Big Hands

We had a very unique bass here that several anglers caught a couple years ago in the same area. Then after a bit of not seeing her, she turned up a mile or so away. It weighed around 4 lbs and had a very distinctive . . . 'tummy'. I called her 'muffin top'.

Having fun (and being safe) are the main priorities when I take kids fishing. Everything else consists of details to give my best effort to make sure they are safe and have fun. If they are sitting in the truck honking the horn when I tell them we're going, that is a good sign. I have in the past volunteered for taking kids from the city fishing. I did again last year at an iCast event. It was well organized and well run. I recommend seeing if you can find one of their events in your area if anyone is interested in doing that sort of volunteer work.

Usually 3-5, sometimes 6, but rarely. If I am dialed in on the bite, I usually opt for less rods to minimize clutter. Same with tackle I have been working on a graphic for a thread topic for a future post for almost a year now. I figured I would have it ready for 'silly season' last year, but I keep coming up with more details I want to add to it. I call it "The Bait Monkey Rod Matrix". I think Bait Monkey will be pleased.

Often is the key word here, and if I get to the point where I feel that's my best option and the knot doesn't come out. . . . it ain't coming after the hard pull. Definitely a Hail Mary move for me.

I think some have more of it than others, and some have it more often than others. The same angler that caught 129 double digit bass in a single year has also gone more than a dozen trips in a row without a bite in the same body of water where he caught most of those 129 bass. Not every angler has that level of drive and determination day in and day out. I fish 'that way' occasionally, but certainly not all the time. Not even most of the time truth be told. @WRB I can totally see that happening at Trout Point. That could make for a loooong drive home. ================ I thought I hooked 'the big one' once. Within a couple hundred yards of Trout Point actually ?. I was fishing offshore on the next major point to the west at 25' deep with a mudsucker. It took nearly 20 minutes to get it to the surface on spinning gear with 8 lbs monofilament. It kept coming up, and then sounding. My line was singing and I wondered if I would ever get it to the surface. I also allowed myself to wonder where the mount was going to look the best. . . above the fireplace or on the wall directly across from it. Turned out to be a 39" long, 22 lbs channel cat, LOL. Which brings me back to the topic and this is a rhetorical question because I already know the answer: If I was fishing where she lives, and fishing with the big one in mind, why was I fishing with 8 lbs monofilament?

A hot hawg on a short leash is flirting with heartbreak to begin with. I hope you are able to give her a few more chances to become friends and pose for photos.

Mine too.

I would even consider throwing the lizard onto the bank and crawling it into the water (if that's not what you're already saying).

On a baitcaster? There are things about it that I like a lot, but under most circumstances with most of the baitcasters I own: I don't like it enough to deal with an FG knot. I don't like it enough to deal with it's limited abrasion resistance in the structure and cover I fish in and around. I don't like it enough to be OK with the Alberto knots hanging up on a T-Wing or some guide trains. The pros just don't outweigh the cons for me, but it might be the best thing ever for you.

I was pre-fishing for one of the rare tournaments I have entered in my life (well over 30 years ago), but I remember it like it was last week. This was during one of my experimental phases when I was dabbling with 4 lb Maxima monofilament. I threw into a pocket (maybe 3' x 3', right on the bank and got hammered almost instantly. We had a battle. After making me look like all three stooges, I think it sawed me off on my lower unit. I went to that spot with the same bait first thing in the morning on tournament day and hooked into what I imagine was the same angry toad, and it hurt my feelings in much the same fashion again. Being that it was in a tournament made my lower lip quiver even more. That was the last time I have used 4 lb line to fish for bass. I just don't have that kind of talent.

These ride pretty high in the water column at some pretty slow retrieve speeds, just fast enough to get the blade turning. These were my 'holy crap, I had no idea' bait this year. Went through cover surprisingly well. For reference, the one on the right is a 5/0 flashy swimmer and the one the left is an 8/0 flashy swimmer. The one on the right is a little wonky because I was trying to make it last after it kept getting pounded.

