AJ Hauser

They do seem to like it - I see them over it - do you know if they get down in it? Here is the other kind of weed that seems to be growing deeper, probably in the 10-20 foot range with spaced out, small semi-curly leaves:

Good morning fellas. Tough day yesterday - only caught 6 in a 4 hour session with nothing big enough to write home about. I was able to get some "up close" pics when a bass did a nosedive into the mats that line the bottom after I hooked him - I had to pull him up and he brought a bunch of this stuff with him. It smelled a little skunky: Pic 2 - I was surprised to see how far apart the little tufts are coming off of the main stem, because when you look down on this in the water, it looks like it's solid enough to step on. Any ideas?

I appreciate the feedback fellas - I'm headed back today, I'll try to get some snags intentionally and pull up weeds for some better pics... ... ah... who am I kidding - I don't have to try for snags... they just kind of happen. Naturally. At the worst times

You just gave me an excuse to go back. Thank you On it! I need to know! Hey thanks Scott, I was hoping someone would chime in. I'm in central / northern IL and these were old borrow pits. The water has been beautiful, super clear, very difficult to fish but very rewarding. I was going to ask if anyone thought it would be worthwhile to drop a heavier weight INTO this stuff, but that would be completely random and take forever... I'm wondering though, because the bass retreat into this stuff after I release them. I have had good luck with a Neko weight slightly off center in a stickbait, and straight fluorocarbon to a small wacky hook. The minimal hardware seems to work well in the clear water, and the bait will rest on top of these clouds of weeds without sinking into them... let me know what you think. Thanks again guys!

Hey fellas, I'm hoping you can help me either identify or come close to identifying the following types of weeds. I have been fishing extremely clear borrow pits lately, and the bottom is a mixture of rock and sand and some mud. The shoreline is very steep, and that continues underwater in most places. In depths from 0 to about 12 feet, there are a lot of what look like "mounds" of weeds that only grow to 1-2 feet in terms of height. You can see areas where the bass have cleared away spots for beds, even where the bottom pitch is steeper than 45 degrees. It's pretty wild actually. You can see the bass cruising above these underwater mats... but do you have any idea what they could be? I haven't seen a lot of this in Illinois - and they are loose enough that the bass swim straight into after the release. This stuff covers a lot of the bottom and creates really cool nooks & crannies where it would otherwise be boring flat bottom. (Pictures 1, 2 and 3 show them underwater from the kayak, and then above water you can see how they look, and that they grow right up to the shore. Sorry for the low quality.) Then, out about 15 feet or so, these other weeds are growing straight up - they have smaller leaves, but they sit right off the back side of the mats that I mentioned above. (See pic #4) Do you have any idea what these are? I'm not having much luck identifying them... and to be honest, I've never paid all that much attention to cover like this - but if you get a big mound of this with tall grass on the shoreline, and the tall weeds behind them, it has been really productive. (Not sure why this is, but is was consistent yesterday.) Any help is appreciated - thanks!

Awesome, thanks for the info - we're headed to Arkansas next year after we sell our house, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can about more southern waters. Looks like there will be a surprising amount of variety!

Hey fellas - thank you very much @ol'crickety - he had a blast and I'll be honest... I'm pretty sure I was even more excited than he was, watching him cast & reel & land these fish all on his own. He's better than I was at that age, no doubt. @Blue Raider Bob where do you usually fish? Here in Illinois, we have a lot of dirty rivers, and a lot of muck waters with low visibility - but I've been able to find some clear water in creeks and borrow pits. Any chance you have similar water(s) near you?

Hey broskis! I've been out and about lately - on the lake, not in front of a screen (thank God!) so I haven't posted much. Been out with the kids working on castin' & catchin' without my help... a few examples of my youngest angler "that does it all by himself" are attached - he was using a method like the one my oldest recently used to land some really nice bass - but he had a bobber instead of a popper. Awesome. Bittersweet. The good stuff. Sorry I just... you know, proud dad stuff all around lately... Question though... I went out by myself a few days ago in the jon boat to a borrow pit I like to fish. The water here is SUPER CLEAR, and this trip, it was also several feet lower than usual (confirmed by the locals). The temp was reading 68°-69° according to my Garmin. I've heard that 70° water can mean post-spawn conditions. I did see several lingering males on beds, but I could NOT get a bite. Well ok, I got 4, but I saw something like 150+ bass cruising all around me in the clear shallows, down to 15 feet. All sizes. All kinds. NOBODY WOULD BITE ANYTHING. I had several follows, fish would inspect my finesse presentations just to back off slowly. I tried everything I had, added scent, changed colors, weights... I saw so many but I could not get them fired up. Is this normal during a post-spawn period, or am I just imagining that? Was it just a tough bite? Like I said, water was low, but a ton of fish chose to stay up shallow and remain visible. They had the option to go deep (this place has steep banks and drops to 40+ feet) but they were just very lethargic. I've never paid attention to water temps or periods like spawn, post spawn, so any help making sense of this before I pull ALL of my hair out and quit like I wanted to the other day, would be appreciated Thanks! -AJ

Looks like candy!

The 3.8" looks like a good option for where I'm fishing - thanks man, I'll check 'em out!

How do you rig yours for maximum spiral?

Appreciate the feedback @wdp - what other companies are you looking at? I was leaning towards that Mighty Max brand myself, but still doing homework. They have a 200 ah for $650... I mean... overkill? Maybe. But I'm really tired of paddling back to the launch...

Great idea - I'm actually going to try a 1/4 ounce Z-Man Willowvibe tomorrow and run it along the edges a bit to see if anything happens. We've had some really warm days so I'm hoping I can catch a late season window of activity... we'll see. Thanks!

@txchaser that's an interesting looking deal - check the review(s) though. Still looks to be worth testing, though. And @TnRiver46 that's a good call - those sink? You throw it on fluoro to speeds up the rate of fall a bit?

@Jmontgomery87 very nice!

Thanks man - we're at 53 degree water temps and I've seen a huge drop in topwater activity (for me at least) once we dipped below 60... not sure if that is normal, I'm new to keeping track of water temps.

This one? Looks like the "spine rig" @Luke Barnes mentioned but with a weight in the nose: Thanks @WRB - once you flatten the jig, how are you rigging it with the tube?

Appreciate all of the info, fellas. I'll attempt a teardown and reconstruction but based on what I read here, I'll not be heartbroken if I can't get 'er working again... then it'll be time for an upgrade methinks. I got 8 years out of this reel fishing it about 4 times per month, and caught many nice fish using it... but this is a nudge from the good Lord to invest in some better gear. Too bad gas is currently $5 a gallon and I can't afford groceries Thanks guys!

Go nuts - just tag me so I can remember this meme and laugh again! ?

Hey fellas - I appreciate all of the feedback here - it sounds like it's an issue with the pinion gear, and probably due to the fact that I had often spun the handle when the spool was removed... and the fact that it's an 8 year old reel. I should have mentioned that. Sorry. I believe that puts me past the BP return policy. That said, I may pick up another reel soon, but it's not in the budget right now, especially as I look into getting a fancy new LI battery so my trolling motor doesn't die on me in the pit lakes I'm fishing. Question: do you guys know of any videos that show full baitcaster teardowns / servicing that you have seen and recommend? @T-Billy and @newapti5 you guys both mentioned the issue - do you have any favorites that you could share? Looks like I have a project on my hands... Good! Thanks again - talk soon.

It's good to have goals. You just set one. Godspeed. Great points all around. Thanks fellas!

Awesome - thanks to all of you guys for the suggestions - I have a LOT to work with here. Much appreciated! Have a great week.

Sweet - looking it up right meow. Have a great week!