Woody B

Bass fishing, or fishing in general can be humbling. I really enjoy fishing though. I don't rank myself, or anyone else. I either catch a bunch of bass or learn something so it's all good. Regarding age, like @TnRiver46 I'm 39. I've been 39 for 20 years now. I don't have a picture of my 39th birthday cake. I'll take one next year when I turn 39 again.

Like most people with a few years on them I usually prefer older music. I read an article once that said the music we're exposed to in our early teens is what we'll like for life. I was 13 when I attended Lynyrd Skynyrd's last concert....with the original members. I loved, and still listen to most of the music from the 70's. I like "some" of the new stuff from various genres but if I'm in a listening mood it's usually old stuff. I "listen" differently that most. I don't want music as background noise. I don't have anything on when I'm working, fishing, ect. When I listen to music, I listen to music. I'm a musician. I don't play as much, or as well as I used to. For years I'd play a minimum of 4 hours a day. I can play guitar, bass, violin, banjo, mandolin. There's a few other instruments I can "entertain" with but I can't "play" them. For ~15 years I had a part time job in a local studio recording tracks for radio commercials, ect. The studio engineer was a blind man. He had a very good ear, and was very demanding. He made me into a better player. Added @J Francho Polka is cool!!!! but for me it's 15 minute music. I enjoy listening to it for 15 minutes or so then I'm ready for something else.

I have one of these. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Frabill_15_Lure_Retriever/descpage-FRLR.html If I can't get it loose, or it's too deep I wrap the line around the retriever pole. I don't yank, I let my trolling motor do the pulling. I fell out of the boat once yanking to break a line. I just lead against my seat and let the trolling motor do the pulling.

I had a small orifice stopped up in a gas port in the furnace in my motorhome years ago. Someone said it was some kind of spider that done that.

I told y'all Team9nine wouldn't get skunked.

I use spot lock a bunch, but I rarely use my remote so I understand why you want a pedal. I'm too busy fishing with my hands to mess with a remote. If you look around locally I suspect you'll be able to find a used non spot lock trolling motor for a bargain. I gave the Edge that came on my Classic XL to a friend who's old motor had died. I sold my Terrova for almost as much as I paid for it when I changed to 24 volts. Again, my suggestion is, try to find a bargain on a used one. That way you'll be sure you don't want spot lock. You'll love deploying and stowing a scissor lift trolling motor compared to the electric steer.

I'll be willing to bet a fresh crisp one dollar bill that @Team9nine doesn't get skunked. He's a bass machine.

I fish with 1/4 ounce baits on casting gear all the time. (Rapala OG4, Bandit 100,200,300, Strike King 3's ect) You've got to have a rod with a soft enough tip to "whip" the bait. My favorite light crank rod is a Lews MACH MAPC. It's 7 feet, medium/medium. It also helps to set the brakes really loose on your reel, but you'll have to use your thumb a bunch. All of my brakes are set light enough to backlash threading the line through the guides. It can be difficult in the wind. If I want a fairly shallow crank on a windy day I'll use a Spro Little John. They're 1/2 ounce.

I always take water and snacks. If I'm planning on fishing for several hours I'll take a sammich, a slice of pizza or something "solid". For snacks, fruit has been mentioned. I'll have an apple or a banana. It's my belief that fruit contains enough carbs to keep your energy up. I also take either peanuts or slim jims for protein. Here I am scarfing down a pull pork sandwich while going up river.

I struggled today. In reality is was a skunk but I did snag a tiny Shad. This is a latest catch picture thread, so I posted the shad. I couldn't find active bass today. All of the shad schools I saw on sonar were in loose schools instead of balled up. I've had success before following shad until the school balls up, then casting. I followed a school for an hour today. The school stayed loose, and nothing attacked them. I saw plenty of fish on sonar, they just weren't active. Some would follow my lure (my entire tackle box) for a few feet. Most showed no interest at all. I didn't break any rods today, so that's good news.

Interesting point. Over the years I had a bunch of success with motor oil colored worms. When I started back fishing (after 30 years) my old motor oil colored worms were getting bit. When I ran out of the old ones and bought new ones the bite slowed down a bunch. The new motor oil worms are basically green pumpkin. The older ones were more.....motor oil colored.

It's cooled off a little here, with lower humidity but it's still hot. I'm considering going around midnight tonight instead of waiting until morning. It's 89 right not but the humidity is only 41%. This is at my house.

"Built like a fire hydrant" is what some people call it. It's my belief, (and my Dr's) that tall lanky people are more prone to injuries than guys like us. Super nice looking work. My Dad was a building contractor.

For the most part I only peg mine if I'm casting into heavy cover, like right in the middle of a lay down full of limbs. I've never been able to skip a texas rig, but recently found out I can skip one that's pegged. Before that discovery if I wanted to skip a worm I'd either use it weightless or with a shakey head.

I went a couple hours this morning. I caught 8 bass, 3 were decent, 5 were micro bass. The first one is pictured. I also broke 2 rods. One shouldn't have broke, the other one......I broke it. The first one I broke was Mrs. B's rod. (don't tell her) I had a wacky on it. It broke on the hookset. It shouldn't have broke. I tightened up the line before the hook set so it wasn't a slack line hookset break. It broke right in the center of the rod. I had, but lost a 3 to 4 pound bass. (but they all look big in the water) I had it on for a bit, but it jumped and threw the hook. Probably didn't get a good hookset with the rod breaking.....and probably didn't keep it pegged with 1/2 a rod. The other.....I flat broke it. I had a crank get snagged but didn't want to go get it loose yet. I put the rod in a rod holder and picked up another rod. It was windy, boat drifted and I ended up high sticking the heck out of it while it was in the rod holder. It was my favorite rod. I've already replaced it. It was a Dobyns fury spinning rod that broke on the hookset. I won't name the other one, since it wasn't a rod defect.

