Jmurphy87

Yes correct, you feel the weight of the fish. Because with weeds there stationary so it’s more of a dead static drag, the weeds will move some of course but nothing like a fish. Like when you are coming through grass with a lure you feel the resistance but then it pops free. The fish on the end is what makes all the difference, they pull back head shake or swim off a different direction. I am extremely ocd about how my lure feels coming through grass, so when I get bored I like taking cranks and working them through grass so I can feel the difference and I like to be patient and get them through cleanly. This is always fun. I am sure you will catch them, good luck and I am definitely looking forward to hearing about how your trips go ?

How I use the term is, that when you are bringing a lure through the grass you will get hung up here and there. Which will cause the rod to get a bend due to the hook or hooks being caught on something. You get that resistance, the difference is when a fish hits the lure it starts to put a different resistance on top of the other one, or stronger should I say. Like when you are ripping a lipless crank or like today a chatter bait out of the grass it loads the rod more and you can feel it have the heavier load on it. That’s how I explain it, I hope it helps you out. I am definitely not the best person at explaining things lol but I try. I am definitely looking forward to seeing some of your catches and stories this year. I can’t wait to hear them.

Got out this morning, figured it would be busy at a local park but it close by my apartment. Got some gas for the car and headed to the park, there was a few people there on the one side and the other spots had people on them already also. I headed around the corner to a spot that I hit frequently, didn’t want to get water over my boots again but it didn’t take long. I decided to just stay in the water with my boots full of water and up to my knees. I started with a tube, didn’t get any hits on the tube. Decided to tie on the mini max 1/2 with a matching zako trailer and work the weed line. I had the wind in my face and just kept going, turning my brakes down more and more to work on some control into headwinds. I was getting ready to leave and decided to fire off a long cast down the shallow bank,there’s a couple of deep pockets in the middle of the weed line and I wanted to go over those. I didn’t get hit over the pockets coming back through the grass I felt it get heavy and I reeled and swept the rod and felt it load up. I watched my line moving a little bit differently and that’s when I knew it was a fish and not just hung up in the grass again. I saw the fish and was definitely happy, it wasn’t huge but decent nonetheless. I got some insight on why the fish have been acting so strange, I figured that the spawn was getting close. I could tell by this fish that it is closer than I expected. All in all a decent fish for less than 30 minutes at a very pressured fishery. I feel like I am starting to get this body of water more and more. I have went from getting skunked here all the time to usually being able to catch something. It still skunks me here and there but to me that’s normal. Feels good getting there and making progress.

I grabbed a few more things, I finally bought some suspending lipless crank baits after a couple years. I got a different pack of max scent tubes because I liked the color watermelon vapor, looks good to me. Some owner phantom tube hooks and a rapala rocco in green gizzard shad. I figured that’s a decent color since they only had one left.

I tend to use fluorocarbon for my jig applications, although my bfs setup has light braid on it though. I caught my biggest fish last year with my bfs setup, some like fluorocarbon for slack line sensitivity. I use the light braid to help my bfs setup to drive a heavier hook home. Either will work let the cover dictate your line size and you will be good to go. I use 14-16lb fluorocarbon and 12-40lb braid.

I have more plastics than I remember, probably a few. The one I recall was a 6 inch manns jelly worm black with chartreuse tail. I have caught fish on it, I think that both of those color combinations should be great.

I got a few more things lol, the jackal tn 50 lipless we’re on clearance for $9 a piece. I couldn’t resist, they got more colors of two taps. I wanted to try the red damiki vault in 1/2oz but they only had 3/8, 3/4oz I went with the 3/8oz. I wanted to get another pack of skirts but had to check my stash first. I also got another swim jig.I am really starting to understand my addiction, I catch some fish on a certain type of lure and then go nuts buying different colors to try out. I base it off what has worked in the past plus what I think might work. I know that I have a problem but it tends to make me feel good getting things to try. I haven’t encountered any financial difficulties as of yet, but if I keep going like I am it’s not far off. I need to get a cage.

