Mottfia

I'm on the power side of the equation. My goal is to cover as much water as possible to develop a pattern for that day. I believe that if you are to win local tournaments you have to be great at what you do best. Since I'm comfortable moving around alot, I've developed more into power fishing. I do finese fish from time to time but its not something I will throw right off the bat. Favorite finese techique is a shaky head. Mottfia

Tak is way up river Spot fishing. He is running a pattern that is good for 10-16lbs during this time of year. I think if he can catch a solid limit early and turn back to find a large head then he'll be fine but if Beeswax reloads the whole tournament then he won't be able to catch up. Still after watching the feed on him, I'm pulling for him. Mottfia

They will definitely have to work hard fot this one. But isn't that the way it should be fo rthe biggest tournament of the year. I want the best crowned at the end of the year. Also yea if most of us had a choice we wouldn't fish in those conditions but while the pros were on Lay, 140+ of us college anglers were on Guntersville fishing in the blizzard. If we can find and catch fish in that mess then they should be able to handle it too. Mottfia

confidence. Going out there believing that you can catch fish in adverse conditions. believing that your spot or pattern holds them even though it doesn't produce or believing that you're able to make the correct adjustment if it fails. Confidence is definately the hardest part in my opinion Mottfia

Thats not a bad start. The fish will probably be keyed in on crawfish so finding some rock type bottom will help your cause. Also if the water is warming you should check the drop offs and points around spawnig flats. If the weather is consistently cold you'll probably be better off around the main lake areas. I love main lake points throughout much of the year and I don't think this time is any different. Mottfia

haha well in my opinion they are great complimentary baits but like every one said they are different baits. The buzzbait is a big fish and aggressive fish lure. You can start the day off with one of these bad boys covering water. This bait will generally get some quality bites and will give you an idea as to where to fish are at that day. After the fish calm down, you can come back with a spinnerbait to try to pick off some less agressive or neutral fish. Great tandem in my opinion Mottfia

If you watch the pros, a number of them use that type of retrieve. That should say to how well the technique can work at times Mottfia

Merry Christmas Guys.

That can depend on a lot of things. How cold does your water temperature get? Whats the water visibility? How about vegitation? how deep does it go? and how about the types od structure? also is your lake drawn down? Maybe the other guys can give you a few more questions to anwer to better figure this out. If its me, I look for clear, stable water. I focus on points and drop offs. You really have to figure out what depth you're lake's fish are chilling at. Alot of our fish in alabama stay shallow but thats because of our mild winters. I hope I'm not too vague but fishing is an experiementation everytime. Mottfia

Man I'm way behind on this one but I've got a pretty good idea on what he might be doing. Here on the Alabama those bluff walls can be awesome. With it being a river system and spotted bass, I'm sure that its very current based. The way we work it is by finding those areas on the bluff wall that stick in or out, something that creates an eddie such as a slide in or rock pile. For the most part you'd throw a heavy enough jig to feel bottom but not enough to get down in it too hard. Basically you'd throw that bad boy out there and let the current do the work. Your job is to keep up slack and feel until you hit something. When you do, give the lure a slight pop or pull to ease it over the rock. The lure should slide to the eddie behind the rock where the fish will be at. These fish will usually hit the lure readily as it gets in front of them. The real work to this kind of fishing is finding those key spots because you can't see them. but once you find them you'll typically catch a few quickly if they are there. Good luck, bro Mottfia

Thats a great question. Persoanlly I would have to go with Al Linder. I used to watch his videos all the time over at a friends house. I like his style of teaching in those videos. I guess if I had to choose a pro I would take KVD. He is one of the best. Other than that I'd like to pick the brains of some older guides around cental Alabama. I think they would give you the best understanding of an individual lake. Mottfia

My dad is without a doubt my best teacher. He has taught me nearly everything from the basics of lures to perfecting a pattern. I've also been taught about a different style of fishing jig from an old man that tournament fishes against us throughout the year. On cool thing has been that my best friend helped me become a better worm fisherman while another introduced me to jerkbaits some 10 years ago. I have a lot of people to thank for my level of fishing being where it is now. and yep BR has a place in that too. Mottfia

thats a good question. I think everyone should take note of what they say here and see how they did at the end of next year. Personally My goal is to continue to refine my fishing style based on the season and fishing ocnditions. I want to work on finding schools of fish better. That will probably lead me into some little bit deeper water depending on the season. I also will be working on my decision making skills but thats a continuous thing for me. There are alot of things that I plan on working on, too many to list if I really thought about it. Those little thinks can really add up. Mottfia

