Luke Barnes

I totally have all the stuff to make a rig like this. I am going to tie one rod up like this when I go carp fishing. Thanks for the info in the PMs too!!!

I want to pick your brain over private message if I could. I want to do it right and not just hope to get lucky. I'm not a lucky person, so I try to give myself the best advantage I can by knowing as much as i can about what I am doing. All I know about carp is they get really big, fight hard, and like dough balls and corn.

I guess I should add the caveat that I am a veteran and struggle with depression and PTSD so I take things way too personally. I know its supposed to be relaxing so when it stopped being that I decided to slow down and bring a chair and some rod holders and fish for cats and carp. Its better than not fishing and this way I get to enjoy the outdoors more and focus less on the fishing and more on relaxing. I know I sound like a whiny brat but everyone is different. I guess im asking has anyone else been through this? What reignited your interest to fish for bass?

Not bass but the myth that crappie always feed up. Guess the crappie were upside down and thought the ned rig and rage craw were above them and not being worked on the bottom. Small, and I mean itty bitty lures only catch small fish. Well maybe the 2.7lb bass thought my little 1/64oz Panfish Magnet looked big???.... It was a spec in the fish's mouth and it still tried to eat it.

I rarely fish worms except for this year ive been hammering the wacky rig. Prior to this year it was usually craws that i would throw on a t rig and would switch to the ned in winter. Jigs never entered the equation any time of year but I'm done bass fishing this year. So maybe in 2022 I'll try a finesse jig while its still chilly.

2021 has turned into the worst year I have had since I started fishing in regards to quantity and quality. In 2020 I caught my first smallie, walleye, and sauger. I caught a 15lb channel cat, my biggest fish of any species, in a pond of all places. I caught lots of 3-4 lb bass and for me thats big. My PB is only 4.6lbs. Yesterday fishing with my dad sealed the deal that I'm done bass fishing this year. He has fished less than five times in the past 30 years and knows diddly squat about fishing. Yet we go to a nice pond and after he insists on tying on a snap swivel and an Ozark Trail squarebill in firetiger to fish this super shallow and weedy pond, he commences to catch three good bass in 20 minutes, one which was almost 3lbs. I caught a bluegill and one super dink bass on a ned rig and both came off at the bank. I fished tree lines with a t rig worm, covered water with a jackhammer, threw the ned in all the spots ive learned over the years to look for, and he uses what he thought looked cool and smoked me. All my learning, research, and experience didnt do a dang thing for me. His dumb luck got him good bass. So IF I fish anymore this year it will be for cats and carp so I can sit down and just enjoy the outdoors and not be upset if I dont catch anything. I am not experienced much in fishing for catfish and have yet to catch a carp so if I skunk its not a big deal because I didn't invest tons of money and even more time learning and practicing to catch them. I'm just sitting down and winging it.

This is why I am still a huge fan of Ike. He has proven he can win tournaments and catch fish. But he has said he wants to be home with his family more and what has allowed him to not professionally fish but still keep those big sponsors? You Tube. He is quite popular on you tube and I watch his In the Shop alot to learn from someone who has proven they can go out with the best of the best and win and also just loves to fish. Watching him kayak fishing and catching a big crappie and getting excited about it tells me he just loves to fish.

Topwater and mid column I can do with a Zoom Fluke so a bag in white ice and bluegill flash. Also topwater a frog in leopard frog color and a bone and matte black Choppo. Mid column already got my flukes so add a Bhite delite jackhammer and a bag of electric shad Zakos. Bottom maxscent general's in June bug and rage craws in falcon lake craw. Only thing that has to stay in the bags are the generals so two boxes full of that stuff. In a pocket or spare space 4/0 ewgs, 1/4 bullet weights, pack of lazer sharp Zaldain Neko hooks, some needle nose pliers, wacky tool loaded with o rings. and line snippers. That's all i would really need to fish anytime, anywhere with confidence. But........ I carry the kitchen sink with me. Bought a BPS backpack and fit 5 3600 cases and one little small case and about ohh..... 30 bags of plastics among scents, hooks in the little plastic packs, carp bait because IDK, due, dye markers, pliers yada yada....

The most success ive had with a follow up is a MaxScent Hit Worm Neko rigged. Fish missed the buzz bait and I threw the hit worm right where the fish missed it and plucked it out of the water. I was happy with that.

