Buzzbaiter

Not a new technique by any stretch, but I want to start fishing finesse jigs for river smallmouth when the water warms up. I fished a lot of plastics on jigheads on the summer, which caught a lot of fish but not many big ones. I want to start consistently targeting fish over 2lbs

It’s a light power, extra fast action rod. That’s plenty good to throw spoons, spinners, hair jigs, and powerbait. You might have trouble throwing small plastics like trout magnets, but if you go up to a 1/32oz head instead of a traditional 1/64oz you could make it work

I’ve never used the rod, but based on the rating I think it could do well with tubes and swimbaits. The dark sleeper comes to mind, considering that they’re both made by Megabass

That’s interesting. I would have figured that big bass get that way because they’re more selective about what they eat, especially in pressured waters where the biggest stressor is angling

Lifting a native brook trout out of freezing water makes me forget how numb my hands are

I’ve never fished for walleye before, and I have no clue where to start. Is it possible to catch them from the bank on a big highland reservoir? What baits/lures do they eat? Where should I fish? Walleye just seems kind of weird to me because I’ve never caught or seen one

Very restaurant in Baltimore that claims to sell lake trout actually sells whiting

Maybe try a swim jig with a stiff swimbait trailer for the same application. It’s about the same profile, just slightly less action.

Reading the many articles on pond management here on BR is helping me tremendously in AP Environmental Science I don’t know that there is any one technique that I’ve learned here to call “most important.” The biggest thing I’ve taken away from this website is that there are many ways to skin a cat. Some people examine things down to the finest, most minute details with cutting edge technology. It works for some people. Others swear by going old-school, opting for pork over plastic, intuition over electronics, and history over fads. They can do just as well. As of right now, I’m learning how I like to skin the cat (although my bass season is over, since I fish almost exclusively for brook trout once it gets cold). I realized that I like wading rivers for smallmouth. It’s what I’m best at, and it’s what I find to be the most fun. I’m excited to build on that skill when the spring comes again I forgot to add the human element into my write-up. In my opinion, Bass Resource is easily the most supportive, helpful place on the internet. The tips and tricks that people share get passed down to new fishermen, even well after they kick the bucket or get too old for the sport. I’ve learned that positivity and helping others is the cornerstone of building a good community, and it’s what you’ll end up being remembered for.

I’m from Maryland and I was recently given the opportunity to go hunting with an experienced adult. I’ve always wanted to go hunting, but I need certification that I passed hunters education. In MD, you can take a virtual course and then attend a field day. I passed the virtual portion, but it seems that all of the in-person field days are booked out this fall. What are my options? Can I try passing the course in a nearby state? Does my first “hunting season” end here? I applied for a waitlisted spot but there’s like 40 other people in line before myself

If it’s capable on bringing in striper and other strong saltwater fish, it’s good enough for bass. I personally like to change hooks on old baits just for the reassurance that they won’t bend on me, but I’d be fine fishing them as is

Maybe, but I don’t think that they’re quite as opportunistic as you’re giving them credit for. IMO, bluegill and brook trout are true opportunists. They don’t scrutinize what they eat and will readily almost inhale anything they see. Except for water skaters. I’ve never seen a fish eat one. Research tells that this is because even the most opportunistic fish know that water skaters taste bad because of a foul-smelling chemical they excrete. They take note of these things and avoid them. As experience will tell, bass are far more selective about what they eat than either of the aforementioned fish. It stands to reason that bass are very well aware of the different forage options in their waters, and establish a preference for some fish over others (given that they aren’t malnourished). I don’t have any hard data to back this up, so this is just speculation. Take my conjecture with a healthy serving of salt.

How do you target crappie this time of year? I’m going to Virginia tomorrow and I plan to fish some ponds for bass and crappie. I’ve never really been able to figure out the whole crappie thing.

It might also help that crappie will eat juvenile bass. That probably reduced intraspecific competition among the bass, allowing each surviving bass to grow larger. It could also be that big bass are indeed targeting crappie as a primary forage fish. Realistically, it’s probably a combination of the two

1/16oz Panther Martins, trout magnets, Luck-E-Strike trout worms, and 1/12oz Kastmasters all work for baby bass. Personally, I’d ditch all of that action and throw a Ned. That way, you can still catch the small bass, but you also have a shot at bass > 1lb

Fair enough, I’ll raise the budget to a whopping $200

I’m not sure where to post this, so please move it to wherever it belongs. Im looking for a pair of waders <$100 to fish streams for trout this fall/winter. It’s my first time buying waders, so I’m not really sure what to look for. What are the best chest-waders within my budget?

…And I fixed it! After hours of tinkering and watching videos trying to solve the issue, I diagnosed the problem. My AR assembly was perfect, the problem was that I put the nut-roller thing that it sits on upside down (the fat side is supposed to contact the AR assembly). I’m beginning to see why I failed the Engineering course I took freshman year.

Like $30. For a third of the cost of the reel, I was debating upgrading, but it served me well when it was still in action, so I guess I’ll have to think about whether to buy the part or upgrade

Mine does. It’s just like the one @Bass_Fishing_Socal described I did, and I made sure to put it back together properly several times. Where can I order a new AR piece?

The antireverse on my Shimano FX spinning reel doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter how I toggle the AR switch, it doesn’t stop me from backreeling. I tried taking it apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together but it still doesn’t do anything. I made sure that there is absolutely no oil or anything in it, it just will not catch on anything

I am very interested

Are you wrapping the fluoro around the braid? If so, that’s your problem. The braid goes around the fluoro. personally, I opt for an Alberto knot. It’s easier and just as effective (for my purposes, at least)

I’m really planning on using my UL for creek smallmouth. I wouldn’t try pulling that off for largemouth in most of the weedy lakes I fish