5bass

That's awesome news Nick and another step towards the ultimate goal.Good job man!

You can paypal me $30 bucks and OWN Bigmouth and Bigmouth Forever (the follow-up to the first one).

BPS sells it.

I'm a power fisherman all the way.Crankbait,jerkbait,spinnerbait etc.....I like to keep my baits movin',not real big on the finesse stuff although that's how I originally learned to fish bass.A spinning rod,small worms,grubs and tiny jigs.

Not necessarily.Look at the bathtubs that Bill Dance fishes in...(oh no,I didnt just go there did I? ;D )......and he hauls monster bass from each one. Seriously,the answer is no,and yes.Obviously a bigger lake has more bait swimming around and more habitat to grow big fish but a small lake or pond can be just the same as a big lake,just on a smaller scale.There are many variables that dictate whether a small pond/lake grows big fish,same with a big lake.

Wow,any explanation from authorities yet?Sounds like some big company along the river is dumping toxins in the water.Hopefully the EPA guys can contain it fast enough so all the fish dont die....if in fact thats what happened.

No.There are a few threads that get out of hand after they have been up a while (like this one) and people just keep on opening different doors to fuel it along. Until a bass can speak and give us a definitive answer to the title question,nobody knows 100%,one way or the other........its all speculation.

Very cool again Russ......lots of good footage and some great new pics.

pop-r or fluke

A buzzbait is about the only topwater bait I throw in late summer and I dont stick with it too long if I dont get bit.......the fish tend to be a little too deep to be smashing topwater baits during the "dog days".I'll throw the buzz over points early but other than that,I'm fishing bottom baits.

Sometimes I wonder how wide the scope of this site has become. How many doors have opened for people. How many more fish have we all caught. How many new friends have been made whether long distance or right in your own backyard. How many questions answered. How many families helped. How many people have open invites in states they've never been to offered by people they've never met. How many road trips were born. How many people's business we have influenced. How many hours Glenn has donated in maintaining this site. How many people got as lucky as us? Thanks Glenn. I'm gonna go put you on my list of people I look up to. That scope is getting bigger everyday LBH......and that's a good thing. Glenn has single-handedly opened so many doors for people looking for bass fishing info just by starting this site.He's brought a lot of good people together and I'm sure that was in his plan from the get-go.I feel fortunate and priviledged to be a part of this place.......carry on.

I just bought a new Motorguide.....so my advice to you is buy a MinnKota!

Just me,gear,15 gallons gas,slight chop.... 75 mph (radar gun,game warden) ....only get 70-71 with both livewells full.

You guys should be fishin' on Saturday mornings anyway! ;D No,really,that is a bummer,I dont like to hear of any cancelled fishing shows ........BassCenter must not have been putting enough money in somebody's pocket.

The shad fry are schooled up on my home lake right now.......everywhere,millions of 'em.I fished with a forum member last week and we were fishing an area where there was abundant shad fry around.I knew the bass were around but we only managed to boat a few fish.All of our bites were deeper than the schools of shad,actually on the bottom. I always try to fish below the schools like ouachita said,you might try a small blade bait like a Lil George or something,dropped right thru the schools.

I grew up fishing a couple of private ponds and the bass grow big and are eager to bite for the most part and was lots of fun,without a doubt.After pounding those ponds and catching fish after fish after fish,it got a little boring catching the same fish over and over and eventually I just quit going. Fishing a big lake where the fish have room to move and hide is much more challenging and in the end,much more rewarding when you do locate the fish and start filling the livewell. I do hit a pond every now and then to catch some real big bass.The big lake I fish turns out good ones but nothing like a private pond.

Craw,good points.I am guilty of droppin' the hammer on a fish over half the time.If I'm shallow,a speedy hookset usually is sufficient but if I'm deep with alot of line out,I'm loading the rod and swingin' for the fence.Thats how I ended up with the elbow injury in which I will have surgery for this winter. Another factor that determines hookset power and speed is what I'm using.With a super fluke,I'm setting as hard as I can just because of the thickness of the bait and the same thing with a carolina rig.On a regular worm that is relatively shallow,I dont swing that hard,just fast like you were talking about.

21' Gambler 209TE/Evinrude 225

That sounds like Roland Martin being interviewed or talking on his show,just with different brands inserted.

Just watch the "Day on the Lake" show that airs on ESPN......that will make you feel a little better.The show takes a pro angler to an unknown lake and turns them loose to see what they can do.While the angler fishes,there is a cast count along with a fish count displayed on the screen.The last show I saw,the guy fished for 7-8 hours with almost 800 casts and had 5 fish total and 4 of those 5 came in the last 45 minutes from what I can remember. Another one that I saw had Tim Horton fishing and he had a real high cast count and a minimal fish count also. I wouldnt feel too bad about it.....if you caught 20-30 everytime you went,you probably wouldnt go so much.Half the fun is figuring the fish out in my opinion.When you do,you feel like you actually "did something".

Josh,when were you here at Smith Mtn?

The c-rig is mainly a deep water bait for me and I love to throw it right into brushpiles.The object of that is to get your weight temporarily hung on a branch and thats when the magic starts.Once you get the weight hung and stabilized,all you do is start pulling on it lightly and letting back off,then repeating.That makes the branch move and being "hung" keeps your bait in the right spot---------->hovering right over the brush.The fish are naturally curious and when you create a commotion down in 15' + of water,they will come find out whats going on.It's better to leave it down there a little while just to give them time enough to find it. I mostly use the t-rig to probe deep into laydowns along the bank when the fish seem to be buried in there or around docks when the fish are relating to the bottom......it gets down quick and you can present it with a little less noise when trying to get it in tight places.

Yep,me too.Whenever I'm fishing points,I always fish across them first. And to your original question about "uphill"......if you know or have a good feeling that fish are there but cant get bit,at least try it uphill.If nothing else,it will give them a different look.Not everybody fishes uphill,lots of people just pull up,make 25-30 casts around a point or area and are gone to the next spot.I'm guilty of that sometimes.

Good post George,lots of good info there fellas. When I'm dragging a rig,if I'm using something that floats high off the bottom,I will move it further with each pull because when you move the weight it pulls the bait down,then when you stop the weight,your floating bait rises from the bottom again......but you have to pause long enough for your bait to fully float back up. If I'm using something that doesnt float so well on its own,I drag it with shorter pulls making sure to always make contact with the bottom as to leave the mud trail.Bass get curious when they see a mud trail coming off the bottom.If I'm looking to fish faster with the rig,I'll throw something that hugs the bottom and also use a heavier weight,helping with the mud trail.

Here's my current boat This is what I want next......just different color scheme.