plawren53202

How pressured is this lake? I fish my subdivision pond a lot and it is similarly filled with just dinks. It is also extremely pressured, especially getting hammered constantly by people during Covid shutdowns. As a result the fish tend to like less reaction-style baits than what I would normally fish under similar circumstances. For instance I've never had hardly any luck on anything with a spinner or flash, like a chatterbait, spinnerbait, jig (like a Beetle Spin) with a spinner arm attached, etc. And probably related, most of the crowds I saw during Covid (other than bait/bobber people) were using chuck-and-wind baits, most with some kind of a spinner (vast majority threw spinnerbaits, large ones at that). So if your situation were at my pond, it would make perfect sense that the spinner-less tube outfished a Beetle Spin. The things that work best in my pond are Ned rigs (various types, but the original TRD Finesse works the best), 4" Senko/Yum Dinger worms, shaky head with a small trick worm, or a drop shot. And in natural colors that tend to mimic bluegill or bass fry, the predominant forage in the pond--green pumpkin, Blue Craw in the TRD, Yum's "Bream" (green pumpkin on top and light blue on the bottom). About the only more active bait I have any luck with are very small, natural colored swimbaits like a Keitech 3" Easy Shiner in something like Arkansas Shiner, Sun Gill or Tennessee Shad.

Points to OP for creative thinking. I have no idea if this would work but I'd totally give it a shot and see, worst thing that could happen is you just don't get bit on it LOL. As far as possible baits, I think a hair jig would be great. Drawing from my admittedly more limited crappie fishing experience, anything with very slender appendages seems like it would work for this. For crappie, those Bobbie Garland style shad jig bodies work well because they taper back to a very thin tail, like just a single strand of plastic. So it only takes the slightest bit of rod movement or boat motion to get that tail quivering. Lifelike action without being over the top or too in your face to the fish. A hair jig works exactly the same way. I can't think of any off the top of my head but have seen other bass soft plastics that have extremely thin appendages like that. For instance on the Jenko Tremor Shad, https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Jenko_Fishing_Tremor_Shad_Soft_Jerkbait/descpage-JFTSHD.html the tail tapers off similarly to the Bobby Garland crappie baits...though I haven't tried the smallest Jenko Tremor Shads, the ones I have are one of the larger sizes and would be too big for what you're talking about. But the 3.5" might work. But that's the kind of bait that seems like it might work. Or maybe the smallest Zoom fluke? IDK, just throwing stuff out here...but definitely report back if you try this and let us know how it goes!

Exact same situation here, all the days and days of staring at a graph and can't believe I had never heard that...and I had that exact reaction as well ?

So far this year it would be a Ned rig w/ honorable mention to a 4" Yum Dinger. Neither of which are my favorite thing to throw. I'm hoping fall pushes some more reaction type baits like a squarebill, chatterbait or swim jig into the running.

What's ITT stand for? Thanks for the names!

All of my local Walmarts sell Booyah Pad Crasher Jrs. Very reasonable in price and look to be just a scaled down version of the Pad Crasher, which I have always done well with.

Just for context, we just had our first big temperature drop here in MO; last week highs were in upper 70s to mid 80s, nighttime lows in the mid 60s. Temps for the next couple of weeks are going to be highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Fishing in my subdivision pond has slowed to a crawl. I'm sure part of it is that the pond has been decimated by the Covid crowds. Even my go-to finesse baits here, Ned rig, shaky head, have nearly dried up. Other problem with the pond is it is basically a big shallow fishbowl, almost no cover. No weeds, no hard cover. There is one "channel" with a few rocks and probably 6" deeper at most than the surrounding bottom, which of course I regularly hit hard. The few that I've been catching lately have given me the impression that (a) they are just kind of suspended and/or roaming; (b) need to see something different; and (3) at least as of yet (unless the weather change alters the situation) aren't feeding aggressively. Based on all that it seemed like a jerkbait might be a good thing to try. It would cover the suspending and non-aggressive parts; and I'm certain no one is throwing a jerkbait there. I have to confess that a jerkbait is one of the few baits I have not used much in the past. And I tend to think of it as more of a cold water option. But do you all throw it with any success in the fall?

