Mottfia

YES! Rivers have some of the best fish out there. Day in day out a Worm will be your best choice. It will allow you to fish in the many laydowns and brush on that banks plus they are awesome for combing the ledges and creek mouths that the fish use in summer. A crankbait is also a great lure when the fish are deeper (5-14ft). When fish are shallow and there is current or stained water a spinnerbait is hard to beat. Good luck Mottfia

Yes I used to flip those dudes around all the time. Back a few years back Bass Pro Shop sold them in Red Shad and that was the ticket. They were consistent for catching solid keepers, 3+ pounds. All in all they are a great bait with a number of different uses, flipping and pitching mostly. The only down side I found was that they were rarely good for more than two fish but thats nothing new with t-rigged tube type baits for me They have my thumbs up Mottfia

A good wide wobbling crankbait in a shad pattern is great in Summer...if you have shad or a silvery baitfish as a main prey. Bombers, Bandits, bagleys, Normans, and Strike King all make good cranks. Bandits and Norman Deep Little Ns are great for learning and catching fish on cranks The bigger models can be work and play on your confidence but once you cross that threshold you will have some outstanding catches and limits on them. My personal favorite big crank is the DD22. Mottfia

Hey Guys, I got the pleasure of fishing with my younger cousin on the Alabama River today. We've had a solid rain for the past couple of days so I felt good coming in. Turns out my cousin didn't know how to worm fish so we dedicated the day to helping him gain confidence...and man was it a day. We focus on ledges in 8 to 14 feet of water with any type of cover being the deal breaker. It started off well enough with me catching a few two pounders but thats not what I was there for. The fish stack up hard this time of year so once I'd catch a fish I'd adjust the boat to where my cousin would have a good line on it and let him have at it. It only took one and he had the worm fishing down pat. He went on to catch a limits work of two pounders with a number of 12 inchers. We were pumped. We ended up catching 30 fish while finding 4 new ledges that hold fish. We never found a hawg but who cares. You can't beat fun fishing with family ;D Thanks for reading Mottfia

How many members do we have on to forum now? Yea I believe you made just about 100% of them jealous. Thats what I'm talking about dude. 8-) Mottfia

great fish. On a jig too! You got a good one GMAN! MOttfia

On the Alabama River we have times where gar will cover a bank or slough. So here's a my accounts on the situation. I've never count a bass on good size in an immediate area being used by gar. I believe bass might see gar as a threat or too much competition( probably because of the sheer numbers that they group in). But Bass may still be around. I have caught a number of bass in areas adjacent to gar areas ( another part of the slough, deeper, or simply farther down a bank from them.) Gar and Bass seem to use the same types of locations, just different areas of it. We all know that the both pile in shallow water but the best example I have is in summer time. Gar have a tendency to roll on top out from ledges where bass area on bottom. I guess this all comes down to saying that they may move the bass but bass are still around to be count Mottfia Mottfia

Man I'm late on this one. You've probably already gotten on fish by now. Creeks and small rivers are quick to give up fish again. I love fishing them with my buddies cause we almost always catch them. Its summer so I'd suggest finding creeks with large deep holes. I have seen ankle deep creeks have twenty yard long holes that are ten feet deep...they are also stacked with fish. If you don't have that fish turns in the creek. Really anything that spends up the current is great. Sometimes you just have to walk a long ways to find that concentration. Creeks can be wierd like that. Good luck and let us know if it picks back up for you Mottfia

Theories are awesome if applied right. Read everything available. When you believe that you understand what you've read, give it a try. Didn't work? Well that theory didn't apply to the situation you had at hand. Try another. I like to say that I've had one theory that has been constantly evolving as I learn more. Mottfia

Hey man, I love what you have going for ya. Keep it up. If you stay on track with what you have going you will be tough anywhere. My goals aren't structured as tight as yours. I'm focused on being more effective with my style of fishing, gaining an understanding of what the fish are doing every trip, and being confident in being able to catch 12-15 lbs limit every trip. That last part doesn't mean that I have to but I am trying to learn what the fish in that size range are doing so that if I had a tournament I could be confident in doing well. Mottfia

Well I did not see that one coming. Japan? something tells me that the record may be going up again real soon. Mottfia

Thats a good question that could bring up some very detailed answers. I'd like to see what dictates why everyone uses one over the other. Mine are pretty simple. Water color, Season, and Fish's preferrence are my signs. The first two give me a starting point while the last tells me if I was right. Mottfia

Spinnerbiat and crawworm. If they don't bite them then I'm not around fish. Not time limit just changing locations until I find them Catt, we really need to work on adding a crankbait into your arsenal Mottfia

