Pat Brown

2 minutes is way too long for a fish to be out of the water. Especially after a long exhausting fight. If the fish is not trying to jump out of my hands while I'm taking pictures of it, I rejuvenate it immediately. Then I take my pictures and then I rejuvenate it again and release it. This all generally takes less than a minute. Time is of the essence when you're trying to save a creature's life unfortunately. There are times when fish are hooked weird or things like that and it's unavoidable to some extent, but don't keep a fish out of water for longer than you could hold your breath.

Oh yes indeed. Pads? Big laydowns? Rocks? Less that a foot of water? Let's go! That's my juice.

And Tom no longer speaks to Gary now. 😂😉🫠🙈 Seriously though @WRB - that's some wild stuff. I've been broken off in rocks by really really big fish and it's the kind of thing that just makes time stand still. Last year I lost a DD that ate a crankbait on a backlash. I had it hooked well and was winching it in on the surface very slowly from 200 feet away and it came to life and dove into some rebar and concrete on a point and broke me off fast. It then proceeded to launch itself into the air around the bay for 10 minutes trying to throw the bait. It was all bad. Zero good.

99% of the advantage in bass fishing is knowing where big fish are and what they bite and the only thing you've got to tell you anything true is your eyes. I'd much rather know I broke off a 9+ lber seeing it jump by the drain than just feel a thump and a few head shakes and then nothing. That tells me the location of at least one 9+ lber when conditions are a certain way etc. I've had multiple instances where a missed fish was caught a day or two later when conditions improved. People claim that fish that 'get a hook in them won't bite anymore' This has not been my experience at all.

The Bait Monkey™ does indeed approve of that absurd notion. 🙈🙈🙈😂😂😂 It's just like 'free' dogs or 'free' cars. Yeah. Free. 😂😂😂😂

If the big ones were easy to catch, it wouldn't be special would it!?!? I lost a giant on a Frog literally within 24 hours of @LrgmouthShad losing his giant. We concluded that the bass were all extra careful last week. Oh well - getting the bite builds confidence to keep on trying. 😎😎😎

I like to fish at Carolina rig from the bank at ponds when it's raining. Throw it where the current is flowing in or throw it where the current is flowing out and just let it sit there in the current. They'll try to break your arm off! For muck bottom folks: The first thing I like to do when I'm fishing a Carolina rig is find a place where some sort of hard bottom is happening. Break lines are usually good. Outside of weed lines are good. Points and humps and rip rap are good.

It's really really good for most fisheries to keep: competitive species (varies from lake to lake but speaks for itself), unhealthy specimens, bass that have reached their genetic potential and are not ideal specimens (a fully grown / older NC bass that's a skinny 4 lbs), bass that are in that middle size range - not tiny babies (the future) not the healthy giants (breeding stock), but the abundant competitive feeding mouths that make up the lions share of most food pyramids on most lakes. These bass are the ones making the ceiling lower for the trophy class fish AND making it difficult for more middle weight fish to make the jump to trophy status (that have the genetic potential). All of this is bettered by healthy selective harvest practices. Japan's world record bass was produced by a government-funded effort to eradicate Japan of bass, which actually in turn yielded giant world record class bass because of essentially harvesting out the weaker and smaller fish and not really doing much to the population overall.

Reminds me a lot of the Strike King Pad Perch. My most productive frog.

Fish have been very very shallow and very very tight to the bank and primarily feeding in the dark for the past week since we got 7" of rain. We are expecting more next week so buckle up - it's gonna get soggy! Been doing alright with weightless plastics and topwaters right along the banks.

I am just gonna adjust how I target bass in windy areas vs calm areas or even windy days vs calm days. There's usually bass in both places. Same for sunny and shady banks etc etc etc. What people are saying that I believe holds true: you'll have to feel out how 'calm water bass' like a bait presented on your body of water if that is your preference. Same would hold true for 'windy water bass' on your lake. What works one day might not work the next. Some days the shade might fire em up. Some days they might be munching in the sun. 'It depends' is about the only thing anyone can say with any degree of certainty! Bass fishing is fun! Solving the puzzle is probably the most fun part. 😎😎😎🎣🎣🎣

Topwater.

@Catt : came to say exactly the same thing. I set the hook when Gertrude pulls. 😎😎😎👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 If there is 'frog kung fu' it is basically this ☝🏼

You'd be SHOCKED what a little culling every year can do. You can choose to donate dinks and unhealthy fish to: Gardens/farmers/ospreys/otters/snapping turtles/pike/bigger bass/catfish/bank fisherman etc.

