BigBaitBlake

It's mostly that I suck at traditional freshwater lures at could never get bit on them, but I was decent at presenting swimbaits in saltwater, so I figured it could transfer over to fresh.

If you are fishing braid, it could be new braid going through the guides. My first couple times out with my lexa that's the only sound I could hear. Once the braid wears in the lexa is one of the nicest reels I have laid hands on. If you aren't using braid I have no clue other than bad bearings.

I know this thread is kinda old but I got a decent story from a couple of years ago. So for some background knowledge, I was 13, and just getting into fishing. So there was this freshwater pond in this sketchy area where all the homeless people live. A couple of my friends had been fishing there a lot for around a month. This guy who was "an x-games photographer" would hang out with them. As they explained to me, he was around 40ish and large. He claimed he had fished there since he was young, but they never saw him fish. One of my friends was even dumb enough to friend him on Facebook and exchange phone numbers. So they all know his name then one kid tells his mom the guys name. She searches him on the registered sex offender website. And you could probably guess the results of that. So that group of people never went back anytime soon after dealing with police and everything (which as far as I know never caught him). After getting skunked everywhere, my friend and I risk going there on a Friday after school. First cast, on catfish bait, my friend gets a nice bass for the pond. And while he's reeling that in, I might or might not have snapped one off. After that action it's quiet for the rest of the time and any sound just gives you the chills. I gain confidence when one of our friends who is huge joins us. After a little longer at the pond, we ride about 15 minutes to this saltwater spot down the Santa Ana river trail. We fish there for the rest of the sunlight, catching 2 inch long sculpin every cast on everything (which was enough to entertain us). By now, it's dark, and we are ready to ride home. We turn around to look at the hole cut in the fence, just to see the silloughete of a man standing right next to it, as if he was waiting for us. I turn back and ask if anyone know who it is. And my big friend says its the guy from the pond, so we all start to freak out. We were about to swim across the channel of this spot, but I had jeans and stuff, so it would've been tough. After a few minutes we decide to walk to the fence, with my friend having a knife in his hand. We get there take a look at him, and he's just minding his own business, and he was not the rapist haha. So we freaked out all for nothing. But the ride home was still sketchy because it was pitch black on the street we rode on. Just for fun, I'll tell another quick story. So my buddy and I are riding home from a tackle shop that is like a 30 minute ride from our houses. We are thirsty so we stop at a liquor store to get a drink. As we leave, I ride ahead of my friend, since he's slow to get back on his bike. As he catches up to me, he yells at me to go so I ride fast. I have no clue what is happening, and I just ride. As we cross the street a dark skinned man yells out his car and says something along the extent of come here kid. We get to the shopping center across the street, and went into Pepboy's. We staked it out in there and my friend told me that this guy drove past him in the original parking lot and called for him randomly, and my friend just rode past him. I had to get us picked up, and as we drive away from Pepboy's, this random car in the parking lot across the street drives away and leaves (it was most likely him). We'll anyways I'm still creeped out I will see this guy again and won't have anywhere to hide. If anyone read all this you are a legend haha.

How did you make those joints? The trout one looks like it will get slammed for sure.

I go to bullhead a couple times a year, any recommendations for swimbaits on stripers?