Dash Riprock

I may be completely off base on this because it's always confused me, but as I understand it, the Daiwa Tatulas are supposed to be set with the tension knob to where they just barely have the "side to side" action, due to the way the braking system on those reels are designed. My understanding is that only the Daiwa's with that particular system (which I think they call Magforce?) are designed that way. Other reels are set using the "drop" method. I will add that I have that same Tatula and I set it up using that "side to side" method, and it's a dream to cast. Almost idiot proof unless I do something stupid while casting. I also learned, too late, that they come pre-set from the factory so in theory, you don't have to ever really mess with the tension knob unless you're an idiot like me and start fiddling with everything before you read the manual.

I'm a bank fisherman too and I curse myself whenever I bring my one 7' rod with me. Just too much of a hassle contending with the brush to justify the marginal increase in casting distance. I have a couple of 6'6"s and a 6'3" and sometimes I think even those are too long. I wish quality short rods were more readily available. Obviously it depends on where you fish and what type of cover you're fighting. You certainly have a lot more options at 7'.

Not from a snag that I can recall but I've hooked a few on weightless worms while picking out a bird's nest. It should have taught me a lesson about the importance of patience when fishing with worms, but it hasn't. I can't let them sit unless I'm forced to.

To briefly add - when I'm throwing the LH Curado, force of habit quite often has me switching the rod back to my left hand after casting, resulting in the handle digging into my left palm while my right hand grasps at air looking for that handle on that side. I have to constantly remind myself that "hey dummy, this is your leftie reel". These old habits die hard, apparently. That's so bizarre. The spinning reel wants to flip over, I can't imagine fighting gravity in addition to all the other things you have to worry about while fishing. Plus aren't you forced to reel backwards?

As a kid I started out with a cheapie Zebco RH spincaster, then at some point my dad got me a Zebco spinning reel that, while reversible, came set up LH. I didn't know enough to question it at the time, and it seemed like that was how everybody did it, so that's how I did it for many years even as I upgraded to a real (RH) baitcaster. But I always wondered if there was a reason spinning reels were usually LH and baitcasters RH. A couple of years ago I started getting more serious about this hobby and starting reading boards like this. The issue came up from time to time and was very interesting to me, particularly the argument about having to "switch hands" after casting. I'm extremely RH dominant and cannot for the life of me cast left handed, so not switching hands seemed like it would be an advantage, and, since I already reel spinning reels LH, why wouldn't it work for a baitcaster? Seems perfectly logical. So I kept my eyes open for a deal on a LH baitcaster and a few months ago purchased a LH Shimano Curado K from the flea market. Turns out I can reel a spinning reel left handed all day long without a thought but it's awkward for me to reel this baitcaster left handed. I can force myself to do it, but it feels awkward. I don't know why, I guess it became ingrained at some point. I thought about reselling the LH Curado but it's otherwise such a fantastic feeling reel I figure I'll just continue to work with it and see what happens.

Coppertreuse (sp?) Hula Stick. Don't know if it's the color or the tentacles but I've had really good luck with them the last couple of times I've been out. I seldom catch anything on green pumpkin or gp variations. Don't know why. That flash of chartreuse is what they want around here, I guess.

This is a great idea! I get very confused by all the different jig variations.

Maybe something in the Highland Lakes chain? It's basically a series of dams northwest of Austin built in the 1930's to control flooding along the Colorado. Lady Bird Lake is the last in the chain but there are several larger lakes upstream. Unfortunately I'm only familiar with Lake Buchanan and the area I bank fish there is private. I assume there are public access areas on all the lakes but I'm just not familiar with them, except for Lake Travis which is always crowded and I've yet to find a decent bank access spot. Buchanan holds a lot of striper but you need your own boat or a guide to get to them. What's that lake in west-ish Texas I see mentioned a lot - Lake Ivie?

Lady Bird Lake (also known as Town Lake) is basically the section of the Colorado river that runs through Austin. I suppose technically it's a "lake" because it has a dam on one end (well, both ends actually), but it doesn't really look or feel like one. It feels like, well, the section of a river that runs through a city. Having said that, it's my understanding that it does hold a lot of bass. And as noted, it's free access and almost all of it is accessible by shore. The problem is that an extremely busy hike and bike trail surrounds most of it, there is a huge homeless population in the area, and it's often packed full of kayakers and paddle boarders. I tried bank fishing there a couple of times and got frustrated with the constant interruptions and the stress of worrying about when and where to cast, and this was years ago when it wasn't even as crowded as it is now. After having said THAT, there is a small area at the very top end of the lake called Red Bud Isle that is decently isolated and away from all the "noise". The problem there, though, is that it's far enough from downtown that you have to drive to it and parking is extremely limited. But if can get there during non-peak hours, you'll do OK. You could also venture to the east side of the lake where things open up a lot more, but it gets kinda sketchy once you cross I-35. Another option would be to rent a kayak or canoe from one of the rental places and fish from that. There are some youtube videos of guys doing that with decent success. Other than that, bank fishing around here is spotty at best. I know a few places in the north part of town - specifically Brushy Creek Lake Park and a very well kept (for now) secret called either Muir Lake or "Soil Conservation Service Site #6" depending on the map. I had fun once at Lake Pflugerville but it's pretty far from me and I have to really want to get there, and haven't since. I've heard Decker Lake can be good but I've never been there. Where are you staying, that might help us?

