Paul Roberts

This is interesting. I have never tried pitching/flipping a lipless crank, but it makes total sense. Although I'm sure you have to clean the trebles off a lot. I'm def. gonna try this. This one I use too. I just call it rippin' a lipless. Pitched, close to vertical, and ripped up through vegetation pockets and edges. This 19er was caught this way, along with a bunch of others. See the stuff it came from? Gotta be pretty close to vertical for that. I also have used the broken worm chunk for a grub. Like he said, "It just catches fish". In-lines are real fish catchers too.

Way to go Cade! Somehow I'm not surprised. I was actually wondering what you were up to the other day. Enjoyed your cold season posts. Would like to see more the rest of the year. Congrats!

There's a good lesson there. The "book" can stand to have a lot of pages added to it. I was once the guest of a young kid who had a similar tackle box -a hand-full of pitiful lures and some old snelled hooks with worms dried on. He chose his favorite, a cheap chrome crankbait, that was so badly out of tune it literally spun circles as he retrieved it -as fast as he could. And he caught four good bass before I caught my first. That's one page in the "book" I've yet to repeat -exactly. Don't think I could stand an out of tune crank. Last year I caught a couple smallies on a wacky'd stick worm, when I was retrieving it quickly to re-cast. That's not out of the book though -It's a tip-off that they want some more speed. Love your posts FR. Lots of fun details.

I don't believe I've seen bluegills jump -even to feed. They will make exuberant splashes when surface feeding. Small bass will jump to try and catch dragonflies. Surging bass will simply move more water than the others, and it's often violent. Often it'll have a sucking sound with it -when they capture something at the surface. Carp breach and roll a lot. But they don't usually have that fast violent surging sound, unless they leap clear -then it's pretty obvious it's a carp.

We've had an unusually cool wet year and water levels are up. Seems it's been cool all across the north. You?? This resulted in higher than usual water this spring and a simply enormous hatch year for bass. There are hordes of bass fry around -and most of them are in shorelines cover very tight to shore. There's a chain of predators behind them. Just a thought.

Good advice WRB.

you answered your own question! in the process of fishing, we often tend to overcomplicate what we're doing, and miss the simple solutions. Depending on a few factors, water temp, weather, etc., the fish may be deeper than you're getting to. I've been doing well out in the middle of the lake around the underwater ridges and mountains. Haven't had much luck in the shallows after spring. Once the weather warms up, the fish seem to move out to deeper water. The problem is that many bass fisherman don't move with them. X2

Believe it or not, I spent some time familiarizing myself with my camera, using a wood carving of a bass I have. Discovered a lot of pleasing poses I could do when stuffed into a float tube -tight shooting. But...I didn't even try to get fancy with these fish. I was too intent on catching. Happens when I can't get out as much as I'd like.

Start by searching this site. Go into the search page and type summer. This question has been asked, and answered in many ways, many times. Also visit the articles section. Then come back and describe your lake.

Sweet picture!

Spuds? Little chubby things? I think I might know why they were really shallow. Been happening here too.

I didn't like the tackle packs I found in fishing stores -lotsa large pockets, few small. So I went to a backpack store with a large selection (REI) and got exactly what I wanted: Space for 3 large plastic boxes, and an area up front (designed for pens and cell phones and stuff) with lots of smaller pockets for terminal stuff, hook sharpener, thermometer, etc... Very pleased I spent the time looking at what's out there.

Catt wrote: "There is only as much beauty in nature as we are prepared to appreciate. And not a grain more." -HD Thoreau Favorite quote of mine.

Yes, very nice Tom. I know what you are meaning George. Getting over head in complications can ruin one's fishing time. You can afford to say that there 'ol man! You've put in your 10000 hours already! As to how much "complication" we can handle... Nature is complex. We can choose to ignore that, and still enjoy ourselves. But I, for one, revel in that intensive search. I'm always looking to understand nature more deeply. When I discover something that works, I'm apt to shy away from it. I want to expand my horizons and practicing the same old, as if each day is the same, doesn't work -especially if I'm jumping between water bodies, seasons, weeks, sometimes hours. I don't always go to the waters I know I can catch fish from. I often choose waters I haven't figured out. Or pick days when things should be tough -like right after a cold front, just to better understand what's going on there. And yes, I fish alone a lot lol.

