Landis76

(If someone else has given the same advice..sorry, I didn't read all the other responses) I also know where you are coming from. Fishing is a sport where your state of mind is so important. You have to have confidence and faith. That is SO hard for me. You HAVE to believe there are fish where you are fishing that could bite your line at any moment. You have to have confidence in your abilities and techniques. You cannot have a self-defeating attitude. Another problem is when you don't have confidence, you don't have patience. When you don't have patience, you don't fish slow. When you don't fish slow, a lot of the time you don't catch fish. It's a vicious cycle. :

Wow, I really hit the jackpot. Looks like a wealth of information! Thanks for that! I know I'll need some practice, but I am sure I can do something with a little patience and time.

I am looking to build some custom rods for my groomsmen in my wedding. Has anyone tried to build a rod or two? What is a reliable source of information to learn this skill?

Yeah, I have done that in the past. Actually, I think I just found the upside to my dog digging holes in the backyard. ;D

You know that is one thing I wish I could do a bunch better. What do you suggest I do to become better at my roll cast and pitch? Please don't say "more time of the water" because the price of gas is a b***h!

Road Warrior- Very well put. I think it helps to try to simplify things so it all doesn't get so dang frustrating. :-/ A couple things I always think about that I'd like to add: 1) Never leave fish to find fish. Once you find fish, stick with that spot for a while before giving up. 2) If you are not fishing the lure, the lure is fishing you.

When you say lower end, what do you mean? I would think the water would warm up in the shallowest areas first and trigger the spawn first.

Hey KU Bassmaster, I live in Lawrence, graduated from KU, work in Overland Park and I am a HUGE KU fan. Where do you fish?

It's a well known fact that plastics catch the highest percentage of bass. Although, I think it has more to do with the way lure is actually fished...slow. With that being said, I consder my specialty to be spinnerbaits. I have gathered as much intelligence on them as possible and I feel they are the most versitile bait in the box. In my case though, I have the most confidence in the bait I think that will work for each situation. It is important to be a versitile fishman, but just don't get lost in your lures.

I'd love to. Colors, in my opinion, are not that much of a factor. I use colors you can see well in muddy water (e.g. solid black, chartreuse, fire tiger)and iridescent or clearer colors (e.g. shad, clear with flake) in clear water. Use anything in between for stained water (e.g. watermelon, pumpkin). In some cases, I could see you matching the color to the dominate forage in the lake. For instance, if I fished some of the lakes in California that they sock with rainbow trout, I would probably try to use a rainbow trout color. But I really feel color does not make that much difference. I good way to decide on color for a worms, is if the lake is muddy, make sure you can't see through the worm. If the lake is stained, you should be able to see through the worm a little. And if the lake is ultra clear, use a worm that is almost enitely clear with little profile. As far as spinnerbait blades, I use willow blades in stained water and Oklahoma in muddier water. There are variations in between. (e.g. Indiana, turtleback) OK blades put off a lot more vibration for fish that use their lateral line instead of their vision to hunt for food in muddy water. Willows are the most often used but it is debatable whether the OK is better than the willow in all situations. I always use a spinnerbait when there is a shad bite. (e.g. windy conditions or fall)

Hey cgs2004, I live in the same area as you. Where do you like to fish? I have tried the Olathe lake but I didn't have any luck.