WRB-2.0

My Dad was a immigrant from Scotland at age 6 and became a naturalized USA citizen. Grew up in SoCal, was on the USC water polo team. Worked for Howard Hughes Oil Drilling Co until Howard Hughes Jr started up his Aircraft Co. My Dad worked on several aircraft from Howard’s 1st a plane he didn’t get a contract for and sold the design to the Japanese became the Zero. Spruce Goose and F1 the counter rotating propeller design. We lived at Big Bear lake and Dad commuted to by flying his small airplane to work returning weekends. We spent mostly vacation time together as a family and boating was our the center of nearly everything we did from fishing to racing. Dad was the glue holding our family together, always claim when Mom was flying off the hook. My Grandma taught us fish and took care of 3 sons during summers while Dad and Mom worked. I am a lot like Dad, aerospace engineer and dedicated to my career and hobbies, mis him. I am the only surviving family member, Dad passed at age 94, Mom at age 102, Bill at age 32 in ‘72, Bob at 74 in 2017. Tom

This is a typical stream trout rod, not a bass rod fishing rod. The reel imo is too large and heavy for the rod but will work. Suggest using 4 lb to 6 lb test mono line and set the drag at 2 lbs. If you choose to cast and retrieve lures like in-line spinners use a small Spro Snap Swivel. Bass fishing smaller size lures like Tiny Torpedo or Rebel Teeney Craw, nothing over 1/8 oz in weight. Line Sunline Super Natural Mono. Tom PS, you could get a 6’ Medium Light fast action rod and use your reel for more general use bass rod.

Teeth in the lips? Teeth on the tongue it’s a Spotted Bass. Lakes where the bass are feeding primarily on fish tend to have longer teeth on their lips, crawdads seem to wear down the teeth more. Fishing in Mexico the bass for whatever reason had 1/8” or longer lip teeth tearing up your thumb. Tom

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The reason I use a safety razor is the cut is straight down the length of the razor blade about 1 1/4. I use 4” finesse worm cut into 2 pieces 2” long and split the tail or rounded head end using the flat cut end to screw in a Hitchhicker spring This is my jig weed guard. Clip the spring onto the jig hook and insert the hook point into the crouch of the split end, works great for me. Splitting a straight tail worm 4 1/2” to 6” using the razor blade the split tail is 1 1/4” long and moves like a Minnow tail. Smoke with gold, silver and black flake purple neon vane split / slip shot rigged have caught thousands of bass for me over the years. Yes it works! Tom

Marabou feather jigs are often called hair jigs by Smallmouth bass anglers. Another name given is fly for Marabou feather jigs. The “hair jig” is usually 1/16 to 1/8 oz black or white fished on 4lb to 7b FC line using long 7’6” to 7’10”ML spinning rods. The jig is light weight therefor mid water swimming column presentations in lieu of bottom hopping contact jig. Me, I use bucktail hair jigs 3/16 to 7/16 with standard bass rod and fish them using my Horizontal casting jig presentation. Cast let sink watching the V cut by the line as the jig sinks. Strike detection is the line or jig stops sinking before it hits bottom. After the jig hits bottom I move the jig by turning the reel handle 1 or 2 turns and repeat watching the V in the line for strike detection. Tom

I often split the tail using a safety razor by pushing the blade straight down the center of the tail works good. Scissors can’t cut straight. Tom

The problems with spinning reels retrieving a water resistant lure like a crank bait are 2 fold 1) is line twist, 2) IPT is too fast. You shouldn’t reel against a fight fish with a spinning reel, drive train isn’t design for high forces. You don’t need a high end crank bait rod imo. Any decent composite rod like KVD Lew’s series Medium Heavy power works good. Casting reel in gear ratio 6.2:1, 1 IPT around 24” works good with shallow to medium divers. Lots of good choices depending on budget. Shimano Curado 150 MGL. Tom

Since you raised the CG above the gunnels and added the outriggers to stabilize the kayak when seated my question is; How do you get in and out?‍♂️ Be safe getting old isn’t for sissy’s?‍? Tom

Let’s put this thread back on the tracks...fall migration. The photo period affects plants including aquatic plants. Shorter day light slows growth and cold weather signals the plants to drop leaves and return sap towards the roots except evergreen trees. Bass tend to make their cold water migration about the same water temps when the spawn ended around 75 degrees. Cooling water signals the bass to feed up for the cold water period coming. Our small lakes don’t have running creek water arms, it hasn’t rained in months in this Mediterranean climate. The bass still move where the bait is and the bait is mostly Threadfin Shad (phytoplankton eaters) Bluegill, Sunfish, Crappie all move into bigger schools until the turns over. Best fall time to bass fish is before the turnover. Everything scatters after the turnover until the ecosystem settles down and the water keeps cooling until about 55 degrees when the cold water period begins. Out local lake the turnover lasts about 2 weeks for each. The cold water rarely drops below 45 degrees with a few exceptions like Big Bear that freezes. Florida strain LMB can’t service water colder then 45 degrees limited their distribution. Tom

