T-Billy

My C3's and Quantum Irons have been relegated to catfish duty these days. Haven't used them in awhile, but I still have a couple old BPS pro qualifier round reels. I don't know who made those, but they are still smooth as butter after I don't know how many seasons. Really well built reels.

Thank you!!! I have a newfound appreciation for how roomy my 14' boat is with 10 rods on the deck!!! I like junk fishin too. I try to be prepared for whatever the day may bring. Some situations call for redundancy. Two flippin sticks, so if I hang one up, I can lay it down, pick up the other and finish fishing that cover before retrieving the first bait. Same with the ned rods early and late in the year. That TRD Bug is something special in cold water.

For sure. They find it with ease in stained water and at night without the angler shaking the crap out of it. Generally, I just crawl it along with short slow pulls, or I'll give it a subtle pop or two and let it glide back to the bottom on a semi slack line. I use my wrists. I want my elbows and forearms down ready to set the hook. I try not to raise my forearms or rod tip past 10 o'clock while working the bait. This keeps me in position to set the hook as soon as I feel the bite.

Lew's Pro Sp. Also great for it's intended purpose of skipping, flipping and pitching.

10-4. That's what I like about the Sweet Craw from Ultra Molds. Meaty body that holds a flippin hook really well. My used YoMamas get melted down and turned into sweet craws.

Give the Big Bite YoMama a try. Available in 100 CT bulk bags. I go through a pile of them.

Me too. Not many left around here due to habitat loss. Not much old growth left. Sorry to hear about your eye.

^THIS^ Three Super Duties, two Tournament MP's, and a $99 LFS. 100% happy with all. Pro SP will be here tomorrow.

T rigged 3.5" beaver has been my best producer lately. Rock and wood on mainlake points at night, shallow brush/beaver huts after the sun gets up. Hydrilla and Milfoil are dying off. Water is down to mid 70's. Better days are coming soon!!!

Man that sucks for y'all. Like your winters aren't long enough up there without shut'n ya down early.

I've seen water bugs do this as Dave and huZZah described, and balls of little young of the year shad at the surface create slick spots as well.

I love that period in the late fall as the water falls through the 50's then the 40's. Most have hung up their rods for the year and those others that are on the water are mostly fishing for saugeye or crappie. Meanwhile I'm enjoying some of the best bass fishing of the year for both numbers and size. On those days I can pry myself from the deer blind that is. Decisions, decisions...

Not so far in my experience, but I just started fishing straight braid this past spring. Alternated between it and mono on several occasions with water clarity up to 10', and noticed no drop off in bites. Doesn't mean that's always the case though. I'm looking forward to fishing with and without a leader in cold, clear water this fall to see if it makes a difference then. This has been debated alot, and I don't think there's a definitive answer. Maybe it matters to some fish on some waters, and not so much on others. Maybe it's more of a confidence thing. We all fish better when we're confident what we're doing is gonna put 'em in the boat. Best thing to do is get out there and spend some time fishing with and without a leader to see if it makes a difference for you and the fish you're chasing. I fish a mono leader when fishing deep to keep from breaking off long sections of expensive braid. This has also given me faith in my knots. It rarely breaks at the Trilene knot, and I haven't had an Alberto fail yet.

Always tough in Sept. in my neck of the woods. Tons of bait everywhere, vegetation is dying off and not holding fish. Lots of fish are suspended and hard to catch. Night time is still the right time along with the first hour of daylight. Main lake points and mouths of bays with rock and wood have been my best night/early morning spots. Dragging a T rigged beaver around. Bites have been VERY subtle. Once the sun hits the water the only success I'm having is with a ned around the thermocline, or a T rig on shallow wood. That success is pretty limited. Temps are falling though. Bite should improve in just a few weeks.

My PB river smallie was an incredibly fat 5-14 that CRUSHED a sassy shad with about 6' of line out. Talk about a handful!!! There was nothing slow about that fish, and it was about to burst at the seams. Early Nov. water in the high 40's to boot.

Roger that!!! Sometimes it's REAL subtle. Last night I caught 9 LM on a T rigged beaver. I felt ONE tick. The other 10 bites (lost two) just got... weird. Not heavy, not chomping on it, just... not right. There was a fish there every time I swung. I think they were just softly picking it up and sitting there facing me? Dunno. I do know it takes time and experience to gain a feel for these light bites. There's no substitute for time on the water. Braid and a quality stick ain't bad things to have either.

Congratulations!!!

Me too. Brick mason who decided to lay down his trowel, move south, and chase his dream. Seems to have worked out pretty well for him.

I have several Veritas and SLX's. I've been happy with both, and never an issue with either, and they don't get babied. I say grab the one you prefer out of those two. Either should serve you well.

Same here plus Alberto for leaders. All simple and reliable if tied correctly.

Pays to be a line watcher. A couple weeks ago I was fishing a T rigged beaver along a laydown. I pulled it over a limb and let it fall on semi slack line. The bait fell for about one second and stopped. I didn't feel anything, the line didn't jump, but I knew it stopped falling too soon. I catch at least one off this tree more often than not so, I didn't even bother feeling for it. I just swung. A 4 1/4 pound LM had gently grabbed it on the fall. This is one of the things I like best about braid. The lack of stretch enables me to drive the hook home with a shorter swing. If I'm being diligent about my rods position as I should be, keeping the tip no higher than 10 o'clock, I don't have to reel down as I would with mono or flouro. The quicker hookset gives them far less time to spit the bait. Some days this isn't that big a deal. Some days, when they're being finicky, it's huge.

Anything but deep cranks IMO.