fishfordollars

3.53.9 here in Houston today.

Let's get together and send him some sissors and tell him to run with them.

First, Welcome. Second...Are we fishing what type of water, what area of the country, spinning gear, or baitcaster. You gave us no options to give you an educated answer.

Robby...I will try to expand a little. Early or low light I tend to fish high in the water column and will stay there as long as I am getting quality bites. Generally the bites will taper off as the sun gets up and I will start moving down in the water column as the day progresses. First stop I will try some type of top water or a lure that I can keep high in the column. I will not move from an area without dropping down through all depths to check it out. Does this mean I spend a lot of time? No, I may be on a creek, ditch, drain, hump, or point that I can check with 10-15 cast. I generally have 8-12 rods rigged with different lures to cover each layer that I intend to fish. As I relocate I may start at the predetermined depth that I think will give me the best chance to connect with the fish. If I get bit great, if not, I will check defferent sections of the column to see if the fish are staging at a deeper or shallower level. It is a timing thing with different types of structure and cover. Fish on a bare point or hump, or creek bend will tend to move a lot quicker that an area that has cover to give the fish an ambush point or a sense of security. That is why you have to check it all. If you are on the water for a weekend and you find three or four spots that you caught fish on Saturday, fish them in reverse on Sunday. Instead of going and fishing the same spots at the same times again on Sunday turn them around and start with the last spot first. You many times will discover that the later spots from Saturday will be the most productive spots with the larger fish on them when they are fished early in the day. The only way to know is to try.

Thanks Catt. Here's how I approach the day fishing the grass: Early I will fish topwaters, spinnerbaits(I especiall like to find a wall and cast parrallel), and get behind it and throw out away from it and throw a S/B out into open water and run it up to the line and kill it. Also do that with plastics. I tend to key on ditches and drains and creeks. On Rayburn there are a lot of deep creeks with grass out deep on the edges. I like to fish these with a worm or crawworm as the sun gets up. Mid day and bright sun I tend to still kee on the same areas; however, I will switch to a jig and crash the grass mats and work the deeper outer edges. I just have a lot of confidence with the jig and I will fish most plastics vertically.

Catt, I would love to fish with you. I too like to fish the grass and I have found that finding scattered patches 10-100 yards out from the deeper edges will hold a lot of big bass and most do not take the time and effort to locate them. I have put many 20+ bags on the scales by locating the isolotated patches that most will not look for.

I hate summertime fishing. Too many people and way too hot. I fish at night a lot and most of my fishing is done in deep water(15-30). It tears me up to crank a DD22 all day, but I will do it if I have to. I stay offshore 95% of the time. At least you can get away from a few. I prefer Nov.-Apr. any day. The only thing good about summer is the grass is up and I will keep a jig or weighted worm in my hand as much as possible. Give me scattered clumps of hydrilla in 15' or deeper and I am happy

When I start I idle out from the ramp with my electronics on. As you reach deeper water you will usually begin seeing shad or fish showing up at a certain level. This is how I start my search. If I am seeing activity at 10-12' I will look for structure that has a bottom at that level and search from there. I will have to adjust as the day progresses but that is part of putting a viable pattern together. Good Luck.

River fishing is fun. I fish the Neches and Angelina the most. The Neches is below Toledo Bend and the Angelina is below Sam Rayburn. I run and gun fishing each cut that I come across. I will start on the upriver side working smaller cranks and plastics. Throwing at each point on each side of the cut as well as the mouth. After working each I will move up inside the mouth and throw back out over each point and back up the cut. If the cut is large enough(and some are only a boat width wide) I will work my way back until the cut opens up. If it does I throw small plastics, cranks, and spinnerbaits around the opening. Back on the river I will throw larger spinnerbaits when the dam opersators begin generating a current. I will target any thing that will break the current. When the generation begins the fish tend to stack up in the mouths of the cuts so I will fish just the mouths as they are out of the current. If the cuts have large openings that resemble a small lake I stay with the areas that have the deeper water and fish them as I would a small lake hunting humps, laydowns, etc. Hope this helps.

If I am prefishing it is always alone. Fun fishing(10%) is with a buddy.

I fish mine Texas rig. The weight depends on the depth, but I fish the lightest I can get away with. I consider it one of my go to baits.

I fish a Hopkins hammered and fish it vertical. If it is standing timber or deep brush piles I change the treble to a thin wire hook and put a swivel on the front to keep the line twist to mininum. Pick it up off the bottom and let it fall back keeping in touch with it. Make sure you know how high you lift it as most strikes come on the fall. If you feel a nothing sensation or it does not fall completely back down set the hook. You will hang it often. Use the weight of the spoon to jiggle it free or with heavy enough line just pull it free and your done. That's just the Cliff Notes.

Anyone have any current info. Fishing club tournament this weekend out of the Indian Mounds ramp. Would like update on water level, clarity, etc. Thanks in advance

Had that same problem until I discovered Sufix and then it went away. Try it I think you will liike it.

I fish Sufix or Prower pro. If I had to choose between the two it would be Sufix.

You my friend have evidently never fished Falcon, Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Guntersville, or any other southern lake loaded with brush or hydrilla. If it is not fair to the fish think about all the time you wear one down playing it on lighter tackle. Just as bad or worst. FYI I don't use 40#, I use 65# braid.

Welcome.

Sorry to hear that. Makes no sense to me. Why can't they just do the inspection without closing the lake? All Politics.

I will be the first to wish you the best of luck.

Nice boat and the price was right

I am going to back up. If you are using a transom mount T/M, go ahead and purchase the T/M first.

That makes sense. Mine is a hand operated unit. I prefer them over the foot . The cable on the foot operated unit has broken for the last time on me. Mine is a 70# and it pulls my 19'10" boat great. JMO.

There are lots of Minn Kota and Motor Guide T/M that cost a lot less than that. I have a 24V M/K that was 659.00 two yrs. ago. What are you buying that cost that. Buy the 997(I just did) and unless your fishing out of a 22' boat, and I assume your not since you now have a 40# thrust, you may be fine. JMO

Gas is 355.9 in Houston this morning. I am leaving Thursday to fish a tournament on the noth end of Toledo Bend and it is a 3 1/2 hour drive one way. It will take at least two tanks of gas for the tow up and back and another 60 gal. for the boat. Sucks, but I will not quit.

The last tournament I fished on Falcon had a 28% mortality. That is totally unacceptable and it all goes back to the guys in the boat and their handling of the fish. Since we have boater education courses we might begin thinking about courses in the protection of the fish we catch and how we handle them. I for one never lost a fish at Falcon after five days on the water. It can be done if everyone will just take the time and make the effort to control the livewell issues that occur when the water begins to warm. If everyone will take the time to check on their catch, keep the temps down in the livewell, limit the handling of their catch it will go a long way in helping fish survival. I don't have the answers, but I am willing to join a think tank concerning our resources. Use an additive like Please Release Me and keep the pumps running to recirculate the water. I am not in any way associated with Sure Life and their products. I have used them many years and found that they DO make a huge difference.