Losing many fish

[padlin]

7 minutes ago, Catt said:

Catt: 35 double digit bass all caught on 15# Berkley Big Game 

 

@WRB Hundred+ double digits, I think all were caught on mono

 

Monofilament ain't you problem

Do you use a leader?

[Catt]

13 minutes ago, padlin said:

Do you use a leader?

 

Only if I'm fishing saltwater & its made of stainless steel. 

 

15# Big Game, 3/8-1/2 oz jig in deepwater on a long cast. Everything you're told won't work with mono.

 

You will also hear you can't use mono in heavy cover (grass/wood), I beg to differ.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Catt: That bass of yours has a perfect shape.

 

FWIW: Zero double digits, all caught on nothing. Listen to me accordingly. 

 

1 hour ago, Zcoker said:

They’ll eventually tell you what they want, what’s best, and what you need to do to catch them. 

 

I agree with this up to a point, but not everyone fishes less fished areas like you and I do. You have told us many times how you're alone in the Everglades and I have shared many times how I'm alone on the ponds and bogs I fish. Because we're fishing less pressured water, we catch more bass and because we catch more bass, the bass tell us sooner "what's best and what you need to do to catch them." We get way more feedback than an angler fishing a city pond who might catch one bass in an afternoon. 

[PaulVE64]

I fish for in shallow current for river smallies up in Ontario which most people would call crystal clear water. I use spinning gear normally between 6 ft and 7.5' MLXF to MF with #20 or #15 hi vis braid to 5' of #12 mono (Trilene XT) leader. I use the FG knot and a uni at the bait and my drag is set at #1.5 to #2.5 unless I'm frogging or using heavy wire hooks in the salad. I don't worry too much about trees since the river current flushes them out.

I didn't like fluoro because I had too many knot problems (probably user error) and my bass didn't seem to notice or care. In fact going straight braid is almost never a problem even when I finesse fish. But I prefer the mono leader because I dislike braided line wrapping the tip guide between casts and wrapping in the hooks on long casts.

 

[Pat Brown]

34 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@Catt: That bass of yours has a perfect shape.

 

FWIW: Zero double digits, all caught on nothing. Listen to me accordingly. 

 

 

I agree with this up to a point, but not everyone fishes less fished areas like you and I do. You have told us many times how you're alone in the Everglades and I have shared many times how I'm alone on the ponds and bogs I fish. Because we're fishing less pressured water, we catch more bass and because we catch more bass, the bass tell us sooner "what's best and what you need to do to catch them." We get way more feedback than an angler fishing a city pond who might catch one bass in an afternoon. 

 

 

Hey!  You're talking about me!

 

What I have done is learn to recognize poor phases for getting bites and going into these trips with low expectations - trying to recognize things besides fish caught and bites as feedback and THEN - more importantly - I try to fish the times when I think my recon work is going to actually pay off like my life depends on it with very high expectations.

 

Every month of the year you get about 6 days where you can bet on running into Nadine.

 

The rest of the days are opportunistic reconnaissance.

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 

Hey!  You're talking about me!

 

Dang straight, I am, which is one of several reasons why I admire you so much. Your love of Jake is another, as is your joy at dancing with bass. 

[Catt]

50 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@Catt: That bass of yours has a perfect shape.

 

Hard to tell from the picture but she was the longest bass I've caught. For reference I'm 6' tall, her mouth is pretty much even with the top of my head & her tail reached my waist. 

 

[Swamp Girl]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Hard to tell from the picture but she was the longest bass I've caught. For reference I'm 6' tall, her mouth is pretty much even with the top of my head & her tail reached my waist. 

 

 

She's so thick that she doesn't look like your longest bass ever. As you have seen, many of my Maine bass are thick too and that visually shortens them. 

 

P. S. - I dream of catching a bass like yours, but unless I can cast all the way to Texas or Florida or Louisiana, I won't. Sigh.

[Catt]

8 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Maine bass are thick too and that visually shortens them

 

Marsh bass are the same way. 

