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Fivebass was the only post when I started typing. I type so slow that the question was already answered!

IMO, the best way to fish a crank is to hit something. By something, I mean the log jam you are going to fish, the trunk of a tree, the rock sticking off the side of the rock bluff, the tops of the weed bed, and also the bottom of the lake. I have found that I get bit more often when the crank is banging off some form of structue or cover. Once it hits something, it will bounce off of the obstruction and turn on its side and give off a different flash and vibration. This all helps to envoke a reaction strike. Sometimes once you hit the obstuction you just have to kill the lure for a moment and a bass will attack it. Baitfish will sometimes run into objects when they are scared. This will stun them for a second and a bass will take advantage of an easy meal. I hardly ever use a steady retrieve. Reason being is simple. How many bait fish do you see swimming for long distances in a straight line? They swiim a little ways turn, change depths, or "hover" for a few, then start to move again. Even when thay are fleeing from a predator, they are zigging and zagging. A straight in retrieve just doesn't look natural to a well schooled bass. If you have to use a crank in an open water situation, I would use an erratic retrieve. By this I mean throw in stops, starts, jerks, and change the depth the lure is running. You can change the depth by raising and lowering the rod tip during the retrieve. sometimes after I stop a crank, I will raise the rod tip quickly. This sudden change in depth can trigger a reluctant bass to bite. The speed and amount of changes is all going to be based on the water temperature, or the activity level of the fish. Sometimes after a frontal passage even in warm water situations, you will have to use a slightly slower and less erratic retrieve. I guess I could of summed it all up by saying, I try to make all my cranks either look scared or wounded. Hind sight is 20/20. LOL

He actually posted pics of his bait monkey "helping hang" Christmas lights. LOL!

I guess I need to clarify. The two younger guys did not keep the fish, they were put back.

Lake photos when the lake is down is also a good way to find cover and other small bottom changes that are normally easily overlooked because they are out of sight out of mind.

R/W, this pond has been here for some 25 years that I know of. I know alot of the folks that have lived here longer than I have talk of the good ol' days when you could catch 8+ pounders pretty regularly. I know of at least three other fish over five that have been pulled from the shallows just shortly after the spawn. The neighbor's boy would come out everytime that I landed one of these monsters to have a look see, and asked what I caught them on. He took two of the five plus and I think his buddy took the third. They were using the floating lizard. There were also a few fish around four took a few weeks past, but I never saw them just heard of them. As far as stocking, the pond is now pretty much self sustaining. I normally would not like crappy in a pond this size, but they seem to be a major food source for the larger behomth bass in this one. Luckily there is also a high population of bream and bluegill here as well. The smaller bass have a fair chance to eat as well. When ever this pond was made, there was little public knowledge of proper pond maintenace, and fisherman just brought their catches back and threw them in the pond to catch later. The only fish that I would like to see be introduced here would be maybe 20-30 adolescent grass carp to eat the growth that is taking over in all but the deepest spots. Of course I probaly would not mind a catfish or two either. As with every pond or lake this one also has the ever elusive monster that everyone has seen but never caught. Just taking a guess, I would have to say that "Granny" would have to go at least 12lbs. You can always tell when she feeds in the shallows, because it looks like a mud bomb was detonated. I have seen her feed once and it was the cooloest I have ever seen. She took a Red Shoulder Black Bird in flight as it went from on grass hump to the next. Hope this answers your questions. I did not mean to give you the whole life history of my little honey hole. Sorry for the long post.

The first one was a male moving up on the beds. The second one was a female that had just spawned out about a week to two weeks prior. I have a feeling that the last one may have been the same fish that is in the second pic. I had been stalkling the bass in the second pic since the first time I saw her at the begining of March. Took almost three monthes to get her on my thumb.

Here are my three biggest from the pond below my house. It is about a three acre pond. 9 May 05: Yum Wooly Hog Watermelon Seed 31 May 05: Floating Strike King 3X Lizard Watermelon Red flake 22 Aug 05: C-Rig 6" Black Zoom U tail Sorry for the poor quality of the pics, but they were all taking with my camera phone. They never bite when I take the good digital cam. LOL

I normally rig mine so that the trailor is all the way up to the jig head when using craw immitator. If I am using a chunk I just hook through the fat flap in the middle and let it swing. Craws flee backwards so make sure the pinchers are behind the jig.

Try changing the color or size of the lure. Sometimes a slight change will make them bite. One other thing you can do also, twitch the lure hard so thebass thinks that his meal is trying to escape. This will sometimes provoke a reluctant bass into to striking.

If you are using a floating frog or rat then the twitch, twitch, pause, twitch retrieve will work fine as will the shake in one place after coming across the mat of weeds. The horny frog will not float as well so you have to keep it moving. It is super weedless. It works well when coming across the mat like a buzzbait as well. However it will also work well when used as a buzzer next to lay downs, docks, weeds, and other forms of cover. It has a sound that is different from a buzzer, but with a lot of the same action while on top. A few things that are different are, that it will sink slower than a buzzbait, and it will get back to the top faster also. The retrieve that I use when using it as a buzzer is, just fast enough to keep it on top, and keep the legs sputtering. I will crash into the cover and kill it and let it slowly sink before ripping it back to the top. I pretty much use the same retrieve that I would use if I were using buzzbait.

