Bazoo

Anyone using this? Does it offer an advantage over other worms of similar size/shape/color? https://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/gulp-nightcrawler

Thanks for all the input. I got 1 + a couple bites on a swim jig today. Tried a spinnerbait some, to no avail.

It's second tier because I get skunked a lot with it. I have caught some fish on spinnerbaits, but I haven't had consistent results yet. Being primarily a bank angler, I don't get to fish laydowns or stumps much. A couple years back I put my boat in and went right to the stumps with a spinnerbait and got one. So, yes, I know it's fire there. It's probably the 1 lure I wish was at the top of the list, followed by the swim jig.

I don't take this fishing with me, but I use it to store some of my extra stuff. I know it's not practical in todays fishing world, but I still love the old tackle boxes. Model 5940.

I shot up a mess of these when I was a younger.

I contacted Abu Garcia, telling them of this query, and they responded in the affirmative, that if I purchased it, they would send the needed parts.

We don't have hard water here except on a rare occasion. Plenty of times I've fished with ice in my guides. I learned not to fish braid that way, as it gets balls of ice in the line and then the line explodes off the reel. Thank you very much for those suggestsion. Neds have flown below my radar. I'll have to work with them some. Good suggestions here too, thank you very much.

Thank you very much. This is good feedback. I had guessed this might be the case. Thank you for the suggestion.

I appreciate all the responses and suggestions. I think spinnerbait and swim jig are something I need to focus on, as they are core techniques. As well as wacky rigged. I have caught 1 fish on that. Then, shaky head and drop shot, as they are sort of core finesse techniques

That's exactly what I'm thinking of it for, a pond and quick bank trip bag.

Anyone here have this box and can comment on it? https://www.planooutdoors.com/products/soft-plastic-stowaway-3600

Here's something I found for wintertime. I didn't know about this.

Prayers sent for her.

I'm working on my building my skillset. So far, I am confident in: Flukes Weighted Texas Rig Worms Weightless Texas Rig Lizard and trick worms Shallow water crankbaits Roostertails Split shot with finesse worms/curly tail worm Curlytail grubs on jigheads or t-rig Topwater frog Topwater walking baits Jitterbug Popper That said, I could use more experience and confidence with most of those. More time on the water. Things I have some experience with, but mild to moderate confidence in are: Spinnerbaits Jigs carolina rigs drop shot shaky head lipless crankbaits jerkbaits buzzbait senko Punching Johnson Silver Minnow Things I have no confidence in, which I may or may not have ever caught fish on: Soft plastic swim jigs AKA paddle tail glide bait swim bait swim jig plopper double fluke rig tubes soft plastic toads bladed jigs blade baits tailspins A-Rig Ozark rig deep cranking casting spoons So, I am trying to decide what to focus on next, and, if anything, what to remove from the 2nd and 3rd lists. Anyone have insight?

I've fished a split shot rig a fair amount, but always more like I would a true carolina rig, rather than how I would a texas rig. And always with a longer leader.

I really like this guys old school style. He has some great tips too.

Howdy and welcome.

Using Big Game, switching between 8lb, 10lb, and 12lb, I get further distance with the 8lb. Noticeably further with 1/4 oz crankbaits, though I haven't measured it. Now with 1/2 oz or heavier lures, I don't get an increase in casting distance. I am maxing out for my reel, rod, and techniques.

My understanding is the finesse carolina rig is simply a lighter version which omits the swivel. The thing of interest in the video is not a modification to the carolina rigging, rather, that it utilizes a 6"-10" leader. He's flipping it around boat docks, brush, and generally using it like a texas rig.

Hmm, Freeman Lake https://elizabethtownky.org/freeman-lake-park/ is the place I consider pressured. At the north end of this lake are 2 ponds. Each pond is separate from the other, but each is connected to the main lake by a channel on the outer most sides. So, what makes this different is, there is a parking lot and some nice walking trails, such that there is a lot of people. The pressure on a slow day is around a dozen people fishing the banks of this pond a day, going up to over dozen at any given time during weekends and nice days. Everything from kids and nightcrawlers to folks that are serious shore bass anglers, to those that just throw whatever they have for bass. As a result, the fish don't bite unless you present to them something that is different or exactly what they want. I've had success with squarebill crankbaits, but sparse success. Success is measured by catching any bass. I caught smaller ones. When I tied the hooks on, which changes the sound and vibration, I caught a larger number of smaller ones and a few larger ones. This indicates to me, that because they see a lot of squarebills, they have learned not to bite, and the older they are, the more wise they get. Squarebills are a reaction bite, so they are biting sometimes just because you get lucky and bump the lure off the log they are sitting on. Now, if you fish a spinnerbait, you get nothing. Soft plastics have given me some success. I think a lot of folks don't fish soft plastics other than creature baits such as bandito bugs. Things like flukes, brush hogs, worms, grubs, and lizards have given me success, but I am selective in my choices for color, size, and presentation to pick what I think is not "popular". A weightless lizard worked slow does well. But most people can't stand to work things that slow. I've fished Zoom Fat Albert grubs on a small texas rig, and that has worked well too. I've had very little success with senkos, as a lot of people fish senkos I think. Often times you see fish crusing along the shore, but you just can't get them to bite. So this is my definition of pressure and how it makes fish act. ----- The second place I think of is the opposite of pressured. It's a private pond I have access to, with only a handful of people fishing it each year. This pond is about the same size as the larger of the 2 ponds at Freeman Lake. The fish there will hit just about any lure. They don't hit every lure every day. I have had plenty of days where I can catch an average of 1 fish per 5 minutes over the course of an hour. All I have to do is match the conditions to the lure and technique and they will bite. Things I have no confidence in will get bit easily, so I use this place to learn new techniques and build confidence. This is the opposite of the aforementioned city lake. ----- Now, why would I fish the first spot you might ask? Well, my goal is to become a better bass fisherman. Sure, I fish other spots, but the challenge of Freeman Lake's ponds keeps drawing me back. I've fished that spot for 3 years now. It was common for me to get skunked 4 out of 5 times. Now, it is the norm for me to catch fish 4 out 5 times. If I go for 2 hours, I most normally catch at least 1 fish.

I mention frequently that I fish a city lake that sees a lot of pressure. I have mostly used 10 and 12 pound Big Game mono. I switched to 8 pound and it seems I got more bites. I thought so at the time, but switching back, the number of bites has not decreased I think. In your opinion, from the standpoint of pressured fish, will I notice a difference between 8lb, 10lb, and 12? Or are they so close that it's moot? I don't feel comfortable dropping down any further. With the 8lb, it was light, but I could still effectively set the hook and get fish out of light cover, as before. I have considered trying 6lb, but, well, I don't know. That sure seems light for things like texas rigs, flukes, crankbaits, jigs. Which is primarily what I throw. Considering I'm fishing pressured waters, should I try 6lb?

I follow Chris Johnson on youtube and he showed this short carolina rig, light weight, and he says he uses it in place of a texas rig sometimes. Anyone do this, or tried this? Thoughts?

I like showing the rod and reel. Or a lure.

Thanks. I had forgotten about tail spins and blade baits. I have a couple of those but forgot about them.

Those that don't bite probably are thinking "I work here but I don't work miracles!"