this baitcaster has to be my jack of all trades, so it gets a lot of use with a crankbait, chatterbait, spinnerbait and soft swimbait as well. I had heard some people say that braid doesn't work as well with these reaction or swimming type of baits. Since I do throw a lot of reaction and swimming baits on this rod, should I stick with the Advance? I found the Sufix Advance to be pretty low stretch so it seemed to be working okay with jigs and t-rigs.

I left on some of the Sufix Advance (mono/copolymer) that was already on there as backing.

After recently using braid for the first time by loading it on my spinning setup, with great results, I decided to follow suit on my baitcaster setup. By way of background, I am a bank fisherman and for both budget and logistical reasons, I only have one spinning rod and one baitcaster. My spinning setup leans toward the light end, ML to M and 8 lb. test. The braid on the spinning setup has been wonderful, really brought any finesse-type tactics like Ned rig or wacky worm to life. So last night I loaded my Lew's Tournament MP with the same braid configuration except heavier lines: Power Pro 20 lb. braid with a Sufix Advance 12 lb. test leader. Had a disaster during this morning's trip to the pond. During a cast, I ended up with a wicked bird's nest. Not sure how it happened, it occurred mid-cast while the bait was still flying through the air so not my usual bird's nest circumstances (like not thumbing it well enough when the lure lands, strong wind, or anything like that). I can pick out almost any bird's nest after long enough when using mono or fluoro, but this bird's nest with braid was futile. After several minutes I had to just give up and use only the spinning rod the rest of the morning. Thankfully they were killing a 4" Dinger either wacky or texas rigged so it wasn't a complete loss. But that got me rethinking using braid on my baitcaster. Seems like it might not be as big of a risk if I was in a boat and had three other baitcasters lying on the deck. But with only one baitcaster with me at any time, another braid bird's nest could ruin a trip if they were hitting on a chatterbait or crankbait or something else too big to throw on the spinning rod. I was really liking the Sufix Advance I had on the baitcaster before, so I'm thinking I'm probably going to go back to that because it seems like the slight gain in sensitivity from the braid doesn't outweigh the risk of a bird's nest ruining an outing. But just wanted to get others' thoughts about braid on a baitcaster who have more experience with it than me.

I just made the switch to braid within the last week. After doing my research I concluded that I should use the FG knot. Watching YouTube videos where they're tying 60-80 lb. braid and leader made it look not bad; tying 10 lb. braid to the 6 lb. mono leader for my spinning setup was something entirely different. And after all that, I had two of them slip out (both times from the increased pressure when I was snagged.) I'm certain it was due to "user error," but still, not the easiest knot to learn for me. When the last one slipped out, I remembered how to tie a double uni knot from my flyfishing days and so I went with that one, no problems the rest of the day. Not saying the double uni is a better knot; I just happened to remember it enough from fly fishing to be able to tie it better. I read a lot about one big advantage of the FG being small knot size, but for 10 lb. braid/6 lb. mono leader, the double uni was plenty small enough to slip through my micro guides with no problem. Just switched to braid on my baitcaster this afternoon, didn't even attempt the FG. Just went straight to the double uni.

This definitely falls in the category of "why didn't someone think of this sooner" or at least "why didn't I find this sooner." For all I know these have been around for years...but I was just strolling through the fishing section at my local Wal-Mart, which for the most part is decimated right now and hardly has anything, and while looking for a black frog (which they were out of, of course) I happened upon the Pad Crasher Jr. This will be absolutely perfect for some of the local ponds I fish a lot that have lots of dinks but no big fish...once summer heats up, on some early mornings/late evenings the dinks are kamikaze about crashing a frog, but the standard size frogs seem to be too big and I end up getting a LOT of short strikes and misses. I'm super excited to give this Pad Crasher Jr. a shot.

