Paul Roberts

At first I thought the same thing about the intensive moderation -until I was around long enough to understand why things are done as they are. Very thoughtful moderating here. If this site had few members, such action would seem like overkill. But with this kind of volume, it makes sense. I'm well used to it now, and the moving of threads has brought me to sections I hadn't looked at before. Kudos to Glenn and the others. Simply amazing job you guys do here. Hey, shouldn't this be in the Everything Else section?

Big fish spots are often described as "having everything a bass needs in a small area". I think what this means in a functional sense is an area with lots of food that bass can catch prey off of and grow fat in. All four of those island corners mentioned above gives up large bass every year -in fact every trip. This year I've caught the same large bass three times this year, over two months, in the exact same spot, by a small weed clump. She's old, and getting thinner every time I see her. Those 'gills are getting hard to catch I think. This may be the last year I see her. What you are describing sounds like what anglers often look for as a "transitional area" -often a change in bottom make-up. Now, why would such an area hold bass? Because they need to be near some change? I don't think so. I think such a transition not only offers a diversity of substrate for food production but more importantly from we anglers perspective is that it offers a complexity of cover and depth, and breaks in that cover and depth, that together allow bass to surprise, corral, and capture prey. Here's another spot I know, and it's subtle: A pond I fish has a sloping shoreline, starting at just inches deep and progressing out into 5 feet of water. But one stretch about 40 yards long has sedge and grass hummocks, and the water is about 18" deep right at the shore. Bass hunt here because they can corral 'gills against the bank. On the sloping shorelines, the gills can scoot too shallow for the bass to get in to. Young bass can be seen all along these sloping shorelines, in stand-offs with the 'gills. I've even seen these young bass almost strand themselves trying to get at the 'gills. And I've seen 'gills laying on their sides in an inch of water to keep out of reach. I've actually seen this many times in many ponds. Young bass are all over the place (after good hatch years) and only so many figure it out. Not that they are smarter, just that they were able to make use of good structural elements. Such areas hold mature bass year in and year out because they support bass into maturity. This particular spot is good all summer (until it gets too hot) -the productive lures vary with the conditions and density of vegetation -often just pieces blown in by wind: worms, jigs, frogs, topwaters, etc... But, regardless, the bass are there because they can make a killing there.

A 17" bass would have to be pretty fat to hit 3lbs. This one looks on the thin side -I'd estimate 2-8 to 2-10. Length Weight (Largemouth bass in good body condition) 8 in. 5 oz. 9 in. 7 oz. 10 in. 9 oz. 11 in. 11 oz. 12 in. 14 oz 13 in. 1 lb. 3 oz 14 in. 1 lb. 7 oz 15 in. 1 lb. 13 oz. 16 in. 2 lb. 4 oz. 17 in. 2 lb. 12 oz. 18 in. 3 lb. 4 oz. 19 in. 3 lb. 14 oz. 20 in. 4 lb. 9 oz. 21 in. 5 lb. 6 oz. 22 in. 6 lb. 4 oz. 23 in. 7 lb. 3 oz. Source: American Fisheries Society

I had a neat (and not uncommon) thing happen yesterday on one of my ponds. It was during a front (great overcast and rain) and the bass were actively chasing bluegills in the shallows. I was fishing around a small island (not sunken), swimming a swimming tail worm all around the island. Interestingly, all mature bass were found at the island's corners. The straight shorelines in between gave up only dinks (as did everywhere else). Essentially these corners were all like little points shallow (2 feet) with drops on the sides. Now the standard idea of structure is that bass "need" something to relate to like signposts for them to navigate by. But, telemetry studies have shown bass can navigate over open water, either by habit, when relating to pelagic prey, or after being released at tournament release sites. Bass do "need" structure in that structure, like cover, can provide security. But beyond this I think bass relate to structure, in large part, because it: produces/attracts food, and the topography of these areas provide a hunting advantage for bass. The other spot I found mature bass at (not at the island) was the base of a wide shallow flat attached to shore (a point I suppose but wide and not at all "pointed" in shape -suffice to call it a flat). Big bass were aggressively chasing 'gills there. I could see the carnage from across the pond! What this spot offered was the weedy flat for production of food (yesterday it was damselflies emerging), and adequate depth and hard substrate at shoreline that offered breaks in the cover for the bass to operate in. The hot-spots, those breaks on breaks, are precise locations where bass gain a special advantage over prey, and are more apt to commit to a lure mature bass aren't the stupid ones, being energetically reserved. Prey are not easy to catch; It's a real chess game out there. Structure makes the game easier, or even possible, for the bass. From CJ: BINGO! Thoughts? Can you dissect your favorite spots in this light?

