It was the day before Christmas and all through the lake not a creature was swimming...except for this nice 2.5 pounder! 😁 I caught this beauty on the Suspended Jerk Bait by H20 Express (Academy Brand) Sexy Shad Color. It got up to 66 degrees which is obviously unseasonably warm at this time in the year. There is no chance for the white snow Christmas this year as it will be in the 60s again tomorrow.
This bass was a chunk-a-wonka. For whatever reason this bass was nice and fat. It definitely looked like it was still very actively feeding. It was a very healthy bass and really fun to catch. I didn't catch anything else on this day, but catching this one made it all worth it.
Tonight as I write this, I am thankful and fortunate to have a great family and great friends. We made a Rib Roast tonight with some Garlic Mushrooms, Caesar Salad, and Sweet Potatoes. Happy Christmas Eve to you and your families! Stay committed, Stay Driven!
Yesterday, I wanted to practice tying up some mono to braid, and then also braid to flouro leaders. Below is what I did on one of my spinning combos:
The picture does not depict the actual order...but this is what I ended up with on my reel:
Trilene Big Game Mono 10 lbs => Power Pro Braid 10 lbs => Berkley Vanish Flouro 8 lbs => Lure (Spinnerbait)
Thoughts On Leader Knots
If you are anything like me, I am still an old school dude that is running Berkley Trilene Big Game Mono on the majority of his reels. The way I have always looked at fishing line is that I have a limited amount of time to fish, and the last thing I want to worry about is learning about new fishing line tactics. I've used monofilament for many years and have used it in almost every application with success. Remember, at one point it was the only way! But, I am not against trying to learn new tricks of the trade though if it helps me catch fish or even save money in the long run.
I know that braid is super strong and sensitive. It floats...It definitely has it's places in the arsenal. You will tell me that flourocarbon is also strong, sinks, and is invisible to the fish in the water. Again, it has its place in the arsenal...And then there are many places and anglers out there today who are touting the combinations of mono, braid, and flouro. Braid can last much longer before you need to replace it on your reels. You can gain a lot of strength and power in your reel and rods as well for thick grass and lilly pad punching. I can go on and on...
There are many knots out there today that anglers use for connectors between mono, braid, and flouro. There are millions of pages on the internet and videos on Youtube showing you how to tie these different knots. I think the ones that are the most popular are the "double uni knot" or the "FG knot". I will also tell you that anglers get outright religious about their knots as well. You don't want to get into an online comment battle about your knots, LOL.
The one I am using now (Albright knot)
I wish I had a great story behind how I learned this knot. Like my Hawaiian ancestors were using this knot to fish for Ulua and Sharks in the 1600s. 😀 But that's not the case. I just searched "mono to braid" into The Googles. Then I clicked on a Youtube Video, which showed me a guy tying one of these leader knots...the video was terrible because he never zoomed in so you could actually see the knot being created. He was also stalling so his video would be long enough to get monetized. So then I clicked on another one...Here it is:
For me, this video was super easy to follow. I literally had my braid and mono with me and followed along. I found this knot to be super easy to do, and it created a very low profile knot that will slip through my guides easily. I also think I can use this knot in "real world" applications while I am actually fishing. I don't want to spend a lot of time tying knots while I am trying to fish. I didn't even know what this knot was called and had to look up the knot.
I hope this all gives you some ideas for your own knot tying exercises, especially if you are thinking about using some of these new techniques with combining different types of fishing line in your rod and reel rigs. Stay Committed, Stay Driven.
I hit one of my regular fishing holes yesterday after work. The weather was really strange all day. Here were the characteristics of the weather:
Cloudy, Overcast
Slight wind at times that created current on pond, but then would go away
Wind was warm, water temp colder than outside air temp
Air temp was around 60 degrees, and humidity in the air
some rain throught the day
1st hour
I threw around mainly a jerkbait to no availe. I changed over to a lipless crankbait, nothing. I changed over to a jig, no dice. I changed over to a black and blue colorado spinnerbait with no luck. I even put a wacky worm, because hell, why not! Definitely no bites, and I was really questioning if the fish were even located in the normal spot that I have been catching them this year.
2nd hour
This specific fishing hole that I go to has two different ponds. So in the second hour, after not getting a bite, my thought was to move over the second pond and see what happens. I tried a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait at that pond with no luck. So as an angler everybody goes through this thought process during the session...am I gonna get SKUNKED?
I had two choices, keep fishing pond 2, and see if I can get some bites before I leave...Or, go back to pond 1 and finish out in another spot I know the fish could be at before I leave. I chose option 2! I hustled back to the other pond and actually tied on a different color jerkbait from H20 Express. This one was the Ultimate Jerk Shad in the Sexy Shad color that you see below.
Bam! For whatever reason, I found them! I caught 5 fish in about 25 minutes. A couple of takeaways from this fishing session were maybe later in the day they started to feed. Also, their location definitely was on points in which the current was moving into these points. I was basically on the opposite end of the pond that I've been catching fish this fall. Pretty fun when you locate the fish!
We are definitely in jerkbait winter season! The fish are still feeding on shad and small baitfish. The fish in this pond are nice and healthy, and I had a lot of fun with this challenge yesterday. Sometimes the quick choices you make out there work out really well! I could have chosen option 1 to continue fishing pond 2, but I am glad I didn't on this day. I hope you have luck finding the fish! Stay Committed, Stay Driven!
