JonB2

White and red knock’em dead; red and white always right. Whatever you wanna use, that combo is versatile on any predator

Jewelry cleaner. If you have complete trash than it won’t help, but if you’re just looking to quick and simple gleam up your shine; it works well. Typically comes with a little scrub brush too, which is nice

Getting tougher for sure as fall goes along. Wind is really starting to be a pia! Though I can still sling fine with my casters, the wind is making them more annoying, so will be spinning rod mode likely to close the season. I can tell she’ll be wrapping in a week or so as we get colder. The telling sign is the bass are moving further out and away from the pier. Long casts were key for bass and letting it fall all the way down. They’re getting real picky and color conscious too My bro kicked my assests running his MX spinning rod with 10lb braid. Hits are getting tough in the wind and swells, so time for me to get with it and make an adjustment. We both got a bonus fish in the form of FAT steelhead, and I also had a silvery late coho come in on my jig, swipe, then proceed onward. No big fish landed, mostly 16-17” with a couple 18’s for my bro

Thanks Katie, I’m a man that LOVES variety. I should have a bit more time for bass. One thing about living North is while our seasons eventually end, we get that “haven’t caught a bass since fall” excitement come spring. It’s different up here, as winter loses its grip and spring pushes to shine through…we have that eager anticipation to look forward to

Fishing is still going for me, but getting day to day. I’ve lost more fish last two trips, which is really frustrating. The forecast for “10-15 from…” has been more pushing 20 with higher gusts. I just love detecting the weird bite you get in the wind slow cranking a paddle tail. A lot of fish come from behind and inhale it, causing them to push your line. First trip was very frustrating, but managed a few nice bass averaging 17” and a lake trout Today it was sunny and W winds to start, but slowly shifted SSW and increased. I landed a few bass that were very football, a coho salmon and a big walleye. I tried slow-rolling a spinner bait for a big one, but nada. Also tried a jerk bait, but only had one bass shadow it. The coho did smoke it on the pause after an aggressive cadence. Slow cranking paddle tails was the best again. I lost my first fish of the day(for no reason) and it was big. Thinking a pig smallie, but possible it was another good sized walleye

Yessir

@Swamp Girl Us northern bassers know our seasons are on barrowed time. However here in Northern Michigan, I should probably have a good couple weeks left of solid brown bass fishing before it becomes working for a couple big ones; real big ones. I plan on riding out my bass season until it’s not feasible. A man can change his ways in fishing, and this one certainly has. Hardcore bass fishing has been some of the funnest fishing I’ve done in a long while, and I can feel the drive fresh again!

I got into bass fishing seriously this spring and ended up buying Tatula XT’s as well and really like them. I don’t tend to go real high end, just not my style. I’m rough and tumble, so I go for decent rod at decent price. I have casting rods in M and MH@7’, MH and H@7’3”, 7’ MR cranking rod and ML, M, MH spinning @7’. Every rod caught fish, though some were obvious workhorse combos. I like the way they have actions for a variety of styles and they look, feel and fish nice. I also got 7’ M and MH Fuego casters. My beater rod for tight spots and hard bank fishing is a 6’6” MH Laguna. My goal is simply to catch bass of both varieties in my state and I’m not real fancy doing it lol

Keeping it real, so posting the “f$&@ were they off today” type post lol. After landing over 20 last trip, I managed less than 10. Winds from the northeast and consecutive nights in the high 30’s seemed to funk them up. Where streaks of brown fury tore across the waves after my bait last trip, this trip I had no such aggression. I had to let it fall and retrieve super slow. Also had a salmon of some sort(looked like a small chinook) come in on my jig. Seeing the marks on some of these bass, including bigger ones, I’ll have the 7-3 HF with a few big baits next trip. This is a great time to get into toothy and some big ones! These were the three decent fish; 2@17” and an 18”

A 3-4” natural hued paddle tail on a jig head is a real simple way to hammer fall smallies

Katie, that is very true…especially in the Great Lakes. I have a harbor I fish that has a single log in the back end of it. During early spring, that log is a magnet for largemouth with a smallie here and there. The first time I fished it, I knew right away “there’s probably bass hanging around that log”…yup. Wide open sand around it with no weeds yet at that time, so in the warming shallows…that log is obvious to fish

Really makes you wonder how many bass live in your ponds? You don’t use electronics, so it’s probably a high curiosity of just what’s down there. A thousand bass plus is great anywhere, and something to be said to your abilities