I like to take darker color frogs and leave them on my dashboard for custom colors (not in the summer!) 🌞 🌞 🌞 In general a day of fishing - you're moving around and if you target shade some throughout the day, probably not gonna hurt your baits much.

Peanut oil and breading go a long way 😂😂😂👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I love the power shot/bubba shot! I use 15-20 lb big game and a heavier weight and hook and a shorter leader and I fish it a lot like a t rig or c rig. One little sneaky tip is drop your rod tip and let the bait fall completely occasionally. It often triggers the bite more than the 'suspending while gently holding the rod up' move. Don't be afraid to pop your rod occasionally to trigger a reaction. I like to make the bait dance sometimes while the weight is wedged. Using a swimbait on a drop shot in current can be very deadly.

I like the Swimbait and the bronco bug! The freeloader is on my list 👍🏼😎

You'll be glad you did when you stick a 10.5 during the Shad Disco pt 2 🤫🎣😎👍🏼

Cupped mouth and tails are your issue. Use a more traditional pointy frog and trim those tails off for skipping 😎👍🏼🐸🤫🎣 Another super sneaky tip: When skipping a frog under trees - just use a slightly beefier spinning rod with lighter braid (20-25 lb). You'll do just fine.

Yeah in NC we set the bar appropriately low. If you catch a fish, you didn't skunk!

I had a feeling....a tingling sensation....wake up early! - the voice inside of my head said to me before bed. I set my alarm for 5 am and hit the pond at 6 am. Sometimes that voice is absolutely right. Missed one on my first cast that hit it weird. Stuck this guy a couple casts later. Moved down to where I missed on yesterday in some vegetation and tried to see if anyone was home. Little but the blowup was satisfying and dragging him in with the salad was fun. Also this told me all I needed to know. Fish fast and fish that frog HARD. Which is exactly what I did. Missed one more who gently swirled at my frog so I left that area and made my way to the upper pond and made a cast paralleling the rip rap bank / deeper weedline. BAM! After an epic battle I land this 6 pound momma all full of eggs and mad as can be. Set her off swimming and walked another ten paces and paralleled the bank with a second cast. Missed what appeared to be a larger fish and in setting the hook I twisted my frog up in a deep thick tree branch and had to break it off. The bite shut down pretty much at 7:30/sunrise but they were all over it for that first hour and a half of low light. It was awesome! Hoping I can find a couple more willing to bite after work!

I just ordered the last XL Jitterbug that BPS had in stock and I'm excited to throw it during evenings on flat rocky banks! Hopefully catch my first jitterbug bass here soon and share with y'all!

I agree about the weather - I woke up early for today. They were CHEWING yesterday and I got a feeling about this morning. Absolutely bonkers smash fest and gorgeous fish! Love giant pickerel! They're the only Esox that we get a lot in NC - super pretty and good fighters. Wish they didn't take y'all's lures as often but I enjoy them! Some very nice bass in there for sure!

Dang NICE ones everyone! 5 all day @scaleface ! That's a gorgeous fish. Love her proportions and colors. I can't imagine the fight on a Ned! I bet it was amazing! This morning before work - only thing I could get them to eat in torrential downpour and ultra muddy water was a C rig D Bomb dipped in chartreuse dip n glow directly into the current dead stocked. One had crawdad antenna coming out of his throat! After work the rain subsided and Jake wanted to toss the inline spinner in the muddy water so back we went. I grabbed my frog and down the bank we went. BAM! He is on to the right of the boat house AND I hook up on a good one on the frog on the other side of the boat house. Mine comes off swimming directly at me lightning fast (bit 30 ft from me) and Jake catches his first of the day on the inline spinner! We keep a walking down to where I was getting action in the rain this morning and I get 4 blow ups on the frog in the channels on the deep weed lines just off the banks. I am fairly certain 3/4 of the blowups are the same fish missing it again and again so I point Jake in it's direction. BAM! Jake nails the kicker for the day on the inline spinner (same fish that missed my frog three times!). A healthy post spawn momma feeding up on bugs and minnows with her sisters. Momma calls and says suppers on the way so back down towards the lot we head - I tell Jake ' hey son, you keep on throwing that spinner while we walk now 😎😎😎👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼' Well it ain't long afore BAM! He whacks #3 and it's another nice one! Just as we are about to pass the boat house again he sticks a dink and #4 for the afternoon. My son put on a CLINIC with that inline spinner y'all. Floored me!