LrgmouthShad

I think that bass is over 7lbs, which is insane

Heck yeah @ol'crickety. It appears those Yankees are coming at us now with a vengeance. Stay strong my Southern kinfolk. We have a lot of months before dreadful August.

As a tournament angler you need bites. You are one of the best on this site, maybe the best. If you are wrong, the rest of us are gravely wrong.

I figured this is a more appropriate place to announce my endeavors this year rather than ol crickety’s thread. I’ll snip my other post. This is also a good thread to revive. I have set the goal of only trophy hunting this year and breaking my PB with a DD. I live in TX which means this is achievable. Is anyone else trophy hunting this year?

Accurate

-Moved to another thread-

Word on the street is that Disco “The Wild Card” Chef is catching em. #spoiler

@August I haven’t tried either of those so will not recommend. Both look fine.

Depends on the grass and how thick. A lot of those pitching-style jigs come through grass okay in the smaller sizes, but the bigger they get, the wider the head and the more difficult to get them through grass. If grass is anywhere in the discussion, use a pointed head.. E-factor’s pitching jig is different: comes with a pointed head and comes through grass semi-well.

The best jigs I find are usually from smaller companies. My favorite jig is Terry’s Oldham’s Trailer Hitch Jig. You can order over the phone. His website is here: http://www.oldhamjigs.com. I also really like Mike Siebert’s jigs: https://siebertoutdoors.com. Other good jigs that are much less known are E-factor and Coda Lures jigs (the apex jig in particular). Of the jigs you have listed, I would go with the dirty jigs pitching jig. @Pat Brown gives the cold hard truth about jig fishing: there is no “one size fits all.”

Winner is Abu Garcia REVO Winch Gen 4 And I own a JDM Zillion SV TW

I have never flattened a blade myself if that is what you mean. Blades are sold in varying degrees of curvature. As I recall, Picasso willow blades are “shallow cup.” Flatter than most. I remember really liking them and I honestly should buy some at some point. Use a #5 or larger Hildebrandt blade and you again have a shallow cup. The smaller ones have more curvature to them. The change from a 4.5 to a 5 is significant *hint hint*. I only mention these blades because I am familiar with them. Same goes for colorado and Indiana blades

How did they fare? I pitched em into trees one trip a while back and got some really nice bites but couldn’t get a good hook into them. I think my setup was wrong or the ribs possibly may have interfered with good hook penetration. Stinks because those fish felt huge.

Clear water with a green tint I like some green in my bait Clear water with a blue tint I like some blue in my bait Super clear water I like some purple in my bait (don’t make no sense to me)

iRod makes a Swim/Vibrating Jig Rod that is very good. Loads a little weird on the cast IMO but hook to land ratio is fantastic. It’s a sleeper buzzbait rod too. There have been some times when I needed a little more power and for that I have used my regular jig rod. Whatever you use for bottom jigs should be fine in that case.

I only said considering, so far. The more practical side of me wants to add a skunk-buster and one topwater into the mix. Particularly for when it hits August and September. I could absolutely put out a good showing with only those two baits, though. Still considering. It would definitely save time.

I actually just told a couple of people that I’m considering fishing only spinnerbaits and jigs this year to keep things simple for me and to save time. So on that front, yeah we are pretty different. What do I think I’m doing wrong that other anglers are doing right? Knowing how to use a rotation of baits offshore waiting for fish to bite/triggering them to bite is something that I am not good at, but others are. I am decent at throwing 1-3 baits on offshore structure and to stay moving, though.

And so I decided on the regular Amistad. Thank you for advising me Should be here in a week

Use 1oz. That dog should hunt fine

How do you work the lure

Bass will run to deeper water for safety. They may have just wanted a less vulnerable place to enjoy their meal. In deeper water they are less exposed to any predators lining the shore or from above. I have observed bass hanging out under trees with dead branches and no leaves that overhang the water. This provides no cover under the surface nor shade from above. Why are they there? Perceived protection from airborne predators is my assumption.

I have no idea; I’ve never fished High Rock. Badin I like spinnerbaits and jigs in the spring but I toss those everywhere anyways. In the summer if you are fishing shallow a shaky head is hard to beat. When I come to NC for the holidays or another time, I’m always fishing Badin these days. I don’t really care to fish anywhere else.

Badin has four boat ramps that I am aware of. Circle drive on extreme North, Whip O Will also on the North, the main launch on the Southwest, and Cove Boat Ramp on the Southeast. I’ve launched from all of them in a kayak and done fine fishing from all of them. Circle Drive has the best amenities of the boat ramps. Cove Boat Ramp and Whip O Will have the worst. Everywhere is good but I would give the area around Cove Boat Ramp the nod this time of year. There are some belugas that like to come into pockets close by there for spawning season. If you have a large boat, Cove Boat Ramp may be a little more difficult to launch from. You are likely to meet some fellow rednecks at that ramp and the drive to it is a little rough. There are some characters I have met around there. Be careful with your valuable items. I don’t think anybody around there means badly. The main launch is a safer bet if you can run over to the area around Cove Boat Ramp.

@casts_by_fly I am looking for a pitching stick that will handle heavy jigs ranging from 5/8oz-1 1/2oz. Of course trailer adds weight as well. This would be a straight braid deal with heavy gauge flipping jig hooks. Is the amistad what I am looking for? Would I be better off with the XH Amistad? What do you recommend? Expert line

Just about everyone seems to recommend “working” a spinnerbait while reeling in. I do best with a straight retrieve. Same deal I guess. I don’t know nothing about chatterbaits because those things are weird