Bazoo

I seen somewhere, on this forum I think, where someone mentioned Texas rigging a grub instead of using a jighead. I thought it sounded neat, and I liked that it would be much more weedless than a jighead. The other day I was fishing a bank that was pretty tight for casting clearance and into some heavy cover just off shore. I used an 1/8oz bullet sinker, a 1/0 worm hook, a 3" Zoom Fat Albert grub in green pumpkin, and was able to coax old iron jaws into nibbling at first... then full commit. The result was a nice little fighter, probably 1.5 pounds. Was my first catch on a Texas Rigged grub, but it won't be the last I'm sure. The lake I was fishing is pretty heavily pressured, so using this is as much of trying to find something out of the ordinary as anything else. My buddy whom took the pic caught a similar sized bass on a ned rig, so we both left happy that day.

Interesting replies, thanks all for sharing.

You can see my holster and gun in this pic. A Ruger Blackhawk 44 Special in a Simply Rugged Sourdough pancake holster.

Looks like a spotted bass to me... but I ain't no expert.

I got this guy yesterday. 2.7 pounds. weightless Texas rigged Zoom Lizard

This is a neat thread. I'm learning a lot. I will have to try some anise oil for my soft plastics. It seems that is uncommon now and might just give me the edge where I fish. Thank you all for sharing.

After checking them out on their website... I'll bet the secret ingredient is anise scent, not the worm specifically. Has anyone else tried anise scented worms?

Awesome, hmmm. I just need to see a pic of how they are rigged, and what shape they are when laying "natural" and I'll figure out a way to duplicate it with a Zoom Trick Worm. I'll have to research it some. Never seen anything like it. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for them.

Dang that's a cool setup. I never would have considered it. There are a couple places that I fish, something like that would benefit me, though I don't know that I could ride one.

I don't have anything to add, since I'm learning! I will say... my gut tells me there is something special about those orange bladed spinnerbaits. I'd have confidence in it throwing it. Confidence doesn't always equate to fish on the thumb but it does help to get the lure in the water.

I fish both with trailer hooks and without. I make my own by using some trotline hooks I have with some clear tubing. If I'm going to be throwing into some heavy stuff, I generally remove the trailer hook, but I will throw a spinnerbait or buzzbait that has a trailer hook into heavy stuff if I'm not in the notion to take the time to remove it. Like yesterday when I threw my buzzbait and spinnerbait, both with trailer hooks into a couple fall downs on the river I was fishing. No bites, I tangled up a couple times but worked free. On Freeman Lake, which is heavily bank pressured. I've gotten a bass on a spinnerbait, on the trailer hook. I got a nice 5 pounder on a buzzbait, which had a trailer hook, but didn't utilize it. Prior to that strike. I had witnessed a smaller bass nip at my skirt and miss the hook, so I added the trailer hook. I witnessed the same thing on 2 separate occasions a few weeks prior, when a bass nipped at my spinnerbait skirt but didn't get the hook. For these bass...I think a trailer hook is better. But I'll throw either, and I have spinnerbaits and buzzbaits rigged both ways. Personally, I would use a normal short hook, and a trailer hook, rather than lose the versatility.

For baitcasting, I cast with the right, switch hands, and reel with my right. For spinning, I cast with the right, keeping the rod in hand, and reel with my left. That is was feels natural to me, though I've tried the visa versa methods. I read (on this forum I think) that using spinning in the right hand and casting in the left is good because it separates them in your brain, since you use different techniques for the two types.

My boat is a Buster Boat by Splash Marine. It has a metal transom plate over plastic and I think, but don't know for sure, that it has wood on the inside.

A good start would be a couple squarebills in a shad or golden pattern. Brand of your choice. Same in chartreuse backed for muddy water. Lipless, crankbaits are prone to being lost, take extra and don't sweat losing them. Cotton Cordell Super Spot is cheaper than a Rat-L-Trap. Try both. Again, natural pattern/blue and silver and a brighter color too. Using one of the traps that have a spinner on the tail instead of a second hook will reduce the snags. For a diving crank, I prefer the Fat Free Shad. Now made by Bomber I think, It was designed by Bill Dance, I forget which company made it back then.

I don't remember what worm, but I believe it was a purple/blue ribbontail. Best I recall I'd rigged it Carolina style. I think I was about 12. I didn't catch another bass on a worm for years. I bass fished until I was bout 25 but ended up taking a break until this last spring. When I got back into it, the first fish I caught was on a Texas Rigged Zoom Lizard. I've made it my goal in fishing to learn and use all the different lures and techniques that I find "hard" or otherwise never learned or mastered previously.

UH...WOW! Thank you for sharing that. Especially the rigging part. It sounds like to me the hottest thing in jig fishing. Piecing together a jig like that would come close to eliminating the fish rejecting the jig due to feeling the weight I'd bet. A Texas Rigged Jig, I'm going to try it.

I'm on page 101 now. I'm thinking ahead to an outboard. I have a few questions. I'll preface it by saying I'm completely new to outboard motors and to using them on these types of boats. My boat is rated for 5 HP. If I happened upon a 6HP, would it be okay? Is it against some law to use one that is larger than the boat is rated? I am not looking for max power, just curious. Conversly, if I happened upon a 3.5 or 4 HP, would that be plenty enough or would I wish to have a 5HP? I think they made like 2.5hp... what about one of them? I'm not actively looking for an outboard, but I am keeping my eyes peeled for whatever comes my way because I am looking to the future. My usage would be both on rivers and lakes.

