last two days

[Champ188]

On 1/23/2021 at 1:01 PM, merc1997 Bo said:

one thing you did not factor in though champ, and that is the fact you never changed your weight to match his fall rate on the thinner line.  i believe he caught more because he sped up his sink rate with the thinner line.

here is a case in point.  we were fishing a tree way out in the lake during the day.  i was putting a whacking on them from the back of the boat.  i was using 14 lb. mono and a 5/16 sinker and a 8 " worm.  my buddy was using same setup but was using 20 lb. mono.  he asked me what sinker i was using, which i confirmed, but did not mention that i was using 14#.  about the 3rd 6 lber. he lipped for me, he discovered my line size.  he moved up to a 3/8 sinker to match my sink rate, and immediately went to whacking them with me.  so, it had nothing to do with line visibility, but everything to do with line drag.  

think it over for a bit, and it will begin to make sense.  ricky's setup was sinking way faster than your setup.  the right speed is always crucial in making a bass strike, or any game fish for that matter.

bo

Fall rate is definitely an area where I can see the line size making a difference. Obviously, there is less drag on light line than heavier line, thus producing a faster fall. I've seen this make a big difference when flipping a jig or shaky head on boat docks in warm months. 

[dtrs5kprs]

On 1/23/2021 at 1:46 PM, Mitch f said:

How much does depth factor into the fishes ability to see braid… If you were in shallow and clear water, will those same fish bite the noodle rig with braided line?

😬

[merc1997 Bo]

6 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Fall rate is definitely an area where I can see the line size making a difference. Obviously, there is less drag on light line than heavier line, thus producing a faster fall. I've seen this make a big difference when flipping a jig or shaky head on boat docks in warm months. 

exactly!  right now, slow is good and a heavier line can be an aid.  but, another factor is the size of bait the bass are keying on.  smaller baits are great right now.  if one would want to go really old school, our primary lure for this time of the year was a crappie jig with maribou.  wind can really dictate what you can effectively fish.  on days when the wind is really bad, i will add a 1/32 or a 1/16 bullet weight on the line above the 1/8 head i have the doodle on.  this will help get it to depth and compensate for the wind drag on the line.  one other thing to think about is how the blade or blades on a spinner bait not only factor into bait size, but actually speed too. vibration can be a factor of speed perception.  there is so much more to spinner bait fishing than meets the eye, and i believe you would be a good pick to expound on some of the nuances of spinner bait fishing.

 

bo

[Mitch f]

On 1/23/2021 at 3:16 PM, merc1997 Bo said:

i have caught a bunch of them.  even small mouth in the creek.  most creeks are pretty darn clear.  i've caught plenty of bass off the bed using braid.  here is another case in point.  i guided a feller from tx that was here to fish a b.a.s.s. tournament.  there was a nice 3 1/2 lb. k sitting on a bed.  he had on 4 lb. floro and messed with that bass for 20 minutes with various baits and never even go it to commit at all.  i had on 50# hi-vis yellow braid tied straight to a 1/4 oz. NuJig with a 4 in. tube.  i asked him to let me show him that the bass could be caught.  i put that tube in there and caught that bass right off.  so, there went the whole aspect that line shys a fish away.  it had everything to do with using the right lure and putting it in the right spot in the bed.  we fished jerk baits most of the day.  he used 8# floro, and i used hi-vis 15# braid tied straight to the lure.  i caught 5 or 6 to his everyone.  i just have never seen that a visual line was a detriment to catching or not catching a fish.  i have seen that a visual line is an aid to me in fishing and catching fish though.

 

bo

Some of those bedded fish see a bigger lure as more of a threat to their bed. Maybe that was the case.

[merc1997 Bo]

2 hours ago, Mitch f said:

Some of those bedded fish see a bigger lure as more of a threat to their bed. Maybe that was the case.

a 4" tube is pretty standard bed fare.  now if you were talking about putting a 10" worm in there?  forget i mentioned anything about a big worm for bed fishing.

bo

[Champ188]

9 hours ago, merc1997 Bo said:

a 4" tube is pretty standard bed fare.  now if you were talking about putting a 10" worm in there?  forget i mentioned anything about a big worm for bed fishing.

bo

I've seen a lure change make a lot of difference in bed fishing, especially if you've been sitting on a fish for a while. Many times, the first or second pitch after the change, the fish will inhale the new offering.