BrianMDTX

Is braid more sensitive? I’d say yes. Do I still use mono? Yes. I prefer it for topwaters and crankbaits for one thing. All my spinning rigs are braid-to-leader; so is my frog rod. The other baitcasters are either mono or YZH.

A wise man on this very site posted “hooksets are free”. Well, maybe not 100% free, like you really set the hook in a stump lol. But for all intents and purposes, I agree. If you think it’s a bass, it likely is. I still get fooled. I caught three decent 2 lb’ers this morning. One did the classic “tap-tap”; one did the “line’s running hot!”; the other I had no clue it was on the hook. Felt no strike, line never moved. It happens!

Flip a coin. It’s really that simple. Flip a coin. No matter if it’s heads or tails, if you are happy with the flip, it’s the right decision. If you need two out of three, you know it’s not.

What are those stitches? Sufix or Seguar? Maybe 50 lb? ? Been there, done that. D’oh! The things we do!

I’m labeling this as a jinx thread. Had my first knot failure in two years today. A Palomar on a dropshot rig. I should NEVER have read this yesterday! ?

Only fished 8-12 today, but had a decent day. I love fishing soft plastics, but I use a lot of different baits. Not today. I decided to fish soft plastics and only soft plastics. First up was a Neko Macho weightless TR. Got hit on my first cast, but missed it. About four casts later it got whacked again in the same spot. Likely the same bass. Tried a Jelly Worm TR next. Got bit on three times but very light strikes. Never hooked one so likely biting the tail. Tried a dropshot next. First with a 4” Senko, then switched to a Z-Man Finesse TRD. That did the trick! Unfortunately my Palomar knot did (k)not. Felt like a decent bass. Got it halfway to the boat and…poof. First bass I’ve lost to a knot failure in two years (and I had a lot due to a bad batch of line). Tried a 5” Senko Wacky Rig and got nothing. I re-rigged the rod the Palomar broke on (Daiwa Procyon M/XF) with a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG and rigged a watermelon seed Zoom Trick. Cast it out, and as it sank I pondered on how much I really enjoy working a Texas rig-standard or weightless. I love feeling that “tap-tap”. No “tap-tap” here. It sank about 2’ and bam! The line took off. So fast that I set the hook with my finger on the line as I didn’t have time to close the bail. It put up a good fight! Nearing noon, I decided to stick with the Trick. Good call. Not long after, another decent bass took it. But it took it slow and it had a chance to gulp it before I knew I had a fish on the line. It was guthooked. Thank God for the “thru the gills” method I learned on BR. I got the hook out and not one drop of blood. It swam away without a hitch. All three were about 2 lbs. caught three dinks as well.

My friend Mark and I used to ride our 10-speeds 14 miles one-way to fish Loch Raven Reservoir (north of Baltimore). We had 2-pc rods that we strapped to our handlebars. That left one hand to steer/brake and the other for a tacklebox lol. WRB, you brought back a memory. My dad had friends that lived in a community with a private pond that we used to fish regularly. In the early-mid 70s my friend Mark and I were ate up bad with fishing. Like most kids, we often used nightcrawlers, cut it half and threaded on a small baitkeeper hook. One time we went and were introduced to an acquaintance of my father and the homeowners. He was in his early 30s and had a nice spinning reel on (IIRC) a Fenwick boron rod, which we were NOT allowed to touch. His method was to use a whole nightcrawler threaded on a straight shank hook like a weightless TR plastic worm. He’d throw it in the deep end and let it sink, keeping the bail open. He said it was “the only way to catch the big ones without them spitting out the hook”. One day Mark and I were having a great day, catching some fat bluegills and 10”-12” bass. All of a sudden, this guy starts yelling to my dad. “Bert! Bert! 5 pounder! He’s taking my line across the pond!” He finally closed the bail and set the hook. He must have been a magician, as he turned a 5 lb. bass into a 6” bluegill lol.

Not much to write home about. Caught 6 total. 5 dinks and one about 2 lbs. My best topwater spot was covered in floating mats of algae. I did not have a frog (or frog rod) so standard topwater baits were a no-go. Had one missed hit on a spinnerbait and lost a bass on a dropshot. All were caught on a 4” #956 Senko TR except for one on a Mann’s blackberry Jelly Worm. Looked great but it was a slow go.

It’s always that “one more cast” that turns into 50 that gets you!

Lol. I’d say Senko, Zoom Trick and Neko Macho (with a Fat IKA in reserve). I’ve had little success with spinnerbaits and zero with lipless cranks in the ponds I fish. But soft plastics? Killer.

I need several of each, so I can punish a rod by leaving it home when I get skunked. Serves it right. “Sorry, Mr. MH/F casting rod! You blew it! I’m taking your cousin out tomorrow! Enjoy the garage!”

Here I was, getting in a couple hours at the local pond, trying seriously to catch something of decent size (caught two dinks lol). Meanwhile, these three boys (one maybe 11-12 and the other two 9-10) are tossing tiny pieces of nightcrawlers and catching 27-30 fish…apiece. Every bluegill was a monster bigger than the previous one (“this is the BIGGEST bluegill I’ve ever caught in my LIFE!”) and when one caught a 12” bass I thought he was going to have an apoplectic fit! By the way, bass were worth ten points. Not sure what the bluegills were worth lol. Man, my friends and I were EXACTLY like that fifty years ago. Point levels for fish, happy as clams to catch anything, asking Mom to stay out longer (and can you get us more worms?). A lot has changed in half a century, but wow, that was a pleasure to watch. It gives me hope.

I tie the IC a lot. Like 90% of my knots on hooks and lures are IC. I use Palomars on dropshots. I have no need for most other knots.

Easiest? The Lefty Kreh leader knot. From start to finish, 30 seconds, tops. I won’t say it’s the strongest. All I know is I have it tied on four rigs over two years and it hasn’t failed me yet.

All I can say is that my dad passed away in 2019. I’d love to be able to have this difference of opinion with him. But I can’t. May that guide you.

Congrats, Mike. You give me hope lol. I’m still waiting on my first chatterbait bass. One day it’ll work for me. Maybe ?

You need to do the same with the toilet paper after drinking Buttwiper!

The only correct answer is “not enough”. “This message is copyrighted by the Bait Monkey for the private use of anglers. Any other use of this message or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of tackle, bait or boat purchases that express financial regrets without the Bait Monkey’s consent is prohibited.”

Sounds like talkin’ deer in PA. “I saw 5 buck from the stand this morning!” Fish? I’ll say bluegills, crappies, muskies and walleyes. But pike, not pikes, and basses only if referencing multiple species (the black basses). I’ve never heard shads lol.

I have never heard of that. It’s an interesting concept.

Don’t hate ‘em, but truth be told, hundreds of cast and cranks just isn’t my preferred style. Probably why I like soft plastics so much. But I do fish them. Especially squarebills.

I like Sufix 832. But I have 20 lb. Seguar flash green on one spinning rig and that line is supple. I really like it.

I’ll do that!