Luke Barnes

Ok so maybe not the best fall jerkbait, but when they are shallower it can be good? I think instead of throwing it on my medium rod I'll throw it on the MH to get some more pulling power on the jerks to get it to dive more. Would you all work this fast or slow? Like barely any pause or still a decent pause between pops?

Gotcha. I found it on the bank of a reservoir so had no idea. I honestly dont like it because it floats and I have to jerk it so hard to get it to dive and do its thing. I'm going to try suspend strips I think. This is my only hard jerkbait so trying to work with what I have.

I just found out about suspend strips and dots yesterday on you tube. Never heard or thought of something like that. I may pick up a pack and experiment.

So I'm 99% sure it's a jerkbait. I found it one day so no idea on the brand. It floats, when I steady reel it dives maybe 5 feet. When I work it like a jerk bait I have to jerk the fire out of it to get it to dive then it quickly floats back to the surface. Any help???

I meant moving spots at the pond. Dont stand in one spot. Fish the entire pond from every angle. Dont pound one little section of pond over and over for 4 hours. Move as in around the pond. Cast at any weeds, trees, anything that isnt water!! Haha. If that pond sucks move to the next and walk the entire bank fishing every spot from different angles at that pond.

Another thing, do you hammer the same spot for hours or if they aren't biting move spots? Because it doesnt matter what you throw, if there are no fish, or the fish aren't biting in a spot, move. That's where power fishing excels. Fish a spot for 5 minutes and if nothing, move. I fish a pond sometimes 2-3 times around it. Nothing at a spot I'll move and come back later and see if anything has changed. Dont sit and beat the same patch of water over and over and over.

I'm 35 and only been fishing for 2 years. Trust me when I say I've been there. I got so discouraged, but I couldn't stop going. Then one day it all clicked. It was knowing what lure to throw where and when. Not every situation calls for a Senko. Not everyone calls for a spinnerbait. I flip and pitch alot now. I use lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits, but.......... when they are appropriate for the situation. Color I base on water clarity and local forage. Green pumpkin in chocolate mile water is dang near invisible if you ask me. Took me a year and a half to catch my first topwater fish. Now I know when and where to throw them. Weather Conditions, water clarity, forage, fishing pressure. All of it adds up.

One thing MLF does is force guys into finding patterns. Yeah they are patterns of smaller fish, but someone like me, I would probably catch 5 fish, where a pro will catch 50, because they know where to throw what baits. They figure out the patterns and fish them. Sometimes it takes someone a day or two to really figure out a pattern for a lake and they come on strong at the end, or the fast starters that burn out on day 3 because the pattern changed and they are struggling to find it again. I just started watching pro fishing this year and usually follow it on my phone, so scoretracker is pretty cool.

This is exactly why I joined Slay Nation. It's a trail and is kayak, canoe, and job boat only. Sure I can rig a hummingbird and Livescope on my jon boat, but going to take a long time to get to the other side of the lake!! So have to fish smart and really pick apart each area you fish. Its trolling motor only so big cross lake runs aren't an option. Holy crap. I didn't realize I necro-quoted a 9 year old post!!!! Ban non biting fish!!

A big one for me has been Debos Fishing. He explains what he is using, why he is using it, and how to use it. He replies to questions I ask as well. He breaks it down and isnt a hype man. Genuine love of fishing. Realistic fishing is cool. I've learned some little tips here and there. Bassresource really breaks down individual baits and techniques and I've learned from them.

So slay Nation has opened an Oklahoma trail. I have connections with the director and he explained it all to me. I think I'm going to give it a shot. Its a kayak, canoe, and job boat series. Electric motors only. Smaller lakes and some that I've fished. Has anyone fished a slay Nation event before?

I've not been confident or adventurous enough to completely tear one of mine down. I'm afraid of messing it up, loosing parts, breaking something. But I do want to deep clean my reels so they last longer.

Me and a buddy are going to Skiatook to fish from the bank. I've heard there are smallmouth in there and I want to catch my first small jaw so bad. But we will be fishing from the bank. Saw on Google maps a few nice looking areas around Tall Chief Cove that we want to try. Has anybody had success at Skiatook from the bank for anything, let alone smallmouth?

I'm understanding this as, the fish being caught and having a form of PTSD from it. It was traumatic for the fish to think it's getting a meal then suddenly jerked out of the water. So that imprints onto the fishes DNA and subsequent offspring are born with it and are perhaps more skittish. Less likely to take a lure and overall harder to catch. That sucks!!! That's why farm ponds that have never been fished are so amazing I guess, I've never fished one, so again speculation.

I've become a fan of copolymer thats fluoro coated for stretch, shock absorption, and low visibility and love it. No leader, just straight copoly. I dont do leaders, except my catfish combo, and doubt I ever will. So I find the best middle road and go with it and I'm really really liking the copoly.

Oh wow!! As a US Army combat veteran it makes me so happy to see you all doing this!! Fishing has helped me in so many ways since I got out of the army. So you all being able to help fellow soldiers and vets is amazing!

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm a pond fisherman so not as deep of water, but wondered if they would move off the banks to the middle deepest spots of the pond and if I should cast to the middle instead of the banks more.

Man this brings back memories!! I was stationed at Ft Riley for 5 years back in the 2000s. I fished Milford but mainly for catfish. I didnt know anything about fishing and my buddies all catfished so I was a tag along! I would love to go back to the area and bass fish. Tuttle and Milford I frequented but on my dirt bike, but they were nice lakes.

My step dad told me about humpback and that we need to try it. Now I REALLY want to try it!!!!

As far as knots, I tie the palomar unless it's a bulky lure then I use an improved clinch. Never lost a fish due to knot failure. I get the line is weaker at the knot from stretching and pulling it thinner and when I have ti snap a lure off it's at the knot. I learned with braid you have to tie a good knot or it will slip. That's all I know about knots.

No freaking clue. This post went way off the rails. I never got a clear answer so I said screw it and used my own judgement from my own research. If the copoly I got sucks, I well, I'm only out $5. But if hated the $20-30 FC some said was the only good choice then I would not be happy. I'm new ish to fishing. Only been fishing 2 years and only ever used mono and braid. I wanted to try something new to see if I like it then eventually upgrade to higher dollar line. I may hate FC in general, let alone a $30 spool of Sniper or whatever. So far I really like the copoly I got over any mono I've used yet. Next combo may get FC or may not.

I was debating for a while putting fluorocarbon on one of mine but decided on copolymer that's fluoro coated. I've yet to try a thunder cricket, but I've had luck with the SK Rage Blade.

Thanks for the advice guys. My other other combos are a 6'6 diawa procaster spinning MH, a 7' Diawa Procaster spinning M, a cheapy H2O Express angler rod and Shakespeare reel and a fly rod. Which the fly rod may not count Haha. So I want to add 1 more baitcaster to the arsenal. But I can wait. I'll just have to retie my 2 I have more often if I want to switch lures.

I ended up getting a spool of Hi Seas Grand Slam copoly and spooled up my Black Max baitcaster with it and fished yesterday. Didnt catch anything on that setup but man what a difference it made in casting and feel over the cheap mono I was using before. I cant sling it out like my other baitcaster with braid, but it casted a spinnerbait nicely and felt good on the retrieve.

Well, I got the budget/new combo pulled out from me today. Me and the wife aren't doing too good and a new rod isnt priority I guess. I would LOVE a SLX combo. I want one so bad. But i was happy settling for a sub one hundred dollar combo. Well that's gone ifbbni value my marriage. So I guess I have to make my same old crap work.