Definitely me. I haven't tried tying it on heavier line, but had more leaders break loose at the knot than I could count tying 10 or 15 lb. braid to a 6 or 8 lb. copolymer leader with an FG knot. Granted I'm certain it was from user error, but still. I finally switched to the double uni knot, which I was more comfortable and familiar with from flyfishing in days past. It has worked really well for me. Yeah it might not be the absolute tiniest knot, but it goes through my spinning rod guides just fine; I am much faster tying it and MUCH better tying it on the water in a hurry; and the only ones I have had break at the knot were super solid hangups. Heck, I had the double uni knot hold when I was crappie fishing not long ago and snagged a stake imbedded in the mud bottom in a stake bed. I actually pulled the 6 foot long stake loose from the bottom and to the surface. I'm with A-Jay, the double uni may not win a popularity contest right now but it by far works the best for me.

Moon juice Rage Bug with the tips of the tails dipped in chartreuse Spike It (or colored w a Spike It pen) works well for me as a soft plastic/bottom bouncing bluegill imitation (got this from Alex Rudd on YT). Also, Dirty Jigs makes a finesse swim jig (1/4 oz.) in an awesome bluegill color that has been working great for me in small ponds, with a 3.25 green pumpkin Rage Swimmer as a trailer. It's a dead ringer for a bluegill, and like any swim jig you can work it on or near the bottom if you want.

Hi all, I'm trying to find any bass clubs that hold tournaments on the southern/central IL lakes--Kinkaid, Carlyle, Rend, Lake of Egypt, etc. or the smaller ones. Having some trouble, the only one I've found so far is Midstate Illinois Bass Anglers. Conversely, I'd also be interested in any other type of more regional organization that hosts tournaments in that area and has co-angler/non-boater options. I know Angler's Choice holds tourneys on all those lakes but it is team registration. Also BFLs of course, but they are a little less common and not the cheapest ever. Just trying to find some workable options to tourney fish as a non-boater.

OP here, this is exactly why I posted my question. In response to a little bit of good natured poking fun at my original post, I am in the unfortunate position of (a) having fished long enough that I need good quality gear, e.g. rods that are sensitive or reels whose drag is good enough that they will allow me to fight a fish like I need, but (b) not a lot of surplus in the family budget right now. So I have to put in a little legwork and do some research to find good quality gear at reasonable prices. It is out there, but it takes a little work to find it. The key to finding it is, of course, information. I regularly watch the sale thread in the lures subforum. I regularly check websites for online retailers who sometimes offer great sales. I read lots of user reviews, read lots of threads on this forum, etc. For me, knowing where gear is coming from, and the real manufacturer under the brand name, helps in this process. If BP is offering a good deal on one of their reels and I knew that it was very similar to a Daiwa or Lews reel that I really like, just with a few cosmetic changes, I would be much more inclined to buy that BP reel.

Assuming these are bass, maybe a flutter spoon? Cast it out, let it sink below them, then a couple of rips to get it above the fish and flutter back down through them. A hair jig can be fished the same way. There are also a few tail spinner, Little George-type lures that I've never fished but supposedly can be fished the same way.

Any combination of green pumpkin/light blue (Moon Juice, Yum's "Bream", some Okeechobee Craw variations) Junebug Black/blue Green pumpkin/black flake Purple variations (morning dawn/tequila sunrise)

In the interest of finding good value and reasonable prices, many of my recent rod/reel purchases have been Academy brand stuff. H20 Xpress Ethos HD rods (really like them), Mettle spinning reel (not in love with it yet), and the Xpress Ethos HD baitcaster reel (super impressed with this one, dual braking system, aluminum frame, great oversized handle and knobs, casts smooth, all for $79). Now in this same pursuit I've been looking at some of the Bass Pro brand stuff as well (like the Pro Qualifier 2 line). Obviously these stores contract out with the same factories that "name brand" manufacturers use. Some of you are experts in knowing that X retailer or X name brand uses the Y factory in Korea or China, etc. Or, if anyone knows of a website or other source where I could find this information. Just wondering about some of these connections. If possible I'd like to weigh this into the analysis when trying some of these store brand products.

