Fishlegs

Wow! That fish choked it! It must've really wanted it because the hook is way back there. Looks like a cool lure. Does the blade sit horizontally?

He caught a nice enough smallie that he might let it slide.

Get well soon, @Swamp Girl! You’ll be back, and better than ever before you know it.

@The Baron 40 fish in 3 hours? Sounds fun to me. Nice day, and beautiful lake!

@LrgmouthShad

This nicely sums up the difference in how a respectful person like you treats people vs how an entitled Karen like the one you encountered treats people. You keep being you, and don’t let her being her get you down.

You could amend your signature line to say... Neither cold nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night NOR CRANKY KAREN stays Swampy from the steady completion of her appointed casts.

Maybe you shouldn't cast so far that you have to use binoculars to see your lure. She might've thought you were looking in her window. 😂 Some people think they own the world, and that it revolves around them. Nothing can please that type of person.

Those answers check out. 👏 Glad you’re back. There would be a big void without you.

@Swamp Girl I don't think anyone considers you a slacker, but I expect that @Bluebasser86 probably caught 100 fish this week so you're falling behind in the utlimate bass catcher of the universe race.

If it's a good hook then I will sharpen them. If it's a bad hook I'll throw it away/replace it. I keep a file in my bag so I can sharpen when necessary. It has a course side, and a finer side. It works well enough for me.

This is definitley something I want to learn to do more effectively. Thanks for another good video. One very intersting thing he said is that he could smell bream beds. A quick search says the smell is like a very ripe watermelon. I've never noticed smelling that on the water. Would those of you who have noticed it describe it that way?

What a fish! Congrats!

Great fish, and super cool fly by. Have you seen yourself on the facebook page?

Wow! What a beast @FishTax! I bet that was fun. I love that the kids saw it.

A 15 1/2 ft gator in a 17 ft boat?

I hope you had good shoes on when you stepped on those lures @Blue Raider Bob! From the stories you tell it seems like you never have a dull day on the water. 😂

Nice fish!

I don't have any stories, but I wish you a speedy & full recovery.

That is a very beautiful, and peaceful looking lake @Jar11591. Nice intro music for your video. If you're going to sing that song you need to make sure you choose an appropriate hat. 😉

Welcome, and congrats on the beautiful smallies! I hope you have a great trip.

I went to the river after work on Friday. The park where I fish is always jam packed when the weather warms up. This was no exception. My favorite spot had 3 people on it so I had to start somewhere else. I ended up catching a decent smallmouth on the third cast, but then it was nothing for the next hour and a half. The wind was starting to blow pretty hard so I moved to a more protected area. I wasn't the only one who had that idea. There was a boat, a kayak, and 3 others fishing from the bank within sight of where I stopped. I didn't see anyone else catch a fish, so I felt pretty good catching 3 bass within 10 minutes of getting there. None of them were big, but it's better than nothing. After a few minutes I saw a blowup on some shad so I cast in that direction. It was a perfect cast, right in the middle of the ripples where the blowup happened. I let the lizard sink to the bottom, and felt a tug on the line. I set the hook. The fish immediately swam toward me so I couldn't feel the weight of the fish. I assumed it was another small one until I caught up with it. Once I got some resistance on the fish it jumped. This was a nice one. The splash got the attention of the people around me so I had an audience of a boater, a kayaker, 3 other fishermen, along with an older couple who were walking by. All eyes were on me. I was using a spinning reel with 6 lb line so there was no chance of flipping this fish up over the riprap so I had to climb down the rocks to get it. I managed to keep the fish on while climbing down. When I pulled the fish out of the water I heard several "atta boys" from the onlookers. It's cool to see people pulling for each other. It started out tough, but turned into a decent night. Two smallmouth, and three largemouth with the last one being a 4 pounder. Not bad for a Friday night bank trip at an overcrowded park.

Wow! A 4 lb white bass would be mighty fun to catch.

If you’re planning to start with small soft plastics I’d start with a medium spinning combo for yourself. You’ll want to dedicate more time to helping your grandson than you will to learning to cast a baitcaster. I’m sure Bass Pro will have plenty of good options in whatever price range you want. As for your grandson, I’d recommend taking him with you and letting him pick out his own. They make tons of color options that kids like. If he likes the rod and reel he’ll be more likely to get excited about using it. Whatever you choose, I’m sure the time with the grandson will mean more than the equipment he’s using. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions you may have on this forum. It’s full of good info, and great users.

Nice!