5bass

To me: Shallow: 0-6' Mid-depth: 6'-12' Deep: 12'+ I'll fish down to about 25' or so....if they're deeper than that,the next guy can have 'em.

What is your bait of choice when fishing docks?Anything different you do around docks to get the bite?I know there are certain conditions that dictate choosing baits but just in general,what's your best dock bait?

RM,that's a sweeeeeeet looking flame job! Excellent work,no doubt!

It's just like in the springtime.If it's staying cold and the water isnt warming much,the fish know what's going on because of the days getting longer.They wait and wait for the water to warm but if it doesnt by that certain time,they will be more inclined to move in anyway,just because of instinct.The sun and moon tell the fish what time it is. And as Raul said,the lack of daylight thats happening now will trigger the fish to start moving into fall even though your water temps may not be cooling much.

I would suspect that the fish are on the bottom during low water situations,especially in the summer months.Anytime the river is low like you describe,I always fish for a reaction strike. Another way to think about it is the area that the fish are in and how deep that particular area is......if the water is only 8ft when its down and the fish are on the bottom,they could effectively feed on pretty much anything whether it be topwater,jerkbaits or bottom baits since they can most likely see that far and dont have that far to go to hit any of them.If the presentation is good and it appeals to the fish,they should bite.A reaction strike is definitely what I shoot for during the low water times that the fish seem sluggish. Just try a bunch of different baits,different colors,presentations and cover the water column from top to bottom thoroughly.......and remember,sometimes the fish just won't bite no matter what you do.

Last season,second spring tournament......throwing a super fluke,hooked into a nice fish way back between two parallel laydowns.Fish got into the limbs and broke me off.No big deal,just a fluke and a hook.I start to rig up again......I hear this splash just out from the laydowns.That bass jumped,shaking its head and threw the hook and fluke right back up onto the deck of my boat......it landed about 6 inches from my foot. I've had fish come back up and throw baits before that but none had ever actually landed back on my boat.

It's hard to believe that nobody mentioned a Gambler to this guy yet. I have owned 3 different Rangers,a Skeeter and a Stratos.I have ridden in Champions,Sprints,Bass Cats,Pro Crafts......only ones that were close to a Gambler in rough water was the Champ and the Bass Cat. Want a smooth ride in choppy water?Buy yourself a Gambler.

He comes with the territory......I just wish he had a job. ;D

Excellent motto!

I knew this site was special the very first time I logged on.Glenn has offered us a great place to visit,teach,learn and make friends.I enjoy all the different threads and the info that comes with them.I've read every article the site has to offer and gained alot from them also. 6,000+ members and growing everyday.Glenn's got a great thing going.I'm glad to be a part of it......there's no tellin' how far this place can go.Thanks Glenn,you the man. 5

I use spinnerbaits,cranks,jigs and some topwaters in the fall......and all baits will be a shad color. Also senko's (shad colored) on docks in creeks.

Keith,my home lake has a small population of spots and I have tangled with a few of them this year.The biggest one I boated was maybe 2.5# but he fought like a champ and so did the smaller ones.I caught the biggest from a bed,he was really ticked off.....and it didnt take him long at all to bite! I didnt think the spots fought any harder than a smallmouth but I can see where there is a good comparison to be made.Maybe if I could hook a few 3+ spots I'd change my mind.We'll see hopefully. I think you'd be impressed if you hooked a 4# smallmouth on say 6# line and a spinning rig.

I read an article a long time ago about your title question.I remember the guy saying that if you are fishing down a bank expecting to catch SM,you should turn around and cast out the other way into deeper water.It does make sense. The lake I fish regularly has LM and SM.Most of the SM I catch are in at least 10 ft of water,95% of the time they are on some type of structure,around some bigger rocks or rock bluffs,while the LM are anywhere from 1 ft down to 30 ft and usually scattered throughout.

LOL! ;D ;D ;D Me too.

I'm sure roadwarrior can school you on some live bait fishing.He'll be along shortly.

I agree with Marty.....once you get on smallmouth,they're usually ready to blast your baits faster than a largemouth.I like catching both but a smallmouth is definitely the better fighter,seems like they have better cardio training than the largemouth. Heck,they still fight after you bring 'em in the boat.Case in point,I hooked about a 2.5# smallie on a Pop-R one night.He jumped 3 or 4 times on the way in and then got tangled around my trolling motor.I pulled up the trolling motor to get him untangled and he was steady pulling the whole time.Once I got him in the boat I had the deathgrip over his back (because of the treble hooks) and just as I was about to grab the trebles with my pliers,he started to fight,got free of the deathgrip and ended up stuck to my shirt,still attached to the Pop-R......and he never stopped fighting until he ripped a 3" long tear in my shirt and spazzed out enough to get HIMSELF off the hook,hit the deck and bounce back into the water. The "toughest" fish that swims in my opinion.

Yeah I thought duck week was the follow up to shark week on the Discovery channel.

Try to find some clear water and the cooler the water,the better.Do you know what the baitfish are doing right now?Do you know where the biggest concentrations of bait are at the moment?Those should be things you try to find out BEFORE the tournament starts.You can eliminate water that way.Eliminating water is part of the battle. Whatever you throw,if you can add a rattle to it,do it.Add a bigger colorado blade to a spinnerbait.If you have faith in Berkley Power worms,use them.Or spray your baits with some attractant.....just do anything you can to help the fish find your bait. If you know of any deep offshore brushpiles,make sure to hit them at some point during the night and dont be afraid to check them more than once......let us know how you do and welcome to the forum. 5

Russ,once you start catching them while burning a bank or hopping points with a spinnerbait or a crank,you'll want to do it alot more often,especially in the spring and fall.I believe if I wasnt a power fisherman,I'd still have a f/c trolling motor.When throwing the blades and the cranks,it's really a two handed job. You may want to consider mounting a pedestal seat to lean against,at least until you're used to it......with any wave action (not sure about that on your lake) trying to keep one foot on the pedal,balance yourself against the waves with the other and fish at the same time,that butt seat will be your best friend. I'd recommend getting one at least to satisfy your curiosity.You can always sell it if you'd rather have the hand control.Let us know how it goes.

Thats a good question.I have fished with probably 6 or 7 different people this year.A couple from this board......and I think "craw" and I will be fishing together sometime soon,just have to nail down a time and place.

I agree with Vekol.....maybe older bass relate to what the line actually is but I have my doubts about that also.

Yeah,I saw that he died,I didnt know if that was the only one you ever owned or not.I didnt figure you released any,just messin' with you man.

LOL! I havent heard that one in a while.......since my great-grandfather passed away.The cows interpreted weather forecasts,fishing,grass growing,etc....to him.

Russ,I saw snakehead mentioned in one of your posts.You're not responsible for turning any of those nuisances loose in public waters are you? :-? They are becoming a problem here in Va.......anyone here that catches one is asked to keep it and immediately contact the Game Dept. Back to the topic......a friend had a 70+ gallon set-up and had one smallmouth in it along with some wood and rocks,nice filter system,the whole nine.He fed it feeders daily along with craws from the local creek.The bass was approximately 5" when he first got it and when he released it,it was 17" and swelled up like a tick.I was surprised that it lived that long and grew that much but it did.

Are there any tall trees around the pond?If there is,climb up one of them as far as you can and see what you can see.....you might be surprised.Be sure to wear your polarized shades and do it when the sun is straight up.