AlabamaSpothunter

I fought off using Superglue due to the hassle for a long time, then I started using it a few months back and realized I would never find a trailer keeper as good as it. If you use glue and a screwlock, it's darn near impossible for them to slide down. Just pre rig some baits with glue, way easier and cheaper in the long run.

Thank you Tim! Makes me feel a bit better. I always start off at the default setting that these are tough critters, then I hook one poorly and it's Bambi all of sudden

I got one I've fished some, stays much higher in the water column than other similar baits I've owned. It's a nice bait for sure. Check out the 5/6" BD Shads as well. I think it's the best budget big swimbait I've found. $80+ never looked so small lol

Caught about 20 yesterday, got another double up on the A-Rig, but now after several weeks of heavy action on these A-Rigs I'm finding myself really torn over if I can personally keep fishing them. I keep snagging 2-3 small fish for every 20 fish I catch on them. Never hooked a quality fish badly, but it's eating me up and ruining the whole point of being out there when I snag a few. I went barbless, and I'm downsizing hook gauge/size, and also gonna try to ease up on the hookset, but if that doesn't fix the problem, my A-Rig days are numbered for sure. 15+ came on the A-Rig, 1 on the Blade Bait, 1 on the 110jr+1, and 1 on the S-Waver 168 Big girl of the day was close to 5lbs, and big Spot of the day was likely a bit over 3lbs.

I wanna see the reels that go on those high dollar rods.......you think you'll ever fish it all, or do you just enjoy collecting some of the stuff. You got a very impressive collection.

I think you are referring to Bluebasser86's fish I quoted.....I wish I could take credit for those fish, but I've never come close to fishing in conditions like that, much less in a Kayak.

So is that 4 Bass I count, or are some of the other smaller returns fish or Bass as well?

I thought you already had an awesome RV? Lol at trading paint, I do it every time passing the TN River on I65, same goes for the Saturn 5 Rocket that they are tearing down ?

I can almost feel the level of joy in the last pic, that's what it's all about right there Bob! This is also what I imagine when reading your post......a cross b/t Santa and McGuyver ?

Somebody will always figure them out if they are there, not me....but somebody ?

Yeah I've been torn over whether the Classic should be held on notoriously tough lakes/rivers or if they should go to a lake like OH Ivie and make people's heads explode. I grew up in the era of notoriously tough lakes, I mean in 92 and 93 IIrc they were at Lake Logan Martin here in AL. That and Lake Martin are dink factories. I'm pumped to watch the Classic this year, haven't watched one since I started fishing again. Holy smokes Dwight, what a magnificent fat fish! How about some details man, weight, what you caught her on? Your fans want to know! ?

You're the Chicken Soup for my soul Katie, and I remember telling you that. There is a reason why I have a term called "Katie numbers", and I can count on one hand the times I've thought I've gotten into that range. I still say you are more spoiled by the ridiculous amounts of dark Maine beauties you catch, your fish were winter fat in the summer and fall too ?

@T-Billy or the Braided Wonder See all it takes is just 10lb Fluoro #Fluorogang ? #Muskievirgin ?

If I like a single post in this thread, I'll burn all my likes lol, just know I like every picture posted of a big fish thus far and going forward! Love me some big Bass pics, you can see the pride and joy such magnificent fish elicit from otherwise stoic adults ?