Oops! I think maybe my post might be hijacking Catt's thread -not sure. Will start a new thread.

Some people consider barometric pressure effects on fishing to be a myth. I haven't looked into it really. I've always called the barometer, "the afterthought"; By the time the fish respond, the weather has changed and it looks like they are simply responding to associated sky and water conditions. But, again, I haven't given it a fair shake. Here are some articles on the skeptical side of the issue: http://www../bassfish/articles/T199.htm http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/science/ross_pressure_myth.aspx

Deep in the soul of ever angler worth his/her salt, there lies a great mythical fish that appears occasionally from the deep inky blackness of mystery to keep us in touch with our place in nature. At that moment we resonate with both predator and prey. Or, it could have been Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin. Same deal LOL. More seriously, I used to fish an awesome pond that held both bass and pike. Twice in the time I fished it I spotted a huge wake that moved water from deep below, and traveled from my place on the shore out into pond center -then disappeared. I always wondered if there wasn't some behemoth pike in there, or maybe the owners had long ago dropped a muskie in. Beaver was the best explanation, but at that time there was no beaver sign anywhere around that pond -they have to eat. And usually I'd see a beaver if they existed in there as I often night fished it. It wasn't one of those long skating wind ripples either (never have figured out how those form so well defined). So whooooo knows what lurks below??? Hopefully it's just a 10lber that eats my Jitterbug ... rather than a 400lber that eats my float tube... :-/

Fish, within species, vary so much in size that just filling in your list would not do justice. Also, different styles of hooks that are better suited for different applications live bait type and bulk, lure type, cover present, presentation particulars, etc... Some basic ideas to think about: Match hook wire thickness to line test rating. I'll take a quick run at this: Line (rating) Hook Gap Size (Standard wire) (Trilene XL) (American standard) 4lb 4-12 6 1-8 8 2/0-6 10 3/0-4 12 5/0-2 14 7/0-1 ... Actual wire courseness will affect this table quite a bit. In general, choose a high quality finer wired hook unless you really need heavy wire big fish, heavy cover. -Know that line test ratings are just that, not actual break strength manipulated for marketing purposes. Wish all lines had a standard label providing actual diameter and straight-pull break strength, along with their unique properties. -Most new, quality hooks, are pretty sharp. But you should get a hook file and use it. Test points on your thumbnail it should stick. Sharp hooks are dangerous to handle. -I like micro-barbs, or will bend or file down too course a barb. -Bulk of bait or lure may mean going up in hook gap size or style. But you should keep your line in mind and choose an appropriate wire gauge. -Be ready to adjust. If you find the bluegills are bigger than you expected at a certain water, you may need to go up in hook gap, to keep them from swallowing it so easily. If bass want smaller baits you may need to drop down. If fish are taking light you may need to drop down in line and hook wire to be quicker on the set. -Get the Mustad, Eagle Claw, Gamakatsu, Owner catalogs, and peruse them. As a multi-species, multi-method angler, over the years I've amassed a lot of hooks.

Fish hitting the top sounds like the bass surging on bluegills where I fish. Try a popper or jumpbait (walker) -under low light conditions. Keep casting because these fish aren't concentrated.

