BrianMDTX

I have to agree for the most part, as I have caught more (and bigger) bass this year than in all years prior (basically stopped fishing seriously in the late 80s, and truthfully never as serious as this year) and caught several bass for the first time ever on certain baits. But like you said, I recall everyone using 6 or 8 lb mono, with maybe 10 lb on a baitcaster, and silk or Dacron braid was used by handliners for carp. Graphite came out when I was young but most used fiberglass rods. And you definitely had to play a good fish vs cranking it in like a Jetski.

I’ll let you know after this weekend. Just received my Daiwa Procyon PCYN661MXS rod yesterday. I tapped the tag hanging off the front guide and it felt like a bite. It appears to be very sensitive. It’s an XF action but seems more close to a F than XF to me. But I need to cast baits and catch fish with it to be certain.

That’s good to hear. 6 or 7 years is not bad at all for a reel at that price.

I think that applies to a lot of rigs, but spinning in particular. I’d rather spend $$ on a rod vs the reel. Haven't fished with it yet, but it seems like a decent reel. I know my $42.00 Daiwa Revros LT2500 really surprised me at how well it looked and performed at such an inexpensive price.

I’ve never seen one in person until this one arrived. It looks great, very lightweight and seems like a quality rod. I went to take the tag off and tapped the tag and was really shocked at how sensitive it was. Can’t wait to say Fish On! this weekend!

If it works, great. If not, I have plenty of Trilene XL 8 lb if I have line twist problems. I spooled it on, tied it off on a ball bearing swivel and walked it off 40 yards and stretched it while sprayed with KVD. It wound up tight without twists. I’ll see how it performs.

I finally got the rod I ordered with points from a program at work. I originally ordered a Daiwa Aird X MF rod but it was on back order so long I cancelled it and ordered a Daiwa Procyon PCYN661MXS. I already had the Shimano Sienna 2500 that I also got with points. Just spooled up some 8 lb YZH and it’s ready for Friday. It’s very lightweight and looks good, too. Have to decide what’s a good bait to try first. Maybe a 4” Yum Dinger or Senko WR.

Sounds like a plan. I didn’t start fishing here until May, so I think I missed the spawn. It will be interesting to see how the fishing is next spring. But I can wait for that lol.

It gets fished for sure, but I wouldn’t say heavy. Especially early. Sometimes I’m out there alone until 9:00 or so. About 1/3 of the pond is wide open. The other spots have a lot of trees, but there are holes you can find to cast from. A lot easier (for me) with spinning gear in those spots. I started on the bank, but I bought a Sea Eagle Packfish7 as I wanted better access. It’s perfect for these ponds. I want ant to try Cypress Lake but the parking looks iffy. I moved here from Maryland last year. First time ever I did not have to scrape frost off my windshield. I just started fishing here in May, but I imagine I’ll be able to fish all through fall and into early winter without a hitch. But I’d like your whitetails lol!

Don’t get all spooled up and bail on spinning gear. Unless you hold the rod with the reel facing up. That’s just sick!

Wow. I live right off 242 and 1488. The closest pond to me is Deepdale. I need to try some of the others. There’s plenty of ponds to fish here. But...I’d love to see who owns the pond just off 1488 and 45 that’s behind Woodlake Motors. That looks bassy! And no, WR was wacky rig. I have various colors in Senkos but all of my Yum Dingers at the moment are plain green pumpkin.

The Woodlands, just up I-45 from Houston. Probably 90% of my catches have been on weightless plastics, with the vast majority on 5” Senko or Yum Dinger WR. But even that has slowed a lot the past three weeks. Saturday I caught two dinks and this one- all on WR’s. No bites on topwater, spinnerbaits, nothing.

Nice bass. I was doing great until about three weeks ago, then the bite really slowed down. 7’-8’ of water gets hot quick.

“I’ll take ‘what are we waiting for?’ for $1000, Alex!”

I like AR for one simple reason. If you reel the bait too close to the rod tip on a spinning reel without AR, you either have to A- open the bail and let line out, or B- pull line out by overcoming the drag. Either is a pain in the butt compared to flicking a switch and backreeling a turn or two. That’s one area where baitcasters truly shine.

There are no absolutes. That you can bank on. Fishing with live bait is a lazy way to fish...if you’re only interested in catching whatever bites the hook. If you’re serious about fishing live bait for big bass, it can be challenging. In my mind, it comes down to this. Are you interested in getting a nice bass on a hook, or are you interested in using something that’s not real food and enticing a bass to “eat” something artificial in an attempt to land it? And trust me, until this year I was pretty much a live bait angler, so I am not denigrating the use of live bait.

Yeah, that’s a big farm pond in my book!

Just one of several “length-to-weight” charts available online. That bass is not real chunky, so my guess is 5-1/2 to 6 lbs. No matter what, it’s a great fish and congrats on your new PB! Largemouth Bass 12 in 0.90 lb 13 in 1.16 lb 14 in 1.47 lb 15 in 1.83 lb 16 in 2.25 lb 17 in 2.73 lb 18 in 3.28 lb 19 in 3.89 lb 20 in 4.59 lb 21 in 5.36 lb 22 in 6.22 lb 23 in 7.17 lb 24 in 8.21 lb 25 in 9.35 lb 26 in 10.60 lb 27 in 11.95 lb 28 in 13.42 lb 29 in 15.01 lb 30 in 16.73 lb 31 in 18.58 lb 32 in 20.56 lb

Well...he did say wait for it!

Pretty much every bass I’ve caught over 1.5 lbs is pigmented like that. It makes for a pretty bass!

Yes. Either 5” Senkos or Yum Dingers. On a 1/0 octopus hook. Cast it out and let it sink. If the line starts running out, reel in the slack and the bass will set the hook. Don’t set the hook like you would on live bait.

I’ll say this: I may have caught more fish using live bait, but I have caught bigger bass using lures by far. And it’s much more satisfying. I agree with WRB. Concentrate on soft plastics. I catch more bass on WR than anything else. Likely because I fish WR more.

The pond I fish looks just like that. This morning was hot. Not in action, but temps. I got nothin’ on a Whopper Plopper, spinnerbait, chatterbait or 9” Texas rig. I mean nothing. Not even a swirl. I caught two super dinks on a 5” Senko (one electric blue and the other green pumpkin). Later in the morning as I was in the midst of casting I said to myself “Man! Even my go-to WR ain’t workin’!” The Senko hit the water, sank and the line started running. I reeled in slack, felt good weight and...gone. Must not of had a good bite on it. But I thought it still might be there, so I made 5 more casts. On the 6th, the line took off. I reeled the slack bin and this time the rod bent. Last fish of the morning! Those conditions can be tough for sure. Noisy baits can be good, but not today.

Congrats! That’s a nice way to ring in your 50th! Let’s make that REAL nice!