This is tough to give advice as there’s a lot in your post. If you’ve been bassin’ for 11 years with no improvement, then either you’re really stubborn, putting an insane amount of self induced peer-pressure or are not hungry enough. I live to fish and when I go, it’s to catch fish. When I don’t do well or feel I fished crappy, I’m genuinely irritated and mull all the negatives on the way home. This may seem counterproductive, but processing that negative experience drives me to fish better and do well next trip. Even if I’m on shore, I’m not playing around when I fish. Get some good, go to areas on your lakes/rivers that you can start on and get a fish or two to start your day. Popping a couple solid keepers gets you going and feeling it, then you get another couple and the groove is on the move baby! Above all else man…BE CONFIDENT or you won’t fish well

Went looking for bronze and it was indeed found. Aside from a few come and go salmon casters…it was just me, the waves and the smallies. I tried a few other things, but casting a 5.3 tungsten ball with a Crush city Mayor on 8lb big game with my MM caster and jigging a Mooch Minnow on 10lb big game with my MF caster worked best. I also had my ML spinning rod with a drop shot rig, but that only got a few dinks mostly. Most of the fish were 12-16” with a 17”, 19” and 20” as big fish. Albino shad, one of my favorites, was hot to trot

Flat calm, shallower water is prime for the original rapala. My dad used to go in the evening before dark, cast out a J11 floater in chart/silver and let it sit until there were no rings. He’d then crank it 4-5 times, stop and let it float to the top. He’d wait for no rings again and repeat. He caught several big largemouth doing this around lily pads and weed lines. They never blasted it, simply rose and sucked it right off the surface. Often, as soon as it became visible on the float up, slurp! He also loved a black/silver SR7 shallow Shad Rap

I can relate. My largemouth river seems like it’s about done. Still some lingering fish, including good ones, but it’s really emptied out overall. I’ll probably do atleast a final bank fish for good measure, but will now switch to a couple piers for fall smallmouth which should be getting on the bite with this cold snap

I don’t follow pro bass fishing, boring and fake. I like guys like Randy, old school is still cool homey

I mostly go by how the fish react or how I’m feeling throwing a bait. If I’m not getting bit at all or just not feeling a choice, I move on. Some days I just wanna catch fish on this or that, and will fish as such. A skirted casting jig is my all around favorite bait for bass, and one I feel very comfortable and confident using

I’ve been doing my damage on small baits lately. Like stated, perch are HIGH in priority for bass if they’re around. The largemouths I’m catching are keyed on roving schools of varying sizes of perch as they filter through the river, headed upstream.

Did a quick float and in the near week since I last fished, it was pretty crappy. Very few bites and not a whole lot of fish sighted. River is low now and probably warmed some during this two week plus heat spell. I’ll see how next trip goes which will be during a steady cooldown. As you can see the bright, lush green is quickly fading to yellow-brown I had a mentally off day as I had three fish solidly bite, then fairly quickly drop it. After the third one did it, I was like “you dumba$$…why are we waiting with 4” senkos!?” It happens, but on tough days it’s that much worse. I also got a glamour fish revered on this site and one I hadn’t caught since late May lol

Funny you say this, I’ve saw a marked increase in northerns on my river in recent weeks. Saw a good one the last trip. I’m gonna try the lake for a change next trip and it’s pike city. There’s also lots of dying pads and vegetation. I rigged my two longer rods with Knot2Kinky bite wire to guard against pike. Since there are good numbers of bass, I went with 12lb to keep action good

Nice job! I also find gar cool and Spots are quite beautiful in their markings

You could about spend your referenced budget, get both and really be versatile. I know you really like M power rods a lot, but fwiw I’ve consistently found a MH to be a must have whenever I’m targeting largemouth. My M has come back into play again with cover lessening, but I’ve had many a time over the season I was glad I had a MH on hand

My river bass had started relating to clumpy, dying grass flats to ambush migrating perch schools. Since it’s went from just nice to an extended warm up, they’ve scattered more and went back to relating to cover again. It really seems to change by the day, and spots are “moving around” if ya get my drift. I wouldn’t pay a lick to YouTube, just fish how you’ve been and they’ll let you know if it’s right

I decided to make a last minute kayak run and it was a good idea. For some reason, I was feeling it before I even launched. I looked at the river and thought “feel like they’re gonna go today” and they did pretty well. Didn’t pound town, but 10 keepers and 2 dinks was accepted gladly. Size was very good today and some fish are REALLY starting to pork out. Trying to bass fish while I can; not sure how long I’ve got. I’m gonna keep at them until they’re gone Before the warmup, there had been movement of perch and sucker minnows (perfect 3-4” size) but it had petered out with the warm weather. Today I noticed schools of perch filtering through here and there, and those largemouth took full notice. Senkos were best, 4” texas-rigged/weightless. I finally had a day where the twitch was what they wanted. Likely a bite day and the presence of prey caused this, but I love doing a smooth pop-pop…fall, pop-pop…fall, pop-pop…thunk and the line starts running! Took the spinning rods today in case the wind was difficult