Functional

looking more at the 0ft crankbait kind, not ready to jump into the swimbait world just yet. For context, i've been taking 5" jointed rapala floating jerkbaits and skimming them just under the surface. Looking for the same effect but try it with a purpose made lure. What I do works, but I have a problem and I need to try a real wakebait ?. (hey first step is admitting you have a problem right?)

I'm not sure how I did this but I'm just learning wake baits are an actual thing. I've fished lures that werent wake baits like a wake bait with really good success and now I want to pick up a few. Eyeing the 6th sense movement 80 but wanted to hear any other opinions...at $10 a pop I want to make sure I'm picking up something proven. Also open to color recommendations but one of the 2 I think I'll end up with 4k shad or shad scales, not sure on the 2nd color.

You are the 2nd guy in 3 days to tell me to try one, must be a sign lol. Ran into a guy as I was launching my boat saturday and he said thats all he could catch them on. I won quite a bit of freebies from Zoom and I've been working through the hoard or stuff I got through that but I'll have to pick up a pack and see how they do.

I'll put them on a wide gap hook weightless and throw them in really heavy laydowns and weeds. I'll crawl them out and fish em like I would a jerkbait, couple sharp snaps and let it rest 2-3 seconds. Trick is to not let it sit too long or it starts sinking unnaturally. Edit: a standard fluke I'll do the same with but it gives it a much better darting action. sometimes they prefer one over the other.

Not sure if its right or wrong, but I set my drag a little on the lighter side and on hooksets just hold the spool with my thumb.

Was going to tell you this. 2 lakes over by charlotte have basically the same setup you describe, rip rap dam with a drain at center line about a cast's length off shore. I've caught 1 or 2 dinks at the drain and some OK ones along the rip rap but the corners where it transitions are the best. Like you, one corner produces better than the other and despite one looking like it would hold more fish (laydowns, weeds, etc) the sandy corner that transitioned to shallow faster was the better producer.

Its the same way here for a few days after any rain storm at my home lake. As mentioned, anything truly obnoxious. Big spinners, ripping rattle traps and aggressively fishing larger poppers or something on top that makes a lot of commotion. On the other hand, i've also had excellent days fishing a NED at weed edges off the main lake in the same conditions. T-rigs, jerk baits, jigs, etc. do no produce for me in that slop though, its one extreme or the other.

well....I HAD a gift card....

I have a ARK Tharp Hammer and a Victory Marshall that I've thrown light jigs on. Both very nice rods but both are equally sensitive. My nod would go to ARK Tharp just because it's cheaper and just as sensitive. Only difference is the type of thud felt between the two but both feel the same stuff when using them back to back at the same cover. My Expride is more sensitive than both but I wouldn't say worldly. Fit, finish and balance is better and it makes the fishing experience nicer.

Hey from Nash County NC!

For what its worth frogging wasnt part of mine either except pike fishing until I found the right frog. Me and my father can have the same color/pattern tied on doing the same thing and hell get nothing and I'll get hit every 10-20 feet. Scum trophy frogs have made it a consistent tie on.

Thanks for the reply. Depending on where it is I was planning on driving down (from eastern NC) with my boat (tracker 175 if I still have it by then). I'd entertain a guide but dont feel compelled to find one just yet. My goal would be to use all artificial, not really a fan of live bait. I'm not against it, just not really my cup of tea. If you had to target one of those locations you listed for 2 or so days of fishing (will split up the trip with some LMB spots) and time of year, where/when would you go?

2023 for me is going to be dedicated to learning the Jig better and Jerkbait. I've caught a handful on Jig but do better with T-rigs and shaky heads in general. Just really want to have more confidence in the Jig, I feel like it will produce bigger fish more consistently than the other 2. Jerkbait I've done well one with a double jointed floater skimming the surface. Really want to put in the effort this year to get the submerged bites to happen.

I use jointed floating rapalas more than any other jerkbait. I use 1 piece ones like mentioned, top water, twitching it back with decent success. What has been excellent is using the large jointed ones (5"+ if I can find them) and reeling it in just so most of it is under the surface and creating a wake with the tail wobble. I've caught just about every species in my lake of every size with it. d**n good lure in the spring/early summer.

a lot of the people I know in my area only saltwater fish (which I know slim to nothing about) or catfish and they seem to have no interest in bass fishing so I kind of stopped talking about it. Once in a blue moon with my BIL and only text one buddy every now and then. He typically fishes for browns back in NY and there are slim to none in my area. In general, I try not to talk to people though so that might have something to do with it.

What's weird is I love spinners and do well on them but I can probably count on my fingers how many I've pulled with a chatterbait.

People with more experience than me will chime in but I've always read getting as shallow as you can into the newly flooded areas. Experience in my own home lake follows that to most degrees. My lake is a dammed part of a river though so it's kind of a lake and kind of a river.

Yea the lakes here depend on the guy working the ramp that day. It's never consistent but as of now I have yet to hit a day they would let me. My father did but that was 3 years ago before I took the boat.

Tried it twice, have a bent guide post due to it. Still to this day I have no idea what the hell the guide rope caught and wrapped around but it is more work than how I normally launch. My only problem is my home ramp, everywhere else is fine.

There are more selections but these are the most common. Would have been easier to take screen shots of the different licenses lol.

$25 gets you all inland waters $16 gets you coastal waters $41 gets you inland and coastal $53 gets you inland and big game hunting

I've had problems with some spinning reels when I used 10 and even 12lb braid, especially when I go with something supple like power pro slick. I'm strictly 15lb-20lb at this point with the majority using PP slick.

i went on a kick of finding sensitive rods under $300 for jig/trigs/shaky heads and found out that with casting I can get away with a $130-140 rod and the right line (mono or floro) without feeling like I'm losing any sensitivity. With Spinning where I cant keep a finger on the line during even a slow retrieve I found a more costly and sensitive rod matters more. Likewise, moving bait and topwater I can get away with $100 rods. I choose more expensive (typically) to save weight, better balance (usually) and get some of the handle configurations I prefer for the technique I'll be using them for. I prefer some type of cork or EVA (still prefer cork) at the top reel seat and a lot of lower cost options that fit my power/action/length requirements dont have that and push me into a higher end rod. You also get some nicer cork compared to some low cost options that are just cork wrapped. If I was on a budget and I could only spend good money on one rod it would be a spinning bottom contact followed by a casting bottom contact that I could use for jerkbaits also. Anything else I feel I could live with less costly rods.

the only lure I have a dedicated rod setup for is the spinnerbait. I've found I can work with them as the come out of the pack aside from skirt trimming and bending the wires to get the gap I like. My problem is my automatic solution to everything is the spinnerbait. Not getting hits on top, spinnerbait; no hits on bottom, spinnerbait; no hits on spinnerbait, must be the spot. At your rate I dont see why you just dont start building them yourself!

Thought I posted this last year and went to go look up my thread but its no where in my history, so here we are. Thinking of making a trip to FL for some peacock bass and was wondering when/where would be the best times in FL (not aware of them in any other states on the east).