EastTexasBassin

I like the Lake Fork Tackle swimbait hooks 'cuz they have the screw in part and a really wide gap. I used to skin hook the point but I get a much better hook-up ratio leaving it exposed. It doesn't get hung up much, even in heavy cover, because the point rests so close to the bait.

Got a new "biggest of '09" and got her sooner than I had expected. This one was 6 pounds.

lol, glad you guys like the hat. I saw it at walmart and I HAD to get it. It was on clearance for $5. Turns out it actually came with some good luck! What a bargain! by the way, Strike King Premier spinnerbaits are now my favorite

same here, seems the first post of the thread is gone

The water temp got up to 54 yesterday!!! I couldn't believe it. The fish were on! Caught about 20 fish yesterday on spinnerbaits and soft swimbaits. The best one was 6 pounds, the next best was 4 pounds.

H&H spinnerbaits. They look kinda goofy compared to other spinnerbaits today, but they are so small and heavy I still throw them on windy days.

Hard to describe it any better than that. Consistent performance in a variety of conditions. I really don't care how much your boat, reels, or tackle costs or how many sponsors you have. If I can catch fish when you can't, I consider myself a better angler.

I've spent many, MANY hours practicing pitching while sitting down. I fish from a pontoon quite a bit and I can actually pitch further and with better accuracy sitting down now than I can standing up. When pitching from a standing position, most anglers start with the lure about even with the reel. When pitching sitting down, I start with the lure much higher up the rod. (less line between the lure and rod-tip) The way I hold the rod is much different, to prevent the lure from hitting the water in front of me. I'm just gonna have to make a video to show this, I'm not describing it well. I'm sure some of you do it the same way.

Well, this is my biggest so far...but I sure hope I beat this within a few weeks. She is one ounce short of 5lbs. She was short but really FAT. Gave a nice fight too, I thought she was going to be 6 or 7 when I hooked her.

That day I was using a Booyah Boo Jig with a green pumpkin head and a brown and black skirt. I trimmed a few of the strands on the top part of the skirt so they go forward like a finesse jig. ( I do this to all of my jigs, I just like it that way ) I also removed the rattles. They seemed too big and clunky, and I don't care much for rattles anyways. This was my first time to use this jig, and I like it a lot. The head style comes through brush piles much easier than the other more 'fat-headed' jigs I've been using. The skirt is kinda bunched up from all the Megastrike I put on it, but here it is.

As far as my buddies know, she was a solid 5lbs. I was fortunate to have many witnesses there for that one. It was an especially sweet day for me, because I was the only one catching fish.

So many inappropriate responses...can't choose one or commit to one that is worth being banned over... oh well, I'll just leave it be.

Just a few days ago it was in the 20s down here in Texas, but yesterday was a beautiful day with temps in the high 60s. The water temp started out at 46 in the morning but made it up to 50 by late afternoon. Sky was completely clear with bright sunshine, so I concentrated on pitching jigs into brushpiles and heavy cover. Caught a couple nice ones and a few dinks. Caught these 2 on a green pumpkin jig with a flappin hog trailer. (2nd and 3rd pic are the same fish) The first one there is an ounce shy of 5 pounds, the second fish was a little over 4lb. The second fish was longer, but the first fish was much, much FATTER.

Hard to beat a t-rigged flappin hog in green pumpkin or black IMO

T-rig for sure. I mostly throw gycb flappin hogs, kreatures, and brush hogs into brush piles and laydowns. #1 for numbers and for size last year was the flappin hog (even though its the smallest bait) x3 what Catt said, when I learned to really slow down I started catching more and bigger fish. Going slow was especially helpful in the winter but it was productive in the warmer months as well.

On the one I saw today, Charlie and his guest just rambled on and on about how cool this boat was and how long his guest worked on making it. As far as the fishing, they were just chuckin rattletrap type baits at the bank the entire show. No real knowledge or insight at all, no mention of anything really other than the boat.

Flappin hogs & roboworms sometimes I'll put a baby brush hog on a shakey head too

I worked at Dick's Sporting Goods for a while and I really enjoyed it. I just did it a couple nights a week. (part time) Made a bunch of new fishing buddies, got great discounts, and had fun teaching new anglers a few tricks and tips. I'm thinking about going back, I really miss that employee discount. It was at least 25% on everything fishing related. Some things, such as abu garcia reels, were up to 50%. My paychecks there went right back into the store, so they liked having me around.

Last week I was killin 'em on a kreature (black w/ blue flake) on a c-rig dragged along the bottom. Its my #1 bait on a c-rig so far this winter. Forward or backwards, its great either way. I've also done well putting a black kreature on a black and blue chatterbait. Slow roll it along the bottom, the action is incredible.

I just stopped by Barlows a few days ago, and though I haven't fished their plastics there was a guy bagging some up at the front desk and they seemed to be pretty good quality. I just discovered Barlows a couple weeks ago, turns out their warehouse/retail store is just a few blocks from where I work. They have a nice assortment of lure making supplies.

I took the skirts off of mine and put Lake Fork Tackle live magic shad soft swimbaits on them. I still use them this way, its pretty good at covering water when the fish are deep. I don't use crankbaits so much, so its kinda like my 'cranking' lure.

Coping with winter isn't so bad. Sure, I have to wear a light jacket when I go bass fishing these days...but every time I set the hook I forget that its a bit chilly outside. A few weeks ago the water temp got all the way down to 49!!! Bass were a bit sluggish but still hitting my c-rig. Last time out the water temp was back up to 58.

Well no surprise here- GYCB Flappin Hog II - color 301 (green pumpkin with green & purple flake) T-rigged with a 3/0 Gammy EWG and a 1/4 oz green pumpkin tungsten weight. My buddies get ticked when I bring out the flappin hog, cuz they know they're about to get schooled. On days when everyone else was skunked, the hog always prevailed.

Last Sunday it got into the 70s and I had to take my jacket off! Bass fishing has been steady, not too great but I haven't been skunked yet this "winter" I couldn't imagine living where water freezes over. MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! :

Having worked for Dick's Sporting Goods I can tell you that their product assortment is somewhat inconsistent from store to store. When a store runs out of something it can take a month to get it back in, especially in the 'hunting' months. My local store (Garland, TX) has been open for almost a year and they still have never had cavitron buzzbaits. They've had 2 shipments of Megastrike and they were pretty far apart. Good thing I bought a few before they sold out last time. I'll be putting an order in through the website soon Bobby, I don't throw jigs, soft plastics, or swimbaits without megastrike. Ever.