Can you say ouch! Sorry to hear abouy that. Mottfia

This can get tricky. If the pond is only a couple of acres larger then the oxygen level will dictate how deep the fish will get. Being he middle of the summer I wouldn't expect to find an large fish real deep. Most ponds only hold oxygen down to 6 feet. Plant growth deeper will increase the depth range. If I was under the same situation this time of year, I would fish any major structure from the bank to that deep and then swim the lure at that depth, such as points, ledges, etc. If the main forage is bluegill then there is a good chance that the bass will suspend over the structure but they are still very catchable. Just match the prey and put it in their face. I hope this helps some. Mottfia

Why would anyone want to throw a small spinnerbait? But for real, I have so many memories of catching everything under the sun on a beetle spin that it has to be the tops in my book Mottfia

Honestly its one of my favorite finese baits. The lure itself has a thinner profile than the sweet beaver which gives it a softer feel it the water and glides more when hopped. That makes it a great lure on days when the fish aren't acting like they are supposed to be. My favorite way to fish them is flipping but I have also had great days on rocky lakes using it on a shakey head. You might also be surprised to know that when rigged weightless it makes a great topwater bait...but I can't say anymore about that Mottfia

YES! Frog fishing can be awesome on rivers. It also produces great fish. You can fish it in grass, stumps, cyprus trees ( my favorite) and just about anything else. The trick to know when to throw it is simple. When the frogs come out, throw them. They are best in fall but can be great in summer too. Where you're from, summer is probably like our falls. Not too hot and not too cold. Don't be afraid to throw them in current too. I was flipping a limestone wall while practicing for a tournament. On my thrid flip a slam into a three pound spotted bass. When a lipped the hawg, I noticed a huge frog sitting in his throat still alive. This was in heavy current Great advice Fishinfiend. Anyone starting out fishing rivers would find it useful. What part of the river do you fish? and also..Dropshot? PM me about how you target fish using that. Mottfia

These things can drive you crazy in a good and bad way. but all in all these are great lure. I have fished them every way that I could. C-rig, T-rig in heavy cover, weightless, drop shot..and yea thats about it. Here's what I can say. They all work..well the drop shot was a dud but I'm no expert in that. The weightless rig can be your best friend in ponds. If you can find the right hook size you can suspend the rig below the surface for a long time. With soft pop like you would a jerkbait, the lure will dive a bit deeper because of the way it is balanced. I have caught a number of fish over 4lbs on this setup. Hope that helps. Mottfia

YES! you are dead on. small disclaimer tho. color is not as important in dirty water has the vibration of the lure but it can help you out. When fishing water as muddy as yours, you can narrow your options down to almost white, char. and black, maybe brown if you really like it. but you don't need much more. Those colors will help the bass see it better because it offers contrast. That could be enough to create a solid strike instead of a missed strike. Good Luck! Mottfia

Sounds like you have the right idea. Backwaters are the key to a strong Largemouth populations. I fish the Alabama River which is way south but the concepts are still the same from what I understand. The only difference being Winter if you're area ices over Ok I really don't know what stage the bass are in for you but I'll try to give you a starting point with your backwater fishing. Starting in Winter - bass are positioned in the deepest or mouth of the backwater. They are in huge concentrations and easy to catch. As Spring comes and the water warms that begin making their way toward the backs of the backwater. I imagine that wood will be the primary cover for you at this time and the bass will use it to ambush prey. Flipping and spinnerbaits are great now. Just keep following them back until they spawn. After they spawn they will follow the same route back to the mouth of the back water and get on teh same cover. Except if you have grass which will hold them until the summer heat pushes them out. In the summer they will be stacked up around backwater mouths and in eddy pockets in the current. fall duplicates spring in a sense. Most fish will be shallow most of the year because of high oxygen levels and dirty water so prey will normally guide the bass's location. River fishing isn't too hard. If things gets tough a worm can be your best friend. Try also not to fish too slow. These fish are normally less pressured and more aggressive because they are used to current pushing prey past them fast. Good luck buddy ;D Mottfia

I'm sure that you're already loaded down with plastics but i'd suggest getting some Paca Craws if you don't already. its a very consistent bait. One thing that might help out is what type of fisherman are you? I would hate to suggest a lure that you don't like to throw or doesn't fit your style. I love spinnerbaits and recomend everyone to learn them but I know a ton of people that can't stand them. you know. Mottfia

The guy with the crazy name above is right..How'd you come up with that anyways? Back on topic, the idea is simply to reach fish that have in heavy cover or drop it on their heads. That way the fish doesn't have time to decide what the lure is or is not. He is forced to quickly decide to attack or ignore. But if you want to help yourself out you can think of the lure being anything. Pick a color that makes the lure look like a crayfish or bream that is falling from cover above. Whatever helps boost your confidence can't hurt. You never know when you miss a pitch or don't land exactly on the fish but the fish hits it anyways cause you imitated the prey so well. Mottfia

x2 I couldn't have said it better. Mottfia

Thats incredible. She's going to be a tough cookie to beat from here on out. I'm glad to see that you have gotten her so involved. Congrats to her and to you sir. Yall deserve it Mottfia