lknbassman

That's the way to do it. Congrats and keep chunking em out there.

Kind of what I was thinking. An errant cast happens now and again and if he happened to have his big dumb butt grabbing self in the way of a throttled 3/4 oz treble loaded trap on its way out of the boat then he ought not be so close..... Sorry it happened to you, congrats on your PB. Know it's not the norm.

It's late April 2008 and High Rock is in a spawn and post spawn pattern. Bed fishing and grass fishing is good as the grass is starting to grow with the warmer temps. The lake is full so go get get em! Spinnerbaits if you are not on the beds are where it's at

Lake Norman resident here

That sucks.......

White

Maui Jims, about as good as it gets. Hey it's your eyeballs :)

Better than Dicks by a long shot, no Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas that's for sure... Have not been in the other store you mentioned but think of it as a tier 2 outdoors store where BPS and Cabelas would be among the top tackle wise along with speciaty shops.

Fast and erractic meaning jerking it, letting it fall, ripping it up off the bottom and cranking the heck out of it. Makes them nuts if that bite is happening and they are keying on moving baits. Strike King red eye shad 1/2 oz is the best there is in my opinion with the way it falls and swims.

Brians Bees - Prop Bee #3 Topwater Prop Bait in Shell Cracker or Baby Bream. See this months Bassmaster article with Jason Quinn or the classic patterns video he did on Summer patterns. This bait is simply unreal for fishing the bream spawn and getting big bass to nail it. See them at http://www.brianscrankbaits.com/

That's my 2 cents on that as well. If you are moving to a new spot then try to repeat that same pattern elsewhere on the body of water you are fishing when the bite lays down some. If you are sticking around where you caught em before and know there's more to be had but they don't like that "one" any more then change baits and show em something new.

Same here, don't know about that color on the pointer but use it on the sammy 65 and it works. For pointers I usually throw the chartreuse shad in the #78 as I'm in clear water most of the time.

5" senko watermelon with red flake or green pumpkin w/black flake rigged weightless with a 2/0 Gammakatsu weedless wide gap finesse hook. I'm a classic junk fisherman and throw everything eventually but go to this bait time and time again when I gotta get bit.

Sure can. Here you go. Pick which way you want to go but be ready with both so the fish come out of the ordel OK. That's the goal right guys? Here's the BPS direct link: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=52277&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

Yes, it's your line. Use that same 14# mono for top water and see the difference it's the firsst choice of most topwater guys. Reel type has nothing to do with it, it's line type and cadence of your retrieve.

Yup, good suggestion indeed. Never seen that before. I'd think it'd work on bigger fish for sure and certainly with larger sized hooks. For a novice angler with a medium or smaller sized fish and the stress of worrying over killing the fish, mine might be worth a try for time and fish damage reasons. I have doubts that the technique in the article would be very effective on a 1/0 or 2/0 wide gap finesse deeply hooked fish such as commonly used in wacky rigged soft plastics such as senkos, etc. I'd think that approach might stress both the fish and the angler more than need be. I got the hook cut and the barb out in about 15 seconds and had her back in the water pronto. Both are good techniques I'm sure. I'd rather lose the hook and get her back in there vs. trying to figure the other technique out and risk damaging the fish. The In fisherman guys know their stuff, that's for sure. Probably a cinch for a 6/0 shiner hook like they were using in the article. Get you some wire cutters just in case. You'll wish you had them when you need them if the other approach doesn't work. Killing a fish for no good reason isn't OK.