 

[Catt]

My suggestion to solve this dilemma is go catch a few big Musky, Pike, or Bull Redfish. They will teach you about fighting a fish. You will then realize you can pretty much control a bass. 

[A-Jay]

31 minutes ago, Catt said:

My suggestion to solve this dilemma is go catch a few big Musky, Pike, or Bull Redfish. They will teach you about fighting a fish. You will then realize you can pretty much control a bass. 

No doubt. 

Add any and all pelagics, like tuna, wahoo,

Bull dolphin.  This is where I learned to fight the fish with the Rod not the reel.

Doesn't mean I'm not winding on a bass when I need to, but it's not the only way.

A-Jay

 

 

[gimruis]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

My suggestion to solve this dilemma is go catch a few big Musky, Pike, or Bull Redfish. They will teach you about fighting a fish. You will then realize you can pretty much control a bass. 

 

Easier said than done.  I make an attempt at 2 of those 3 every season and there's nothing easy about it.

[WRB]

If you set the drag the way I suggested you will know what properly set drag feels like. Setting by guess pulling line off the reel eliminated the rod loading under drag force.

The reason not to tighten the drag fighting fish is it ends up breaking off a big bass or any other hard fighting fish. Trust your drag, set it properly, avoid using more 1/3rd line strength.

Tom

[Zcoker]

4 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

We get way more feedback than an angler fishing a city pond who might catch one bass in an afternoon. 

 

I usually get the same feedback when I am fishing a city pond. All relative, I reckon. 

[Car_Ramrod]

On 8/29/2024 at 7:31 AM, ol'crickety said:

We get way more feedback than an angler fishing a city pond who might catch one bass in an afternoon. 

This is me unfortunately. Everywhere I fish is highly pressured.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

On 8/29/2024 at 10:56 AM, WRB said:

Trust your drag, set it properly, avoid using more 1/3rd line strength.

Tom

 

Not sure what this means exactly.

 

Help?

 

Thanks!

[WRB]

59 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

Not sure what this means exactly.

 

Help?

 

Thanks!

It means set your drag no more then 1/3rd the line strength to avoid over loading your rods power rating.

Light= 1 lb lifting power.

ML= 2 lbs

M= 3 lbs

MH= 4 lbs

H= 5 lbs

using 6 lb line max drag 2 lbs.

8 lb line = 2. 5 lbs.

10 lb line = 3.5 lbs

12 lb line = 4 lbs

15 lb line = 5 lbs

Using braid w/ leader use the weakest line strength or leader.

Don’t set the drag higher then the rods power shown above to protect the rod from bottoming out.

I use 1 pint plastic drinking bottle that = 1 lb. 3 bottles = 3 lbs etc.

With the rod, reel and line through the guides as you use it, put the water bottles in a plastic grocery bag, hook the bag handles slowing lifting with the rod (do not high stick) and adjust drag when the bag starts to lift off the ground. Your drag is set near max and you can see and feel how the rod loads and drag force feels.

Most bass anglers have no idea what accurate drag force feels like imo.

Tom

PS, I set my jig and worm MHF rod reels at 4 lbs, use my thumb if needed momentarily to stop a big bass and that rare.

 

[HawkeyeSmallie]

40 minutes ago, WRB said:

It means set your drag no more then 1/3rd the line strength to avoid over loading your rods power rating.

Light= 1 lb lifting power.

ML= 2 lbs

M= 3 lbs

MH= 4 lbs

H= 5 lbs

using 6 lb line max drag 2 lbs.

8 lb line = 2. 5 lbs.

10 lb line = 3.5 lbs

12 lb line = 4 lbs

15 lb line = 5 lbs

Using braid w/ leader use the weakest line strength or leader.

Don’t set the drag higher then the rods power shown above to protect the rod from bottoming out.

I use 1 pint plastic drinking bottle that = 1 lb. 3 bottles = 3 lbs etc.