Some know exactly what I'm talking about, but if your fishery has a ridiculous amount of bait, especially Shad that range in size quite significantly, even more so if you have both Threadfins and Gizzards.....there are days when you reach headache levels of frustration with super active fish that simply won't bite a lure seemingly due to how key'd in they are for a very specific, very abundant looking bait. Other days seemingly the same electric feeding activity conditions exist, and you can get 50+ fish. On a 30-40acre section of lake I must have watched hundreds and hundreds of Bass ranging in size from half pound fish to ones that sure looked to be in the 5-6lb range easy. I fished for about 6 hours, but for 5 hours I watched all these fish around me, and only managed to catch maybe 10. I'm not sure if I'd rather just catch 1 or 2 fish and see zero feeding activity or catch 10 and seeing so many Bass feeding that you could easier net than catch. Just another day where I feel lost and stupid out there, however there is no doubt that is why I get such an enormous "high" from Bassin. I often wonder if once you get "good" at this sport if the "high/rush/adrenaline dump" starts to diminish. Two quality LGMs on the flashback mini, one in the 3.5-4lb range, and one solidly in the 3lb range. Couple quality Spots, but my Mother would have caught more than me on a day when fish were so active. First hour after getting home......"I'm just not going tom.,". Me currently "it's going to rain bad on Thursday and you won't be able to fish, you gotta go tom." ?

? Thanks brother! I love that quote! ?

That's crazy you bring up Kristine Fischer, I was watching a video of her catching a monster and I thought about you. Glad you already have found her and follow her content. Seems to be an amazing angler. Her kayak ain't Spartan though ?

Smells like Fly Fishing up in here ? I get the argument though in all seriousness, but as long as I've been alive, Bass fishing has been vastly more focused on advancement rather than tradition. The speed at which Bass fishing advances has been breakneck speed for decades and decades. Imagine handing a guy in the 80s a Zillion on a Conquest. Where do you draw the line, personally speaking the only line I draw is ethically or morally in regard to fish health. I might have to stop using the A-Rig if I keep snagging fish accidentally with it.......but not because it harnesses decades of learned Bass behavior in order to catch multiple fish on a single cast which is why tourneys ban them I'd imagine. All I know is that Bass adapt and learn at an even faster level, there is no doubt in my mind that these fish will just keep changing their behavior and adapting to Bass fishing tactics. They've been doing it brilliantly for as long as the sport has existed. It's a good thread Katie, lots of room for debate and discussion.

Thanks brother, thing is so exciting to fish with, can't wait either until you start throwing it at those northern toads ?

Thanks brother! First few months of throwing these oversized Spinnerbaits I couldn't understand why they were banned in many tournaments, then the double ups and now 5 fish on 2 cast happen and I'm like yeah maybe there is a reason for that ? It has taught me some really interesting things about Bass behavior, on that triple up, they were all cleanly hooked in the lip albeit the little guy had it in the thick part.......meaning these fish can hunt so closely and precisely together that in water with viz of about 12-18" they can pinpoint and all eat a bait. Never realized just how closely some Spotted Bass and LGM hunted together. I've caught them separately in the same areas, but until the double ups I never knew they would "team up". It really is a wild bait to fish with. Lots of big drawbacks, but excitement and uniqueness aren't ones. Yeah I was living a little too giddy on the threefer.....I cringe and laugh when I watched these catches ?

Day after a big rain that had the lake up several feet and viz reduced significantly. The A-Rig is easily the most exciting bait I've fished to date, caught about 15 fish today, however I moved around so much trying to find big fish which I never could find. Everything today was in that 1-2lb range, however I still managed to squeel like a pig in mud when I managed to get a 5 fish limit on 2 casts, including my first threefer, or whatever it's called. Big Crappie as well. Fun day, but hopefully tomorrow big girls return.

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Man that sounds so incredibly cool, and useful! Great information Bob! I was listening to a Josh Jones interview and he said it was referred to as Crappie Scope in the beginning, and I've heard exactly what you said, it's really effective for Crappie. Jones started out on Crappie, but now says the dudes using it on the pro level have exceeded his abilities with regards to Crappie. I'm like you, I'm not buying it to stay competitive or to feed myself, I just want it because it's one of the coolest big boy toys I know of, right up there with Gen III Night Vision or FLIR optics. Both of those things open up a part of the world we otherwise couldn't see. The learning curve associated with it sounds super fun as well. Making it your own, like how you did, how Jones did, etc.