Big-O

That's Excellent... Big O www.ragetail.com

Sounds like you have a good idea of which baits types to use. might consider a t-rig and spinnerbait set up as well to cover all the bases... Good luck and welcome to Bass Resource, glad to have you aboard Big O www.ragetail.com

fishermantony, No fluoro leader... I'm using straight 50lb Suffix braid. And evrgladesbasser, I haven't written any articles here per say but try to provide detailed info on a regular basis... I think what we target is what we have the best opportunity to catch Also by not allowing our lack of catching fish to deter us from maintaining a firm fix on the target, we stay on the hunt until we find the Keys to success. Of course, it always helps if we only fish lakes where we're confident there are large fish in good supply and I'm lucky I live in Texas, we have plenty of public waters to choose from that are known Big Fish Lakes. I think that if many of you fished these waters too, you would be doing the same as I Big O www.ragetail.com

My sentiments exactly... second to that is the Smokin Rooster... and only if I run out of Eeliminators Touch the tail with chartreuse JJ's and it's GAME ON! I hope this isn't taken as a plug for my own designs, it's my honest opinion Big O www.ragetail.com

Same here And don't underestimate a 10" bulky worm as well. Another thought is, any large bulky soft plastic that represents the same basic profile as a jig and trailer will work in many situations too. And even then, you'll find that the smaller fish will eat it with regularity... I think that if a fish thinks it's the "Full meal Deal", it's gonna GIT BIT Big O www.ragetail.com

Same happened to me this week.... Went to the lake and hit several nice ones when the wind took a turn for the worse! When I'm running from the wind, I'm not usually running to the fish :-/ Then the next morning the temps dropped 40 degrees and the wind kept on coming... I'm at home right now and glad I am It'll get better and the fish will still be there waitin' on ya Chris, just wait it out Big O www.ragetail.com

Hey you would probably get some great and specific advice if you let everyone know where your fishing And when as well as what the anticipated water temps will be etc. There's plenty of knowledgable folks here that can help you Big O www.ragetail.com

No, haven't fished a bed in 30 yrs... Don't need to when I can catch them and others prior to them going to bed I fish the holding areas that they're attracted to before and after which is generally the same spots. This way the egg laying process is not interupted and IMO the fish are much more predictable and easy to catch Big O www.ragetail.com

SFBA, We have many good lakes here in Tx that make my fishing exciting for me so I stay ready to go all the time ;D Big O www.ragetail.com

I kinda like both of'em too ;D Here's a few links of recent catches on them... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1299795340 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1299219143/0#0 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1297985698/0#0 Hope you have fun with them bassking and keep in touch! Big O www.ragetail.com

Is Fishing fun... Heck Yeah, especially when the big girls come out and play The first one came at dawn the first morning when the Rooster Crowed (Smokin Rooster) and the next one was the next day around noon I admit it... I love the BIG Girls, and I'm addicted to'em : Many of the fish (pre and post spawners) are now mixing on the same 9 to 12 ft structure types making the bite even better. The second fish was empty of eggs and tail still dripping blood while the first was waiting on her chance to go up. Still flipping thick cover and using braid, since it's basically close quarters combat... one of my favorite styles of fighting... I mean fishing ;D Hope to see many of you at the Roadtrip at Kentucky Lake next month Big O www.ragetail.com

Very Cool, terrific footage and nice fish too Man!!! Big O www.ragetail.com

You're on'em strong Chris and terrific photo's too! Big O www.ragetail.com

WTG Eric nice fish, I'll be at Ft Meyers next wk. in the Flats... Big O www.ragetail.com

Nice FATTIES Paul... I don't get to chase those as often as I'd like, WTG. Big O www.ragetail.com

WTG Red, I want to fish the river thru town there some day! Big O www.ragetail.com

Way to get it started... Sounds like you're ready for the next time too Big O www.ragetail.com

Wow, that's a strong line up for sure... WTG Big O www.ragetail.com

Not sure Chris, I rarely ck unless it's pushing a pb or lake record. For sure over 10, and worth a pic and a smile... These are Texas Tilapia eaters and not sure if they'll ever measure up to the your West coast Monsters You've been pulling on some nice fish this Spring too Big O www.ragetail.com

WTG Shane, you and your Fla. lakes are on fire this year... Great photos too Big O www.ragetail.com

Some fish don't eat the frog on the so called strike... instead they slap at it then turn to enhale it. As some have mentioned previously, I also recommend reeling down quickly to feel the fish loaded prior to setting the hook. Also lubing the frog with something like Megastrike will make them hold it longer and/or go back after it if they missed it on the first swipe. Sharp hooks are a must! Big O www.ragetail.com

Yes A Jay. I started using it that way when using fluro to protect the knot from wear. Then noticed it also kept the weight from pushing the bait down on the hook eye which improved the longevity of the bait. With some weights, the ID of the hole is larger and the stop wedges up inside which squeezes the stop tighter on the line holding it tighter in position. Haven't found any ill effects with it this far, all positive. Big O www.ragetail.com

50lb suffix braid with a weight stop above and below a 3/4 oz tour grade tungsten flipping weight. Moaner 5/0 Stroker hook or Owner 5/0 offset roundbend. Hope that helps Big O www.ragetail.com

I aint tellin' anybody as long as you come back and tell us how you did!!! Big O www.ragetail.com

I just couldn't stay off the water with all those fish still in the mood ;D So I slipped back out for one more possible chance to bend a rod... and bend it they DID : On this particular morning, I found the fish extremely active at 14 ft. next to the deep drops into the river channels. If I located submerged brush or timber on major creek closely intersecting the river... it was "Fish On" and many of them were the larger models Mornings like this are few and when it happens, it seems I always lose my understanding of the time. That day in fact I looked at my watch thinking it was about 9am and it was already 1pm! I guess the old saying "Time flys when your having Fun" fit that situation I was flipping the Smokin Rooster again, except this time I switched from 25 fluoro to Suffix 50lb braid because I'd been breaking off so many fish on the previous trip. I also changed from 1/2 to 3/4oz tungsten to increase the fall rate in the deeper water. Most of the fish were on or near the bottom and the type of hits ranged from spongy to aggressive slams. The fact that the fish were in thick stuff meant that once the hook is set, the rod tip had to stay up and the pressure had to stay on full throttle until the fish was up and beside the boat thrashing... A big hott Fish on the surface, crashing the side of the boat is kind of exciting, if you know what I mean ;D One of the bad things about using braid is cutting or scarring the fish when the line scrapes across their sides etc. and you will see that result on the side of the second fish. I've rarely noticed a fresh scrape on the fish I catch using Mono or Fluoro... I know many of you are still in cold water or even ice situations and I hope that some of my early season posts and a cup of coffee might help to warm you up a bit Big O www.ragetail.com