With the rod, reel and line through the guides as you use it, put the water bottles in a plastic grocery bag, hook the bag handles slowing lifting with the rod (do not high stick) and adjust drag when the bag starts to lift off the ground. Your drag is set near max and you can see and feel how the rod loads and drag force feels.

Most bass anglers have no idea what accurate drag force feels like imo.

Tom

PS, I set my jig and worm MHF rod reels at 4 lbs, use my thumb if needed momentarily to stop a big bass and that rare.

 

 

Great explanation, thank you!

[F14A-B]

The OP reads like a Saturday night skit! Appreciate the great laugh I got!!

 

Lordy today 😂🤣😂

 

sorry dude but it was genuinely funny. 
better luck next time lol 

[Glenn]

On 8/29/2024 at 3:25 AM, Catt said:

Catt: 35 double digit bass all caught on 15# Berkley Big Game 

 

@WRB Hundred+ double digits, I think all were caught on mono

 

Monofilament ain't you problem

 

I have to agree.  I have many decades experience fishing for bass and years ago, mono was the only choice we had. I caught plenty of big fish with mono and didn't have any knot slippage.  

 

The past 25 years have seen a huge expansion in the types of available lines.  So it gets confusing which to use when.  Add to that personal style and preferences, and you'll get all kinds of conflicting advice.  Fun, eh?

 

With that in mind, here's my standard setup for jigs and Texas rigged worms:

7' 1" Medium Heavy, fast-action baitcasting rod

Line is usually 15lb straight fluorocarbon line unless I'm fishing vegetation or flooded bushes, then it's 50lb braid - no leader...ever.

Knot: Uni-knot for everything

No snaps or swivel snaps

3/0 EWG Gamakatsu Nano-Alpha superline hooks for most plastics. 2/0 non-superline Nano-Alpha for Senkos, 4/0 superline Nano-Alpha for thick plastics

 

Drag: I tighten it down all the way, and then back off during the fight if the fish is bigger than 4lbs.  Why? You get a great hookset if your drag doesn't slip.  A tight drag means a solid hookset.  I worry about getting a strong hookset first, and then worry about the drag after I have him.  If you pay close attention in my videos, you can sometimes see me adjust the drag while I'm fighting a fish.  I want it just loose enough to slip when they pull hard, and not slip while reeling them in.  It takes practice to do it during the fight, but you can do it.

 

Now I can't quite do that with spinning because I use 6lb test fluorocarbon.  So I have the drag firm enough so it will slip only if I pull hard enough to bend the rod most of the way.  The rod is your main shock absorber, then the drag takes over when the rod is nearly bent all the way.  That usually works for me, but sometimes I'll still back off the drag during a hard fight with a big smallie.  It is, after all, 6lb test.  Also, with spinning gear, never turn the handle while the drag is slipping.  That's a guaranteed recipe for line twist.

 

Hope that helps!

[The Budget Angler]

I don't fish jigs a lot but I fish plenty of senkos.  I always set my drag loose because if you are getting bit by a HUGE bass, it won't move when you set the hook and your line will break.  I like to apply side pressure to the fish because it moves the bend to the backbone instead of the tip and allows you to put more pounds of pressure on the fish (one test I saw showed it going from 1 to 5 or six).  The video below (even though it's for fly fishing) explains what I'm talking about.  Also, it could be the rod you're using.  I was using a 5' spinning rod and kept losing fish until I started using a longer, stiffer rod.  That's right: you gotta use a little blue pill on your setup.  That being said, I still lost a fish today.  It sucks, but it happens.

 

 

[Texas Flood]

On 8/28/2024 at 10:55 AM, Zcoker said:

 But, for the most, I am quite confident that if something bites, it's gonna be in my hands very quickly.  

Yeah probably a gator you crazy ass man

[Zcoker]

11 hours ago, Texas Flood said:

Yeah probably a gator you crazy ass man

 

Yep, them too

 

[Pat Brown]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

 

Yep, them too

 

 

That Gator picked the wrong frog 😂