Rebbasser

Been there and done that. I had a lot of fun doing that when I lived in an apartment-talk about strange looks! Except for other fishermen-they thought it was a great idea and they started doing it ;D

Welcome to the forum! Since it is summer the fish are moving deeper. I have been using a Carolina rig on the edges of the weedbeds and along deeper ledges. A C-rig allows you to both cover water and get your bait deeper. For some reason a french-fry type bait seems to work best.

Nope, you aren't alone. Been yard fishing for years. If you really want your neighbors to think you are nuts try standing on a step ladder to simulate a casting deck pitching a jig into a coffee can. There was a method to my madness, but they didn't know that ;D. Except one guy-he knew exactly what I was doing. Naturally he was a fellow basss fisherman ;D

It makes sense when you think about it-same theory behind the float-n-fly smallmouth anglers use. Read the article but haven't tried it yet.

Whenever I see something like this I have one question: Have you checked to see if your hooks are sharp? With all the discussion on line, lures, etc. the sharpness of the hook rarely gets mentioned. I would be willing to bet the majority of people never check-they figure a hook right out of the box or hook right out of the package is sharp. BIG mistake. Sure, there are some that are extremely sharp. And some that aren't-ever checked the hooks on a Rat-L-Trap right out of the box? Do yourself a favor: Next time you are in WalMart or BPS or wherever get yourself a hook sharpener. I use one of these: Less that $5 and well worth the investment. Check to see if the point will dig into your fingernail with just a small amount of pressure. If not, it needs to be sharpened. You would be surprised at the number of name brand hooks that need to be sharpened right out of the box.

I can't remember the last time I used live bait-I prefer lures, but there is nothing wrong with using live bait.

Here you go: http://bassresource.com/fishing/flipping_pitching.html

What RW said. Including the part about lightning.

I always tie-I lost my favorite lure many years ago when a snap swivel came open and I haven't used one since. The only thing I use a swivel for, and it is a barrel swivel, is a Carolina rig and a floating worm rig.

I think "deep" is a relative term depending on the lake you fish. Lately I've been finding them in 15-20 feet of water along steep banks. I fish what I consider a deep lake-130 feet in the main channel-that has very little cover, and another lake with a lot of flooded timber and hydrilla that is only about 60 feet deep. One thing you can bet on-when the water temp is 85 degrees they aren't going to be in a foot or two of water ;D

Welcome to the forum! This time of year 2 things become almost a neccessity: A topo map of the lake and a depthfinder. Find the humps and channels on the map, then find them with your depthfinder and fish them with bottom bumping baits like a Carolina rig. One thing I have heard but have not really put into practice is to find the thermocline, the depth that separates the warm water from the colder water. You can find it by turning up the intensity on the depthfinder, and once you find the depth fish at that depth.

I use this as a rule of thumb: Clear water-natural colors Stained water-add something bright like chartreuse Muddy water-depends on the light. Bright colors when it is sunny, but if it is cloudy or low light I use darker colors. There are a lot of theories to what color when, but this has proved to be consistant for me.

Yep-especially with a green pumpkin bait. Sometimes it makes all the difference.

You also might check and make sure your hook is sharp. I think that is the most overlooked aspect of bass fishing. Even new quality hooks may need to be sharpened. I use an EZ Lap (I think) that WalMart sells for less than $5 and it is well worth the investment. If the hook will not dig into your fingernail with just a small amount of pressure it needs to be sharpened. I learned this lesson the hard way many years ago and never forgot it.

It might be a fishing show thing-trying to create drama If you feel a hit or as Raul says anything out of the ordinare set the hook. After all, hooksets are free ;D

Great post, amigo.

If they can't find deep water they will usually get into cover. This time of the year, bass are like people-they like to be in the shade during the heat of the day.

The biggest benefit is I can fish areas that are otherwise unfishable. I prefer to fish out of the boat, but I also enjoy fishing from the bank. Heck, I just love to fish-boat, bank, it doesn't matter ;D

Try adding a nail weight. You can bury it in the bait and it won't mess with the action. If you don't have a lead nail weight a piece of lead solder or even a piece of coat hanger will work. That will help it sink a little faster.

The bass see the darker colors better at night. At least that is the theory.

I use an AllStar WR1 worm rod, 12 lb green Trilene XL on a BPS Extreme reel and like Mudpuppy use a Gammy EWG finesse hook. The first time I tried them I lost a few. I figured they would be sharp enough right out of the package-they weren't. Touched it up with a hook sharpener and haven't missed one since.

Along that weedline I'd use a lipless crankbait like a Rat-L-Trap and a Carolina Rig. You also might try a weightless soft plastic like a Senko-type bait. Throw it up on the edge of the weeds and pull it off into the water.

They move off back into deeper water. In the immediate post spawn they will move off the flats to the nearest dropoff and then ad the water warms they will head deeper, in a summer pattern. Here in Texas they have already moved into a summer pattern: Deep in cover or deep water. Yesterday the water temp ranged from 84-87, and they don't stay shallow with temps like that.

You would be surprised the number of times you sit there, and sit there, and sit there, and all of a sudden your line starts moving off. Try the sandwich-might catch that monster ;D

Same here-back it down and hit the brakes-the boat slides right off. A little more time consuming launching alone. I'm like the rest of y'all-I offer to help. Time before last I couldn't get traction on a wet ramp. Couple of ol' boys jumped in the back and gave me the weight I needed. I've done the same for other folks. Just takes a little common courtesy. Shad, you ain't kidding-the ramp show can be hilarious.