Bazoo

Thanks. My BM looks like the picture of the first one, the 3rd, with the exception of the handle is different. No pictures currently as my phone is down. Mine is identical to this. Mine does not have BMAX3 on the bottom of the gear case though.

Thank you very much.

Lots to chew on here, thank you all. And yeah, I know that this time of year it's hard and I normally do okay. The hit I got on the texas rigged worm was on the initial fall, not on the bottom. @Swamp Girl, I always fish any available cover. I lose a lot of texas rigs and grubs. And, yeah I need to either figure out what to do with my pond boat or get a new one. I'll probably get one come tax season. That though, is sort of a different animal. I still want to become the best bank angler I can be. Regarding lure changes, let me clarify. I had 4 rods with me. So I didn't change that many, but I had 4 tied on to start and did change a few. The frog is the only one that stayed on for the duration of that trip, only because I didn't want to fish anything else on that rod. Usually I fish 2 or 3 lures/rods at a spot, fan casting and hitting what cover and structure I know of, then I move down the shore 25 yards or so and repeat. About 3 times of that and I'll change 1 or 2 of the lure selections depending on what they are. For example, I might change from a fluke to a crankbait, but retain the texas rig, keeping with a fish presentation. Or change from a baby brush hog to a jig, but again, keeping with bottom presentation. I also tried the fluke both at the top, just under the surface as a near topwater, and lower in the water column.

Thank you very much. This gives me a lot to chew on.

My Black Max is still going strong. I used it a fair amount for lighter stuff for about a year. Finally put it back on the Black Max rod and it's doing lightish stuff to crankbait duty right now. I oil it occasionally, and it still zings lures way out there. I wish I could find a thread or some pictures showing the differences between the BM 1, 2, and 3. Whichever version I have is a solid little reel.

Thanks Joe. I had not considered horizontal vs vertical. Yes, I was swimming the grub. Part of my problem is I have a hard time thinking through it and making decisions on the water. Analyzing it after the fact helps me to make real time decisions in the future.

I was able to check out the 7'0" M/H Hank Parker Lews today at walmart. The tip is a bit stiffer than I'd like, but it wasn't nearly as heavy in weight or balance as I'd expected.

I didn't notice it said stainless steel inserts. I don't normally run braid. Though I have some 20 pound on a rod currently I was frogging with today.

Anyone comment on this rod? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lew-s-Laser-HS-Casting-Fishing-Rod-7-Foot-1-Piece-Rod-Medium-Heavy-Action-Green-Gray/214222265 I was at walmart and checked it out. It is light and nicely balanced. It's on the lighter side of other M/H rods I've inspected, which would make it a great all around rod. It sure feels great in hand. The tip seemed softer than other comparable rods as well. Which, for me, is desirable.

That's handy, I didn't know anything like that existed. Thanks @A-Jay Now, In my mind (whether it's uselss info or not), I think it's very important what didn't work. Especially the baby brush hog and the fluke, since those are my go-to lures. My thinking is, since the fluke didn't work, and there were baitfish around, that they wanted a faster moving lure such as a crankbait or spinnerbait.

Today, I went to the local reservoir, which is just a large flood control pond. Here's the report, turned down the frog one on a Texas rigged worm one on a curly tail grub turned down the baby brush hog turned down the jig turned down baby fluke split shot rig turned down weightless brush hog via my 5 year old turned down hula popper via my 5 year old turned down weightless fluke via my 5 year old turned down 1/8 bitsy minnow squarebill one on a 1/4oz squarebill another on 1/8oz grub another on 1/4 squarebill In about 2 1/2 hours I caught 5, but it was a hard bite. Right when I was getting ready to leave I tried the 1/4oz squarebill and it immediately got a small one. Then in about 10 minutes another one. I think they were keying on shad type moving baits. I didn't have time to experiment more because the boy was nagging to leave, and it was hot and miserable. I did try the 1/4oz squarebill late and I think it would have done okay, but I did work a little bit of shoreline with it and only got 2. The bitsy minnow I didn't use a lot, and it doesn't cast very far so I'm not surprised it wasn't fire. I did see a lot of small minnows/baitfish on the surface and popping as bluegill were after them. I'm not sure what all of it was, but there was a lot of mosquito fish. I need some advice on what I should have done differently, what likely would have worked better. I need advice on how to get keyed in on what they want faster, rather than continue to try the same things that aren't producing.

