casts_by_fly

So what would you say are the right conditions for carolina rigging? It's a technique where I've caught a few fish, but it isn't something I do unless I've struck out elsewhere. I think there is a lake or two around me that lays out well for it, but I've never done it there.

By all means, if it is working great for you then roll with it. The factory setting is supposed to be no spool tension- just enough to eliminate side to side play with the button depressed and the spool released. Then let the brakes do the work. If I'm fishing 3/4 total bait weight or less that's how I leave it. If I'm fishing more than that I'll add a little just to save my thumb some work. Do you have fluoro on it by chance? I have two now and both wore heavy mono until semi recently where I swapped one to 18 lb JDM fluoro. With the same reel settings (negligible spool tension, let the brakes do the work) I've found that the fluoro wants to backlash a lot more than it should. I had to crank the brakes up a LONG way to eliminate it that way. Instead I backed the brakes off to 'normal' levels and added some spool tension instead and that was a better solution for fluoro. Still get plenty of distance but it eliminates those unexpected fluffs.

If you haven't touched the spool tension, you should, just to confirm where it is. They are supposed to be zero adjust set from the factory, but confirm it. If you are casting on a '3' for the braking system, you're either using a good bit of thumb, not really loading up the rod and lure, or else there is spool tension added. I find that on mine, anything under an 8 or so and you're fluffing up pretty good and lower is an immediate blowup on an overhead cast. I'm also a shimano guy for the most part. I've got a good set of mets, bantams, and chronachs (plus an aldebaran BFS) as well as my zillion (with some more reels on the way). I agree they have a bit different form factor and shape. Most people have a preference for one or the other, but both are very good.

If I'm throwing or crappie also, then I carry 1/32, 1/16, and 1/8 jigheads. Basic ball head, 50 for $5 type with a #2-1/0 hook or thereabouts. I'm usually throwing them around a bunch of brush and I'll lose a couple on each tree trying to get into the deepest of it. A lighter head helps to not bury into the heaviest tangles and also gives the fish an extra second to grab it. With a 1/32 head and a 2" plastic you can usually let it fall to depth and just hold the rod tip high on a tight line to work it. It will pendulum slowly back and fish will whack it. So will bass. if you're throwing down the bank and covering water, then 1/8-1/4 and a 3.5" paddle tail or twister will do it.

I wouldn't bother with keywords since words are just descriptors and every company uses different ones. If you get into rod building, then look at the common cents system for rod measurement. A few blank manufacturers and some lots of rod builders have measured rods and put the data online. When you say you want it to bend to the middle of the rod, do you mean when casting or when fighting a fish? If when casting, then you're looking for something 7', Lite power, and moderate action. If you mean you want an 8" bluegill to double the rod over, then you want a light or ultralight power regardless of the action. Look at the Bass pro microlight series. I have the 7'6" ultralight as my light trout rod and it's fantastic for bending well down into the rod on a 10" trout on 4# line. Doubles great for bluegills in ponds.

Friday morning was a buzzbait day. Took the day off and went with my dad to his home lake. Third cast was a 19" bass that I thought ripped my arm open (elbow surgery 5 weeks ago). The fish were stingy and not hitting much despite the very grey conditions, occasional rain, and perfect cover. Should have had 20 bass on a buzzbait or spinnerbait on a different day, but not Friday. However, they weren't hitting much of anything else so I stuck with a buzzbait and went for the reaction bites. I love those vicious reaction bites on a buzzbait and they ate it most of the morning when they weren't hitting much else. Later on when the sun came out I put it down and hit a bunch on plastics, but the buzzbait was on. I'll revise my position a little on the shorter rod and action type. I love my head turner for so many things, but never loved it for buzzbaits. This trip it just worked. I still think I prefer my longer rod for the reasons above, but I have a newfound like for it on this one.

