I was fishing my favorite pond today in a canoe. I didnt have any luck fishing shallow so I moved over to the dam side on the advice of the land owner. He keeps telling me to "keep at it, there are some monsters in there". I did catch one there in the Spring that was just shy of a citation so I dont give up. He was right and I immedietly started cathing bass deep on a Rat-L-Trap. Nothing very big, 3lbs was the biggest but it was fun. I then cast my lure right next to the stand pipe and it was intantly bit. I knew right away that it was a big fish. It was peeling drag and as it swam right below the surface it made a big wake and swirl on the water. I tried to keep calm and not make any mistakes. The fish was close and I didnt want to try and bring it in too green. Of course as soon as I let up on him the slightest bit, he made a run and came completely out of the water. You can picture the rest, a few shakes of the head and my Rat-L-Trap was on the way back to me minus the fish. I got a perfect view of him in the air. Based on the pictures I have seen on here and on Blackies site, that fish was every bit of 10lbs. Some days you win, and some days the fish wins. At least I know his address, and I will be back.
Bill

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Hey Bill, sounds like the good ole days to me, when I use to lose fish after fish like that on Jigs. So I quit using jigs so much and started using lures with 5/0 wide gap hooks. When them babys stick they stay stuck. Also because I fish Briery so much, I found out for them big boys you need min. 20 pound test so you can set the drag tight enought so you can haul them 10 pounders to the boat without them pulling drag or breaking your line. If you let a fish pull drag in Briery, most likely your not going to land that fish. I know pond fishing is different, but why take a chance with a trophy like that. Better luck next time.

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"If you let a fish pull drag in Briery, most likely your not going to land that fish."

Sure learned that one last week

Jeff

I was using 20lb Berkely spider wire stealth braid. I honestly think I may have landed that fish if I had had some stretch. I love the braid but it has no stretch and I think that I ripped it out of the fish.
Better luck next time.

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Yep, then it was probly the little treble hooks in the Rat-L-Trap. You may want to change them to a larger wide gap trebles. Them big boys have some big thick lips.

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Good advice Blackie. Thanks.
bill

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Bill look at what most of the pros will throw with crankbaits, lipless ones included. Usually it will be mono and they will throw them on a medium or medium heavy rod with a moderate action to it. They do this because they do not want the treble hooks to pull out and the stetch of the line plus having a rod that will bend over half of it's length and is not overly stiff keeps that from happening.

IMO braid is best used for 1) rigs that you carolina rig with because it gives you tons of feel in the deep water and 2) a rig that you will flip or pitch with, as that is usually going to be a heavy cover or heavy grass technigue and the braid will hold up best.

Jeff

My Trap set-up. A 6'6" S-Glass rod with high speed baitcaster. For line I use 30# Spiderwire Braid. I change out the factory hooks for 4/0 Gammy hooks or Excalibur rotating hooks. That rig is one of my top producers at Briery, other than the weedless wacky rigged finesse worm, before the grass gets too tall early in the year.

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