Coffin bill cranks also work well for swimming thru brush. The trick I use for taking any crank thru the trees, is to pull the lure with the rod tip instead of reeling. You gently pull the lure thru the cover, and reel in the slack after you stop. You can start to feel the lure change as it approaches a limb and can stop and let the lure float up before pulling again. After the lure comes up a little, you can pull it back down and it will act erratic as it hits the limb or trunk of the tree. As it hits the cover, it will deflect to one side . This will help cause a reaction strike.

As was stated before about depending on the quality and mfg of the graph. One way you can learn what is showing on your graph as far as bottom composistioin, is to throw a carolina rig. You will be able to feel rocks, mud, weeds, submerged laydowns, and most importantly fish. A deep running crankbait will also do the same thing as well. You can feel what your depth finder is showing, and that is a big help when trying to fish structure. Hope this helps.

Here are a couple of pics from an old post that ask a similar question.

For fishing cover, a t-rig. For fishing structure or over submerged weeds, a c-rig.

I would have to agree with HH on feeling more often than not. The majority of my fish caught on a worm have been more than willing to give a good tappity tap to annouce they where ready for boat ride to the weigh in.

Just last night I caught what appears to be the same fish I am holding in my avatar picture again. This time it was on a carolina rig. The pond I was fishing is full of weeds, so the weight is constantly feeling heavy. If I set the hook every time the lure felt heavy I would pull back a stringy mossy mess. I simply lift slowly and feel for something alive on the other end before setting the hook. If you gently pull the lure and it is in the fishes mouth, they will normally clamp down and move just a little and you can fill it in the rod.

Texas rig plastics work well in the pond below my house. I normally use 3-6 inch worms and creature baits with good success.

The current NC state record was caught on a live Salmander. It would stand to reason that the smallies would hit an artificial as well.

The club that I belong to has been awarded The National Conservation award for 2004. We were also awarded the National Chapter of the year award for B.A.S.S. Out of the thousands of clubs in the United States it is a great hnor to have been selected to recieve this award. We are also being giving 6 awards for the southeastern division for 2004 as well. Conservation and Chapter of the year here as well. Some of the functions that we particpated in to help in gaining this award were the normal funtions of the casting kids competions and Jr. Bassmaster tourneys. The kids are the future of our sport. We also have several charity functions that we donate our time and proceeds from special tourneys to. One of which is a home for children with family problems. We play the roll of Santa to these less fortunate kids who don't live with their parents for what ever reason. We constructed a new dock for there recreational pond at no expense to them. We also took park in a fish habitat improvment project on several lakes. By working with the local DNR, we began placing new habitat for the fish to call home we are hopefully helping to bring great fishing for future generations. During the 2004 tourney season we collected and bagged over 1100lbs of trash from the docks and ramps where we held our tourneys. After the offical fish weigh- in, we pick up trash and weigh-in again with the trash we have collected on site. Piegon Valley Bassmasters, Canton NC: 2004 National Chapter of the year 2004 National Conservation award

I'll start my recomendation with the old addage, "you get what you pay for." I am not saying go out and spend $700.00 on a Lowrance X-15, but you may want to consider spending a little more and getting a unit with a higher pixel count. The higher the pixel count, the better picture you will see on the LCD. I personally would reccomend the Lowrance X-125. I have owned the lower end units by Humminbird, Eagle and Lowrance, and there is no comparison between them and the 125. With the lower end units, it is hard to get a good sight picture on a weed line that is under 10 feet of water. The 125 will let youy see things under the water that others will not show clearly. Sonar is hard enough to read for a beginner without having to dicpher a square block picture when you can read a more readable, detailed picture. The combination of the power (RMS and peak to peak) of the 125, and the higher pixel count are hard to beat at any price. You can get them with a transom mount with the temp built in. The shoot through hull and t/m mount have a seperate connection for an externel temp read out.

Give this guy a try. OutboardSurplus@aol.com or this one, mrmusic1@cox.net They both have a parts bussiness.

If your air temp just broke the 60 degree mark this week, then you are going to have to go with a slower presentation. Your water temps are still going to be in the fortys or so. If the water is real murky, then I would wait untill it clears up before trying to venture out for a fishing trip. Cold water+Muddy water= NO FISH After the water clears, I would opt for a some type of suspending jerkbait or carolina rig. The jig-n-pig is also a good way to go. Learn to fish the jig. It is hard to master, but it is worth the time.

I have been catching the majority of the pre-spawners in my pond on a watermelon red tikki stick.

My t/x parner is running around 60-63 with a full t/x load and myself on board. He is using a 4 blade 24 pitch prop. He has a 150 merc is the only difference.