bp_fowler

Chatterbaits. I have caught quality and I have caught quantity. I have also had a lot of days where I caught absolutely nothing. It’s maddeningly inconsistent. As for buzz baits…I’ve never been.

3.5 lbs, with a black&blue swim jig. I caught it in what was probably the smallest body of water I fished this year. Sorry for the mean mug I was kinda PO’d I had just dropped my phone in the mud trying to take this picture.

I think I was first drawn to this site because being new to the sport I was trying to find the best gear possible within my budget. Without a doubt information shared by others here on that particular subject helped me immensely but that’s not what improved my fishing the most. The collective knowledge and lessons learned about things like bass and bait behavior, structure vs cover, presentation, rate of fall, seasonal transitions all that stuff is where I had the most return on investment. After all even if I have the nicest gear and state of the art lures it doesn’t matter if I’m not throwing them where the fish are. Not to mention that the people on here are just genuinely fantastic folks, very patient with me and my stupid questions. Even the times people disagree on here it’s pretty tame compared to the rest of the internet.

Welp, went out after all and caught three. Would have stayed out longer but my line started freezing on the spool.

It’s currently 21 degrees here with some light flurries. However after seeing the fish some of you have posted recently I’m tempted to head out to the local reservoir just because I’m curious if I could even catch anything. 🤔

I know I said I was done for the year but I just couldn’t stay away. Managed to get out for an hour or so and caught a few on a Rapala floating original.

If I were that handy with a bow I’d probably have another hobby 😆

Well looks like it’s time to close the book on this season and start living vicariously through our brethren in warmer climes. Caught this guy yesterday but lost another one that was big enough to straighten out the the treble hook on my jerkbait. Today was more of the same had two come off my paddle tail, one was a dink the other was not. It’s been a heck of a ride and I’m excited to apply lessons learned to next season.

Another rough day today. Even though the temps are in the 70s again the fish haven’t recovered from the overnight lows in the 30s and low 40s earlier this week. One Dinkasaurus Rex to keep the skunk at bay.

Just two ✌Tough sledding today.

Is this the one you’re referring to? No boat.

I did recently purchase such a rod. AG Vendetta 7’ Med/Mod topped with an AG Black Max. Budget outfit, not ready to go all in with a pricier setup just yet.

A few years back we moved to my wife’s home town. It was a bit of a change for me to be living in a more rural area especially one where I didn’t know anyone. My wife was tired of me loafing around the house and said I needed a hobby. I saw that most folks around these parts like to hunt and fish. I dabbled in both growing up but fishing was the easier/cheaper (ha!) of the two options so after a cursory internet search I got a budget spinning combo, a pack of green pumpkin senkos, some hooks and bullet sinkers and off I went to stalk the banks of the numerous local lakes and reservoirs. It being the middle of August I was hit or miss at first, but once I hooked into a 5+ pound Bass at family friend’s farm pond I knew that this was it for me and I haven’t looked back since. This past summer I took my son with me fishing. For his first time I showed him how to tie on a Texas rig with the same green pumpkin senkos. He landed 6 fish that day and now all he wants to do is fish which is fine by me.

As you can guess from the title I’m brand new to cranking. When I look at the selection of Crankbaits out there I’m a bit overwhelmed. There’s square bills, flat sides, lipless, medium and deep divers and don’t even get me started on the colors. I’m a bit clueless where to begin. Are there any specific make/model(s) or general recommendations that you folks would suggest for a bank angler just starting out? A few good options that would cover most of the situations I’d encounter from the bank would be great.

I finally got back out today I was worried that I wouldn’t get to fish any before it got too cold out. Had a decent day though and what made it especially cool was that it was my first time fishing a Jerkbait. I decided to try it out since it’s fall and what not. It did not disappoint and while none of the fish I caught were very big I still had a blast. I also learned jerkbaits can catch crappie as well.

Not to hijack the thread, but I’ve never seen ned rigs with EWG hooks before might I ask who makes those?

Like others have said, I carry a ziploc bag specifically for used soft plastics. I’ll use them again for their intended purpose or trim the damaged section and use them for trailers or what have you.

@TnRiver46 I’ve used them with either weighted belly hooks or Texas rigged them with a light weight (1/16 or 1/8) pegged tight up to the nose of the bait. I did it that way because I was trying to keep them weedless. I recently figured out that was redundant because I could just fish a swim jig if I’m that concerned about weeds. I was thinking I would buy swim bait jig heads and start using them more in open water, but after reading this thread I like the idea of using ball heads better because 1) I already have some and 2) they seem a bit more versatile.

I’m a fan also. Have used both 2.75” Yum Pulse and 3.75” Rage Swimmers. I have never rigged them with a ball head jig though. For those of you that do, are you bottom bouncing or swimming them? Maybe both?

Our wives must be related. Maybe they’re not related after all. Yes. Every. Single. Time. In fact, every rod and reel that I own was purchased there. As far as my other tackle it’s 50/50 between Wally World and the local B&T.

Well, been on a bit of a slump since late August, 1-2 dinks here and there and got skunked a lot more than I was used to. Went out for a few hours yesterday hoping my luck would finally turn. Caught 3 adjacent to the boat ramp which was a minor miracle considering the amount of traffic that was out there. Have a procedure scheduled this week and might be laid up for a little while. So if this may have been my last trip of the year at least I got to end it it on somewhat of a high note.

Another vote for the football jig here. At least that’s gonna be my first choice. After that the shaky head/Neko rig, and mojo rig.

My kit is pretty similar to yours, the differences being: 1. Ned rig - I like a finesse shaky head instead. 2. Walking bait - The only topwater I carry is a popper 3. I almost always have flukes with me if not already tied on one of my rods

I hear you, I see a lot of trash left by other anglers on the bank, night crawler containers, empty bottles and cans. I’ve almost tripped and broken fell several times because I got my feet tangled in fishing line people have left behind on the bank. I always was it up and stick it in my pocket or tackle bag.

Black and/or Bubblegum ?