My point is Big Bear lake is further south then my location therefore longer photo period and if that was the primary spawn trigger the BB bass would spawn earlier not 3 to 4 months later. The reason BB bass spawn later is water temperature period. Smallmouth at BB spawn starts @ 58 degrees, LMB starts @ 62 rarely earlier. The local lakes Casitas, Castiac, Cachuma, Piru, Pyramid all start the spawn at different times. Casitas being a few miles from the ocean is always earlier and slightly cooler water temps, all the others start about 1 month later with Castiac bass spawning deeper. All in the exact same photo period and Mediterranean climate, except Big Bear lake is a colder micro climate at 7,200’ altitude. Pyramid is located at 4,000’ and 50 miles north but warmer climate then Cachuma 75 miles north at 700’ near the ocean same climate as Casitas. Start spawn cycle are the larger females and our lakes that have 2 to 3 spawn runs about 2 to 3 weeks apart ending around 75 degree water temps, except Big Bear has 1 spawn cycle over a 2 to 3 week period. Tom

Where I live Big Bear lake is 100 miles south but at 7200’ altitude, phot period is ahead being further south. The spawn cycle at Big Bear lake is in May-June because the lake freezes. The spawn cycle 100 miles further north is Feb-March because of the lower altitude and warmer climate. Tom

Left hand thread. Tom

The spawn is all about warming water temperatures from the cold water period, the photo period has nothing to do with the spawn outside of longer days increasing water temps. Photo periods do effect plants more then temperatures. Shorter day light reduces photosynthesis when green plants produce oxygen, the plants start to turn brown. Brown plants don’t support life and all life starts to leave looking for better conditions. Bass follow the food source. With DO reduction from die back of green plants the bass seek water with higher levels of DO. Cooler running creek water is one source bass seek out, food is 1st! Tom

Yep, Don Iovino Products Slash-it 1/4 oz MM (Miracle Minnow). Splash-It comes with Owner chicken Hooks, feather rear. You work a Splash-it Fast. Tom

Yep and Splash-It’s. Tom

Other top water makes it clear...apologize? Yes smaller size single buzzers work good. My personal favorite is Cultiva Zip ‘n Ziggy in Baby bass. Tom

As I noted at the beginning of this thread CLP Break Free cleaner and lubrication is ideal for exterior level wind worm gear cleaner and lubricant, plus adding a drop on spool end shafts occasionally. Cleaning your breaks, simply use alcohol and a Q-Tip then a swipe of ReelX oil. Bearings should be cleaned with a good cleaner ideally ultra sonic but Acetone works OK but not on plastic bearing shields. ReelX is inexpensive and excellent reel oil for bearings. Remember you only use a drop of oil so a 1 oz bottle last a very long time. Tom

Buzz bait is a top water lure! Tom

I got to thinking why did was my goal always wanting to catch big fish of all types. Anytime going fishing my mind was set on catching big ones, not just any size fish. It may have come from an early age seeing a bass called Moses. It took me 2 years to catch Moses and spent most of my fishing time trying, that May have been the catalyst? Tom

I have been through dozens of “hot bait”cycles over the past decades. What I believe occurs is the bass that react to a specific lure get caught and learn to avoid that lure. Tom

Sitting in a canoe and trying to work a dog walking lure it’s difficult to snap the rod tip downwards to get the lure walk in place without too much forward movement. Selling my boat has really change my fishing, hard to catch bass sitting in the recliner. Tom

10# Big Game is .012D the largest diameter mono you should use is .010D. Your line is twisted not wind knotted. Spinning reels twist line with every bail rotation if the end of the line can’t unwind. Larger mono then.010D has too much memory to untwist. Suggest Sunline Super Natural 8# @ .009D low memory mono line. Check the reel bail roller and make sure it free to spin and doesn’t have any grooves cut into it. Manually flip the bail over by hand do not engage the bail using the reel handle. You fish from shore it isn’t easy to untwist mono line, from a boat it’s easy by dragging about 100’ of line behind the boat without anything tied on and walking speed. To untwist line at home attach the end of line walk off about 100’ on your lawn. Cut the line off the attachment and lay a soaked wet towel over the line near the rod tip. Fold the wet towel over the line and reel the line back onto the reel. This will untwist the mono. Tom

1 brake on and 3 off will not harm the reel. Dirt debris on the level wind line guide can slow down the line, keep the reel clean. I use CLP Brake Free for light cleaning and oiling. 2 oz squeeze bottle with straw tube will last a very long time. Drop on level wind worm gear occasionally and spool shaft ends is that is needed. Tom

12 years later fresh water bass anglers can afford 360 degree scanning sonar and live scope to watch real time the dot react to your lure.....game changer! Tom