What conditions do you 'have to' go out in? As soon as you throw Toledo Bend in there, if you 'have to' go out on the day of the tournament regardless of what the weather is doing, then you need a big boy boat for that. Just do a google images search for toledo bend bad weather to see the sunken boats. I don't think you're taking a 6th grader out in that, but that lake has a repuration for a reason. That's not the place to have a flats boat (effectively what a shallow sports boat is). Practically speaking, an 18-20' glass boat will give the most versatility for bass fishing on small to large lakes. You were looking down the right path with a used skeeter. A big aluminum boat designed for bass fishing wouldn't be a bad choice either (like a tracker 175/195 TXW and similar layouts by express, falcon, etc). Aluminum is easier to haul around and lighter on gas on the water, but also can be a little rougher. A Pro-V bass from Lund is made for big water and a 20' with a 250 will fish anywhere (look up A-Jay's posts here on this forum, he has the 18' with a 200 I think). They are sweet. Budget will determine everything else as will the tow vehicle you have.

just for keeping waypoints on shore? Google maps. Drop a pin, add notes, and save it in your favorites (make a separate category for 'fishing spots'). You already have it on your phone probably and it's free.

You're on the right path for what you're talking. 50# braid is great for frogs and will work for the other topwaters with a mono leader (some don't even bother with that). You'll want a little softness in the rod itself for braid and treble hook topwaters so I wouldn't go crazy with a heavy/fast. Either a MH/Fast or a Heavy/MF. I'd go MH/F myself in that regard. I don't know that ugly stick combo so can't comment there. But for a servicable inexpensive baitcaster, the abu black max isn't the worst choice. And Amazon has the black max combo with the 7' MH for $85. You already have the braid, so money to spare for a couple lures or gas.

I'm a mono and faster rod guy for spinnerbaits. I'm also a 7:1 guy for almost all of my baitcasting. Topwaters get a higher speed, some bottom contact does also. Otherwise I just buy a 7:1 and keep everything consistent across all of my setups and get used to how they fish with every lure. If you are going to spend $200-250, then either a JDM Zillion or a Bantam (depending on your preference for Shimano or Daiwa) and call it a day. You don't need a big reel for spinnerbaits. You were talking braid above so you definitely don't need a big reel for that. I wouldn't go with 20 lb braid, but 30-50 will be fine if you want braid. I throw 16# mono (JDM sizes) but something like 15# big game would be a good choice too. None of those require anything more than a 70 sized reel so just get a standard Zillion or Bantam (which is a 100 capacity spool).

On my buzzbaits I use skirt tying wire for the same reason Jig Man noted above- when you boat flip them or they tangle in the net the wire deforms a lot less and you get them running true faster. You could do the same if you really wanted to use a snap. Or you could just tie direct. It takes 10 seconds to tie a knot. Or if a spinnerbait is the limiting factor, then just put one on a rod and leave it there. use the other 4 rods to swap around baits. Sure, there is always a solution to something, but maybe there is also a better way.

Got to fish the 7’2” ML Poison Adrena spinning rod this weekend. I think it’s going to be a keeper for me. I was throwing 4-5” finesse worms on a light Texas rig in light to medium grass and a soft bottom. I spooled it with 10 lb 832 since I had some that I took off my BFS reel. I love the bright yellow for finesse line watching. I used 10 lb fluoro leader (sunline leader, which is the only leader I use now on spinning). I landed a couple up to a heavy shouldered 3.5# and the rod has just the right amount of backbone for me. You can put a good bit of that butt to work and not feel undergunned on solid fish, but at the same time I wasn’t worried about breaking the 10# leader. I’m sure I could go to 8 and maybe 6. Of course the stradic was everything I could want. Hard to gauge sensitivity when you’d pulling across soft mud bottom, but all of the grass you hit was felt. And of course you knew when the fish sucked it in. A 1/8 weight plus a 4” senko loads it up great and will cast a mile if you want. Next step is a finesse bait on a 1/8 head and drag it on some rocks. I’m optimistic based on what I’ve felt so far.

Spruce run has been tough the past couple years. Summer 2024 and late summer 2022 were drought conditions here. When late 22 rolled around, the lake was 25’ low so all of the shallows were exposed lake bed when we had extended zero degree temps in December it froze all of the seedbed and killed all of the aquatic vegetation in the lake. It never recovered since. I was there about a month ago and it was 5’ low still. Checking the charts now, it is about a foot low of full pool finally and climbing. it will be back to full in another week or less. But, it means that you’re dealing with just rocks and structure for almost the entire lake. There are a couple trees and bushes that will now be in enough water to hold fish, but not much. Focus on the structure, the drop offs, the transitions from flats to steep underwater banks, etc. Navionics online mapping will help you find some of those. That genesis map is pretty good too. Lures depend on how you like to fish. You can throw Neds, drop shots, crankbaits, topwaters, jigs, worms, you name it. With no grass, there are no limits in that regard. Just a case of finding them on a given day and what they want to eat.