Another small pike day out of me, different lures today. 2 came on a 3/8 oz dirty jigs swim jig black and blue with a rage menace trailer in blue sapphire. 1 came on a fire craw hybrid hunter jr with upgraded owner treble hooks. I even went fishing for squirrels with my sleeper gill, now she rest at the bottom of the pond. That’s my fault 100% got impatient trying to get it out of the tree, I should have finessed it but oh well that’s what lures are for to be bought used lost and bought again lol. The last pike that ate the crank I felt bad for it got one of the treble hooks in the tongue and was bleeding some did what I could and released him. I fished for a hour and a half and there was no floating fish so that made me feel a tiny bit better.

Well it was still raining and windy today, but I was going fishing either way. I told myself this on Wednesday. No matter the weather we are fishing. It was mid thirties and raining when I started winds would get stronger and die off and then come back with a vengeance. Towards the end it switched to snow. The bass were not cooperating one bit today, as usual the pike were full of there normal high energy. I caught three small pike, 2 on a 1/2 oz thunder cricket that I changed the skirt out to match a idea of a sungill chaterbait, zoom super fluke in sungill. Tried a chick magnet but all I caught was grass lol, last bait to catch the last pike was a 4.3 keitech in morning dawn on a owner flashy swimmer underspin. I saw a wake in the middle of the pond and casted to it and came back towards me it hit. I didn’t get the best hook set on it fought it close to the bank and about 10-15 feet from the bank it came off. The one I lost felt like the best one of the day by far, oh well that’s the fun part of this you win some and you lose some. If it was easy what would be the point, we learn that sometimes it just doesn’t work out and there is always tomorrow. I like the chatter bait combo what’s your thoughts ?

I don’t think that there made out of elaztech, will probably be durable but from what I have noticed I question if they will hold up for extended periods. I have had good luck with the dark sleepers, some reported issues with them durability wise also. Just in my opinion the sleeper craw just feels like it is not going to take a lot of abuse before they lose there weed less ability. On the one I got the hook set’s extremely close to the top of the fin that makes it weed less. Once I throw it and try to get it hung up in cover I will know more.

I bought a few more things for some odd reason, I vote insanity lol 1/2 mini max black and blue 1/2 thunder cricket gold, using for different skirt combinations That I have planned owner jig rig, 3/0,5/0 no clue but I have wanted to try these for a while, definitely a few ideas up my sleeve 1/2 red eye shad two tap Smokey chrome blue 1 strike king chick magnet blue rock craw 1 hybrid hunter jr fire craw 1 pack big trd pro perch yellow 1 pack mini zako electric shad 1 pack owner st38 size 4 1 megabass sleeper craw uchida craw 2 pack 8’ zoom lizards black grape, black with red glitter 1 pack 6’ zoom lizards watermelon moondust

They are very very soft, a very large cavity near the hook. The claws are split and hollow in the middle. I think hookups will be very good due to the softness, but you are going to burn through them extremely quickly. This is my observations from taking mine out of the package and examining it.

Yep he sure does my family lol, the messes they make. Now if only they would clean up after there selves and use some of the excess cleaning products we have, we would be golden.

Grabbed a couple more things to fish the cold windy snowy day, see the monkey even blames the weather as a reason to buy lol. A couple blade baits, couple cranks, spinner bait.

20 degrees out today with 20 mph winds with gusts up to 35mph. Definitely colder than normal. Guys at the local store thought that I was crazy for going fishing in the snowy cold. Fished maybe 20 minutes and got this one coming across a shallow flat with some a lay down or 2. I built my tackle for the day at the local tackle shop based off the conditions. 2 blade baits a flat side crank, spinner bait, res 2 tap 1/2 oz in gold black back. I only needed the lipless, gets really cold with no gloves. I am happy caught a spunky chunky little fish in not much time, I think I did okay for the conditions in Michigan this time of year.