I tried it for the first time the last time I went out. I like the action alot but I kept flinging them off on the cast.

Collect them. Complain that I can't find what I'm looking for because there is so much stuff in the way. I upgraded to the biggest tackle backpack I could find and its full. It weighs as much as my ruck sack did when I was in the Army so I have no problem carrying it all day. My left knee complains for the next few days though haha. I would love to find a local lure swap group to try new things and trade what I don't use.

My experience is limited but I love the buzz bait. Your line should be fine, its a single stout hook that I equate to a topwater chatterbait or spinnerbait. A 7' MH/F would be just fine I think. That's what I used until I got a MH/MF for chatterbaits and like it for buzzbaits. As far as trailers I always went with a paddle tail until I learned from here to try a Zoom Z Craw and I'm glad I did. It comes to plane super fast and its the only thing that got bit last time out. That's even over a wacky rig.

What a great review and break down of the brakes. I am in the same boat and my most expensive reels are Lews Speed Spool LFS and Shimano SLX XT and I like them alot and dont need bells and whistles. Ive been seeing more about Kistler but I learned more from this post than anywhere else!

Dang. I guess I will have to go find some lost lures myself next time I go out! Haha

Well I would gladly take them off your hands and use them haha. Atleast the glide and spook. That thing in the middle is....?????

Ive caught two. One while catfishing for channels with a circle hook and garlic Jello hot dogs and luckily had a buddy with me. We each put a foot on its shell and each used needle nose pliers and got it out. Second I caught on a bobber rig for carp with Gulp Corn haha. That one broke off right at the bank.

That is my thoughts, that's why I say the hit worm is more versatile because it can be rigged more ways but still has the same scent. If you really are just dead set on the flat worm, cut a hit worm in half through the length of the bait and it will have a VERY similar shape and profile to the flat worm. I really like the Zman trick Shotz because they have ribs and hold scent really well.

I've caught plenty on a lipless but I can count on one finger how many ive caught with a jig. Not counting swim jigs that is. Its really interesting hearing what people have good success with and how much it differs from person to person.

The bass don't know what's special, rare, hard to find, or amazing. They just eat what they think they should eat. Ive heard it here so many times but it's true, it all depends where you put the bait and present the lure than itself matters alot of the time. Put the flat worm in a body of water with no bass in the area and see how special it is.

Excellent I'm all set then. Ive been thinking about something like this because I doubt many pond guys use these around where I fish.

Basically the lures themselves dont make any noise. No rattles or blades. But an unweighted Zoom UV Speed worm or a Gambler Paddlin Shad burned in top gives a nice V trail and offer a nice profile and something the fish probably dont see ever. I imagine a Rage Cut'R worm would do the trick too.

I bought a 30 piece kit of unpainted cranks off Amazon for cheap to paint with my kids and start practicing painting them with brushes. They seem good quality and I put really good quality hardware on the one that have been painted but I dont have alot of time on the water with them. I don't see any visual defects but dont know any perform except for one squarebill I painted sexy shad with my kids markers haha. But it ran good, maybe a little shallow at about 3' but for ponds that's prime, had a good wobble and looked good underwater. My problem is I don't fish crankbaits barely ever and I lost my good acrylic paints and all my brushes I bought so I resorted to markers, and they work ok.

I have a setup that 100% of the time has a slip bobber setup. Granted its a 4'8 Ugly Stik UL and I use it for Panfish and crappie. I use the rubber stops like the ones pictured above because the string ones slipped because I am using 2lb line and its so tiny I cant get the knot on the string tight enough. I like the rubber ones alot, they pass through the guides just fine on that little rod and dont slide on the line at all. I use a 1/64oz jig head on my slip bobber rig and it pulls it down just fine. Granted I had to find the right bobbers and the Mr Crappie ones with a plastic insert all the way through do the trick. But I can cast a 1/64oz jighead with a little 1" gulp minnow a really far distance for a 4'8 rod with the added weight of the bobber being at the end of the line with the teeny jighead.

I bought a bag of Hit Worms for this very reason and have only used them once. It was an off night all around and I skunked. They seem more versatile than the Flat worm and look like two Flat worms put together so I don't doubt they work. Plus the Plum Apple color looks great I think.

Ok I went back and re read the original description of what you put and understand now. It makes me want to get one even more now. What rod are using?