I'm about to get back into the grind, so I fished hard for three days . The Weather A cold front rolled in, sandwiched by two of my fishing days lucky me . Surface temps in my pond of the day had been about 80F dropping to 77F at 9 feet and 76F at 14feet (2:30pm) the day prior to the front. This front looked serious at first (people were complaining about the chill) and the air didn't break 60F for most of the day. But it broke and allowed some afternoon sun and reached into the 70s. It had been 90F the day before. What effect might this cold front have had on water temps? Very little. Back on the same pond the following day, I found ST at 79F and 76F at 9ft (again at 2:30pm). A large mass of water (like a pond) holds heat stubbornly, and will take on more at the slightest glimmer of summer sun (even through clouds). The largest temperature drop occurred following a good blow from a passing T-storm, that rolled up subsurface waters, dropping the surface to 78F. Temperature just wasn't going to be an issue for the day's fishing. I mention this because many anglers often assume a "cold front" is going to kill the fishing. And temperature is often blamed. It can happen, but rarer than I hear talk of. Also, it's tough to judge without a thermometer. Lots of assumptions are made. "Chilly" air is often just not felt by the fish. Despite the brilliant post-frontal blue, bass were cruising the shallows I saw several from 15 to 17 on the prowl. The blue wasn't going to last as T-storms were forecast for the late afternoon. The first two days I fished a heavily vegetated pond, using crankbaits mostly. I just love fishing cranks in the weeds. It's all about plying the nooks and crannies some real fishing. Polarized glasses, sonar, observation skills, a small assortment of wide-lipped cranks, and a rod powerful enough to rip free of weeds when needed and keep a fish from burying, are the tools of the trade. The Weeds There are three main weed species in this pond: Threadleaf (a Potemogeton) doesn't seem to hold fish, and is a bear to fish through regardless. It's soft and easy to rip through, but the lure just doesn't come through clean there's always a string of it fouled on a hook or wedged in the bill, killing plug action. Threadleaf in hand. Threadleaf on sonar. It's tall but not very dense. Density on this Lowrance unit is indicated by the brighter colors: yellow, orange, red, blue; with blue being the least dense. Chara (a macro-algae) is coarse and wiry, and is tough to get through if you crash into it, but easy enough to fish bump and tick over. But it doesn't seem to hold fish. There's undoubtedly crayfish under that matt of steel wool, but they are probably safe. However bass can penetrate it; Let a hooked bass get too close to that Chara carpet and you'll see what I mean! Chara in hand. Milfoil (Eurasian) is what the bass relate to, as it offers way more surface area for life to develop on. Milfoil clumps can be large and dense enough to act as structure by themselves! This does not mean that in any water body, ANY milfoil clump will do. It's the underlying structure that matters most. But in flat bottomed dishpan waters, the bass are in and around the better milfoil areas. Milfoil in hand Milfoil and Chara on sonar. Milfoil is quite dense. How to fish crankbaits in the weeds . Or how not to get buried in them :-/ : The trick to fishing vegetation with a lure with exposed treble hooks is to avoid it! Milfoil beds can be dense, so I'm looking for breaks in it: edges, and seams in between clumps anything that breaks up those dense walls or hulking clumps. These are places I can put a lure and at the same time offer bass room to hunt. Breaks in the milfoil are created by substrate changes (it prefers softer bottom than Chara) and depth (tends to be shallower than threadleaf). Milfoil seems to need a lot of sun, more so than threadleaf. This is especially noticeable this year. With all the clouds brought by the El Nino, there is much less milfoil and much more threadleaf in all my ponds this year. Wherever ideal growth conditions for milfoil give way, ragged edges, channels, and pockets are created. Find those breaks and get a plug down in there. This is where hunting bass cruise, and crankbaits can shine. Bright sun helps me see the clumps, breaks, and transitions from a distance, which helps a lot. Under an overcast sky, if surface conditions are right, the beds can be still be located from a distance as they create slicks of flat water over the clumps, surrounded by rippled surface. Also, bluegills commonly crowd onto the tops of the clumps and when it's calm you can spot clumps from a distance by the dimples and slight swirls created by the gills. Deeper beds are found by sonar. In a particularly promising area I may throw buoys to mark edges and channels, or just drop an anchor and line up with a shoreline object to orient my casts to the break. From there the rest is done by brail; feeling my way with the plug to identify the exact location and distance of weed type, each clump, and it's edges. -Cast short. Don't cast long because you don't want to crash into the backside of a big clump and have to pull through it. The plug will stall and load up with weeds. Also, fish hooked out on a long cast are impossible to snub down if they attempt to jump. Leaping is probably the best way for a bass to throw a plug. -Crank down gently. I much prefer to use the rod in short sweeps, instead of just cranking down with the reel. This