B-Gee

I watched this fisherman land a large shark on a beach in Naples, Florida. He used a Spanish Mackerel for bait.

Great suggestions! Thank you.

Very interesting! I think this might work. The piece of rope I'm using now is 30" long and it is plenty long enough. The lanyard carried by Amazon is 16.5" and stretches to 63". I wonder if this would be too long? I guess not because the excess length would be taken up by the coils. What do you think?

I’m not doing a very good job of explaining this. I keep the grip in my pocket instead of hooking it to my belt or belt loop, but I also want to tie it to myself so that if I’m using it and accidentally drop it in the water it won’t be lost. Also since I’m old and forgetful I’d like it attached to me so that after the excitement of landing the fish I don’t set it down leave it somewhere.

I keep the Boga in my pocket now, but I'm looking for a good way to secure it to my belt or belt loop so I don't drop it in the water or leave it someplace when it is in use or out of my pocket. I seldom use it as a scale--only in the few times I might catch a really big one. But I do use it to clip to the lip of just about every fish I catch to facilitate safe hook removal.

I have a new Boga grip that I want to attach to my belt or a belt loop so I won’t lose it. I am using a piece of rope now, but would like something slimmer and not so clunky looking. Maybe some kind of a lanyard, I don’t know. I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thank you, A-Jay. I'll give that a try.

The Mirrolure Mirrodine is a popular saltwater bait here in Florida. It is 2 5/8” long and weighs 3/8 oz. I have attached a picture. This is a lipless, suspending jerkbait. It suspends about 6” below the surface in fresh water and stays at that depth when it is jerked and retrieved. I’ve had some luck with it in fresh water and I’m looking to buy some similar baits for freshwater bass and peacock bass. I’ve looked at the specifications for several freshwater baits and haven’t found any that suspend that close to the surface. Many suspend at 4 feet and deeper. I fish in a shallow grassy pond and would like to find one or two good jerkbaits that will suspend closer to the surface and I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thank you. What kind and where would I buy some?

Could you tell me what hook remover you use? I've been using 6" needle nose pliers. Thanks for your help.

I've been using Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hooks #1 size on my 5” Wacky rigged Senkos. They seem to be very effective in hooking bass, usually in the jaw and seldom gut-hooked. But, my problem is that I have a difficult time removing the hook without damaging the fish. They often seem to penetrate the fish’s jaw and with the bent over point they don’t come loose easily either by hand or with pliers. I wonder if anyone knows any tricks for removing these hooks more easily? I've tried several other hooks, but I like the Circle hooks because I seldom lose a fish once they are hooked.

I have been using a 6 foot 20 lb. mono leader on 15 lb. braid because I fish from shore and have to drag my catch through the shoreline grasses up the bank which isn't very steep. I've been afraid that a lighter leader might break. Maybe I could get away with 10 lb. if I can find leader that light and I may give it a try.

I fish for bass in a shallow pond with a grassy bottom here in Florida with a St. Croix 7 foot Triumph spinning rod (TSR 70 MF) and a Daiwa BG 3000 spinning reel with 15 lb. braid and 20 lb. leader. Most of the time I fish with Wacky rigged 5” Senkos, sometimes Texas rigged. I don’t add any additional weight to these baits. The bass I’ve caught here have ranged from small to about 22 inches. I’m thinking about buying a lighter, more sensitive rod and reel and have studied the previous recommendations for Senko rods posted on this forum. My upper price limit would be about $225. St. Croix rods were recommended most often in the BR Forum with the St. Croix Avid X 6'8" MXF highly recommended for Senko fishing. Another recommendation was the St. Croix Mojo 6’ 8” which is less expensive. Most of the other rods that were recommended are priced above my maximum of $225. Based on these recommendations I think I’ll probably buy an Avid X 6’ 8” spinning rod and a 2500 reel. But I would like to hear from some of the bass fishermen on this forum as to whether they agree with my choice or would have a better suggestion. I’ll also need a reel and would appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you. This is great information!

I live near a pond in Naples, Florida that has some small to medium sized Peacocks in it. This is a shallow pond and I’ve seen Peacocks close to shore in about two to three feet of water above a grassy bottom. Various Rapalas and Rat-L-Traps have been recommended in this forum, but I think these might not would work very well in such shallow water with weedy bottom. I’m thinking that for my situation I might have some success using Zoom Super Flukes soft plastic baits or maybe small crappie jigs. I would appreciate any advice about this plan plus any alternative suggestions for catching these fish in shallow water.

I forgot to mention that I use 0 rings with the Senko 5" worms. This might affect the choice of hook style and size.

Thank you. What size would you recommend? Thanks very much. What size would you recommend?

I've been fishing for Largemouth Bass with the wacky rigged Senko on #1 Gama Octopus Circle Hooks. I have no complaints about the effectiveness of this for hooking fish. It usually catches them in the jaw and very few are hooked deep. But, I find it very difficult to extract these hooks from the fish because of the tips which are bent over at nearly a 90-degree angle. Also, I can’t get the hooks out with my fingers and I have to use so much pressure with the pliers that I damage the fish. I would appreciate any recommendations for a hook style and size to replace my Gama Octopus Circle Hooks. I want to be able to hook ‘em, but I’d like something easier to extract and not as hard on the fish.

Thanks very much for your help. I went over to my local Walmart and looked in the camping department. There I found a small pouch attached to an adjustable belt. It is called a Waist Pack by Outdoor Products. II was able to fit my stuff in it and i think will do the job very nicely.

I’m looking for a small tackle bag or pouch to attach to my belt. It would only need to be big enough for 6-inch needle nose pliers, a couple of bags of 6 inch Trick Worms or similar baits and a few hooks. I don’t like carrying these in my pockets. I would also like the bag to have Velcro or a snap so I don’t have to remove my belt to attach the bag. I would appreciate any recommendations.

I like the looks of the Rapala Original Floating Minnow but the description says it runs 3 to 5 feet deep and I want a surface or near surface lure.

I have had good luck bass fishing with a Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow. The one I have is 3 ½ “ and weighs 3/8 oz. It floats on the surface and is great for “walking the dog.” Small minnow shaped lures seem to work very well in the small ponds where I fish in Florida. I’m looking for other small top water or just below the surface lures I can try and would appreciate any recommendations.

Thanks. I'm going to switch to a 15 lb. leader.

Thanks very much for your helpful advice. I see that experienced fishermen use different types of line and have equal success in catching bass. Some feel they have better luck with mono while others prefer braid or copolymer for topwater lures. I have been using 15 lb. braid with a 30 lb. mono leader. I fished this morning with that line and caught one but missed three others either because I set the hook too soon or because I had replaced the treble hooks that came with the lure with single inline hooks. After reading all your helpful comments I believe I’ll continue to fish poppers and other topwater lures with braid plus mono leader. As for the fish I missed this morning I guess I’ll have to learn to wait a couple of seconds before setting the hook and if that doesn’t work, I’ll consider putting the treble hooks back on. I wonder how you feel about this plan?

Sorry, could you tell me what is YZH?