Guys, just a little FYI in case you run in to this problem. I have been catching my share of bass lately on soft plastics rigged wacky style with small size 1 or 2 straight shank or wide gap finesse hooks and when the bite is really on like it is now find myself dealing with some deeply hooked fish. I'm pretty good at setting the hook at the right time and hooking them in the jaw but this happens to us all and right now they are just inhaling these baits really fast and by the time of the hookset, they are already nearly swallowed. I had one yesterday that was really bad, she had bit a 7" TX rigged worm on a 2/0 straight shank hook and darn near swallowed the whole thing. I'm thinking I'm really glad I bought and brought long nosed wire cutters (not needle nose pliers) but actually wire/hook cutters for this purpose with me. I reached in with the cutters, cut the hook in to two pieces as there was NO getting it out any other way. Backed the eyelet and shank out along with the worm and then went back in with the needle nose pliers and simply pulled the barb end on around and out with no damage to the tissue in the mouth of the fish/gullet. I'm convinced this fish would have died had I tried to get that hook out any other way and I don't think that cutting the line and leaving the hook in there improves their chances that much although it's better than trying to extract it forcefully. The $10 I spent on these hook cutters was worth it all day as I released that fish and she swam back to where she came from slightly sore I'm sure but fully capable of surviving and reproducing as well as giving me another good fight again on another day. Get some for when you have deep hooking issues. The pair I have are a crimper/cutter combo and can cut a 6/0 hook in a second if need be. I got mine at Bass Pro but any place that sells tools shold have them as they are not unique to fishing. Yeah you lose a hook but who cares, you save a fish.

OK, so a lot of guys can talk bass spawn and the 3 cycles (pre, spawn, and post) and each carries with it a need for specific information that is for certain. There's a ton written about each phase but not as much written about another phenominon that takes place on the lakes that has a lot of importance to it also; the shad spawn. What can you guys share about this event? When does it happen? Conditions that make it happen? How long does it go on for? Does it actually happen in the Spring and the Fall? Let's see what's going on with it. What can you tell us about it and how to fish it? Thanks gents.

Thanks for the input guys. With the spawn in full swing here and soon to be winding down I am still thinking most fish are shallow and have not tried Summer patterns yet but suppose it's worth a shot. I've heard that the bigger fish spawn first. Any truth to that or is it lore? If so then they should be out deeper on structure for that matter. Whatcha think?

Guys, I've been posting some results here, and Fishing Reports web site on how to get a limit of good fish and strategies I use to put fish in the boat here on Lake Norman for a while now. Seasonal patterns are steady for me and I'm doing pretty well on the lake that I live on here in NC (Lake Norman) but am flat stumped as to to how to find that bigger bite? It's just not been showing up for me at all here this year. I'm weighing a limit in each event, catch a bunch of fish on a regular basis, but am just not finding the larger ones and keep getting knocked off by about 2-4 pounds and that's those larger fish that I am not catching. Ours is not known as a big bass lake by any means and has its issues with forage, cover, pressure, etc but they are in here, I see them here lately each time I make a donation in the form of an entry fee on our tournament trail. Wondering what you guys do to fish through the smaller fish once you've boated your 5 and what you do to find those larger ones? Or is it really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time with regard to that bigger bite? Any strategy come to mind on this topic that you'd be willing to share. I've got all the 1-2 pounders you'd ever want down here on Lake Norman but those 4, 5, and 6's that are in here are not making it over the gunnel of my boat and in to my livewell. I'm doing all of the things I believe are the right techniques; bigger baits, slower presentations, etc. but so far have no big ones to bring in. What to do once the limit has been boated? I'd sure appreciate any input you could send my way. These cookie cutter little guys are fun and I'm happy to be fishing but sure would like to see some bigger fish coming in.

Congrats. This coming from a Fairfax boy who now lives in NC down on Lake Norman. I always knew that lake had some big ones it in it but as a kid I was always sneaking around and fishing the golf course ponds with my bike. Times were different then, you might get yelled at unless you caught a nice one and then the superintendant would want to see it, make you put it back, and then run you off. Now I guess they'll sue you for trespassing..... Ah the good old days.... Anyway, good work with that buzzbait. I hear Burke Lake has a few in it too. Not sure if it's legal to fish there or not it's been a long time since I was on those waters.

