Mike Reynolds with a giant largemouth at this year’s Pardee Media Day
I
throw it on a Dobyns 702 spinning rod with a RTX 35S high speed spinning reel and 6 lb Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. I usually fish all fluorocarbon (no braid), even in deep water. When I’m fishing in deep water (25 to 40 ft), I will add a small barrel swivel about 24 to 36 inches up the line above the hook. This helps with line twist. If you do add a swivel, remember not to reel it through the guides on your rod. I vary how I rig the worm. I will play around with it and see what the fish are most interested in. It could be nose-hooked, Texas-rigged or wacky- rigged on my dropshot.
The other lure that I would try in the heat and light of the day would be a nail-weighted Senko type bait like a Strike King Zero in any of the crawdad colors - green
pumpkin or big Texan.
LAST LIGHT
As the day
moves on, I’m
not going to
venture too far
away from the
same type of stuff.
From about 4 p.m. to
dark, I am going back to my
topwater selections and am
trying to catch those fish that
are moving up into the last
light.
I never overlook the large grassy flats up near the shoreline. Fish live in those big weed beds all the time. You can pull them out of the flats by throwing a topwater frog or a walking bait anytime of the day.
USING ELECTRONICS
At Pardee, I’m not out there looking for pond smelt or other baitfish like that. It just isn’t that prevalent on the fishery, so it isn’t the best way to find areas to fish. I do use my electronics to help narrow down locations, but I’m looking for structure and depth or even individual fish.
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