BrianMDTX

I’m stymied. I have caught 3-4 lb bass out of the pond I fish relatively consistently, and several 5 lb’ers as well. Things were great through the first week of May, but since then, it’s been a steady diet of dinks and 1 to 2 lb’ers. It’s strictly C&R, so they’re still there, but they ain’t havin’ what I’m selling’. I caught 10 bass last Thursday and 9 today. None over 2 lbs. And today started off so well. I went to grab a rod rigged with a Whopper Plopper but grabbed the Dobyns rigged with a jerkbait. I figured I’d give that a shot and I nailed a bass on the first cast, working just off a weed bed about 7’ from the bank. A few casts later and another bass hit it as soon as it hit the water (that’s been happening frequently as of late). I switched to the WP and then a Megabass PopMax thinking they were hitting topwater but no dice. I tried a white/chartruese spinnerbait, a tube, a Neko Macho TR and a Mann’s Jelly Worm. Nothing on any of that. The only thing besides that jerkbait that caught fish were #297 and #196 Senkos on a WR. The bottom was a dead zone. Not really complaining as I did catch 9 bass, but something bigger than 2 lbs would be a blessing. I will add that fishing so low to the water in my inflatable does not allow me to work a jerkbait as God intended lol. But it does catch bass.

I bought a Dobyns Fury FR705CB and paired it with a Daiwa Tatula 100H for jerkbaits, squarebills and other crankbaits. On a whim, I tied on a 3/0 EWG and used a Fat IKA and a Neko Macho as a weightless Texas rig. It did a fine job. Easy to cast those baits and it set the hook well. Whodathunkit?

I mean this with zero offense to anyone, but most have no true idea how long 100 yards is out on the water. That is a long cast.

I have a Revros LT2500 with mono backing and 20 lb Sufix 832. I only put on enough mono to just cover the spool once. I never get to the uni knot.

Junior! Put yer darned cap back on right! We ain’t in the city!

Neither. Home fries, with onions and garlic. And English muffins or rye toast! And either thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, or sage sausage…or scrapple!

Eggs were good. Then great! The Incredible Edible Egg! Then bad. Very bad. Then good again. I say they’re great. But I prefer mine sunnyside up fried in bacon grease until the white gets lacy around the edges.

There's inexpensive and there’s cheap. My two Daiwa Revros spinning reels are inexpensive. But not “cheap”. My Aird-X’s are inexpensive, but also not cheap. Do I prefer my Falcon Lowrider and Dobyns Fury rods? Yes. But it’s not so huge a difference that I feel handicapped.

Old Bay: underrated (try plain wings coated in honey and Old Bay. You’ll thank me!) Synthetic motor oil?

I caught two on a jerkbait yesterday. One as soon as it hit the water. The other swam up to it after the cast and took it as soon as I started to retrieve it.

I really like the 8.1:1 for Texas rigs. I seem to get frequent strikes right after the bait hits the water and that fast retrieve reels in the slack quick for a good hookset. I have the Fuego CT paired with a Falcon Lowrider All ‘Round Fast MH/F rod. It’s a great rig.

Any unconventional pizza: overrated!

Citizen Kane: overrated Structure: underrated Maryland crabcakes

I have not gotten a strike on a chatterbait. Still trying, but nothing yet.

I wanted to circle back (no pun intended) to your weed issue. Others may disagree with me, but when fishing wacky rigs, I often cast, sink, no bite, reel it in and cast again. Working a WR back to the boat or bank normally is fruitless. I easily catch 95% of my bass on the initial cast. Working it back also fouls the hook more often than not. Pick a spot where you think the bass are (around stumps, sunken logs, edge of weed beds, underneath overhanging tree limbs) and cast to that spot and let it sink. If no bite, reel it in steadily and recast. I often cast 4-5 times in the same exact spot before I try another, as a bass just may not be hungry but after seeing that Senko 3 or 4 times it just whacks it anyway. Trust me, I know it’s frustrating. I went 7 years before I got my first bowkill deer. THAT was frustrating! But after the first one was down, I started a great streak. You will eventually get a bite and reel it in. Followed by another, and another. The bass there are no different from the rest. They will bite your bait at some point. It’s inevitable.

I have a Fuego CT 8.1:1 and a Tatula 100H 6.3:1. Both are great reels. I think the Tatula casts a bit farther, but not enough to really make a difference. Either would work for you.

I’m going to add #196 to my list. They hit that pretty well this morning.

I’m going to add #196 to my list. They hit that pretty well this morning.

Had a better day today than I have lately. Caught 10 total. Two were superdinks and the rest were 1-2 lb’ers. Caught two on a Googan jerkbait, four on a Zoom Trick Texas rig and the rest on a #196 Senko. I got squat on a Megabass PopMax or a jig and craw, as well as a Bio-Gill weedless soft swimbait. But I had a nice one on Mann’s Jelly Worm (I’d say 3 to 3.5 lbs). Halfway to the boat, it jumped. Over a log. That’s when the hook popped out. That hat kept the sun off my neck, but it’s hideous!

A weightless Fat IKA or Neko Macho TR on a 3/0 EWG.

Man, it has been tough lately. Fished 2-1/2 hours this evening and only got one soft strike and hooked one. I have caught nothing of any size lately. Both the miss and the catch were on a Mann’s Jelly Worm TR. Nothing on a spinnerbait with Rage Craw trailer, a Zara Spook, or Fat IKA and Neko Macho TR’s. Nothing on a WR either. The bite is off.

My WP has some of the sharpest hooks I’ve encountered. Don’t yank it, sweep it.

I feel your pain. Back in the 70s and early 80s I “thought” artificial lures were the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind. I never caught anything but stumps, limbs and rocks. And I mean that in all sincerity. And it was not for a lack of trying. But in retrospect and hindsight, it was mostly a lack of trying...incorrectly. I just got back into bass fishing last year. Am I an expert. Oh, hell no! I still struggle at times, like many do. But I have caught bass, and decent bass, on Senko wacky and Texas rigs, Zoom Tricks, Rage and X Zone craws, Neko Machos, Fat IKA’s and big Jelly Worms on weightless and weighted Texas rigs, various crankbaits and spinnerbaits, and even topwaters with a Whopper Plopper and a Megabass PopMax. I still struggle with jigs and frogs. But I keep trying. Start and stay simple until you start catching bass. Wacky rig 5” Senkos and weightless Zoom Trick Texas rigs are your friends here. Simple and easy to fish, and they do catch bass. Wacky rigs are about the simplest bait to fish. Cast it out and let it sink. If it stops before it hits bottom, or the line starts running (and you will know as the entire line moves, not just the parts of the line where it enters the water from your rod and where it sinks near the bait), raise your rod tip and reel in the slack until the bass is hooked (use appropriate wacky rig hooks. I personally like Gamakatsu 1/0 circle octopus hooks). For the Zoom Tricks, a 3/0 round offset worm hook is good. Cast it and let it sink. You can either work it slowly on the bottom, raise your rod tip and bounce it across the bottom, swim it slowly, or just let it lie on the bottom and twitch it slightly. Wait for that tap-tap-tap and set the hook. But while doing all that, focus on what you see and feel. Watch how the line sinks when no fish is on. Learn how the line looks and stay alert for changes that indicate a bass has your bait. Learn how structure feels as you drag a worm across the bottom. It stops, but you do not feel the tug of a bass. When you do, you’ll know it’s a bass and not a rock or log. Trust me, you will catch bass. I’m proof of that!

I would think that a weight dangling below the line, vs a bullet weight that the line runs through, likely slides freer and increases separation from the bait.

First thing I thought was how similar to a Lindy rig (except for the shape).