Not at all. They could be really skilled at catching small bass, LOL. Just kidding. Well, sort of. Allow me to explain. A couple years ago I was talking to an angler whose name is widely known (understatement of the century) for catching numbers of 10+ bass. For the record, he is not a member here that I am aware of. The subject of others anglers kind of following him around came up and I let him know that I make an effort to stay away from him while he's doing his thing. He said he wasn't too concerned about me fishing near him because we weren't fishing for the same fish. TBH, I had mixed feelings about that, LOL. After thinking about it. . . in detail. . . . in numerous therapy session and curled up for hours in a fetal tuck lying in my own bathtub (OK, not the last two parts), he was absolutely correct especially from his perspective. He's only ever seen me throw the usual 'regular' stuff like Carolina rigs with 4" plastics, drop shot, Senkos. . . finesse stuff. I think the probability of me catching smaller fish than he would if we fished right next to each other is very likely rather than the other way around. It would still be likely even if we were fishing the same big bass baits, but that's another discussion. When I caught my first ten plus bass, I had never caught a five pounder. I just happened to live and fish at one of the hottest big bass factories in the world at that time. The more you target bigger bass IF THEY LIVE THERE, the more likely you are to hook one. Just know that if you want to concentrate on big bass you need to be prepared to have your resolve and confidence tested often.

Some enjoy collecting and trying gear. Maybe you'll actually end up satisfied with your arsenal at some point as you evolve. As long as your OCD isn't harming yourself or others and you're using your own disposable income to indulge yourself, then I think you should be able to do as you please. There are a few things I do a lot of, and I have sought (within my own budgetary constraints) perfection for just the right combo. The best example I have of that is the rod I have chosen as my "Senko rod". I tried a half dozen rods, both casting and spinning, before discovering that I love the St. Croix Mojo 7'6" hair jig spinning rod explicitly for tossing weightless wacky 5" Senkos on the water I fish. I have had it for over a year and NEVER used it for any other technique. The only other rod that I own that I could say that about is my biggest swimbait rod. I discovered that the perfect Senko rod for everyone simply doesn't exist because we all fish that bait rigged that way in so many different environments and conditions. To me, it was worth it to find a rod that works so much better for me for something I do a lot of. OTOH, I have no idea if I have a great chatterbait rod. I haven't fished that technique enough to know what it would be if I was holding it in my hands, and I am not currently compelled to find one. Pretty sure I have something that will suffice for the time being. I think I have hit my useful saturation point with rods and reels for the time being and my current roster sits at about 16 with some additional players on the reserve squad occupying space further up in the rafters until I can send them off to be more useful to someone else. I was an angler on a quest and wondered if it would ever slow down and it actually has flatlined for me.

I have a Curado 200K and an SLX DC as well as an SLX 70 MGL, but not an SLX XT. I really like my Curado 200K. Nothing about it I don't care for. The slightly upsize capacity/width from the 'standard' sized Curados makes it excellent for use on slightly heavier rods (MH/Moderate) slinging slightly upsized hard baits like the 117 gunfish, a whopper plopper, or the 5/0 flashy swimmer with a 4.8" Keitech on 12-15 lbs mono . . . for me. It fills that slightly upsized niche very well for me and bridges that gap from my standard sized 100/150 reels to my Tatula 200's (I have two of those). I don't think I feel the need for a second Curado 200K, but I do like having one of them. If you have a need for a 200K and aren't going to miss the SLX XT, then it could make sense, but I wouldn't suggest trading for it just because of some perceived higher value (valid or not) of the 200K.