Ditto. It's not the line. Take your time when the fish is close. Fish on a short line (close to hand) you should be a little more careful with -not to pull too hard. A short line provides less stretch and the rod angle is steeper so mistakes are more critical. I'd venture that most fish lost are done so on a short line at boatside -the hooks popping free. The trick is to keep the rod bent enough to keep the hooks in, not pull too hard, be ready for sudden bolts. When he's tiring, and coming in, you should also lead or guide the fish's direction with the rod. When he's moving smoothly and calmly at the surface, guide him to your thumb, net, or swing him aboard. Also, if you want to be sure that fish is in hand, don't let it jump. I snub down jumps by pulling the rod low to the water. I don't seem to have to bury the rod tip in the water, I just pull low and to the side. I pull pretty hard too trying to snub their intentions and keep slack out in case they do jump or head thrash. But, of course, I'm careful not to pull the hooks out, and this depends on the rod, line, and hooks I'm using.

Roostertails, Boiling softens plastics permanently. (As I remember it vinegar can harden it -but I don't remember the results -try it). I boil virtually all my plastics, especially worms. The key to wacky, shaky, and flick-shake, is wiggle. Need I say more? I dip the tail end of a worm in boiling water (rolling) for about a minute, or a bit more, holding the head with bamboo tongs. I dip because I don't want to soften the head (T-rigging). I dip the ends of wacky baits, holding the center (where the hook will go) with the tongs. I also dip-boil swimming-tail worms and grubs. The difference is enormous, especially when using light jigheads or bullet weights and slow retrieves. I want my worm tails to writhe, even on the fall, and many, if not most, won't on a 1/16oz weight. I want my baits to look alive, and that's hard to do with lures most of the time (they just aren't live food). Fifteen seconds or so is enough to straighten a warped bait -important for certain things, like Slug-Go's. Or to warp a straight bait -to enhance the flick-shake "roll".

Here's a site that follows the research on this subject pretty well. http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/research/index.html

If you look through a fishing catalog you'll see hundreds, even thousands of concoctions developed to catch bass. Should tell you something -lotsof things work. For plastic baits I'm not, at all, faithful to brand. Glad people are out there makin' stuff, but I can adapt a lot of plastics to do the trick. A few are hard to duplicate, like the density (Senko/Flash) or the buoyancy of some plastics (Trickworm). But most plastics are nearly interchangeable. Hardbaits can be something else though. Many bargain topwaters and crankbaits are truly poor. I'm a tackle tinkerer so I may buy knock-offs, but often have to nearly re-build them to get them to operate really well. Don't let the hype (and sometimes downright BS) get to you. View lures as tools and bend them to your will if need be. It what you do, rather than what the lure does, that often matters most. As to the Yamamoto question: What makes Senkos and Ikas crumble is the amount of salt, which is integral to it's fast-sinking design. I do find almost all plastic baits are too stiff out of the package, so I boil the important parts before I fish them. I want that worm to wiggle and I want those appendages to jiggle and I want those swimming tails to swim, even at very slow speed. I dip boil almost everything. Me too! ;D

Wonderful post. Not depressing at all. Uplifting actually. Makes me think about how I'd like my loved ones to think of me, after I'm gone. Your reflection puts things into proper perspective. Fishing can be so much more than catching and bragging. Being out in nature naturally brings reflection. I guess it depends on what you do with it. Sounds like very productive time for you. Sorry to hear of your loss. But happy for you that you have such a family.

First, do you NEED to go to 6lb? If you feel you do, try a wire weedguard hook. With a good honed point, these will set much easier than a T-rig. And, as Glenn suggested, stay #1/0, or #1.

I pretty much think of all high spots (humps, ridges, and points) as functionally the same -Offshore areas that get sunlight and produce (or attract) food. I could see ridge-shaped high spots as possibly offering something different in terms of current flow at times, due to sharper features. I fish all these areas similarly though -and depending more on depth, cover type, and prey present.

Awesome.

