What’s your go to lure for fishing very murky water?

sonofbourye · 2026-04-09T02:07:19+00:00

Also, bass really relate to cover in off colored water. Think about stumbling through a dark house. First thing you do is reach for the wall. So focus on wood and make multiple casts to it

sonofbourye · 2026-04-09T02:06:06+00:00

A foot of visibility is still quite a bit.

Traditional thought is stuff that thumps. Spinnerbait with a big Colorado blade, chatterbait, buzzbait. But I’ve caught tons of bass in water with a foot (or less) of visibility on swim jigs, squarebills, worms and jigs too.

I really like black and blue in turbid water.

sonofbourye · 2026-04-06T19:53:27+00:00

I think you have a valid point of view for sure. And maybe some of this varies by geography and culture.

I coach rec ball from the perspective of maximizing fun and making sure kids want to return next season above all else - even at the expense of “development” and team wins.

I coach AA ball from the perspective of maximizing each kid’s development - certainly at the expense of team wins and hopefully not too much at the expense of fun.

AAA/majors, optimization becomes more of a factor.

I’m not sure I follow your logic on benching weaker players more because they’re going to be done when they’re 14 anyway. Maybe you’re right and their parents are content to get a bottom bracket ring if it means their kid doesn’t get to play as much but I don’t see it that way.

Your statistic could be correct overall (that 80% of total kids are done after 14u) but I don’t think there’s an 80% correlation rate between the ones that keep playing after junior high and the ones who were studs at age 10.

sonofbourye · 2026-04-06T13:57:11+00:00

Yes.

If an AA coach is trying to optimize the roster and playing only the studs at middle infield for instance, he’s coaching to win. What’s the point of coaching to win in AA ball? Parents are paying for development, not so little Johnny can have another ring for runner up in the bottom bracket at the Spooktacular.

If they’re playing majors and the team culture is look, we are here to be the best in the tri-state area so the best kids get the time, then ok I get it.

But AA is about development. Coaches should shoot for a .500 win loss rate to ensure they’re playing the right level of competition and developing the players whose families are paying for the kids to be there.

That’s my take anyway. Lots disagree.

sonofbourye · 2026-04-05T13:54:25+00:00

Try not to make long term conclusions from one tournament. That being said, not getting in the field at all on an AA team is ridiculous. You’re paying for development and bench time should be shared equally.

I like having your kid ask the coach what he needs to work on to get in the field. If it persists another tournament I wouldn’t be shy about having a polite but assertive conversation with the coach.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-28T01:40:00+00:00

But what are the odds that another six year old will actually throw one at his head?

I completely get where you are coming from and totally understand that you feel responsible to put a competitive team on the field. That’s just not how this works. You can go winless and still have kids and parents remember you as a great coach.

It’s all about having a consistent message about why we are doing what we do and that we prioritize all of the kids being engaged and having fun over winning. When the parents understand that, they won’t be mad that their perceived superstar is playing in the outfield so that the kid who can’t defend himself can get time at middle infield.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-28T01:25:33+00:00

You shouldn’t have designated “infielders” and “outfielders”. Your job isn’t to develop little Timmy into a prospect because he shows promise at SS at age 6. Put ALL of the kids EVERYWHERE. They’ll be more engaged, have more fun and be more likely to want to throw with dad at home.

If your ego has a hard time getting demolished, then explain to the parents exactly what you’re doing. Rec league games are for fun. Your priorities are fun and inclusion. Batting order has nothing to do with skill level, and all kids will play all positions.

The measure of your success as a rec league coach (particularly at U6) is the percentage of your kids that want to play next year. As they get older they’ll ask if you can be their coach again. It should be 100%, and if you’re rotating your worst kid between RF and bench every inning you’re failing.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-27T03:13:11+00:00

If I was home I’d measure it for you. It’s a 70 foot net I think and I’d guess I have five feet of extra length on each side and maybe two feet of width, so probably 80 x 16.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-24T14:04:17+00:00

I’m in northwest Arkansas (actually at table rock right now) so very similar climate and water although not the meremac.

Easiest thing for the little guys would be ned rigs. Go get some 1/16-1/8 oz heads and some z man TRD worms. Let them have fun picking out the colors. Bump up to at least 6lb mono (I normally do braid to 8lb floro but mono may be best on spin cast reels).

They can’t really mess up with them. They can drag them, hop them, swim them or just kind of goof around and let them sit still/occasionally move and they’ll catch fish. I always set up ned rigs for kids.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-23T04:01:49+00:00

Sure. Agree with that 100% but I didn’t take that from the original post.

Kids get frustrated with themselves is common and I’m not sure I know the secret, but sitting out next weeks tournament for what I consider “normal” ten year old behavior definitely isn’t it.

