JonB2

Man, sometimes I just know better and go anyways. The rain was continuous and ended up pounding down, so I tried as long as I could. River will be high and dirty by tomorrow as it got an easy 1-2" of quick rain. I ducked under a bridge down low and got a nice largemouth, good smallmouth, handful of dinks-dink+ and lost another similar largie. It was better than zero and I told myself "take what the Lord gives". All fish came on a 3/16oz bitsy bug with a ned bug trailer. I brought minimal tackle, but moving baits would've had their way.

Comprehension is your friend. Put the defense away and go read again. Nothing zen about a ned rig, thats why so many fish it. Have a good one.

@Swamp Girl Don't forget Katie, you can always rip a lipless through those weeds you have. Do the yo-yo and let it fall just into them and rip it out, rinse and repeat. I think you'd have some success with your aggressive mean greens. I'm pumped, I finally get to fish again and for two days. Storms developing tomorrow afternoon preceded by scattered light rain, so I'm early-birding it for a change and going for it from the bank. Friday will be yak day and I cannot wait for my first float of the season. Big worms, senkos and I'm actually gonna toss topwater for a change, a popping frog to start tomorrow.

@gim Here in MI, there's a growing notion that northern pike taste better than walleye. There are absolutely people who will take the northern fillets first over walleye. Perch are not in that notion typically!

@RRocket I've wacky rigged a 4" senko on a drop shot and twitch-twitch drop fished it and had success. You can also just drag it along like a c rig and it'll work. I think a lot see it as the initial method which was light-line vertical fishing. You can ALWAYS go against the grain on any method, that's for sure.

I'd skip the helicopter lure, but those black/chart tail power worms sure look good in murky water tight to cover. For real

I bet your nightmare scenario would be someone drop shotting rockbass lol

I never measure my bass, so I have no idea how big of fish I get. My estimations are likely close, but ultimately...I'd rather just get them back in quick. I rarely post sizes due to no true verification and photos don't always show size due to angles, angler size etc.

Not sure what my scale is, depends on the day. One thing I'm adamant about is not letting myself get complacent with one or two baits or techniques. Nothing worse than a day when something you don't know or have is "it". Sometimes you're dead in the water due to that type of thing. We're all our own bass angler, but me personally...I hunger for versatility. The more I know, the better I can adapt on the fly if things go a certain way on the water.

I like this guy. I'm a pic taker, but it's as soon as they're landed. Pic, unhook, back in the water. Typically 30s or less.

Try strike king bitsy bug and bitsy flipping jigs. They don't break the bank if you hang one up, plenty of effective colors, and a variety of sizes. The original bitsy has a rounder head, a bendable hook, and goes down to 1/8oz. I use 3/16oz more than anything, but have plenty of 1/8 and 1/4oz as well. The flipping version has a more streamlined head, very stout hook and starts at 1/4oz, which is what I mostly use.

That would be ignorance speaking. Bass are abundant and available...so perception clouds reality.

Dang man, you lost 10 cranks!? I'm still figuring out my crank game, but sure love when squarebills are going. I had some good days early season on them and they hooked me. I fish jigs and bottom contact a ton, but am gonna go on run of moving baits and other stuff to mix it up. I'm pretty eager to let it rip!

@Swamp Girl I'm not sure who that is, but I just have a high level of respect for ol' boys like Al. No ego, no bs, no fluff; just catches fish. My kinda dude.

Nice rhyme, nice fishing Al. You're one of my favorite members, keep that rod cranked my man!

Because artificial only bass fishing is a never ending puzzle that engages you in all phases as a human. I have fished my entire 44 years alive and have caught almost everything in my state. I used to be a hardcore steelheader and lived for those chrome bullets. I've never gotten so hooked on a type of fishing as I have with bass fishing. Putting together a solid day after putting the pieces together is like nothing I've done in fishing. Getting solid keepers and a few good fish is it man. This only applies if you're hungry and driven to make it happen. Sure, throwing a ned rig or wacky senko every trip will catch you lots of bass, but it won't grab your soul since you're only fishing one thing, and it won't challenge you. I want near constant adversity in my fishing. Some days, I'm lazy and just wanna bang out some fish, so I'll throw a senko and just relax. Most trips, I'm hunting and LIVE for that challenge. A lot of anglers are so scared to not get fish, they won't branch out, which is a shame for them.

I used j braid all last season and have it on my spinning reels as we speak. No issues for me, but I also make lots of stuff work instead of being overdramatic so I can brand drop and be one of the cool kids. I've used 832 as well and found it just fine, like j braid. Vanish flouro has a horrible rep, but I've caught hundreds of steelhead on it 🤷🏽‍♂️

Youtube has some goofball popping out with "I found the greatest rigging!" video daily. I just laugh and move on by. Fad city

I much prefer senkos on a spinning rod; M when its light, MH when its not. I run the M with 15/10 prespawn into early summer. Once we get sloppy and grimy...a 5"-7" t rigged senko with no weight on 20lb braid/12lb hybrid lead on the MH is my go to. Where I fish, I throw just into the far shoreline grass, jiggle it until it quietly plops into the river, and it tends to jump and pull tight right quick. I then need to beef them over and/or through dense weeds before we can dance properly. For whatever reason, my spinning rigs been getting it lately.

@SJS Type an @ then the name will pop up as you begin spelling it out and you simply select the appropriate member

Bite detection is a topic in and of itself. Use your intuition and experience as you go. You'll develop a feel for all things, and will mostly know when to hit or when to leave it and keep working your bait. Mental focus and what we call "settling in" will take you far. One of the biggest mistakes a beginner will make is pressing oneself and trying to keep up with the jonses. DO NOT worry about catching bass to start. Get good on your mental and observation games; all the rest will fall into place in time. Who cares if you flub the first 10 bass you get to bite as long as you take something learned and EARNED from it. Make mistakes, lose fish, miss fish, hang up, get annoyed, but let all that push you to where you wanna go. I'm hungry every single trip because I'm not perfect and last trip...I missed some meals...

No, I almost never wacky rig...not my preference. It doesn't need to "behave" like anything, it just needs to appeal to bass, which texas rigged weightless absolutely does. Don't limit yourself, you'll catch less fish.

I'm a happy man when I'm working heavy cover, and going toe to toe in the thick. Welcome to the Jungle, we've got fun and games indeed.

Purple of some sort. I don't throw gp much with senkos; I bought a pack last season, and its still kicking with atleast half left. Some of the ones "used" were halved for jig trailers. I'm not big on wacky rigging either; texas rig for me.

Finally had a solid day from shore on my favorite little river. I still had the usual "obstacles", this time in the form of a couple survey workers and a full sized bass boat with a huge motor on the back who couldn't look more stupid on a river suitable for kayaks and canoes. You're a poser goofy, go back to the city. I was able to hit double digits despite that, and the usual handful of dinkers. I had four rods with me, but just used my two spinning rigs, leaving the casters in the car. I got a few smaller bass and one good keeper(last fish) on a finesse jig on the M, but my MH and ol' stinko senko were the bite. I got mostly greenies, but did land three good bronze bombers. I pulled two big ones out from under the same bridge; one coming, one going. Senko color didn't really matter as long as it was black/blue flake, purple-pearl or junebug. I really need to get the kayak on here while theres still post spawn smallies hanging around. There is something about being knee-deep in the muck, weeds and river that just cleanses my soul...love it. Seems like I kicked up fawns every spot..good grief