A medium spinning rod will still throw a 1/8 oz spinner or other things just fine. It will be a little stiff for trout or small bass in creeks, but it will give you a good bit more oomph for bigger lures and fish. A 7’ medium rated 1/8-1/2 with 10-15 lb braid and various leaders will cover a lot of territory.

man, you're hitting my wheelhouse. From about now until the end of September, a buzzbait is how every trip starts almost regardless of the lake. I've caught more big fish, more consistently, on a buzzbait in the 2 hours before and 1 hour after daylight than anything else I throw. I've gotten picky and also not picky about them. Like Pat Brown laid out, it's all about the modifications and tuning it to how you're fishing it. For me, that's throwing it up shallow around every piece of cover and plopping it back as slow as I can. I've watched pro's burn a buzzbait on a sunny day down a riprap bank and catch fish. I've never had that buzzbait experience. What I'm not picky about- brand. I started with the SK sugar buzz, have a cavitron, a toad based buzz, a bunch my dad makes from LPO wired bodies, and also the wheeler accent buzzbait. They all work and catch fish, but some are harder to fish than others and need more modification. I agree the cavitron casts like a parachute and I don't fish it (or even carry it in the boat anymore). The Toad based bodies aren't my preference either (more below). The main difference between them for me is the wire thickness and how easy/hard they are to bendout on a fish and bend back to straight after. I'm also not picky about the skirt color, so long as it is black, ideally with a chartreuse fire tip. what I am picky about- skirted, with a trailer, the biggest blade I can get on about the lightest head I can get, and a couple modifications that I'll do myself (and pat brown mostly detailed). Since I'm crawling it slowly, I don't like toad bodies. They sink faster than any of the other choices so you have to fish them faster to keep them up. I'm going to try a billygoat this year (they float) and see how that does, but that's just a trial. A big billowy skirt adds water resistance and a little weight for casting without adding density for sinking. I'm talking 2.5 tabs worth of skirt sometimes. I swap out most of the skirts on my buzzbaits to a custom one that my dad started making and that I now do my own. The blades on the sugar buzz are nice and the size of snowplows in the bigger sizes which I like. The 1/2 oz is maybe a little too heavy though and the 3/8 and 1/4 are the right size for me. In the accent I prefer the standard and not the finesse (which has a smaller blade and less noise). The LPO heads my dad builds on are the ones below, in 1/4 oz. I don't know which specific blade he uses but they are a solid 2" across. For trailers, I really like a 3.5" spunk shad, glued on. They provide a nice chunk of bulk, right in the middle of the body of the bait so that the fish has something to inhale when they suck it down (instead of just air with only a skirt). It adds 3/16 oz concentrated in the middle where its compact (helps with casting) but the tapered tail leaves just enough behind/in the skirt. I'm less picky on trailer color but GP/chart with the chartreuse belly is my pick of what I have here. The other choice is an old fashioned split tail trailer like the zoom, but they don't make them in black anymore. The UV works but I like a little more bulk for the reasons above. The kalins kicker is interesting (and comes in black with blue flake) and adds resistance to make it slower, but it is short. I've caught fish using it. Maybe one day I'll ask someone to pour me exactly what I want. Mods- Squeaky rivet. That's the first and most important one for me. Sanding the rivet and back of the blade is the start. The angle of the back of the blade is next. Some are better flat to the rivet, some blades will have a sharp edge that runs across the rivet like a slate turkey call or record player. Most come with the rivet crimped now, but if not then do that too. I DON'T shorten the arms. I think having it a little longer back helps with balance and keeps it level in the water. I DO add a trailer hook with the rubber over the eye so that it is stiffly straight back. Gamakatsu SP or SK tour grade. That also helps with the fish that just like to sip the back of the bait from behind. the other big mod is for durability- wire tying the R bend. Some use a split ring, but I find having the right size fiddly. I use skirt tying wire and give it a handful of wraps It helps immensely when you boat flip a fish and it stops the wire from bending out. Similar if you net them and the blade arm gets hung in the net while the fish is thrashing around. Lastly is tracking. It's cute to bend a buzzbait so it runs hard to a side and you can put it under a dock. I've never caught a fish that way so all of mine run as straight as I can get them with the body directly under the bait and not laying on it's side. I'm throwing into dinner plate or smaller sized holes in grass most of the time and want it up on plane when I click the reel over. I'm usually reeling as it enters the water. I'll get one turn of the reel before it is threading through a line in the grass or between a couple lily pads. I can steer it with the rod tip just fine thanks, I want it running straight. To that end, I'll have a half dozen identical ones ready to fish and when one starts running out after a couple fish I'll cut it off for a new one rather than play with it there in the dark. That time on the water is limited to about 2-3 hours and I'm not wasting 5 minutes tuning one. If I can fix it with 2-3 casts I will, but if it gives me problems it's gone. The other mod is lure specific on the swinging sugar buzz. Once you get it running straight and true, the teardrop weight/head on them can slide. I slide it forward so that the tip of the blade is just ticking it when it comes around. It is like a clacker but not quite- more solid and higher pitch instead of flappy. You didn't ask about rods or line, but I prefer long (7'4" right now), powerful, a little flexy, and heavy mono. I've tried shorter and it works, but I like the steering control from a longer rod. I like having a little flex to keep them pinned but I want power commensurate with the heavier mono I'm fishing since I'm throwing into heavier cover and catching bigger fish. I'm not making super long casts, usually 20 yards max, more often 10 yards. Line stretch isn't a problem. Heck, my line isn't usually even touching the water. I put fluoro on that rod this year for texas rigs and I'll probably use it for buzzbaits just fine.