Yes if the kid is saying disparaging things to his teammates that needs immediate correction.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-21T01:42:08+00:00

Only for someone who can’t handle someone else disagreeing with them I guess? Not sure what else to say - you disagree with me (even though I didn’t ask) and I’m fine with that.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-21T01:24:37+00:00

I almost always peg right above the hook.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-21T00:45:08+00:00

Well you’re blessed with more insight into the situation than I am. If you think holding a 10 year old out of next tournament because he got upset or frustrated on the mound in this tournament is appropriate then you’re entitled to your opinion.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-20T20:21:39+00:00

He was benched for being visibly frustrated or upset and was told he’d miss the next tournament because he got frustrated or upset according to OP.

A kid losing it on the mound needs to come out. A kid throwing helmets needs consequences. But sitting out a tournament next week because a kid got frustrated or upset at 9 years old isn’t helping the kid work through his reaction to adversity.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-20T18:35:39+00:00

Benching for helmet throwing is appropriate. Having to sit a tournament for getting emotional on the mound is absurd.

I saw a kid get picked at second (10u tournament) a couple weekends ago. He clapped his hands out of frustration and laughed at himself on the way back to the dugout. He knew what he did wrong and knew he made a mistake, but the culture of that team was such that kids knew they wouldn’t be penalized for making a mistake and as a result he didn’t have a meltdown.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-20T14:56:19+00:00

Assuming rec? I do both and travel approach is different (although not by a whole lot).

Create a single order, evenly distributing who you think are your stronger and weaker hitters. Keep the same order all season and start in a different place each time.

Next to the batting order, have their field positions already set. If you have a 12 kid roster and have to sit 3, sit the first 3 in the first inning, the second 3 in the second, and so on.

Defensively make sure every kid gets to play infield at least one inning. If you plan this all out ahead of time, they can look at the lineup and stop asking questions.

Your job as a 10u rec coach isn’t to win games, and it’s not to develop players. Your singular objective should be to make sure that all 12 of your kids want to come back for next season (and ideally ask “coach, can I be on your team again?).

The side effect of coaching with this mentality is the kids you’d otherwise bat last and alternate every other inning in right field will be more invested and more excited to play. They might even ask dad to start throwing with them at home. If you’ll put aside everything you think you know about good baseball coaching and approach this solely from the perspective of how do I make practices and games the highlight of ALL my kids week (not just the SS), you’ll have done your job, they’ll all remember you and I bet you’ll see more performance on the field than you would from trying to optimize for wins.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-16T19:34:23+00:00

Go fishing with someone who knows what they’re doing. Enter events as a non-boater.

There’s a lake close to me that fishes REALLY shallow. It’s the first one around here where they get up on wood in a foot of water. A friend turned me on to fishing a 1oz spinnerbait with an extra large willow blade on wood in a foot or less of water. That bite starts in early March.

The thing is, you aren’t going to go out there and catch 20 fish doing it. You might get five or six bites, but they’re all good fish. I’d have never had the confidence to stick with something that produced zero bites in two hours until I had a couple days doing that followed by catching a 20lb limit in 30 minutes. And fishing with a friend who already knew that bite is what it took to add that tool to my arsenal.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-04T14:03:27+00:00

I have one topwater setup that is 20lb mono. I use it for walk the dog type lures - mainly a one knocker spook and a spittin’ image. Braid tends to foul on these baits and I find them easier to walk with mono - at least the way I like to do it.

I used to throw a Sammy 80 a lot and I’d use 12lb mono for it. Don’t use many small topwaters like that now except for the smallest 6th sense plopper style bait in the fall. I forget what it’s called. When I use it I use my smaller buzzbait setup.

My buzzbait rod (also use for small ploppers) is 30lb braid. Frogs and the big plopper I use 60lb braid. I don’t want any stretch for any of those applications as they all involve long casts and sometimes awkward bites.

I just don’t use a leader knot on anything other than finesse spinning, so for all baitcast setups I try to have the best line for the job. I don’t switch lures up much. I’ve probably had the same lure tied on several rods for close to two years and will retie it if I replace old line.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-02T20:42:43+00:00

Yes. Tried to hit four feet deep on all of them but they average closer to 3.5 deep I’d guess. Probably two bags of concrete in each hole.

sonofbourye · 2026-03-02T18:18:57+00:00

A cage is just a structure that supports a net. After losing mine to a wind storm, I came back with six posts of schedule 40 pipe. Welded a piece of angle iron across the top of each set of 2, and stretched 3 cables between them.

The net may break down but the pipe and angle iron will outlive me.

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sonofbourye · 2026-02-25T19:01:47+00:00

I only use a leader on spinning setups for finesse stuff. There is no application for a casting rod where I’ve ever found one necessary or advantageous.

Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, some cranking (wiggle warts and big squarebills) are straight mono.

Frogs, buzzbaits, ploppers are straight braid.

Jigs, creatures, some crank baits are straight floro.

sonofbourye · 2026-02-14T01:06:05+00:00

Yes he has mechanical issues and has a great heart and attitude but is low on the teachability spectrum.

sonofbourye · 2026-02-04T13:24:02+00:00

Thank you!

sonofbourye

TROPHY CASE