The amount of change doesn't matter as much as the fact that there is a change. just because the lake's ledge is only say 6ft to 8 ft. They would still use it. Imagine what those poor guys in Florida have to deal with. Their breaklines are like a foot or some small amount life that. So I wouldn say that those ledges would be a good investment of your time in summer. Early morning I would like to see how productive those pads would be. If they show up strong I would stay with them for awhile. Personally I would like to see the head waters. If there is any depth and current then I would feel right at home. Its something about current that makes fish so much more active. Find a little ledge, point, or jetti in the current section and you could catch fish for awhile. I hope helps any. Mottfia

Water Clarity would really answer that question for me. but there are other variables like what kind of bass am I fishing for and how agressive might they be. If they are slashing at baits then a bigger profile doesn't hurt as long as its moving. I like to fish small profile stuff when the bass aren't agressive in clear water...but I don't have to do that often. Lake Tuscaloosa last year was definiately one of those cases. Mottfia

I don't know how to work that map but it koos like Alabama isn't pulling its weight Mottfia

Red Cranks are based around crawfish. A number of crawfish have red crawfish during certain times of years. I know where I'm from I catch fish flippin red plastics and throwing red cranks because of the craws...and we are in Alabama. Study what type of craws you have in your area and imitate that color. Mottfia

Netbait and Davis Baits are here in Alabama. Mottfia

For me, its the competition. I love the challenge of proving that I can catch fish with the top guys in the area and state. Mottfia

Yup SportMN Tubes are great for heavier cover. They don't wrap up like a worm will. My answer would have alot to do with what I'm trying to do. Finese or reaction. Thats always the question of the day isn't it? My thought on a worm is that it is a finese lure. It doesn't do too much. up and down or drag it across bottom. If the fish aren't real agressive, not feeding, and won't chase then I 'd say worm. Tubes have this wonderful thing where they will dart and spirl and do crazy stuff. Aggressive fish love this. The crazy action can also get a reaction strike from Neutral fish cause of the change in direction and nontypical action. They are both tools tho and have their places which are not at all defined by my thoughts on them. Try them in all types of situations and see what it tells you. The wonderful things about these lures is that they catch fish in general. Good luck Mottfia

Definately rig them yourself. You will save yourself alot of money and probably frustration. I don't know how well those pre-rigs are done but I can't trust anything that has been in a package for that long. I aren't too complicated once you get a feel for them. Mottfia

I'm glad you feel the same way we do about this place. Its one of my favorite stops will procrastinating on the computer Mottfia

Hmm...I didn't think people would be against glue so bad. Why are yall so much against it? Guess to each his own. personally I am all for it. I believe that it holds the trailer up better when skipping a lure and it helps the trailer last longer. Some soft or lacking of the denseness plastics ( I could think of the right word ) have trouble staying up after being used for a short while. so glue on the head will extend the usefulness of that bait atleast twice as long. I think anyone short on money and wanting to be innovative should look into it. Mottfia

You are absolutely right, Tin! I don't think people should use it so much for recreating exact situations cause that will never happen but to find reoccuring situations within the season or year and how to fish in them. Pattern fishing. If catch fish a certain way say fishing spinnerbaits on 2-10ft laydowns in the main river. If you are able to do this a number of different days then you can look through your notes and find out the prevailing(same or like) factors that may be responsible for this. Mottfia

Go easy on him guys. We all get things wrong from time to time. The problem may not be color as much as it is circumstance. If the lake has gotten muddy in a short amount of time then it may have the fish a little shocked. If so try to find some clearer water. If its been muddy for awhile then yea fish slower, tight to cover at all times and a bulkier or darker bait will help. Think Contrast in muddy water. White or Black is really all you need but I like to have fun with it and use red shad and june bug. Remember tho- tight to cover and slower. Mottfia