I didn’t know sunline was made for top waters, but that’s what I throw. Depending on the rod, either 14 or 16#. Faster actioned rods are my preference. Depending on if I’m swapping around or not I’ll both direct tie and use a snap. Loop knot if no snap.

that's a single pitzen. I tie the double version (run the line through the eye and back out like a palomar, then do the loopty loops) on about everything, but especially open bend lures like spinnerbaits with an R bend. Super fast.

Just get the YakAttack and be done with it.

Alberto, FG, and Albright are the smaller ones depending on the line you’re tying. If you’re fishing straight mono, I’d just cut it and be done. Deal with the bit less line for that trip and respool when you get home. Mono is cheap and if you’re backlashing regularly you should be using cheap stuff. If you’re using braid and getting a lot of backlashes, work on picking them without cutting. I wouldn’t use fluoro if you’re backlashing a bunch. Kinks in fluoro are weak points.

Just put an anchor wizard on and be done with it. if you’re always anchored to the bow then you can never fish downwind and vice versa with the stern.

I was bored, so i jumped on navionics and made a few snapshots from one of your waters. Zoomed out first, and then zoomed in once and then again for the next two. Pink marks the clear creek channel coming up the lake (river channel maybe even). This cove has a nice creek that runs for a few miles above the lake (and isn’t the main creek channel). It’s a pretty clear slope to the bottom on both sides, pretty well defined for most of it (aside from the little bit by the second and third docks where it flattens a little). The green line on the right in that last one could be called a drain or a creek channel. There isn’t a creek that feeds it, but it was clearly water erosion before the lake was filled. It’s decently defined, but relatively short. With the proximity to where the defined bit starts to round out and the double docks right there, I’d be looking hard at that in the prespawn as a scoping spot. A little further up the lake here is more classic drain. Not well defined, no creek feeding it, but for sure a gradual push of the deeper water up closer to the bank relative to the topography around it.

I was thinking that myself about the bunk, but that boat doesn't come with a trailer so it's not a design flaw for the boat. Just a probablem in choosing the right trailer. And just because the block isn't level doesn't mean the transducer won't be. Nothing says you have to mount the transducer bracket square to the block.

they are more or less the same concept. A creek channel is a little more defined vs a ditch is a general lower path across the bottom. Both are useful funnels for bass to travel along.

transducer mount as IYAOYAS described.

I can tell you that a 1000 sized reel holds more than enough 6 lb mono for bass fishing. The spool diameter is a little small and the stem is too short for my hands to be comfortable, but I could take my 1000 that's downstairs right now and fish it with no problems. A 2k sized reel holds plenty, especially if you're going with braid.