Voltaren is your friend. The label says it's just for arthritis but my Dr recommends it for my shoulder and elbows. When the tube runs out I notice it.

Nice bass @Texas Flood I've got a co worker who fishes, but won't be able to this weekend. I've already sent him some pictures of the bass I caught tomorrow morning. I need to send him the George Perry picture too.

What's a Senko? I'll reluctantly use a Bizz Baits "sassy stick", or a wacky rigged Zoom trick worm if the bite is really slow. I haven't stooped to ned rigs and drop shot's yet. Earlier this spring, the only time I've been to a lake this year with smallmouth a guy told me the only way to catch them was with a ned rig. I caught a 4 pounder on a bladed jig while he was still close enough to see.

A few thoughts. I fish when I can so I'll be out there after a rain or whenever. I have better luck during the rain, or right after than a day after when the skys have cleared. I think the rain washes stuff into the water bass and forage for bass eat. By the time the sky's have cleared it's my belief they're full, and not hungry anymore. If I go to an all you can eat buffet for lunch I'm not going to be very hungry by dinner. It may not work that way, just a belief I have. High water, depending on location, and how high can cause other things too. If there's puddles or pools of stale stagnated or dirty water that get's taken in this can cause oxygen levels to drop. Big storms (ie hurricanes) on lowland areas often trigger fish kills/die offs. I usually have pretty good success after storms, but tend to struggle for a few days after the sky's clear.

I don't remember ever catching a catfish (bass fishing) when I had my old boat. (sold in 1992) Now I catch cat's all the time. I've caught a dozen or more this year over 10 pounds. My biggest this year is a 32 pound Flathead. Mrs B caught a 27 pound Blue last year. Last April I caught a 53 pound Flathead. Cats, at least the ones I hook, are strong fighters, but not necessarily smart ones. The 53 pounder I caught last year went away from a brushpile into deep, clean water. It took a while to land it but it was just a matter of getting it tired before I got tired. I caught a 9.82 pound Blue last week. It bolted out from under the dock where I hooked it toward open water. I just keep pressure on them and follow them around, and drag them around with my trolling motor.

Another thought. I'm pretty sure heat hurts line....or at least mono. I "thought" I had a bad spool last summer. I had bought a big bulk spool on trilene online. It was in my boat for a month or more before I used any. My boat is black, under a black cover so it's pretty hot. The line was basically no good. It was really easy to break. I ended up decided it was counter fit or old. I quit buying line online. Fast forward to this year. I bought a fresh spool, locally and spooled 3 of my reels before I took a vacation week at the end of June. I hadn't had any problems, but respooled all 3 of those reels the last week of July, off the same spool. It was no good. I was breaking off on hookset, and trying to get loose from snags. It was the same spool, so it wasn't a bad one. It had been in my boat, under the cover, buried under the deck for a month. I can break that line pretty easy by just pulling it apart with both hands. (12 pound Trilene) My reels stay in my boat, but they're on top of the deck, under the cover. It's hot there too but probably not as hot as under the deck where I was storing my line. I got another bulk spool, re spooled the 3 reels. I'm keeping the spool inside my air conditioned house, and also bringing my reels end when I won't be fishing for a few days. (dang work).

I enjoy catching spots but bad mouth them in regards to Largemouth all the time. Fishing pressure probably has more to do with the demise of really big bass than anything. In my cast it could be my memory thinks there were more big largemouth before spots. I sold my boat in 1992 and didn't fish until I bought my current boat in Dec 2021. My biggest last year was 7 pounds 13 ounces. So far this year I've caught 2 that were 6 pounds even. Except for my lone DD (in 1990) I honestly couldn't say how many 6 lb + bass I caught a year (in the carolinas). My recollection is I'd hear of a DD from Lake Norman once of twice a month at Piedmont Bait and Tackle. It could have been 5 pounders passed off a DDs though. Lake Wylie, where I fish most of the time has plenty of forage. Largemouth aren't starving because of spots. I call myself targeting Largemouth but I catch spots about 5 to 1 when compared to largemouth.

I hated spinning reels most of my life because of wind knots. Last year a friend told me to close the bail manually instead of engaging it with the reel. I still use bait casting reels 90% of the time or more, but I can tolerate spinning equipment now. I change my mono every 3 to 4 weeks. I've got one reel with braid. It's 10 months old.

I used a guide once and it was a great experience. I was racing in Florida. I hired a guide for a trip to Okeechobee. He told me straight up we'd probably catch some big bass. I wasn't allowed to keep any under 10 pounds, and there was only a slim chance at a 10 pounder. I didn't want to keep any, regardless of size. I fished with live shiners. I caught 2 over 8 that day and several over 5. I don't remember what it cost. It was back in the 80's. I gave him a $50 bill for a tip. I don't know if I was supposed to, or even if that was a good tip. Florida is magical, at least for me.....or at least it used to be. A friend from Orlando (Bo Laws(RIP) for any drag racing fans) took me fishing in his boat on the Saint John river a few times. 6 pounders were common. (that was over 30 years ago too) I also caught an 8 pounder from the canal that ran around Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm.

You can basically beat the heck out of an aluminum boat. Glass is more fragile. If you use boat fenders and take good care not to bang your boat around glass is cool. My boat is a tool. I'll tie it to a dock with a couple ropes and let the wake boat waves bang away. My Dads neighbor just bought a new Phoenix (818 pro I think). It's a super nice boat. Where I fish I'd guess that half of the bass boats are aluminum. I see lots of super nice X-press aluminum boats. Of the glass boats I see on the lake I'd guess that at least half of them are Nitros.