GreenvilleSC_fishing

That’s helpful. Thanks, guys.

Hi all, What line size and type would you use on a baitcaster for finesse 3/8 ounce spinnerbaits or 3/8 ounce underspin minnows? I’m leaning toward 12 pound straight flouro. Largest bass caught on this would not exceed 5 pounds for what it’s worth. I’m looking for something light enough to get the bait down.

Thanks for the responses, guys. A buddy and I just caught 27 bass on Hartwell yesterday which was a numbers record for us this year by quite a bit, but we had a lot of small ones. It probably would’ve been a 10 pound bag (best 5) which is disappointing. Still trying to figure out how to get weights up, and then numbers with weight. Part of that was that we were trying to “match the hatch” with 2.5” and 2.8” paddletails which was a small bait, so that’s part of the reason we caught a ton of small ones. A 6-7 pounder on Keowee is a dream catch - I’m noting your underspin recommendation, thank you for that. I’m wondering if I just need to cover more water while doing the right things to catch a big largemouth. Still, I’d think I would catch more size than just one 5-pounder in 10 months if I were doing the right things to catch the big fish.

I got my first boat in January this past year and have fished almost every Saturday this year with my sons on either Lake Hartwell or Lake Keowee. Both lakes are known for being blueback herring lakes with good-sized spotted bass. These lakes also have very little vegetation. They are mostly offshore points / shoals, a few interesting shallow creek areas, and tons of floating docks. I got FFS for the boat in June. We’ve done OK. Spring was fairly easy to get some large spotted bass using jerkbait without having too much of a dedicated strategy. I think we got lucky on some of the February and March days when we had no idea what we were doing and were trolling around jerkbaiting rocky points. April and May we did not capitalize on the postspawn pattern. We basically continued to do the same thing and never caught largemouth. June through September was tough and caused me to start trying different things. We had the most success targeting bridges. A highlight was catching a 5-pound largemouth with dropshot 45 feet under one of the major bridges, but that same day was brutal, and we only caught two other small spots that day. In general we are not doing as well as I know we could. We catch approximately one keeper per hour between the three of us (they are 8 and 6, and they are both quite skilled technically for their ages, so they are helpful at adding to the numbers),”. I know we should be able to catch more when we find them. Some days are worse than that average if we can’t figure it out. We caught 5 bass in 8 hours of fishing on Hartwell yesterday. I can’t find the big ones in warm/hot water. I’ve hit two 3 pound largemouths in creeks with the jig, but it seemed like random luck. 90% of what we’ve caught are with jerkbait, dropshot, and wacky Senkos. We’ve also had mild success with bladed jig. I can’t get Shaky Head or topwater to be effective, so it feels like I’m doing something wrong with those techniques. I’m seeking advice on how to go out and consistently get a 10+ pound bag with me and my 2 sons over the course of a day. With what I know about it this lake that should be achievable. Right now our only goal has been one keeper per hour, and there’s no real culling strategy to get the weight up. Basically if we happen to get a big one then that’s great, but it feels random. We’re just trying to get a bag+ right now. I rented a charter from a 40-year veteran in a week to hopefully learn some things. Any advice from you all here would be very helpful. I’m happy to answer any questions from folks willing to help and will be able to check this and respond this evening. Thank you so much in advance!

Curious if anyone has used the Megabass P5 OneTen Stick (6’5”) for BFS jerkbaits, or if it seems too heavy. I’ve tried it for 110 and 110 juniors, and it feels a bit too soft for those to me. The Pop-X Stick (6’3”) feels a little too soft for the 63 to 70 sized BFS jerkbaits but great for BFS topwater, squarebills, and Karashi.

Thanks for the reply. Longer spinning setup is interesting.

I’m considering investing in a rod almost exclusively for throwing the double fluke rig on the blueback herring lakes in my area. What type of rod is best for this? I’m thinking longer is needed to launch the long leaders, but I’m torn on power and action. It’s a fairly light rig for how cumbersome it is, and you want to have some good motion for subtly jerking it so make them “swim.” Some folks still seem to go for heavy/fast rods, and I’m struggling to see how that’s the best approach. Thoughts on something like P5 Destroyer Javelin?

First boat, 2021 Vexus AVX 1980. Took her on the maiden voyage this morning at Lake Keowee, SC.

Whelp, it made it here from Missouri! Found a contractor to transport it, and he did a great job. Excited to take the Vexus out Saturday morning.

It is indeed a 4 year-old Vexus, not a 45 year-old. 😅 I found an insured company who can take it, but I’m going to have the trailer checked out to make sure I feel good about putting 800 miles on it rather than paying double for the flatbed.