Pflueger President XT Limited Edition from BPS came in fast - 2 days after ordering! Extra unnecessary stuff added to qualify for free shipping and 10% discount. Basically I spent another $10 to save $8, although I prefer to think of it as "I got some experimental worms and a spinnerbait for $2".

Yeah, that's what I'm seeing also. Bait Monkey got me for one and made me add a couple of baits I didn't need so that I could get free shipping and the save10 code.

So this is essentially the President XT with some cosmetic differences, correct? I assume this is a BPS exclusive? I bought a President XT last year and have been very happy with it. I don't need another reel but this is a really good deal. Might have to grab one.

This is a kayak/canoe only lake, and there weren't any there that day. I don't know how deep it is, but I wondered later if maybe I should have attempted that. I didn't know at the time about the submerged fence, I was chatting with a guy on my way back to the truck and he mentioned it to me.

That's good to hear, thanks. Pretty sure it couldn't have been gut hooked, otherwise I wouldn't have seen the worm hanging from its lip. It was a shaky head with a screw lock baitkeeper, so it couldn't have ridden up the line.

Was bank fishing with a Yamamoto cut-tail on a shakey head in a new-to-me spot on a small lake where I had been once before. Got careless with a cast and ended up with a nasty bird's nest. It took me a while to pick it out but when I was finally done and started reeling up, I had a fish on. Apparently, while I was picking out the birds' nest the fish went into some structure and got my line tangled with a previously broken off line in the structure. I could lift the rod tip and raise the hooked bass out of the water, and see my worm dangling from its mouth and the other line stretching back down into the water. I found out later from another angler that that area was notorious for eating lures. Apparently there's an old fence on the bottom that was left when the reservoir was filled, and it still has the barbed wire on it. Anyway, I tried to free the tangle but no luck and eventually my line broke. I felt bad leaving that fish stuck on a hook tangled in a line under the water, but I didn't know what else to do. Is there anything I could have done in that situation? Maybe he manage to free himself?

I imagine that's a lot closer to what a worm really looks like when it's "swimming" but man, that seems like a lot of work. I guess you could pre-rig some and save time on the water, because that doesn't seem like the worm will last for more than one fish. Maybe 2?. Any reason you wouldn't put the hook at the tail end of the worm rather than the head? I guess you could do both. Something about the placement of the split ring bothers me.

I haven't had a chance to use them yet but I bought some hologram shad a while back and they are a work of art.

Stopped by Wally World for something unrelated and noticed they were in the process of remodeling their sporting goods section. Lots of things were discounted so I couldn't resist picking up a bunch of worms I didn't need. All for $2/bag except the Yamamoto Senkos which were $5/bag. The Yum Swim-n Dinger looks interesting. I hadn't seen those before.

Academy's website says they're running a sale for on-line orders only through Wednesday. I can't quite figure out the details but I put a couple things in the cart and it looks like they're taking off 10-ish%. Some things appear to be labeled as "deals" rather than getting a discount. For example, certain colors of Yum Dingers are showing up for $1.97/bag.

When you find out let me know. I'm embarassed to admit how much nonsense I carry with me when I fish. I had an idea a while back to dedicate several small(ish) carry bags to specific techniques - one for Ned, one for Wacky, one for jigs, etc. But I ended up dragging three or four bags with me because hey, what if I get out there and want to try those new finesse worms and didn't bring that bag?? Stupid. My latest idea is to store things by technique in dedicated Sterlite boxes, then dedicate ONE small bag and ONE 3600 tray with a LIMITED mixture of things from each technique box, and just take that ONE bag for that trip. That will require a level of discipline I don't yet possess. Good luck.

In the creek I fish the most, black or some combination of black/gray works the best. I've also caught fish there on that merthiolate (sp?) color but I can't recall ever catching anything on green pumpkin. Yet I have a green pumpkin version of almost every soft bait I have, and I don't know why. Also, 75% of my luck is on a weightless trick worm type bait, the rest a combination of wacky rig and, when those aren't working a good old white Shyster. I recently got some tubes and some Berkley Pit Bosses I'm anxious to try out. I don't use weighted worms or Neds here because the bottom is so mossed over, yet somehow I've accumulated a tray full of tungsten. I don't know why. Yeah, I think nearly all of us spend way too much on tackle than is necessary.

Took a chance on some Double Z worms a while back and had really good luck with them first time out so I decided to order a few more. Got a little carried away but hopefully these will last me a while.

Why is the drop shot not a good technique for bank fishing?

Thank you!! Since I got back into fishing a year or so ago and started adopting some of these fancy new (to me) tools and techniques I saw everybody talking about, this one never quite made sense. I loaded up my new reels with braid then religiously tied FC leaders to it, because that seemed like the thing to do. But then I'd see things like, for example, all the wacky rig paraphernalia with the black o-rings and the weedless hooks and sometimes even with weights attached, and I kept thinking "how can the fish get spooked by this tiny strand of nearly camouflaged braid but not by all the goofiness sticking out of this worm they are about to bite, at exactly the point where they're going to bite it?". I've been seriously considering going to just straight braid, no leader. Of course that would mean all that time I spent practicing a half dozen types of leader knots would be for naught. Arggghhh.

Saw these at Bass Pro over the weekend. I'd never seen Roboworms in person before. I don't know if they catch fish but they sure are pretty. We'll see if they work.