This was an interesting thread, thanks all for sharing. About 20 years ago, I caught 2 catfish back to back on a Rapala Jointed Minnow. I was fishing a pond, that didn't see much if any pressure. I first thought I was snagged, but turns out I had a 6lb catfish. I released him, and within 10 minutes caught another that was identical in size and from the same spot. I had a deliar with me, and I weighed them both. It read 6lb on one and just over 6lb on the other. But deliars ain't the best scale, so I always thought that one of the measurements was wonky and it was the same fish. The second time around, the fish destroyed my Jointed Minnow. It hit much harder and fought twice as hard. It ripped the rear wire out of the body halfway up the tail section and ripped the line tie out of the nose by 1/4". It was quite impressive and I kept that mangled lure as a trophy until I lost it in a fire.

I went fishing yesterday in the rain at Freeman Lake. During one of the brief breaks, I caught a real nice 2 pound Largemouth Bass. Unfortunately, I didn't have the phone with me, and the wife was hiding in the car due to the rain. The water was nearly perfectly calm, with orange, red, and yellow leaves scattered on its surface. I worked the Spit'm Image fast a few times, then slowed down, moving it between the leaves. It was more than the pot bellied little bass could take, and he slammed my lure about 10 yards from shore. Here is a picture of my favorite topwater lure from today, well... my favorite is the original Excaliber, but this Heddon will suffice for now.

It's been pretty cool at nights and some days are chilly and windy now. I'm still getting bites on topwater, some on warm days, and some on cool days. I was telling a buddy about a topwater bass I got yesterday. He said his buddy told him its too cold for topwater... but, it ain't.

I appreciate all the responses. Thanks Tom! @WRB Thanks @bulldog1935, I have read through those links. I normally leave 2 brakes on for the centrifugal, and then for the magnetics, somewhere in the middle. I then adjust the spool tension to where when it drops I get a few inches of overrun. With the Abu Garcia Black Max, and now the Pro Qualifier 2, I'm getting the feel that I don't have to adjust much between lures. I don't fish this way, but I do occasionally practice in the yard with no brakes and no tension. Takes a lot more concentration, but man it's wild when I'm on. I agree with ya accuracy over distance. I want a reasonable distance of course, but I practice for accuracy. Oftentimes times I can cast under a limb or bush, or right at the edge of cover, and with increasing accuracy. I normally set a couple targets up in the yard and practice both overhand and side casting, roll casting, and pitching. The hardest by far is a right side (casting to a target on the right) roll cast.

I did glue the reel seat back on with JB Weld. I first used 60 grit sandpaper to sand the inside of the reel seat. I took tape, and doubled it so it made a small strip of "double sided" tape, and used that to hold a small strip of sandpaper to the rod forward of where the seat goes. Sliding the seat back and forth over that, I was able to scuff up the inside. It didn't feel like any of the original epoxy was stuck inside there. I picked at the existing epoxy that was left on the rod, and it was holding well, so I scuffed it up, as well as the rod where the seat goes. I carefully applied a thin coat of JB Weld to both the rod and the existing epoxy and slid the seat back into place, making sure that the line guide was positioned at 90 degrees. I let it set overnight, and it appears to be firm. I tried breaking it loose with my hands, and it did "crack" a couple times, but hasn't budged. I think the old epoxy cracked in a place or two. I rarely fish with this rod, as this is my going up creeks with heavy cover rod, but I cast it a lot in the yard with my boy. Time will tell I guess if it holds. I've had a lot of experience with JB Weld, and knowing what I know about it, I expect it to hold up over time.

I started baitcasting with a round Abu Garcia Ambassadeur about 25 years ago. This reel had centrifugal brakes, and it took me a while, but I finally got decent with it. I took some time off fishing and got back into it this last spring. I purchased an Abu Garcia Black Max combo to get me going again. With that, I quickly "re-learned", and am able to cast about anything I want without issue, including weightless Zoom lizards. I still have an occasional backlash, but its due to hurrying, trying to cast with an odd stance or not loading the rod due to position. This reel has magnetic brakes. The rod is a 6'6" Medium Power / Medium Action. Well @Dan N was very nice to me and sent me a BassPro Pro Qualifier 2 baitcasting reel, and a BassPro Crankin' Stick rod a while back. This reel has both magnetic and centrifugal brakes. The rod is 7'3" Heavy Power / Fast Action. It took me a bit to get the hang of the new reel and rod, but I started getting used to it and was able to cast okay with it. The rod being heavy power makes it different than anything I've ever tried before. I then purchased used a Lews Speed Spool reel with magnetic brakes. I put it on a 5'6" Zebco Medium rod that I had a Zebco 33 on. It took me a bit to get accustomed to this reel too, but I got to where I was able to do well in the yard. So, now, I am trying different combinations of rods and reels. I took the Black Max rod and mated to it the BassPro Pro Qualifier 2 reel, and am using that for my all round rig. It pairs well, and I'm getting more and more comfortable with the reel. I put the Lews reel on the Crankin' Stick, but... dagnabit she's hard to master. I don't know if its the rod, or the reel, but I get a lot of backlashes for some reason. Not just a little overrun, but backlashes that require a minute of untangling and picking, just like when I first started getting used to the Lews reel. It seems to me each reel requires a different technique, and a new education to my thumb. There is certainly a different feel to each reel, with regard to how hard one can cast, and how much pressure, and when that pressure is applied. The rods, all different, I find that if I put the Abu Garcia Black Max reel on them, I do pretty good. I'm getting to the same point with the Pro Qualifier 2, but I'm starting to wonder if me and the Lews just don't get along. Does anyone else mix and match their rigs like this and try new things? Am I the only one that finds different brands of baitcasting reels to cast differently, or at least with different difficulties?

Sorry to hear it. I love finding the old stuff. I found a new wooden Rebel jerkbait yesterday.

Have you tried to clean up the little crank? Wondering how it turned out.