does two things: It is a cautious way of coming into contact with what's down there, and I can both feel the plugs progress and watch the rod tip for the plugs rhythmic vibrations to let me know that it's running clean. When you bump a clump you have three options: Give slack and the plug may float free. If the water's surface is calm, lay the line on the surface and watch it, bass will often take as the plug rises watch for the line to tick' or skate. If it doesn't come free, walk the plug through by pulling smoothly and firmly don't jerk. You'll feel it pop free, then let it float up a bit before resuming your retrieve. You may have to do this several times to get through. No problem, a fat, wide-lipped plug can do this. The last option, and often the best (but can't be done until you're plug is in proper position on the clump) is, when you know you are on the front edge of a clump or wall, to lower your rod and rip the lure free like a hookset. If your plug was on the backside of the clump it'll just bury and you'll be cleaning a pound of milfoil off your plug. But if it's at the front side, the plug will rip free cleanly. That rip not only accelerates the plug but often causes a quick change of direction. Both are a major trigger. Once you get a bead on the layout of a given clump, probably in three or so casts, you can really fish it: the sides, and set up the rip off the front. Bass will hit a plug running without contact but do try to set up the rip; some days you'll get most of your strikes on the rips. Fish promising areas from different angles which can open up new paths, and trigger more fish. -If bass are active they will likely be near the tops of the clumps. So you may not need to fish very deep at all. Even if the weeds are rooted in 15 feet of water with the weed clumps topping out at 2 to 4 feet, you may do well with a shallow running plug. In fact, I'd start there, and work deeper after. You can even twitch that plug before you crank it down, for some topwater hits. Choosing plugs: All brands make good plugs. Instead of worrying too much about exact diving depth, pick models that roughly cover the depth range you need: say 1-2ft, 4-6ft, 8-10ft, etc. Pick plugs with good action (wide wobble) at a slow speed (wider lips do this), and then vary your retrieve speed to adjust for depth. Retrieving slowly will keep you from gaining too much depth, and crashing; better to feel your way down to the weeds. Need to go a bit deeper? Reel a bit faster, or cast a bit further. Adjusting speed and cast length extends the workable range of a given plug without the need to switch line diameters or to a different plug. Rapala DT Fat3: One of many good weed fishing plugs. Some results from day 2: Strikes often feel like a good 'TAP'. But, this 17" felt like I just came into weeds. I weighed the line before slacking, and felt her move -probably trying to spit those sticky trebles. I set the hook. Some people say crankbait fish hook themselves, but a lot of the time you have to be paying attention, and you do have to set those hooks. This 16" I found at a nice milfoil edge just back from a steep drop-off -found via sonar. I had actually dropped this fish earlier in the day -just came unpinned. I returned at the end of the day and caught it. It had the fresh hook mark from the previous encounter. I can say that I did not lose a single fish that day lol. A bit about barbs: Barbed trebles damage bass jaws, and often make them a project to release. In my heavily fished waters, mangled jaws are common half the bass I caught these two days had damaged jaws. Last year I finally went barbless with hardbaits concerned I'd probably lose more fish, which just hasn't happened. Keep the line tight, and discourage them from leaping, and I can't tell I'm barbless; until I have em in hand, and then the hooks fall right out, without tearing tendons and skin. Ouch! That infection is down to the bone. Finessin' On my third day off I fished with a savvy young angler who has good observational skills and is a good thinker. There is a pond we fish that's different from all the rest it lacks vegetation. It lacks any wood worth spending much time at -so far. Where are the fish? It's a pelagic fishery, based on plankton rather than vegetation to produce the food. Yellow perch, young bass, and young carp are the primary fodder; bluegills just don't make a good living out there with no where to hide. On sonar the place looks like it could be a trout, or wiper, fishery! Fish suspended all over the place perch, carp, and bass. Here's a cool shot of a carp and the edge of his mud cloud with bubbles rising up from his foraging: The fishing has been pretty good in this pond the bass having no where to hide! Chuck-n-wind crankbaits, SBs, and topwaters find a lot of bass. But this year my friend was having a difficult time. They just haven't been biting, and indeed we found the fishing uncharacteristically slow. We did best on finesse stuff this day: small shad style cranks, 4 wacky'd stick worms, and shaky style worms on Slider heads. They wanted nothing to do with larger (reg'lar) cranks. We are assuming that a huge year class of young largemouth have created some very well fed predators. I've been a tough sell on this kind of excuse. But some good research (on walleyes at NY's Shackleton research station 40 some years of data) have shown that this can affect angling success drastically. And indeed, the bass we did manage to scrape up were footballs.