You've made another good point to add into the mix. The two baits that led me to post this question originally--a Bream color Yum Dinger and a Blue Craw TRD Finesse--both have a fairly high level of contrast between the two colors, the greens are pretty dark green pumpkin, and the blues are lighter blues. And for both, there is a distinct line between the two colors (both have one color on top and one on bottom) running horizontally along the body of the bait. So this is different than most of the soft plastics I use, certainly other Senko-style worms because most of mine are more traditional one-colored even if they have a different color flake in them (watermelon w/red flakes, Junebug). On the other hand, now that I sit here and think about it, the other TRD Finesse colors that I seem to do well on are similar one color on top/one on bottom, like Drew's craw, molting craw and hot craw. And for that matter, at this same pond, I use a fluke a lot and the color that does the best, bluegill flash, also has dark on top/light on bottom. Contrast to a watermelon fluke, which is more uniform, and has never done as well for me here. That's not to say, of course, that monochromatic baits don't work, because obviously they do. I spent many years catching nearly every bass I caught on a plain purple worm; and just last weekend a junebug Senko took me from a skunking to end up a pretty good day. But this has definitely caused me to think more about split color baits with strong contrast between a darker and lighter color and a clear line between the two running horizontally down the body of the bait.

I have read or heard several times that bass can't see the color blue. That has me wondering, if that's true, then what do they see in its place when they see a bait that has blue on it? What got me thinking about this, at one place I fish a lot, and use a Ned rig a lot, the blue craw color (1/2 watermelon, 1/2 light blue) in the TRD Finesse has become, pretty clearly, my best color out of the several I use. I have thrown a watermelon Yum Dinger a few times there and never had much luck, so the Ned experience led me to track down the "Bream" color Yum Dingers, which are 1/2 green pumpkin and half blue. Sure enough, that thing has been working well for me either wacky or weightless t-rigged. I know that's not super scientific evidence, but I fish this location a lot and it's enough experience at this point to lead me to conclude that the addition of blue works substantially better. I know some places have crawdads that are green with some blue, but I've never seen any here (or any crawdads, for that matter, though I'm sure there are some there). So that might provide some explanation. But the question remains--adding blue to the green definitely makes a difference, yet how does this work if the bass supposedly can't see blue? Just has me wondering what they see where the blue is. Or maybe I'm just way overthinking this. Problem is, when you fish by yourself a lot, you have a lot of these internal debates inside your own head. ?

This has been a really entertaining thread. After reading through, I have come to the conclusion that some of you eat much healthier than me...and some of you have the diet of a goat.? When I was a kid and my dad and I would go fishing out in the boat, he definitely had the diet of a goat. As I got a little older as a teen, it became a joke to him to pack the boat food bag and only pack stuff that I thought was disgusting. His average boat lunch bag would include sardines, Vienna sausages, Spam, and cans of Beenie Weenies. I finally got smart and started packing my own bag.

Wanting to upgrade my medium/medium-light spinning option, primarily used for finesse applications like Ned rig and wacky worm. Most of the places I fish tend toward smaller fish. Also double duty on occasion fishing for creek smallmouth. My current setup is the Walmart Lew's Xfinity. In particular I'm really trying to max out sensitivity--for example I do a lot of Ned fishing for some really picky, overpressured fish in my subdivision pond and I need to be able to feel the tiniest little pecks and nibbles. I recently upgraded my casting rod to a Dobyns Fury. I am loving that rod and the sensitivity in particular compared to the rod I was using. So if budget was not as much of a constraint, I would probably just go with a Fury spinning rod. Unfortunately budget is a consideration and I'd love to put together a total package (rod and reel) for what the Fury costs or a little less. I found a Sellus for a steal of a deal. So, I'd love to have an idea of the comparison between the Sellus and the Dobyns Fury, and in particular how sensitivity compares.