Labor Day weekend I was out in the johnboat on our family farm lake and, out in the middle of the lake, a little mouse appeared from under a bench. I used the landing net and scooped him out into the water, hoping to get to see a bass go after him. Alas, I was disappointed. Fun fact, mice are great swimmers. Who knew, I sure didn't. That little guy doggy paddled (mouse paddled?) like a champ halfway across the pond and back to shore.

The low light at dusk becomes a factor in color selection and presentation. I frequently switch from a Yum Dinger in a color more appropriate for bright light/clear water (like green pumpkin/blue) to a curly tail worm in Junebug when the light starts to get low. The darker colors like junebug or black/blue present a silhouette that is easier to spot as it gets dark, plus the curly tail puts off more vibration. Nothing unique to the curly tail, it just happens to be the smallest plastic with some action in my box for the dinks in my pond; you could just as easily go with a junebug/black and blue Rage Craw, Rage Bug, etc. etc.

I can totally relate, all of the Walmarts in my home area have terrible clearance sales when it comes to fishing gear. I was at Kentucky Lake over the weekend and apparently many of the Walmarts had great fishing gear in their clearance sales, like these rods, Red Eye Shads for 80 cents, etc.

I think this is just part of the summer to fall transition. The same thing is happening in my subdivision pond. I've had ok luck just covering a lot of water with a squarebill, and the ones I catch seem to be roamers and not located on any discernible cover or structure. Also I boat fished Kinkaid Lake in IL yesterday and it was the same story. One would be up chasing bluegills in inches of water. Then one would be busting shad on the surface in 50 feet of water. I had a blowup on a frog in water so shallow I'm surprised the fish's dorsal fin wasn't sticking out of the water, and I had a bite on a flutter spoon in 30 feet of water. We only caught one here or there because it was basically impossible to figure out any kind of a pattern.

Last weekend I was in a Walmart out of town and like many other Walmarts right now they had a bunch of fishing stuff on clearance. Grabbed a few packages of $5.50 KVD Dream Shots for 80 cents apiece in the clearance aisle, but nothing else really excited me. I had to go back to the fishing section to grab a couple other things and back there they had a clearance cardboard rack with Mach 2 casting and spinning rods for $58. I had no real reason to buy a new casting rod other than that I'd be kicking myself later for not grabbing a $99 rod on sale for nearly half price. So I picked up a good all-arounder, a 7'0" MH/F. Fished all day yesterday with it and man am I glad I grabbed one. Despite good experience with other Lew's products, for some reason I have always been skeptical of the Mach lines (Mach, Mach 2, Mach Crush, etc.). I think because a few factors like the bright colors and graphite frames on the reels that are not cheaply priced gave me the impression that this line is targeted to the Googan type crowd. That may or may not be the case, but that Mach 2 rod I got is a great rod at regular price, and a colossal deal at $58. It surprised me right from first picking it up at how light it is. It balances nicely with a reel mounted on it. All of my other rods have cork grips, but I really like the Winn grip on a rod. And I found out that I like rods with a little slimmer profile main grip, the Mach 2 grip is a little slimmer than the grips on my Dobyns Furys and H20 Express rods. My hands are short and fat (Fred Flintstone hands). After 8 hours on the lake yesterday, my hands were noticeably less sore and fatigued at the end of the day, I'm certain because of gripping a slimmer grip. And the Mach 2 is very sensitive. Even fishing it yesterday with copolymer rather than braid, it was very sensitive. My biggest fish of the day, no monster but a solid 3.5 lber, the bite was just a barely perceptible tick that I had no problem feeling.

I'm torn on how necessary it is to "match the hatch" when fishing a bluegill pattern. Of course as has already been said in this thread, bluegill can have a wide range of color variations. Sometimes I think that matching the color pattern of bluegill in your area as closely as possible does make a difference. For instance in the water I fish most often, my subdivision pond, the bluegill tend a little toward the paler side and in particular have a very pronounced light blue patch on their throat. I have done really well with baits that have that blue color, including the KVD 1.5 Neon Bluegill (other KVD crankbaits have the same color options), Blue Craw TRD Finesse, and "Bream" Yum Dingers which is green pumpkin on top and blue on bottom. I know other places the bluegill can be super dark, almost black. The KVD crankbait line offers several bluegill color variations. Other times I think it is not a big deal. For instance yesterday I was fishing a lake with fairly clear water (3-4 feet visibility). It was a little cloudy, and I could tell the bass were chasing bluegill up in the weeds. I tried throwing a swim jig that mimics bluegill very closely (one of the SK swim jigs that has mainly brown with some purple and orange strands) and a green pumpkin Rage Swimmer trailer. No luck on that. It was overcast so I switched to a black and blue swim jig with green pumpkin Rage Swimmer. Bingo, second or third cast in the same spot I was fishing the more "realistic" looking pattern, I caught one and had a couple more bites. Obviously black and blue with green pumpkin trailer sort of mimics a bluegill but certainly isn't a dead ringer "match the hatch", yet obviously the fish liked it better than the more realistic looking version.

