bassman31783

Big fan of the Norman DD22's.

That's a nice chunky little fish you got there. Good job.

Congrats, great fish. Glad to hear that you are truly hooked now.

I know man, it's crazy.

If I think I can catch a fish on a jerkbait, then I'm going to fish a jerkbait. Yes they are generally better in clear water but I've caught many many fish in stained to muddy water on jerkbaits.

Nice fish bud.

agreed I thought the same thing when I first looked at it. However when it's running in the water it will actually be out to one of the sides. Still not what I would want but it's not going to be facing directly back like that.

Haven't used them but they sure look good. I just can't justify using them here where the water isn't super clear. Great looking baits though.

Awesome job.

Already starting your big bite push instead of numbers huh? Great job bud. Your going to be surprised at how many "small" fish will hit such a "big" lure.

I understand your argument & wanting people to get on board by showing us "proof" of the mortality rates of fish held horizontally vs vertically. I also commend you on wanting to do something that "might" help the species as a whole. However it's just not going to sway many people. Especially when you have pics of these huge bass held vertically by big bass hunters & tournament pros. Better yet when you have multiple pics of Dottie being held vertically in pics over a span of years. Clearly it didn't hurt her getting held vertically multiple times & she was perhaps the largest bass to ever swim. It's kind of like these TRUTH commercials to stop smoking. Although really good commercials backed up by broad facts, they just aren't going to make every smoker quite smoking by having a hundred people fall over in the middle of an intersection pretending to be dead. ;D

Too cool man. Wish I had a setup like that.

Congrats. Sounds like a great time, & that's a really nice fish.

Awesome job bud.

I don't fish big baits religiously but most of my biggest fish have come from fishing big baits. I personally think you would be doing yourself a complete disservice if you don't try to learn the art of big bait fishing. Any technique which can help up your chances of catching a "True" trophy bass ought to be studied & learned. Is it going to be frustrating...YES. If you dedicate yourself to only big bait tactics, you will get skunked, & probably quite often. However the payoff is huge. I recommend starting out with a swimbait that is a little bit smaller to build confidence. Something like the BBZ 6" or a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in the 8". The great thing about big bait fishing is that you can always put that rod down & use something that you know will catch fish just to get your fix. Once you do that though you'll want to pick that swimbait back up & get back to it. It will absolutely require you to dedicate a lot of time & fish in order to feel comfortable chunking a big bait. However the reward is very VERY nice in the end. I now never leave home without my swimbait rod & swimbaits.

1. Suspending jerkbait 2. Colorado spinnerbait 3. Jig

What a day!!! Awesome job bud.

Man what a PIG. Awesome catch. I know exactly how that feels seeing that my PB was the same size. HAHA. Great catch my friend. P.S. looks like some awesome water to be fishing.

I'll use a 6'6" or 7' rod in med-med/hvy action depending on how accurate I need to be or how far I need to be casting. I'm pretty set on my 6.4:1 reel. I always use 10-14# fluoro line. Now that's just my setup which works for me. You're probably going to get a few different answers which all work for that particular person. All that to say, experiment until you find which setup works best for you.

Strike King, Bill Lewis, Xcalibur, Lucky Craft, Jackall, Cotton Cordell, Rapala, Spro, Sebile & sooooo many other companies all make lipless crankbaits. Better yet, all of them will catch fish when used correctly. I suggest trying out a couple of different brands until you find out which one you like the best. You'll end up catching more fish on one of them which in turn will make you more confident in that particular bait. With confidence in it you'll fish it more effectively. Before long you'll be convinced it's the best lipless crankbait on the market. P.S. Most brands will need to have their treble hooks changed out & upsized.

Funny you should say that seeing that Fork is my home lake. ;D I've done well with it on other lakes as well though.

Man that's a really good looking bait. Awesome job.

Man it's been years since I last saw that clip. HAHA. It's great.

I've always done quite well with red spinnerbaits. All mine have gold blades on them & usually work better in stained to murky water.

Great job. Really nice fish.