I'm not convinced "cruising bass" are uncatchable. Actively hunting bass do a lot of cruising, in loose groups -in fact, it's their preferred way to hunt. I think the ones we see (outside of the spawn) are hunting, but shallow under higher visibility conditions, and they see us trying to fling bombs at 'em. They may see us, rod movement, line flash, lures crashing down, and line crashing down. If we back away, we can't always judge where they've gone. We're better off fishing deeper, or denser cover, (and to competitive concentrations of unspooked bass). I think this is why anglers so often refer to bass as "ambushers". They actually do little real "ambushing" -lying in wait. Instead they cruise, and stalk, trying to get into an advantageous position (and conditions) on prey, because their prey are very difficult to catch. Loosely, I suppose this could be called ambushing-but it's not "lying in wait". Just getting a lure in front of a bass isn't likely to buy a strike a lot of the time, unless you've got naive, or unalarmed competitive concentrations, of fish. If you were able to see the number of bass that see our lures and reject them in a day's fishing, you might just hang it up. Lures look really stupid a lot of the time especially to bass that have been fished to. Lures have to do something special, and/or come into a vulnerable position, for bass to be fooled, or incited, to take. When it's cloudy though, we simply don't see those active cruisers. Although neutral bass may rest in cover (and negatives fish do sleep), and be incited to take, a lot of the bass we catch at weedlines, shorelines, and breaks were cruising, and intercept our lures as they go.

Yup. Offshore "shallows" are summer bass magnets. I fish small reservoirs, quarries, and ponds -same deal. A lot, if not most, bass move away from shore and can really pile up on these offshore shallows. Mine don't have as much cover as Catt mentions, and my waters are quite clear, so I tend to mark 'em with a buoy then come back and throw from a distance -a tube, or crank, usually. If the fish are deeper, I can get closer and crank, jig, worm, or jig-worm, the sides.

I'm in CO. I prefer thin cranks if the cover will allow them. I fish quarries and small res. that develop heavy vegetation. Here I use fat cranks. Work just fine.

Yes! What CJ says. Satellite images used are taken on sunny days and show major shallow areas of your waters. It'll at least show on what part of the lake you should launch from. I've found C-rigs not helpful where I am. The bottoms of my waters are covered in Chara (skunkgrass/sandgrass), a tall, tough algae that envelopes dragged weights and stops me cold!

I fish from shore and a float tube, on small reservoirs in northern CO. In summer, a lot of bass move away from shore. Some waters have good shorelines with appropriate cover and cool enough temps to hold bass in summer, but most waters I fish the majority move away from the shorelines. This occurs even in not-so-deep waters the bass relating to main water basin features like points, humps, and offshore weed clumps. A few ideas: You can try to find waters that have shallow bass all year. I have a few such waters. Look for shoreline features (points) that are large enough to continue into the main basin. Look for offshore shallow areas in mid-summer when vegetation is up, by spotting weeds that reach the surface. Triangulate these for future reference. Fish islands. I find a lot of bass related to islands in summer, especially deeper ones. (How much depth matters depends on your specific water) Since bass seem to be happy just being away-from-shore in many waters, they may not be really deep, and I many find groups of fish holding in shallow-ish flats oriented to isolated or obvious features like weed clumps. If isolated, even surprisingly small clumps, can concentrate bass. Remember, the shallows produce a lot of food and bass are likely nearby. Deep is relative. I carry large floats with weights affixed for marker buoys, and re-visit spots throughout the day. Fish outside weed walls, especially those with deeper water nearby. Judge this by finding steeper shorelines and well formed weed walls. I affixed a large saltwater spincast reel to my float tube rod holder and marked the 200# dacron every foot and five feet for sounding. Purchase a rod mounted Humminbird wireless sonar. Not the best unit, so if you are sure you are not going to go ahead and affix a full grayscale to your boat, it can be useful for fishing depth changes and finding unseen features.

I've used a bunch and they so many are really good. I suppose if iwere staritng out I'd go with Rapala DT's. So well designed -not too costly. DT Fat, DT4, DT6, ... Baitfish color (I like the olive/foil), and a fluorescent.

Welcome! Here's one too. A big rainbow doing one of several cartwheels. I grabbed the camera and caught her in mid-leap. We were actually bass fishing, and this is bass water, but the Parks people decided to throw some spent brooder 'bows into the pond.

I believe they call that wisdom. I'd add: ...or until you understand where those "rules" come from, and where, how, and when to deviate.