That's great, thanks for sharing. My boy has a little blue kiddy pool. It has a couple of inches of dirt in it, topped by water. Sprinkle in some leaves and a few sticks, and we have a bullfrog motel in our yard. He commences to aggrivate the bullfrogs every chance he gets.

Some interesting color options. Not sure how I feel about chrome.

Thanks. I know there is at least some 4lb bass in one of the places. The other place I don't really know, because it's so covered I haven't been able to fish it much. -------- Is it better to have a slow, medium, or fast geared reel?

Thanks. I already am pinching to any visibile openings, but I've always done so with either a weightless, or a very lightly weighted texas rig. I do catch a few like that, but I mostly do so with 10-12 pound line, just because it's what I normally use and have handy. If I set up this big rod for punching, it could open up a whole new world for me, as some places have grass or mats 6-10 feet wide, with a few sparse openings for casting lanes.

Very nicely organized. I'm not so organized. I do have a rod holder on the ceiling I made though that has really helped with rods. I need to get me one of them cabinets. Sure beats the boxes I've been using.

Pretty sweet. I am thinking on it myself. I've already started with tying skirts on a few naked spinnerbaits I have. That was mighty fun.

I fish from the shore most of the time, and often there is some form of mat or vegetation. The first type is a slimy thick mat of algae/grass stuff. If you slap it hard, it opens and you can see water and submergent grass below. It's about 3/4" to 1" thick. I have drug a frog over it, but mostly I fish around this. I betcha there is bass up in there, and I reckon I could punch through it pretty easy. The second type I most often encounter is, I think, American Pond Weed. Or at least it's very similar. You snag gobs of it, and it comes up without effort, so it's not rooted. It appears to be pretty "thin" in the sense that a bass could easily navigate it. I pretty much fish around this. So, give me suggestions of what I need in order to fish these two types of vegetation from shore. I have a 7'3" Heavy rod, a BPS Crankin' stick. But I really dont know what lures I should try, and what weight and type of line I can use. So... do I absolutely need heavy braid? Would 17 pound mono work? What about heavier mono? Whats best, a heavy jig, or weighted Texas Rig? I'm more comfortable with the Texas Rig. What weight should I get? do I absolutely need a straight shank hook, or will a standard offset worm hook suffice in a pinch? Any other lures that will be effective? How far apart should I punch? If I pull a fish out of a hole, do you throw back to that spot the same as you do when fishing other types of cover or structure?

Fishing, along with other outdoor activities, is a way for us to connect with God through his creation. It's often referenced as soul refreshing or renewing.

What's you're favorite Chug Bug Color?

I've been using a pair of clip on polarized, but one of these days I'll get a pair of prescription polarized.

I am near sighted. I can see close up just fine without my spectacles, but I can't see very far without them. I don't know if I prefer it that way, but I can't change it regardless.

That's exactly what I've been doing for a couple of spinnerbaits in my bank beating bag. I am looking at a box or other storage, more for the house since I have a few spinnerbaits stashed here and a few there. I don't have a huge amount, maybe 10 all together. I am thinking ahead to when I put my boat in and fish for 6+ hours. I might want to take an assortment with me.

Man that sucks. I have been dealing with some CTS, but I've found that if I cast using both hands, it alleviates the problem. So perhaps finding a new method will help you to heal and continue to fish a limited amount. Sides, you don't have to fish every day... lol. That sounds exactly like something my wife would say to me.

Awesome. Congratulations. I lost my boxer earlier this year. I got up of the morning to take a leak, and she came out with me happy as a puppy. I went about 25 yards into the woodline, and when I came back she was laying broadside dead as a doornail. She was 10 or 11. I'd had her since she was 5 1/2 weeks old. I still haven't found another one. Been keeping my eyes open for the right one though.