JonB2

I’m not as long as most you on strictly bass fishing, but I’d say chatterbaits would be a weakness for me. I’ve hooked one fish all summer on them. Granted I don’t run them much at all, but I also don’t find myself drawn to them. I also tend to shy away from any kind of fad or current “hot bait” and will use the complete opposite at times just because I cannot be a follower at all. Jigs are my absolute strength, but Texas rigs are fast becoming my shine in current conditions. I also have a high interest in squarebills and I’m diving into big worms as well. My skinny ass loves the power game as I’ve always been a light-line steelheader all my life and this is a fascinating change for me

Pumpkin of some sort and black/blue or black. That’s it. Over 90% of my fish and most of my better ones have come on a black/blue jig including my largest this year

I bank fish a small, shallow river in Northern Michigan. It’s a gentle, steady current with a ton of life. It’s a swampy, wetland waterway fed from a shallow, fertile lake with two cold water streams entering its feeder lake and the river itself. I fish up high near the lake and down low near its mouth. It gets large, lake run smallmouth in the spring-early summer, and nice largemouth most of the year. I’ve saw bass pushing 6-7lbs here, but average is 15-18” with fish 20+” around. It has lots of weeds and grass beds, some lily pads scattered around, rocks/wood and deeper holes. It’s a sandy/muck bottom and full of prey in the form of panfish, perch, gobies, crayfish and frogs. It gets heavy summer rec, tourist, and googan traffic which can make it very trying some days. I always take what I can fool and know what I’m getting into mostly. Not sure on rating but I keep hitting it in various spots and haven’t burned out yet one bit. Maybe I’ll finally get the kayak I got a few weeks ago wet, who knows

I use SK Bitsy Bugs all the time, they’re my main jig. I bass fish rivers and don’t run much weight. The hook isn’t great, but isn’t terrible either. I haven’t had much issue at all with them for $1.76 and their overall quality is solid imo. I like the smaller hook as well; why companies think a 1/4oz jig needs a 4/0 hook is goofy

Fished a couple times and it was pretty tough overall. Summer chaos is all week, so midweek is just “less annoying” than the weekend. Despite the ever facing challenges of fishing from shore, I did barb a few greenies. I caught fish on a bunch of stuff, but switched it up from my usual and finesse fished more on day two Had fun with that, as I left the casters in the car and grabbed the M and ML spinning rigs. I got my biggest bass on the ML and after a slightly smaller fish pulled “us” down into the weeds and the 10/10 pulled through with some effort; the next fish was put to immediately. The ol’ basic senko was steady eddie, with a black 4” wacky on a drop shot being good. A t-rigged power worm had a nice run first day, getting 5 quick hits before they stopped biting it. Nothing of notable size, 17” was the biggest, but I’m just happy to be seeing some fat guts and thicker sides. I also caught the same bass twice in the same day and on two different baits; he was special with a knarly old hook scar

Just a softer tip rod compared to fast. Fast action is more sensitive; xfast is the most sensitive. If you have sparse cover and a more open area and want to protect against pulled hooks…moderate action works

Well, with almost no real info on what “basic bass fishing” constitutes to you…I’d suggest a good 10-12lb test mono since that’s what you want to use. Frogging is heavy fishing, but if your cover is more scant and not super sloppy…good 10-12lb can do a lot. I’d focus on other things to start than immediately going to top water…which seems like all people go for these days. Run a solid MF 7’ spinning rod with a 2000-2500 size reel with Big Game mono and you’ll be good for quite a bit of stuff

Don’t fish like a Man, fish like a Woman. No thinking, just feel it out. Bass after bass after bass lol

I’m newer to bass fishing hardcore, but grew up in the 90’s and laughingly, that’s how fish a lot. Casting jigs with trailers are my go to and Texas-rigged powerworms when I’m in thick grass/weeds. Worms, like jigs, get bit on the drop quite often as I’m sure weed lying bass react vs respond. Atleast that’s been my greenhorn experience

Had a couple solid days bank fishing in NMI. Smallmouth have long vacated this trib after the spawn, but largemouth remain and conditions have been great. Warm spells followed by rain and cool downs have fish feeding and happy. They’re finally starting to gain weight and recover from spawning. It was a longer, drawn out cycle with fish well into June. Since I fish from shore, I have to deal with a lot of “stuff”. Despite this, I am driven by the challenge of “what can I do today with what I’m given”. That’s always my approach, I am always confident…even when I know better. So I fish with purpose, but for my own e…njoyment. I fish in Michigan, and am realistic with my expectations. I fish for “keeper” sized fish which are 14” in MI. Nice bass for me are 16” or larger. A big bass in this state is 21-22”+; 20+ is d**n solid. The first day was a bunch of very average 12-15” fish that were really liking a pumpkin jig with an orange twin tail in the bright sun. I also got fish on senkos an even the ol’ pre-rigged worm. Nearer the end of the afternoon, I hit a good fish on a creature bait right after hopping it over a weed patch and letting it fall in the current straight down the edge. As soon as it hit bottom and before I even had my slack up all the way, thump! Day maker for sure. Second day was darker sky so I went with my go to all year, black on blue jig. Got some 12-13” and a couple decent 16-17”. I had a shot at an 18”+ fish on a senko, but totally adrenalized the hookset and she looped around, ate the free senko and continued on lol