I love when you fishing when it’s not suppose to be good and you catch fish.
And it’s even better when you use something new that makes it even better.
Great job as always
Try corn on the cob with garlic butter, you may decide you like the smell. Maybe not enough to eat trout bait though.
I hate it when the 1st cast of the day gets a nice fish, you get a smile on your face expecting a good bite and that is the last fish for a couple of hours.
Bargain bin and close out lures have been some of my favorites. But I also feel nervous about losing a winner lure, knowing I can't get it anymore.
It's never a dull moment at the pond, and when you're getting consistent action to the point you leave them biting, it definitely beats beating the $hit outta my local freshwater pond to compete for the 20 10 inch fish that are left, thanks to our community's following Kwin's advice and 'selectively harvesting' all the bass
vito1023 wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2026 7:35 am
I love when you fishing when it’s not suppose to be good and you catch fish.
Yeah, i looked at the tide for that day and wondered, "WTF."
I've been paying attention to the tide as of late, getting timestamps of when I caught a better fish and putting it along a graph to see if I find any type of patterns. Regardless, the tide doesn't dictate anything I actually do until I actually get there.
I just know it does play a big role in when I get my bites, but I still haven't been able to ascertain anything except the plainly obvious 'the bite gets better when the water is moving' theory. This was that day's chart:
Gotfish? wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2026 10:36 am
Try corn on the cob with garlic butter, you may decide you like the smell. Maybe not enough to eat trout bait though.
I hate it when the 1st cast of the day gets a nice fish, you get a smile on your face expecting a good bite and that is the last fish for a couple of hours.
Bargain bin and close out lures have been some of my favorites. But I also feel nervous about losing a winner lure, knowing I can't get it anymore.
Yeah, I've reached the point of my fishing career, where I have a few baits that I know I can no longer replace. But, I realized how much that 'fear of losing $hit' prevented me actually throwing these baits. I keep them under lock and key like these baits were the Hope Diamond or something. When I told someone "What if I lose it?" they responded with the most Buddhist response of, "You should not have emotional attachment to inanimate objects that can be gone in a matter of a hang up. You may lose it forever, but you may discover a new favorite bait."
I still yell obscenities when I lose irreplaceable stuff tho.
And that 2nd bite curse is more of a freshwater trait for me. You'll have a blow up on topwater on your second cast of the day, and then proceed to throw the topwater for the next 5 hours, resulting in zero bites. The good thing about these spotties is that they'll eat anything. I caught one the other day that had a chicken bone in it's gullet.
Powerbait is my go to Jacksmelt bait. Those Big Jacksmelt are candy bait for big Calicos, Local Yellowtail, Threshers, and Halibut. They are also a blast to catch on ultralight spinning gear and two pound test. They also stay alive in the Bait Tank all day.
Bendo wrote: Sun Sep 27, 2026 3:12 pm
Powerbait is my go to Jacksmelt bait.
One of the craziest uses of Powerbait that I've seen involved two buddies of mine and a bag of Ritz bits.
One buddy got sick of my other buddy eating all his snacks whenever we went on trips, so, he grabbed a few of these Ritz bits, twisted them apart, took the cheese out, and replaced it with this.
He then put them back in the bag and as expected, my other buddy goes to town on them.
"The cheese tastes a little rancid"
Sure does, you Trouser Trout.
Bendo wrote: Sun Sep 27, 2026 3:12 pm
Those Big Jacksmelt are candy bait for big Calicos, Local Yellowtail, Threshers, and Halibut. They are also a blast to catch on ultralight spinning gear and two pound test. They also stay alive in the Bait Tank all day.
I've seen exactly one float tube with a home made bait tank. They used one of those pool noodles and a mesh laundry bag and was dragging behind them. Pretty interesting contraption. I'd hate to see if you ran into a hungry seal or an over achieving sea gull tho.
I strap a bucket to the side of my Tube with a few holes in it. A five gallon Bucket will hole a half scoop for a while, if you can split that in two, you can keep them all in good shape. We drag Sardines around Dana Point Harbor landing Halibut from 10 inches to 28 pounds. Slow drag and hop. Let them hold it and swim away. When they stop, give them a three count and wind down into the Sand Grouper. I use 4/0 Mustad Circle Hooks, three feet of 20 Flourocarbon , Egg Sinker and a Ball Bearimg swivel. Fish it hard and make them bite.
