BrianMDTX

Also agree on the Pline FC. Never had so many knots break in my life. Using either Trilene XL or YZH, I haven’t broken one. So it’s not my knot tying skillz lol. I think you are spot on. It’s easy for many to be intimidated reading about $300.00 reels and $450.00 rods when they have a budget of $100.00-$150.00 for both. There are some quality rods and reels on the market today that get the job done and won’t break the bank. They may not be professional grade, but most anglers aren’t professional.

I’ve watched too many Milk River videos lol. It’s become an obsession!

But your elk, whitetails and muleys are not!

I have always wanted to visit Montana. It’s like my dream. BTW...I live in Texas lol.

Strike King spinnerbait, 5” Senko wacky rig, Zoom trick worm Texas rig, 5” Senko weightless Texas rig.

Being a born and raised Marylander, there’s only one real crab.

Tonight is Beefeater and tonic with a lime wedge and three olives. A great hot summer drink.

God help me if I had to start shooting a bow left-handed. The deer would be safe!

islandbass, I think there is a lot of truth in what you say. Months ago I started a thread about LH vs RH baitcasters, and why most RH anglers will cast a spinning rod with their right hand and reel with the left, vs casting right, switching rod hands and reeling right with a BC. After all the replies, I regretted buying a LH Black Max and went out and bought a RH reel. But before I could return it, I decided to buy a MHF rod for Texas rigs (the RH reel was on a MF rod), and opted to try the LH baitcaster. It works fine. I can reel a baitcaster with my left hand as easily as I can a spinning reel. Go figure! Now, if you ever saw me try to throw a baseball left-handed, or switch hit, well, that’s a total disaster!

I’m finding out the BM has a voracious appetite, no matter the temps!

Most “anglers” I see are throwing frogs or poppers. I’ve only seen one angler (in a yak) catch consistently using what looked like a floating Rapala. I also see quite a few creature baits (mostly craws), but once again, either no catches or all dinks. I guess in different areas you see the majority fish different baits. I hardly see anyone using plastic worms or Senkos, which I find unusual.

Agreed. Haven’t seen too many creepy things fishing; hunting is a different story. I was helping my landowner track his buck and we found this on a tree at the bottom of the hill where it turned into wetlands.

It’s funny. This pond (when I fished from the bank) brought in masses of algae off the bottom when fishing bottom baits like soft plastics (even when rigged weedless), but not so from my boat. And other than that, very few weeds at all. Most of the bass I’ve caught are around sunken branches (not many) and overhanging limbs. So I can run a spinnerbait at all depths without too much worry. I think varying my retrieve more so than I currently do may be helpful. Hey, I was just happy to finally catch a bass on one! Now I need to finally have one of my topwater frogs nail one!

I have one on a Daiwa Aird X MHF rod.

Gotta be honest. I just caught my first-ever bass on a spinnerbait yesterday. It was a dink, but it was the first time I’ve ever had a strike on a spinnerbait, let alone a catch. I always thought these things were a gimmick lol. So, in a shallow (5’-7’) pond, what depth do you normally fish a spinnerbait? Close to the top? Mid-depth? Depends on conditions? Needless to say, the water temps here in Texas are pretty hot if that makes a difference. But not too weedy unless you hit the bottom.

I really like my Revros LT2500.

I have baitcasters that reel left...and right. I use both equally well. The only difference is I switch rod hands after casting with a right-hand retrieve, which takes no time at all.

That’s a chunky bass! Nice fish and congrats!

I have two of those reels. Your brake is set at about 75% so it’s going to limit your casting distance. It’s also going to help reduces backlashes if you aren’t used to thumbing the spool. Don’t rush it. It takes some time to learn. BTW, that Black Max is not an upper echelon baitcaster, but so far I’ve been pleased with it. With the spool tension set correctly and the brake at about 25%-30% I can cast a weightless Senko TR pretty far. Weighted TR’s are a breeze. I’ve caught some decent 3-4 lb’ers with those reels on either a Fenwick HMX M/F or a Daiwa Aird X MH/F rod. Only problems I’ve had are user error lol.

Took my Packfish7 out this morning for the second time. First time after adding a 7” pedestal and a low-back padded seat, as well a behind-the-seat rod holder mod. It was supposed to be a rain-out by TS Hanna passed farther south. Got a late start but caught 4 dinks on a 5” Senko WR and this bass on a Zoom trick worm TR. 19” and just over 3 lbs. I felt it tap lightly and I stopped, then saw the line moving and set the hook hard. Good hookset in the upper jaw. Thankfully not swallowed and a guthook.

I get tapped every now and then, but normally when fishing from the bank and it’s been worked in close. But it’s not often. Are you rigged wacky style or a T rig?

As a somewhat older guy getting back into fishing after decades away from the sport, I was literally amazed at the “progress” that’s taken place. It used to be two or three rod/reel combos fit the bill for most anglers. Now there’s a specific set-up for every presentation under the sun. But the reality is most anglers are not buying and using $800-$1000 rod/reel combos. Looking at a lot of posts on BR, one may assume that, but there are millions of anglers out there using less expensive gear that still catch fish. High-end gear is nice to have, but not always necessary. There are tons of deer hunters that kill big bucks every year with grandad’s Winchester Model 94 .30-30, just as dead as the guy with a Dakota Arms bolt-action that set them back $5K or more. Some gear and tackle I can see. $75.00 for fishing gloves escapes me. Fishing gloves escape me lol.

Use cobalt bits on Cherry Max rivets. I’ve replaced tons of them. And don’t drill at high speeds.

An aluminum boat should have aluminum alloy rivets. Should.

Any good Texas rig should catch fish.