I get excited about a new lure and want to share, but then I remember that all my new lures were recommended by you guys. For example, I had success this morning with a Strike King Rage Bug and a part of me wants to say, "TRY THIS," but then I remember that all of you have likely fished Rage Bugs for half of forever. Same with my blue lizard. Sigh. I'm always behind the rest of you. 

It's not really a race.

As long as you are eventually able to collect every bait on the market.

You should be good to go.

A-Jay

Didn't you recently plow through 56 bass in an outing?

 

I'd say if it aint broke, don't fix it.  Why bother with experimentation of new lures.  Hell I wouldn't if I was on that pace.

1 minute ago, gim said:

Didn't you recently plow through 56 bass in an outing?

 

I'd say if it aint broke, don't fix it.  Why bother with experimentation of new lures.  Hell I wouldn't if I was on that pace.

I'd be happy if I got 5 or 6 on an outing....I seem to always fish where they AREN'T.

You consistently out-fish pretty much everyone on here! We should be taking suggestions from you! 

Don't worry, I'm at least a decade behind myself.

 

Maybe in a couple of years I can start adding electronics to the kayak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

You consistently out-fish pretty much everyone on here! We should be taking suggestions from you! 

 

Okay, here's my suggestion: Fish where I fish. Swampy like this:

 

 

And be soooooo sneaky!

 

We all have a lot to learn from you. Your patience, quiet confidence, and genuine passion for the sport—especially outside the tournament scene—are truly valuable. The fact that you consistently catch quality fish without relying on high-end electronics or an expensive boat speaks volumes. It’s a powerful reminder that skill and knowledge often outweigh gear.

^ What Glenn said....you got most of us envious of you in many ways, Katie.

I started out trying to use jigs with craw trailers. And I caught fish with them. But they hung up too much in heavy wood cover. I started using T rigged craws and tried several before I landed on the Rage Craw and Rage bug. They're the only craws I've used in quite a while. The bug skips better. They're a big fish killer. They also work quite well and weedlessly on a slither rig. https://www.cabelas.com/p/strike-king-slither-rigs

Zoom Ultravibe is a good small craw and the Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craws smell so strongly bass will hold them all day.

3 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'd be happy if I got 5 or 6 on an outing....I seem to always fish where they AREN'T.

Eliminating unproductive waters. Sounds better when you say it that way.

I would just like to jump on the "Katie is awesome" trend by calling to attention that almost everyone here is a guy, and it only takes one woman to outfish all of us. 

 

Also, @Swamp Girl, please give your redundant recommendations. I have never fished with a rage bug, and will definitely give it a try at the next opportunity. 

Excited women are usually entertaining. 🤣

You’ve taught me plenty! And you kill it when you go out. Half of us would be dang lucky to have the success you do. And your drive is amazing. 

29 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Eliminating unproductive waters. Sounds better when you say it that way.

Problem is, given my current limitations there's only so many places I can try....a few shore spots and a few fishing piers on my local lake. Rest of the shoreline looks like this.

@MN Fisher: Yeah, there's a huge difference between the shoreline you posted and the one I posted. The sad thing is that your shoreline used to look like my shoreline and the scary thing is that there are people in this world who would like to turn my shoreline into your shoreline. 

 

Thanks, guys, for all the support. I get to fish fertile water, which is the main reason for my success, but my quiet, accurate-casting fishing style works well with the water I fish, which is shallow and weedy. 

 

@IcatchDinks: When I first use a new soft plastic lure, I drop it into the water beside my canoe and twitch it, let it drop, straight retrieve it, etc. I want to see what the bass will see as I work it different ways. And as I try out different retrieves, I whisper to myself how I'm retrieving it so that if a bass hits, I'm more likely to remember how I was retrieving it. However, even if I find a retrieve that works, I keep experimenting.

 

Do you see the woody bushes in the photo I posted? That's where the bass are, but they do spook, so I try to cast near the bushes, but as lightly as possible. Thus, I use lighter sinkers than most because I don't want to scare them. This limits my casting distance, thus silence is paramount, for I'm often a couple feet from them. 

 

Thank you so much, @Glenn, @MN Fisher, @IcatchDinks, and @Joedodge! 

23 hours ago, IcatchDinks said:

I would just like to jump on the "Katie is awesome" trend by calling to attention that almost everyone here is a guy, and it only takes one woman to outfish all of us. 

While I am very willing to admit that @Swamp Girl sets the pace, especially this season.

