Luke Barnes

So ponds that stay murky could very well be from carp? I know other things contribute to water clarity but ive suspected there were carp in a few ponds I fish but never actually seen one or caught one. I want to target them but i want to know there are some in there first.

I have a few colors of Rage Menace I'm going to play with. I think Moon Juice will look nice on a bluegill pattern. I have spike it markers that I can add chartreuse to the belly if needed. I never understood using craw trailers and swimming them though. Do craws swim like that when they flee?

I got a $50 BPS gift card for christmas and am thinking about adding a few new swim jigs in more of a bluegill color. I think they would do well in pressured ponds where a chatterbait may be too aggressive. I have plenty of swimbaits for trailers but im curious, what do you all use for trailers? Without a blade I'm thinking ill need a trailer with some movement because that will be the only thump and movement from it so I was thinking more paddletail than Zako style. For chatterbaits in love the Zako. But figured I might need something more for swim jigs.

Wow what a great story!! Also a great act of kindness by you!

After looking them I'm not impressed with their colors and I have heard of that issues on the hooks out of the box. But ive yet to use one so I can't cast judgement.

Ive only tried them a few times but recently I was using a SK Bitsy Bug in green pumpkin and it was their Bleeding Bait line. Had a red hook and a splash of red in the trailer. I used a baby rage menace rigged vertical and used a spike it marker to color the bottom flapper red. I hopped it, swam it, and pitched it. I caught one pretty quickly then shortly after snagged and lost it. Just like the dark sleeper. It worked, I lost it, I want another.

As far as red cranks, I had a red craw Red Eye Shad and liked the look and lost it first outing. Bought another but havent thrown it. But..... I had my single best day fishing for small mouth throwing a red craw pattern squarebill on rip rap. Caught a few smallie, largie, and a channel cat haha.

Ive targeted large mouth from time to time with it but I use a Gulp Minnow. Usually a 2.5" or 3.5" with just a weighted fixed bobber and maybe a split shot. But for Panfish I have a dedicated setup for it. Its a 4'8 UL ugly stick combo and always has a slip bobber with a rubber stopper and a 1/64 oz Panfish Magnet darter style jig head. I used to only use the Panfish Magnet lures, little tiny split tail worms, but switched to 1" Gulp Minnows and either plastic I caught bass. I caught a 3lb bass on my daughter's Moana kids setup while fishing with my son. I have the exact same thing tied on hers that I do my UL. I know it weighed 3lbs because a couple of teenage boys that were fishing the same pond saw it and said can we weigh that? I cant believe you caught that on a Moana pole!!! Haha. A Moana pole and a float and fly setup.......

That was my thoughts. I was thinking weightless fluke sounds killer. But if you want Chuck and wind then all I would have to add to the conversation is hold your rod tip high, feel faster, and go with the lightest weight you can get away with throwing effectively.

Whats the difference between these and the micro? As far as fishing it, I, like you, would fish it in the shallows, probably mainly in pressured water because ive had better luck really downsizing things when the bite gets tough. If Im trying to get to pressured fish more deep I'll throw a weighted fluke and work it deep. Well that's what has worked for me atleast.

This made me think because I did alot of experimenting this year and didn't go with my normal go to colors. After throwing my go to colors and experimenting I have new go to colors. Some stayed the same but some changed for sure. Now all I need is junebug, green pumpkin or any variation like blue craw by SK, and white. I dont throw white craws but I didnt throw any just craws on their own at all this year so that doesn't even really count.

Reds have done ok for me when I throw them. Falcon Lake Craw Rage craws and fire craw chatterbaits with a flamethrower Swimmon. But I don't use them very much. I guess I don't throw enough colors to be disappointed. If something doesnt work for one outing I usually shelve it for the season and move on. I dont know enough about spawn cycles and all that to zero in on colors at specific times. Watermelons and blues I don't own anything in.

I have two places for two reasons. First would be up right on Grand Lake here in Oklahoma. Excellent bass fishing but still close to home and family. Never freezes and is home to some of the biggest tournaments in the industry. Second would be back in my hometown in upstate New York. I lived at the wedding of the waters of the east and west branches of the Delaware River. I would ride 4 wheelers at the "point" where they meet. Then I open up myself to trout and there are still some decent largemouth lakes on top of smallies being abundant.

Thats what I did! I have probably 35 bags of plastics I carry now. I have a few things in both B&B and JB but mainly one or the other. Has anyone ever thrown or even bought a junebug crankbait? What about a junebug spinner bait?

Those are some fine looking jigs! Those paca chunks pair with those jigs so well. That jackhammer looks familiar too..... haha So you swim the goat and menace with them rigged more like a craw? This is my attempt at small finesse jigs

I love junebug. I use it for everything from stick baits, swimbaits, craws/creatures, worms. If they made a junebug chatterbait I would use it. Black and blue has taken a back seat lately, but it's always worked, I just personally like using the purples. I love the Berkley Powerbait General in Grimace. It's an Ike custom color and has green and red flakes on a dark purple worm.

I would fish a fluke style soft bait rigged weedless and jerk it over the tops and down in the stuff. Also a floating worm might be good but swimming something like a SK Cut'r work could be effective because of the slim profile.

I want to catch a carp and plan on fishing for them sometime soon Ive never caught one, they get huge, and it's getting colder so will ease off bass fishing until spring.

I keep meaning to ask. Do you swim this or what? It's really intriguing to me and I bet works well.

I love this color. Never used the lure but this is just appealing to my eye. Is that a Zoom Fluke or something else for the trailer?

Uhh what is that? Besides the obvious. Interesting for sure, what depth does it dive? I like the versatility of it with just being able to swap trailers. I would throw a gp/orange Zako on it of it were mine, but I like that trailer you have.

Ive looked into it a little bit and wow is there so many options to fling out pack bait or boilies! Hair rigs, method leads, zig rigs, all this stuff on top of rod and reel I can see how it can be that way. Ive still yet to catch a carp but I havent put a good honest effort into it either. I guess I'm ignorant and need to do some reading, but I didnt know there were black bass in Europe. I always think of large and small mouth as solely American fish but I know they got released in Japan and it took off.

That looks amazing!! What brand is that? It looks like a cross between a golden shiner and a yellow perch so i bet it gets bit!

How bass are to the US and Japan, what is the most popular fish people fish for around Europe? I imagine it differs by country, but all ive ever heard about European fishing is carp. Freshwater fish that is. Just sitting here and curious about this.

A perch colored one!!