Trailer is 2021. Great feedback on getting it over to a trailer shop - I got some quotes today and as expected it’s about half the price for towaway than putting on a flatbed. It’s appealing to try to get it out here towaway with the rate, I just don’t want to make a bad decision.

I’ve been hunting for a year, and I finally pulled the trigger on a boat. It’s a used Vexus 1980 on a single axle trailer 800 miles from my home in Missouri. Curious if anyone can offer advice on how to get this thing to me in South Carolina. If I don’t find a shipping option I plan to just drive out there in my F-150. Single axle trailer is sketchy for this journey, but for the deal I think I got it was worth figuring out. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for all the feedback! It is very helpful. Regarding some of the financial points, I believe I can financially support this, and my decision is whether I invest dollars into something like a rental property (which I already have a couple of) or buy a toy. I’ve been investing for a while and have never really splurged on something like this. So the financial consideration for me is not whether I can in theory afford it, but rather if it is wise to burn dollars to do this instead of something that makes dollars. I have zero experience with boats and have only ever been a passenger. There would definitely be a learning curve. Rather than dollar considerations, I am curious how difficult this is for someone who is technically minded but does not have previous experience. I’m curious if newbies harm boats and motors from lack of maintenance experience or if the list is fairly manageable (things like winterizing motor).

I’m very close to pulling the trigger on a 21 foot bass boat with 250 hp engine (pending nothing crazy happens to the economy after the election). I’m debating whether I should do this or spend less than half that to get a nice fishing boat with a hull generally designed for shallower water but decent for a calm lake. I would be fishing primarily with my two young sons in the upstate of SC and western NC with primary bodies of water being Lake Hartwell and Lake Keowee. Curious for feedback on someone like me pulling the trigger on a really nice bass boat vs something like what I described. I have never owned a boat. Thanks for the feedback!

I’m considering getting the Orochi Ronin for a spinning jerkbait setup. For a short rod with constant “jerking,” I am considering if I should drop down to Vanford 2000 or just stick with 2500 like I use normally. The 2000 is a full ounce lighter than the 2500. Any input would be appreciated.

Has Minn Kota fixed the issues with the Raptor stomp switches, or are they still finicky? All the terrible reviews on the stomp switches are pushing me toward power poles. It’s unfortunate because I’d otherwise love to pull the trigger on Raptors.

I’ve seen the dealers listed on their map but am looking for some sort of positive recommendation.

Greetings, all. I have been slowly shopping for a bass boat. I'm curious if anyone knows the estimated price difference between an X19 with 200hp and X21 with 250hp. Also I'm struggling to find dealers in the southeast with X19s or X21s in stock. Does anyone have a recommendation for Xpress dealers in the southeast? I'm in South Carolina but willing to travel a bit to get the boat. Thank you!

Obviously Gator Trax Strike Series is an awesome bass boat… but for a non-tournament angler who’s also looking for some diversity in use (like inshore fishing) do y’all think the GT model would still make a nice bass boat?

Hey y’all, I’m gearing up to fish more seriously with my sons this spring. Fished my whole life but only recently starting to take gear and technique more seriously. I have 3 baitcasting setups that I’d like to try most things with. MH fast 7’ with 16 lb flouro M moderate 7’ with 12 lb flouro (crankbait / small treble topwater) H fast 7’6” with braid I’m wondering if I should put 50 lb or 65 lb braid line on the 7’6” heavy. I want to accomplish as much as possible without having to switch line. For this setup I’m thinking frogs, light swimbaits (S Waiver, Spro Chad Shad), mini-Alabama Rig, heavy jigs. I have plenty of mono and flouro for leader depending on what I’m doing. In general I want to be able to do as much as possible with these 3 baitcasters. I do also have some cheap spinning setups for finesse. Thanks for the insight!

Thanks for the replies, folks! This is very helpful!

Hello! Longtime lurker, but this is my first post. I’ve bass fished my whole life in the southeast, but always as a casual angler. Recently I decided to do a deep dive, purchase some nicer gear, and expand from fishing almost exclusively Texas rigs and classic topwaters on cheap gear. 3 high quality rods I just purchased: 7’ MHF Baitcasting 7’6” HF Baitcasting 7’ MM Baitcasting A usable rod (but cheap) I also have: 6’6” MLF Spinning (very light line, using for ned rigs and the like) My question is - can I fish a jerkbait effectively, and what should I use for it? The 7’ MM is an awesome crankbait rod, but the moderate action seems like the opposite of what you want for ripping a Jerkbait. The MH fast is an all-rounder, so I’m thinking I may just use that even though it might be a bit heavy. My understanding is that something like M very fast would be the best for Jerkbait. Open to any feedback and thoughts here, thanks!