Awesome!

I've kept a fishing journal for years -since 1977! I started just by remembering what I did and writing it up at days end. After I realized memory is just mush, (and I start re-writing history the moment I leave the water lol) I stated carrying a little notebook for jotting stuff down. The last couple years I started carrying one of these: Gotta say, what a great little tool a voice recorder is. I can pack much more info in than I can with written notes. And I don't have to stop, pull out a notebook, and jot stuff down. I keep it tethered to my shirt on a retractor -instant access. This little Olympus unit has been dropped in the water twice (before I got smart and put it on a retractor). The second time it disappeared leaving a trail of bubbles. "Well, she's toast", I thought. Fished it out, pulled the batteries and then let it air dry thoroughly, and it still worked, and even still had my notes for that day saved. 8-)

Mmmmmm....I love the taste of kosher salt and caviar in the morning, LOL. You mean you bite down on 'em? Guess you tie extras.

When there're fish to be had (esp steelies) there is no such thing as too cold. I used to put the bait (egg sacks) in my mouth to thaw them. Probably just a yank thing.

Tin wrote: X2 It's possible to have a front that drops temps, but it would be a rare front. After a front, you gotta deal with the bright conditions -toughest in the shallows. But it's not game over by any means; Unless you think that's so.

Where one get custom skirts made?

That is great advice, as usual coming from John...but I think the poster is talking about deep cranking. Try this: http://www.bigindianabass.typepad.com/ Scroll to "Deep cranking made simple"

Float tubes are great -like fishing from your Lazy-Boy. Mine's rigged to fish, but there are a couple drawbacks to tubes. -They are slow. You have to pick your fishing water ahead of time. You gotta know where to spend your time. You can't "run around" graphing stuff. -You are so low to the water you can't see cover until you're on top of it. If I get bright sun and calm conditions I can see weed clumps far enough out. But otherwise you fish by brail, and that's slow going -lotsa wasted casts. I tried a pedestal seat but kept tipping over -it was like riding a unicycle. I then thought of getting four tubes and fitting a hunk of plywood to 'em. I also once rigged a 20hp Evinrude to my tube. Ended up in a tree. My wife thought it was a bad idea. She suggested I just get a boat. Glad I have her.

Sammy, my Brother-in-law recently told me about Colvin's books. Very interesting, and probably very much on the mark. Not having read them yet I can't offer much the discussion here. Intelligence likely plays a role, but Colvin's point is that most of us are pretty close in that department. Drive plays a huge role, and accounts for the necessary hours. Would be interesting to actually tally up hours like you did.

Sometimes they don't want to chase. Love when I can just chuck-n-wind with cranks, but most often you have to trigger strikes by varying speed, and esp, hitting stuff. Sometimes you have to work for that first strike, just to wake em up, then you can get a run of strikes. When bass don't want to chase (come up out of pockets or cover) it's just easier to fish a jig or plastic. You can adapt cranks to this scenario, but you gotta know your cranks, tackle, and water pretty well. You can fish a crank slow too, and this can be the ticket. It really isn't too much different than fishing a jig. It's not chuck-n-wind at that point. It takes the right plug for the given depth and cover. You need good action in the lure, and at the right level so you can tick and bump stuff. Bottom line is, and I am probably reading in to your situation here (you may know all this stuff already): If you are expecting bass to come to your cranks just winding 'em in -it doesn't work that way much of the time.