You and I are remarkably similar in the ways listed above, except that I view the randomness of my assortment as a plus. I don't want to feel like I need to match a set line of rods because they'll match on the deck. And, I haven't found a series of rods that really does what I want each individual rod to do as well for me as having the freedom to get exactly the rod I prefer for a specific use regardless of brand and series. I will admit to trying to do that to some extent, and will also say that I found that approach not to my personal liking (with one exception) for what I do and where I do it. The exception being the Phenix X series rods of which I do have three of (X-14T, X-13 and X-12) and I like them as a series that does what I want for crankbait/hardbait fishing. I also have three Daiwa Kage rods, but they are very different and not really close to each other or related as one is a 8'6" big swimbait rod, a 7'3" MH/F casting rod and a 6'10" M/F spinning rod. The rest of my rods are a total Heinz 57 type assortment of unrelated Shimano, Daiwa, Phenix, St. Croix and Californian (a Turners Outdoorsman house brand that uses Phenix blanks). My reels are all either Daiwa or Shimano except for one ABU Garcia casting reel. I am pretty satisfied with my rag-tag arsenal. It works for me. I can do most anything I would do pretty well, and in the techniques I employ often, very well. I have some overlap in the event that I either want to have rods/reels for my kids to use or when I want to use two different approaches that require similar setups when by myself. Still, we are all different in what we do, how we do it, and what about doing it gives us enjoyment. I had a friend that had (among his extensive collection) three sets of rods all wrapped on identical blanks, but one set was wrapped in red, another in green, and another in blue. The reels had color matching spools and line on them. He loved being able to have those matched sets on his deck depending on what line color he thought would be best. I usually take 3-5 rods with me on a given outing and try to fish what I had in mind when I chose them. Occasionally I will find myself wishing I had chosen differently, but that often. I also only usually take my one satchel that holds five 3700 size boxes. The times when I do add to that would be if I am struggling to key in on the bite. The more dialed in I am, the less tackle and rods I can bring and since I have limited space for storage for rods and gear, the less I bring the better I can move around and have less clutter to deal with. The ramp is less than three miles from my door. If I chose wrong, I could go back to get something or just reload for another day. There are usually a couple of rods that make the cut on most days like my 7'6" St. Croix hair jig spinning rod for throwing weightless Senkos from April to October, and my 7'3" Kage MH/F casting rod which is pretty versatile all year long. Nothing of value to contribute here as I almost never fish different water because of the Quagga restrictions in Kalifornia. I travel to Texas to fish more often than I fish lakes that are 20-60 miles from where I live, and I use my buddy's rods and reels when I travel to fish. We are fortunate in that respect, even though some are more fortunate than others ;~) and I think that makes you like >99% of us. There is no way on earth that could be a coincidence ? I think some of us have a gift for making the whole rig and it's contents very functional as well as aesthetically pleasing and I am not that person. . . . but A-Jay clearly is one of those people, and his results speak for themselves. I have told myself that too. Turns out that I lied.

I have fished with the 7' MH/F Aird-X. A lot of MH/F casting rods at that price point are not that balanced. This one fishes quite well. For the money (even @ MSRP), it is unparalleled IMHO. For $41, it's a complete no-brainer.

What is the shelf life of those unicorn tears? $350/oz seems like it's too good to be true. Do you know if they are truly grass fed free range organic unicorn tears?

I have bought two Curado BFS reels and they came with one of the blue and one of the green in each box. I bought some last winter when I was going through my reels. Seems to work well and the needle tip applicator makes it easy to work with.

That's the best (and only) reason I can think of to buy almost anything made by 'Live Target' ;~) Be strong my friend. Bait Monkey can strike seemingly out of nowhere. It's almost like Bait Monkey lives in our head and knows our thoughts. Almost.

It ain't right now, I can tell you that. Here are the pictures of ALL the fish I have caught in the past three weeks: I caught all of these last night alone: Yep, in the last three weeks, I have gone from "Pew-Pew-Pew" to "Pepe LePew".

I would also add that I have had leader material suddenly "go bad", which manifests itself when setting the hook. My gut feeling is that it happens when I have been careless about leaving the spool in the sun while I am fishing. All I know for sure is that when I start breaking off on hooksets when I normally wouldn't, I have replaced my leader material and the problem goes away. YMMV.

It's a total system approach between the rod, reel/drag, line, knots, terminal tackle, and technique. Modifying any of these could alter the results. Some systems could be more forgiving to changes to any of the factors involved. I could certainly imagine that a super short leader length might have problems in at least some situations if you don't modify other aspects of the system to accommodate the characteristics of the new system (shorter leader length). If I have a compelling reason to use a shorter leader length, I could alter something like the drag setting, the rod characteristics, or hookset technique to keep from breaking off the shorter leaders. If I had a compelling reason to use short leaders, such as the tendency of heavier braid with heavier mono/fluorocarbon leaders to have the knot hang up on the T-Wing of a Daiwa Tatula. So, I could use leader lengths that won't allow the knot to wind back through the T-Wing. Then let's say I start breaking leaders on the hookset so I could possibly: Alter my hookset technique Use a different leader material that is more forgiving Use heavier leader material Use a lower drag setting Use a rod with a more forgiving power or action Use a different reel without the T-Wing Use an FG knot instead of an Alberto knot Or I could just go back to longer leaders and dealing with the risk of the knot hanging up on the T-Wing. Two anglers fishing the same hardware and settings could have different results due solely to their technique. Myself, I usually replace a leader before it gets down to two or three feet long, but I am not immune to having to adjust to, or abandon changes when they present issues I didn't see coming. Sounds like you have adjusted your system to work satisfactorily for you.

The 7'3" Daiwa Tatula MH/F (and the Kage version too) are great rods at full price, and an absolute no-brainer at <$100.