I recently upgraded my baitcaster setup to a Dobyns Fury/Lew's Tournament MP combo (from the Lew's Wal-Mart Classic Speed Stick combo). Using Sufix Advance on it. I have been pretty much bowled over by the improvement in sensitivity. I can feel so much more with this new setup. So started thinking about similar upgrade for my spinning combo. Currently I have the Lew's Xfinity combo (medium) that was sold at Wal-Mart for $80. As I have been doing research, this rod actually gets quite a bit of good reviews. It is an IM7, guides seem pretty good, I'm a fan of the Winn grip material on the rod grip and reel knob, and honestly I do feel like it's a pretty solid rod. I think to gain a noticeable improvement in sensitivity I would have to step up to a price point that is not in my budget right now, like something around $100+ each for the rod and reel. That got me started thinking about putting braid on it. Currently have Sufix Advance on the spinning combo too. I really like the Advance for a mono or fluoro option, both in castability and sensitivity. I haven't used braid for years and years, like when it first came out. So, would I get a noticeable upgrade in sensitivity if I switch to braid? Given my budget constraints does that make more sense than switching to a rod that is only marginally better? Assuming the answers to those are "yes," what braid would you recommend? I use my spinning rod for applications on the lighter end. For pond or lake bass, mainly finesse applications. I also use this combo to do some creek fishing. So I would think something on the light end like 10-14 lb. braid with a 6 or 8 lb. leader would work. What would be a good brand braid for this? And seems like the Sufix Advance would be good for a leader if I like it already? Sorry for all of the questions. It's the challenge of taking a setup I do like a lot but think I could get even a little more out of. I guess if my braid experiment is a complete disaster it's not that hard to just spool back up with the Advance ?.

Good grief. I'll stop complaining about the traffic at our subdivision HOA pond. ? Couple of observations from my experience fishing very heavily pressured public waters in the St. Louis metro area, though I'm no pro by any means. First, I think your inclination to go smaller/more finesse is probably on point. Take a look at what others are fishing and do something different, but generally my experience is that heavily pressured fisheries see too much of baits that are too big or too aggressive. I agree I'd go smaller, more finesse. That includes line size. Don't be scared to go down to 6 or even 4 lb. test. Also, finesse includes approach. I don't know how many people I see who stomp right up to the edge of the water, stand inches from the bank, and start chucking giant baits out. In a smaller body of water fish may be holding literally right smack against the edge of the bank, and if they are pressured they are super spooky. You have to sneak up like a deer hunter, stay back from the edge of the water, be quiet. Use delicate presentations that don't cannonball into the water. Think more like a trout fisherman in a stream than a bass fisherman. I used to think like you, how in the world can a bass in chocolate milk find a quiet bait? This winter I caught fish on the original TRD Finesse Ned rig in chocolate milk, convincing me that yes, they can find it. I don't know how they find something that is silent, small, and I'm barely dragging on the bottom, but they do. I'd give it a shot with a Ned rig or small drop shot (like a 4" Yum Dinger or something smaller). I would however go with colors for muddy water like black/blue, chartreuse, red. Or go even smaller. You might be surprised at how well crappie jigs, Beetle spins, Road Runners, Rooster Tails, those kinds of baits might do well in such a heavily pressured lake. My brother in law just caught a 6+ pounder on a chartreuse Road Runner jig. Going small might help you do something else. When I'm fishing somewhere like this where I just can't buy a bite, I like to scale down and figure out what the dinks are biting on. The little guys tend to be easier to catch than the big ones. Go small, go finesse, and catch some dinks. Then take what you learn from that and adjust to try to catch the bigger fish if you know they're in there. ………….Having said all that, it may be time to find a new lake. I don't like crowds like that to begin with, much less if the fishing is bad, and I'd rather drive an hour than go somewhere local but packed.