I think some strikes on a buzzbait (or other similar sounding lure like a Plopper) are because the lure sounds like a wounded or struggling meal to the bass. Other times I think they strike it more out of annoyance, kind of the same defensive mechanism as when they take a swipe at another fish that they don't necessarily intend to eat. My experience is that these noisy baits work better when there is a little chop on the water, whereas baits like a walking bait/Spook or a popper tend to work better on calmer water. There are always exceptions to the rule of course.

Ditto on the Walmart clearance aisles right now. My local Walmarts haven't had anything fishing in clearance lately. But I was out of town at the Paris TN Walmart over the weekend and they had some decent baits in the clearance aisle, like KVD Dream Shots for 80 cents. Even better though, they had Mach 2 casting and spinning rods on a display back in the fishing section for $54. Couldn't pass that up so I picked up a casting rod (7'0" MH/F) while my dad grabbed a spinning rod (7'6" M/Mod). While checking out, a guy came up and told me that the Walmarts in a couple of nearby towns had the Mach 2s for $35, as well as a lot of good baits like Red Eye Shads for 80 cents. Definitely check out your local Walmart clearance section and the fishing section right now.

I'm headed to a TVA lake (KY Lake) this weekend. Planned to include some ledge fishing in the schedule. They are supposed to get 1-2" of rain on Friday as the remnants of the hurricane pass by. I'm planning on fishing Saturday and Sunday. I know the general effects that rain like that will have on shallower fish. Obviously the water will stain up, shallow fish will tend to move shallower, fish may relate to pockets or coves that have larger creeks flowing in with runoff, etc. I'm new to the ledge fishing game so I wasn't sure if those fish will tend to move shallower as well? Maybe move from main channel ledges to shallower creek channel ledges? Also I'm guessing that with that much water running into the lake the Corps will need to empty some water out so I'm hoping that will mean a little current, which I know helps the ledge fishing. Finally, I know that much of ledge fishing is about following the bait, so I similarly wasn't sure how that much rain will affect the shad and minnow schools. Any other thoughts on how this much rain might affect deeper/ledge fish is appreciated!

An easy and cheap piece of cover to add is find an oak or other hardwood branch of appropriate size, place in the hole in a cinder block and fill with concrete. For a few bucks and not too much work I would think you could knock out enough to equip a pond of that size. Also, I'm not an expert but I know there are lots of resources out there on building crappie stake beds (which would work equally well for bass or bass fry), I'd look those up. In particular I have seen guys who make them (presumably pretty easy) out of wooden pallets. I'm also no pond management expert, but seems to me that I might consider discontinuing feeding the bluegill dog food. It would make things a little tougher for the bluegill and require them to compete for natural food. Also, it's not legal everywhere, so you didn't hear me recommend it (?) but I would seriously think about catching a few adult bass somewhere else and dumping them in your pond.

I don't fish walking baits a lot, but a black buzzbait, Whopper Plopper (loon), or toad are my most consistent producers in topwaters. I use them any time light is low, including clouds but also that first morning/last evening light. I can't imagine why the same wouldn't apply to a walking bait. I really like black baits that have just a spot of a bright color on the bottom. For example my black size 90 Choppo has just a touch of a bright orange on the bottom, just behind the eyelet (the front of the body). Seems like I get a lot of fish that target that because seems like I get a lot more front treble hookups on the Choppo than my Loon pattern Whopper Ploppers (solid black on the bottom). Having said that, fish love the all black bottom Loon WP too, it saved me from the skunk last evening LOL.