I had to grab a couple more things, wanted to get some swim baits, swim jigs. They also had the gold blade flashy swimmers a couple lipless and a flat side crank that the pike will probably ruin, oh well it’s a lure and only $9. Can’t catch fish if you’re afraid to lose your precious baits lol. 2 packs 3.8 fat impact black blue, deep blue, smokin white 2 packs 4’ menace blue sapphire, Smokey shad 2 dirty jig swim jigs 3/8 black blue, 1/2 California tactical shad 2 lvmax 500 Bp golden shiner, magma peacock 1 quake 70 bluegill fire 1 rapala og slim 6 red craw dad 1 pack flashy swimmer 1/0-1/8 oz gold willow blades I will use the keitech as a trailer and stand alone, same with the menaces. I fish very dirty water so I wanted to experiment a little bit lol.

Well no bass today had 20 minutes to fish, small wind today so I decided spinner bait. I did catch a pike though, didn’t damage the spinner bait besides bending the wire a little bit. Better than a skunk ?.

One of the local Walmarts near me had there’s on clearance for $5 a pack I think, I never got the chance to see them for the $1.79, 3.50 a pack unfortunately ? I did hit Berkley power bait max scent for dirt cheap when my local meijer remodeled though ?

Yeah, few things in life really truly make me happy, my family and kids and learning new things and getting better at them and then fishing. I always wonder about the difference of what I consider mid range gear vs the cheaper stuff that I started with. I still like some of cheaper stuff just as much as my higher end gear. It’s just a obsession or sickness haven’t decided yet truly.

What else can I say but monkey 1 met b 6.2 ratio 1 spool of some more sniper I wanted to get a 6.2 last year but someone literally stole the last one they had in the display case. This rounds out my met b collection, I own 2 8.1, 1 7.1, now the 6.2. Series complete now onto the new bantam or zillion, I own 1 bantam 22 in 7.1, zillion in 7.1, 6.3. Decisions decisions lol.

Well broke the new combo in, maybe 30 minutes if that. Just yo yoing a lipless, not too cold out there today at 34 degrees overcast sky’s with a very slight Breeze. Not big by far, although it could be a lot smaller, I am definitely doing a lot better than I have been this time of year for the past few. I will definitely take it happily.

Well bait monkey got me again lol, just went to look at spinning rods I said. local shop had the first casting rod that I have seen in the st croix legend tournament bass series that I have ever seen, it sort of went downhill from there lol. 1 st croix legend tournament bass 7’3 mh 1 daiwa zillion sv tw g 6.3 ratio 1 spool of 14lb sniper 1 mini max 3/8 spot remover 1 pack mini zako sight flash 1 nichols pulsator 1/2 black red 1 megabass sv-3 1/2 hot tiger 1 duo realis nitro 65 bloody gold back at least the reel was $70 off so some savings, because you always need a new reel for a new rod right ?

I was looking at the p5 rods last year, I am still doing my business locally at a shop. I have not ordered anything off online yet lol. My choices that they had ended up with me going with 2 of the orochi series, perfect pitch, launcher. I will say that it was not really a matter of the money, it’s just that the models of p5 rods that they had in stock were not what I was looking for. I find that as my collection grows I get very extremely picky with what I want from my gear. Wether it’s action of a rod or power how the rod feels my interpretation of what I truly think the action or power of the rod is. I have gotten really good at picking my rods and know exactly what I am looking for. my local shop has all sorts of stuff from rods and lures, reels I couldn’t ask for more. But in my search it’s hard to find the right ones, that’s why cost or warranty doesn’t really matter to me. I say research the rods for your purposes and go for it, there nothing more than tools we use to enjoy our passion. Good luck and choose wisely, you can never go wrong with megabass.

3 packs super flukes sungill watermelon slice bait fish 1 pack the fluke watermelon moondust 1 pack owner haymaker 2/0 hooks I wanted 3/0 hooks but they just got these in and only had 1/0 or 2/0. So with my trusty eye I gauged the depth of hook to plastic and went for it. I rigged one up in the parking lot and checked out how much clearance I would have, definitely enough clearance to compress and get the hook through. Although I would like the hook to be maybe a quarter of a inch further back. I will have to learn from experience and not guessing now, although I don’t need any excuses to buy any owner hooks in my book it’s a given lol.

Thank you. Yeah it’s my normal color combo when I go to imitate gills, I really wish that they would make a sungill version also. I think that it will work well with the red mini max also. I like it so far, probably catch my fair share on it this year is my guess also.