I'd give a look at the 6th Sense products. Was out this weekend, no fish until I tied on a Junebug Divine Shakey Head worm rigged weightless t-rigged. Tossing into some lily pads. It could have been the color switch as well, but the fish instantly started nailing it. As in, going from no bites to bites every other cast or so. I also like the profile, especially for dirtier water like I was fishing, and the action on this weightless setup. In the name of science ( ?) I have ordered a couple of other colors. This was my first try of these worms, but so far I am impressed. Also have fished once or twice with the 6th Sense Divine Swimbaits. I really like the action on them as well, they have a nice side to side wobble that makes it look very lifelike. Also, the swimbaits seem to be made out of a durable plastic, and the connection to the tail is a little thicker than the Rage Swimmers I usually use, so I am hoping they hold up a little better to catching fish--yet the action is still good and starts up as soon as the bait starts moving. I am a big fan of Strike King, Zoom and Yum soft plastics (in addition to Z-Man Ned rig stuff), but so far I have been very impressed with the 6th Sense plastics I have tried this spring.

Not into high end gear as much as some on here, so I have a Fury as my primary rod. 734c. I absolutely love it. Super sensitive, light, balanced, just a great workhorse that I got on sale for $79 USD.

Thanks for the info...if you're only going to have two types of baits working for you, soft plastics and crankbaits are a pretty good pairing. Moving bait and slower bottom bait. For years my two baits were a plastic worm and a spinnerbait. At least here in Missouri, we're maybe a touch early for a topwater bite. I realize in Alabama you all are ahead of us on the bass calendar. But that might explain having no luck on buzzbaits or whopper ploppers in the past few months. I would stay with those for sure; for me, a summer early morning/late evening topwater bite is one of the easiest to figure out. First, there's little doubt whether they're biting it or not. And, topwaters are pretty plug-and-play, especially those two. I would think that as spring turns into summer, you will get into a topwater bite in the early mornings and late evenings. Beyond that, one thing I've come to the conclusion of the last couple of years is that my order of priority for factors is: 1. location (where in the body of water, what type of cover, etc.); 2. lure type/presentation; 3. lure color. The woody and weedy cover you've been fishing might be the right places to fish, but if you're fishing a big lake, the fish have lots of choices and so the cover and location has to match up with what stage of their calendar the bass are in. For instance, if you've been fishing for pre-spawn bass, I would be thinking more in terms of staging areas like secondary points going back into pockets where the bass can then spawn. If they are in the middle of spawning, then obviously spawning areas. In my experience spawning bass tend to like rocky or sandy bottoms and not mud bottoms for spawning. Post-spawn, some of the bass may still stay shallow and relate to shallow cover, some may head back out a little deeper to points and prespawn staging areas. If you're on YouTube already, you might have already found them, but to me BassResource is the best channel for pure education on bass fishing. For instance, for each season they do a video that says where the bass will be in different types of lakes. I highly recommend them if you haven't found them yet. Another thing to think about, maybe you've been getting bites that you're not detecting. That could be for a number of reasons. Fishing weeds and wood cover can be tough to detect bites because if you're fishing right, you're bumping into weeds and wood all the time. Especially if you're trying new lures; bass will hit different lures different ways, and part of the learning process for me with a new lure is learning how bass will hit it.

I've been catching fish on a black and blue Bitsy Bug jig in clear water during low light conditions, so add that into the mix too... To the original question, I used to think along the same lines. When I put together a Ned rig box, I almost didn't buy finesse TRDs in black and blue or red, two colors I would associate with dirty water. Same thinking as the OP, if I'm fishing water dirty enough to use those colors, I should be using something with vibration or rattle. Sure enough, I caught fish this winter in chocolate milk water on the red TRD finesse. I have no idea how the bass knew that silent little turd was in the water, but they did. Made me totally reevaluate my thinking about dirty water.

This is an aside from your real question about baits and tactics, but you have to sift through what you see on YouTube. Some of the channels would definitely give you the impression that they do nothing but catch 5 lbers or better on nearly every cast. Editing does wonders, as does fishing on private ponds all the time. ? The people I learn much more from, and the ones I watch much more often, are the ones who if they are having a tough day, they will say, it's a tough day. Some of those other channels are just like watching Sportscenter highlights rather than watching the whole game. Having said all of that, a little more info about your fishing setting might help everyone answer your question. Pond/lake/river? Stained water or clear? What kind of cover and structure are you fishing? (weeds, lily pads, rock banks, shallow water, deep water, etc.) Bank or boat?

