LrgmouthShad

Maybe I’ll night fish once or twice this summer. I have done it a little more than several times before. It has been alright. Definitely a challenge but also a very cool experience.

Hey ya’ll, Whats your Carolina rig line setup? Easy

The bait monkey’s worst nightmare. Catt and his favorite Gary Klein speech ?.

Guilty ✋?

Found this sick looking chatter in some standing timber. I don’t think this thing is on the market. Looks homemade but correct me if I’m wrong. The blade is made of a flexible plastic material. Everything still in great shape. Does not vibrate at slow speeds, but when run quicker, has an amazing side to side swim. The head is free swinging

Single willow/colorado?

My solution to heat is more water. I carry a gallon of water in the kayak and yes, I will also drink a good bit of coffee. We’ve got some very very hot days incoming and it is possible that I will carry more than a gallon of water as well as not drink as much coffee and get off the water when it really starts to boil. But, in most cases, if I have a gallon of water, dehydration is not possible for me.

I like this. I don’t necessarily think that the rod is like a great choice for dark sleepers or anything but it’s a great rod, you should get one anyway ?

Heck, man it’s really tough for me to say. I almost don’t want to guess. Do you have a length? It is a big fish. I’m looking at the tail, belly, and of course that big mouth. I think you are right, I think it is definitely a 5+.

Hawg! Congrats!!

@Deleted account once told me he likes compact spinnerbaits pitched to cover in the summertime or run over grass flats, for what that is worth. Thank you BassWhole for that tip. I am indeed finding that more compact spinnerbaits with a willow main blade are performing best for me, but that said, the bite is a little slow on SB’s recently so I’ve opted for other means to catch them.

*Frantically scribbles notes* Awesome fish!

uh top performers maybe in the past couple years are spinnerbaits (Nichols 3/8oz frame is #1) jigs (siebert and 6th sense swim) senkos swim jig trick worm buzzbait (Nichols) frog (Scum frog trophy series) z hog various other worms (speed, ribbon) And new to me… the shaky head I still ain’t caught crap on the devils horse.

I would be more concerned about establishing where the fish are first. I don’t imagine many are very deep. However, since trout are stocked in there, if there are very large bass in there, I believe the presence of trout is going to influence their behavior. I would not be concerned about “pressure” from the shore fishermen. Of course, if they are there, you have to respect allowing them more than enough room to cast, but I would not shy away from a place just because it is fished more often. If the bass want to be there, they will be there. I would not be looking for bass on the steep dropoffs unless you have caught them there before. I like the look of the left side of this lake, especially that lily padded point that comes out. Instead of skirting around the edges of the lily pads with topwater, get in them, or work something deeper along the edges too. We had a great thread recently on fishing heavy lily pads, which looks like your situation. If you are t-rigging, I would opt for a heavier weight to get through the coontail. Otherwise, anything that stays above above the coontail is all good. Find the bass first

Uh yep. Are you a mono or fluoro guy? Just start a thread explaining why you like one or the other while making generalized claims about the other and you’ll have as many responses as you care to read, lol. Until those big bad moderators inevitably lock your thread down.

Hey ya’ll, I had a break off on a hookset today. Not something that usually occurs but I am fishing lighter line than I am used to as well as using braid, so there could be some learning curve going on here. Anyways, would you feel comfortable fishing 8lb test in rocks? I am working a Charlie brewer spider head through rocks in some places and definitely feel the head getting caught up and me having to pop it free. I imagine that this is taking a toll on my line. But, is 8lb still doable in this scenario? I can check line as often as needed and was checking it frequently on the water for nicks, but either I missed something or something in my setup was wrong. I’ve dialed my drag at right around 2.3lbs for next time and triple checked my knots, but is this doable? I’m just stubborn because I want to make the light line work as I think it will generate me more bites. Thanks y’all. Edit: clarification: my setup is M spinning, 10lb braid to 8lb mono

The only topwater action happening on the water I fish right now is some guy taking a whizz out of his boat.

Holy cow this thread took off just like OP’s spinnerbait thread. Shaky head on a spinning rig wins the day again for me. Could you have thrown the same thing on BFS? Sure but that means you are bad and you should feel bad. Also you stink ? Edit: Also, I skip with a BC out of a kayak just fine.

Did some catching up on reading replies, thank you all for the responses. I definitely think that people view their fishing off time in a very individual way that is special to them. It must be special, otherwise we wouldn’t be nuts about it. So of course I’m glad everyone views their time spent fishing in such a positive light, as I do. I know my nature as a reward seeker. Everything that y’all mentioned about peace of mind and serenity that you get from fishing just happens in the background for me. I can have a terrible day fishing after lots of preparation, but I always notice that my mental state is still better after fishing. I get some of that peace and serenity. So, when I am fishing, I am not focused on relaxation. I want the fish, because that is what I am there for. And before and during fishing, I want to be with a positive mental outlook to help deal with potential annoyances. A brisk 15mph wind could be blowing me around in the kayak but I want to remain cool headed. Heck, I lost a real nice fish fishing today. I just noticed my frustration, took a second, and then went right back to casting. Anyways… in the grand scheme of things, fishing is a great hobby and if we didn’t feel better after every time we go, then what is the point? I just felt like I needed to explain my point of view here. Thank ya’ll

Uh no I don’t believe so. Not sure if this photo helps. The guides on my iRods are much smaller than this. Love the rod. As far as I can tell so far, it’s the perfect spinnerbait rod. Although ironically, I’ve been using a $40 spinning rod much more often recently. Those bass just want a little shaky head

Shoulda saved the first catch as food for the second! I wonder… if you tried to hand feed a bass a bluegill out of water, would it eat it? Great pics

Love you Tom. We respect very much your legacy in bass fishing and I can’t imagine losing a son, it’s unthinkable. We’re here with ya

Works just fine for me sir. I’ll fill in the gaps ?

I’m going to be honest with you, and I sort of feel like I’m calling you out, but I expected a more lengthy answer from you on this one. No mention of working out? No mention of visualization? I say this because I respect you, you know that.

Hey ya’ll, What puts you in the right frame of mind to go fishing? Often, I find, my success on the water is partly determined by the frame of mind I am in both prior to leaving and while fishing. I am not sure if you feel the same, but for those that agree, if you’ve thought about it, what helps you? my policy has always been to go fishing whenever I am able and is “right” for me to do so and I will put myself in the right frame of mind if I am not there, but anyways, I digress. What helps you?