I'm not so sure a bass can differentiate human gender before, or after they are caught.

Or if it even matters.

They just know they've been bested by the best.

A-Jay

 

2 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

The sad thing is that your shoreline used to look like my shoreline

Ya - over 100 years ago.

 

Wayzata Bay was already pretty well developed by 1896

 

Even Crane Island near me was split up and houses built by 1907

 

Minnetonka also drew people from all over the region, and quite a number of rich people from as far as St, Louis summered in one of the posh hotels lining the lake.

 

Hotel Lafayette - circa 1882

 

Steamboats (foreground) plied the lake, taking people from the rail stations in Excelsior, Wayzata and Minnetonka Beach to other places all over the lake. Not to mention the Big Island Amusement Park.

 

Big Island circa 1907

@MN Fisher: Thanks for the history lesson. I've walked around Minnetonka many times, but didn't know its history until now.

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

It's not really a race.

As long as you are eventually able to collect every bait on the market.

You should be good to go.

A-Jay

This is solid advice. A lot of wisdom here. 

You might be behind so many of us in TRYING lures, but way further ahead in being EFFECTIVE with them. And that’s what’s important.  
 

Glad you liked the rage bugs. They get strong support on this board (me included) for good reason. They just catch fish. If I’ve fished around and can’t figure the bass out, I’ll tie two rage bugs on- one super light and one fairly heavy and just cast them around. The heavier one will catch reaction bites, fish actively feeding (you can cover more water faster with it), deeper fish, or windy fish. The lighter one will catch the ones that are more shy, want something gentle, or just otherwise want a slower fall. Once I figure out which one starts catching fish, I’ll steer in that direction. Maybe downsize to the midi, swap color for darker, lighter, or a change in the amount of bright flake (my fish tend to not like metal flake or color flash). You can also play with leaving the legs and claws connected or not.  They are really versatile and I have a lot of faith in them. I hope you get there too!

I have yet to try the rage bug, but it sounds interesting.

I've been fishing the RageBug extensively since before it was available to the public. So I made this brain-dump of a video on different techniques with it.

 

 

I'm always pleased to see anyone off here catching good fish. As I've gotten older I get just as much joy out of watching others succeed as myself. Another way of saying that is that I live vicariously through you guys because i suck! 😂

10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I’ll tie two rage bugs on- one super light and one fairly heavy and just cast them around.

 

What a great idea! I'm going to try this too.

 

10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

They are really versatile and I have a lot of faith in them. I hope you get there too!

 

I'm already there. I like the way they cast. They're not a 7" or 9" floppy worm that decreases my casting accuracy. They're heavy and compact enough to let me hit the spots. Being compact, the bass seem to engulf them quicker too. Thanks for the tips!

 

Thanks for even more tips, @Glenn! I'll watch your video now.

 

3 hours ago, IYAOYAS said:

As I've gotten older I get just as much joy out of watching others succeed as myself.

 

I enjoy that too. When I take someone fishing, they better outfish me or I'll feel like I failed them. 

 

And when I land the canoe and the kid says, "I caught 42, Grandpa," I smile. Mission accomplished.

 

3 hours ago, IYAOYAS said:

As I've gotten older

 

Me too. If I've been paddling and casting for five hours and I return to my dock, I feel ten years older than when I launched. And then I have to carry my seven rods, paddle, tacklebox, camera, and water bottle down the boardwalk, up the bank, and through the woods back to the car. It's a lotta whew!

 

 

10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

my fish tend to not like metal flake or color flash

 

I have observed more than once how discovering what OUR FISH want is the key to success. And it changes. Somedays MY FISH are indifferent to green pumpkin. Other days they gobble it. FWIW, MY FISH also don't like metal flake, but they love chartreuse tips. 

 

Right now, the water at my pond is black. I don't know why there's more tannin, but there is. I was told to look for spawning beds and I keep trying, but I can't see anything. Maybe if I were fishing at high noon, I might be able to see a bed, but I'm fishing cloudy, foggy mornings whenever possible.

 

However, I do think I located a field of spawning beds. I was pitched a wacky worm and the bass would take the worm and run with it. I'd set the hook and the worm would pop free. That happened four straight casts.

22 hours ago, gim said:

Didn't you recently plow through 56 bass in an outing?

 

I'd say if it aint broke, don't fix it.  Why bother with experimentation of new lures.  Hell I wouldn't if I was on that pace.

lol. I think maybe we should be listening to Katie vs. the other way around!