One of Strike King's red craw patterns is called "Rayburn Red." I have it in both the Red Eye Shad and KVD 1.5. Coincidentally I have had really good luck with that pattern this past late fall/early winter and again this spring...here in Missouri ?

Alright so now when I'm supposed to be working this discussion has me pondering the philosophical and scientific basis for using a purple worm. The question that jumps out at me is, aside from regional popularity, why does it work? For those of you who use purple, are there specific settings where it works better? Pond, lake, river? Largemouths, smallmouths, spots? Certain season? Certain type of cover? My prior experience with purple has been catching largemouths in ponds. No real difference that I can remember in time of year or type of cover. And I can remember it working in both clear and stained ponds. But recently I have started fishing a lot for river/creek smallmouths also (in MO, if that makes a difference) so I am wondering if it would apply there as well. If there's no scientific basis and it is purely a matter of human psychology/confidence, then at one point in my life my full confidence would have been in a purple worm. Now it would definitely be other colors, like watermelon, Okechobee craw (green pumpkin/blue), and black/blue.

A local sporting goods chain here in St. Louis, Dunn's, has online a Lew's Tournament MP and a Lew's Custom Speed Spool SLP (the white one with the big Winn knobs) both for $99.99 each. https://shopdunns.com/product-category/dunns-deals/fishing-deals/ I thought I was getting a heck of a deal on my new Tournament MP at $119 til I saw that. ? Also ? because for a few days during this sale they had a Tatula CT for $79. I kept telling myself why I didn't need another reel til it was gone.

What do you all think is the reason for this? Because although I never realized it's specifically a Missouri thing, you are absolutely correct. I have to admit that here in Missouri, I have probably caught more fish on a purple/red tail worm than any other lure. For many years my bass fishing information was primarily influenced by family, and I have several family members whose bass fishing strategy is: show up at pond/lake, throw black buzzbait, throw purple fire tail worm, and if none are caught, then "they ain't bitin' today" and go home. After being away from fishing for a while, over the last couple of years as I have gotten back into it my information is now heavily influenced by YouTube, Bass Resource, etc. First I had ever heard of "green pumpkin" or "watermelon" worms, which I now use all the time. One of my go-to baits now is a wacky rigged watermelon Dinger. I haven't even really thought of trying a purple worm until reading this thread. So, back to my original question, is there something that makes purple actually work better in Missouri? I tried to think through everything, regional crawdad varieties, baitfish, etc. and couldn't come up with anything. Or is it more like my family situation in my earlier years, purple just for whatever reason caught on in this area a long time ago and info gets passed down to family and friends.

That's the truth. I was on TW's website because I am nearly out of a couple of my frequently used baits, and so many things I needed were showing as out of stock that I finally gave up on the whole order.

? duhhh….only one of my favorite baits to fish. Knew it was a brain fart. Thanks, and glad to hear that!

Thanks for the info. I'm apparently having a brain fart--what's RES?

I have the opportunity to visit Kentucky Lake in the Paris, TN area this weekend. It has been 20+ years since I have been fishing in this area--grandparents used to have a cabin there, so I fished it quite a bit in my childhood and teen years. But haven't been there for a looooooong time. In general, if I only have a limited time to fish this weekend, what would you focus on? Bass? I assume a good number of them are spawning right now? Like most places where some will be on the beds, some still in prespawn in staging areas? Anything else I should fish for instead? Crappie? Thanks in advance if anyone has any info. I have tried to read fishing reports but I guess a lot of them aren't guiding right now because of Covid and so their reports don't seem to be as detailed as normal.