Had a ton of emails re: fishing conditions so instead of answering them all one by one, here is what's going on as I see it on Norman. Date Fished: 4/22/2008 Water Temperature: 65 Water Clarity: 4 feet or greater This lake is still in all 3 stages of the spawn depending on where you are on the lake with the North being colder naturally as the Catawba brings cooler mountain runoff into the main lake. I'm targeting pre and post spawn bass and finding them in 12-15 feet of water near docks, Mid Creek, and in the backs of pockets where there is a noticeable break line/contour line that presents a decent depth change like that in front of my dock here on Lake Norman up in Davidson Creek. My 2 cents on the Spinner Bait bite is that it's a bit off from what it was a few weeks ago but they'll still chase them but are not eating them as much as they are following unless you find the most aggressive ones. I usually only catch small cookie cutter sized bucks on that rig as of late so I quit throwing it for now. Buzzbaits are working around cover early and late as usual as are jigs and shakey heads which are good all day long and produce year round on this lake. Spots are deep in Ramsey Creek and can be taken in 25-30 feet of water with shakey head jigs and C rigs. Natural colors still prevail as usual here minus the buzz baits where white on white rules the day and flukes where white also as of late seems to be doing great. Crank baits around docks, rocks, and stumps are working now as the fish are a lot more lively here in the past few weeks despite this weeks cooling trend and cold North East winds. They were chasing the cranks all of last weekend for me which are my favorite thing to throw on this lake as I like to cover a lot of water. Square bills are working, so are lipless with rattles, as are narrow balsa baits without rattles which I find are particularly good in this clearer water. Something with chrome & blue seems to be doing great, it's got to be something to do with the relatively new blueback herring population that was introduced here. I pitch them and fish them under the corners of docks just like I would a swim bait and have some good luck with that. I love skipping boat docks so I love flukes and senkos big time. White Zoom Super Flukes skipped under docks are producing for me. Not doing so well with the pearl, green pumpkin, or glitter colors for some reason but white is working real nice. Rigged weightless with a 4/0 or 5/0 EWG red hook. It never hits the bottom before it gets picked up when I put it back there deep under a dock. Same thing goes for Senkos, they still produce. Particularly when wacky rigged with a weedless 2/0 or 3/0 wide gap finesse hook in natural colors. Same thing goes for the sweet beaver or Yum Woolie Booger TX rigged with a 1/16 oz T Tungsten pegged bullet weight. Flippin and pitchin to docks for those late bedding fish or the still hanging around the bed vicinity females will get you bit on that rig right now too; at least it is me. It's the salt on the Yum bait I'm convinced, the fish just hold on to that thing. The big fish are here, as usual we are having to work through a ton of the smaller ones to get to them but our weekend series and clubs have been weighing in some nice bags of fish (15 - 17+) and I don't know what won the rotary tourney last weekend but I'd bet it was 16+ so as usual we try to get our limit early and start looking and hoping to find those kicker fish. I just caught 6 off of my dock while practicing my flipping and pitching presentations again with a 1/2 oz black football head jig and Yammamoto 5" hula grub in smoke with black fleck. Man they hate that thing... Anyone coming to fish Lake Norman over the next few days or week, I hope this helps you some. These patterns should be steady for a while until we head toward our Summer patterns which will hopefully be sooner than later once this cooler North East wind gets on out of here and I can get back to fishing in shorts and a short sleeved shirt comfortably. Good luck to you who will be on our beautiful lake this weekend, hope it helps. The good Lord knows we can all use a little direction now and again. There you have it, now go get you some. -LKNBASSMAN

I went through this recently. If you and your dad want a thourough analysis look for on old post of mine called "buying a new tournament caliber bass boat" on this site. For me, it was a matter of engine, the dealer, the economics, and resale. I bought my Triton 21X HP w/a Merc 250 Pro XS right and will sell it in a couple of years to upgrade to a newer model I'm sure. The Rangers were far more expensive and the difference was minimal at abest and no where near the price difference I was seeing not to mention that I'm not a fan of Evinrude which Ranger is pretty tight with at least in my area.

Looked in to them but no dealer network, would have had to buy factory direct (little to no price difference, inconvenient at best to go there, etc). They are solid boats, look great, supposedly ride nice but the fact that I had no local support kept me from pursuing them. It's a boat, something will go wrong, your dealer is in a lot of ways more important than your boat as if you can not get it serviced it's just not doing you much good regardless of what brand it is. Hope they make it, it's a nice looking boat and their gel coats with the fade schemes are really sharp.

Flukes rigged weightless with a 5/0 red hook, Wacky Rigged Senkos with a 2/0 weedless wide gap finesse hook, Purple Worms w/a 1/16 bullet weight and 4/0 straight shank hook TX rigged. Small dark water favorites for sure.