T-Billy

So today I caught a couple piggies right where I'm not supposed to. Smack dab in the middle of a dead milfoil mat. It isn't as green as it looks in this pic. That's why the water is as cloudy as it is, dead milfoil breaking up. Caught this 5-2 on the first pitch into it. Bout time, it's my first 5+ this year. Stuck this 4-9 on the next pitch, about 8' from where the first one bit. SWEET!!! 40+ years of bass fishing and this is the first time I've caught 4+ pounders back to back. Right where they're not supposed to be according to the pros, and every fishing article I've ever read about fishing weeds. They say bass are only supposed to relate to green healthy weeds. Pretty stoked, 5's are few and far between in the waters I fish, and I only get a handful of 4's most years. I caught another dozen or so smaller fish from dead milfoil patches. Some pitching a T rigged beaver, some swimming a Fat Kietech through them. Don't be scared of the brown weeds. You might be surprised at what's in 'em.

And... I've never had anyone here try to convince me that I need a pile of magic baits, in fifty different colors, made by their sponsor, in order to catch fish.

Great.... Now the secret is out. Bass will be conditioned to it and stop biting it within a week. ☹️

Give that GOAT grub a whirl. Smallies will choke it and the hookup percentage is good.

Nice to know I'm not alone. ?

Another vote for 832.

Prayer. It tends to put things in perspective, and priorities in order.

BINGO!!! We have a winner!!! ?

Mmm Hmm. Frustrating. I've had smallies do that to me. I swear they slap it with their tail sometimes.

I used to be bad about this when I flipped and pitched with Mono or Flouro. Now that I do all my flipp'n and pitch'n with braid, I"M WORSE!!! ?

They're supposed to be coming out with a GOAT Toad. They have a video of the prototype on their website.

But...... I use Crest.

Grip pin EWG 4/0. It'll probably float a 5/0 too, but I haven't tried it. That is another plus. You can pause it and it'll stay on top.

ZMan Billy Goat is the best 'toad" I've ever used. With the smaller profile they generally choke it. Solid hookup ratio.

I have the 7'6" MH. Spooled with braid it's great for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, toads, buzzbaits, swim jigs....basically any moving bait in it's weight range with a big single hook. The soft tip lets them get the bait good, and with braid it has plenty of backbone to drive the hook home.

I broke my Sierra 765. I sent the required piece in along with a money order. Called them when I got delivery conformation, and spoke to a very nice and helpful girl. She shipped my new Kaden 765 replacement the same day. I recieved my replacement rod 7 days after mailing out my broken rod piece. One week turnaround from OH to TX and back. Very friendly helpful staff. Customer service doesn't get any better than Dobyn's. The girl did tell me they are indeed swamped with orders right now. OP, if you haven't already, call them. They'll be happy to answer all your questions.

I buy the 4" Big Bite tubes in bulk. I go through a pile of 'em in early spring and late fall. I've had some incredible days fishing a stupid tube on shallow rock during the cold water periods. Low 40's through mid 50's is ideal. Green Punkin. That's all I need.

A bass fisherman found a car sunk by the ramp at my nearest lake this summer with his side scan. Thankfully nobody in it. Stolen from a town 30min north of the lake.

I think you made the right call. I've been happy with every Lew's I've purchased including the model you mentioned. My $99 LFS has two seasons of regular use on it now, and it's still smooth. I think it's a great choice, and performs above it's price point. BPS reels ain't what they used to be. My Carbonlite 2.0 casting reels both got geary in a hurry, and just felt cheap from the start. I won't buy anymore BPS reels.

If you can deal with not having an AR switch, I'm VERY happy with my Penn Spinfisher VI and Battle III's. I quickly got used to not having the switch. I just grab the line and pull a little out when needed. Aluminum frame AND rotor. CNC machined gears instead of cast. Smoooth drag. They're very smooth running and since they have sealed gear boxes, I expect they'll stay that way for a long time. I have a 2000 and two 2500 series running 4# 6# and 8# mono. 100% satisfied customer here.

I've run 8# XT and 20# 832 without issue.

The lighter the bait, the more important every part of your setup is for pitching. Going with too heavy a rod will cause you to loft your pitches and makes it hard to get any distance or accuracy. It's a balancing act. The rod needs to have a tip soft enough to load a little with the bait you're pitching. The reel needs to be set as loose as you can set it without constantly picking out overruns, and I like mono in the 14-17# range for light to moderate cover and 30# braid for thicker stuff. The longer rod helps IMO in the aspect of tip flex. Generally a longer rod will have a little more tip than a shorter rod of the same series and power. For example, my 7'3" MH Veritas is a pool cue compared to my 7'6" MH Veritas. A reel with a light shallow spool that starts easily helps too. I'm REALLY liking my new SLX MGL for pitching 1/4oz.

My favorite local lake has tons of rather large aquatic snails. Some large rocks are almost completely covered by them. Couldn't find the species looking at the ODNR guide. We have quite a few native species of aquatic snails. Seems they're pretty critical to a healthy aquatic ecosystem. They occasionally pull my line up inside their shells when fishing bottom contact baits. Their operculum cuts the line everytime when I try to pull it out. Catching a goldfish would be AWESOME!!!

I would just be happy for my dad, and appreciate the time I got to spend with him. My dad's been gone many years. I wish I could take him fishing one more time. I wouldn't care if I caught anything or not.

Look at the ARK Rods Lancer, Cobb, and Viper series before you buy. The SLX is a decent rod, but those ARK 40T blanks are a BIG step up at about the same price.