5bass

Fly,I dont think anybody is necessarily whining,just voicing different opinions about their local lakes.You and others on here obviously have the luxury of fishing in a state where the DNR actually cares enough to do things to help out a particular bass fishery.That means alot in the bass fishing game.My Dept needs to take some training courses from your DNR.The only thing my Dept does is stock stripers,which EAT bass. And after helping in creel surveys for a few years,the only thing the fish biologists could tell me was that the upper end has the best quantity of fish while the lower end holds the better quality fish.No mention of stocking any bass,slot limits or anything bass related.Those guys are as sorry as they come.

I think fishing pressure is a big part of the equation.You can go to just about any big lake on any Sat or Sun morning and see a big gaggle of boats ready to catch some bass.And on the bigger lakes,you could have as many as 5-6 different tournaments going on the same day on the same lake.Fishing pressure is ridiculous anymore. And 10 years ago,I could cruise around the lake during the summer and see bass hanging around under docks or laid up in a downed tree,I rarely see that anymore,if I do,the fish I see are small. Bass fishing has hit the big time now and the lure of "fame and money" draws people from near and far.The bass are getting hammered constantly.(At least where I am)

Nice job man,no doubt!

I'm with LBH on this one.I do fish anywhere from 3-5 days a week but on my trips I only get to fish 3-4 hours each time out,unless its tournament day.

Matt,I agree with that DD22 statement you made.....or any larger,deep diving crank for that matter.The DT16 has been by far my best crankbait for big fish the past 2 seasons but for 10-12 seasons before that,the DD22 was my go-to crank.Sure you can catch dinks with it but usually the dinks are shallower than 16-18 ft. I generally catch decent fish with the spinnerbait but the 13-15" fish get on it the most,but there again,it matters what lake you are fishing and the quality of fish in that lake. I've gotten away from jig fishing the past few years (b/c of a patience issue I have) but jigs are generally what I throw after I've got 5 fish.I need to fish them more at the start of the trip rather than later on.I guess I've just gotten used to catching fish by fishing really fast and thats what I always start doing when I hit the water.......fishing at warp speed,looking for aggressive fish.

My red Tahoe pulls my red Gambler.

It all depends on where you fish.Obviously if you are fishing ponds or private lakes your # of fish and average fish weight should be bigger than someone who fishes on really deep,really big,heavily pressured lakes all the time. I live in Va. and fish a heavily pressured lake and most fish we catch during a day are up to 2# but 1.5# is probably a more realistic number,on average.We usually dont have a problem catching 4 or 5 "keeper" fish in an 8-hour period and would say that we catch at least one bass each trip that will go between 3 and 6 pounds,it's not real uncommon. But catching a big fish always depends on the length of time it takes me to catch a limit.If it takes a while to limit,my time for fishing for a big one is cut way down and that could cause me not to catch a 4 pounder on an outing.That's just how I fish,I always try to catch 5 keepers FIRST,then fish for the big one.I do this whether I'm fishing a tournament,practicing or just fishing.It's like I'm fishing a tournament on every trip. There are lots of variables that go along with this topic.

What are you waiting on?Put 10 dozen layers of clothes on and get to it! ;D

Okay.....water in the 60's huh?YOU DOG!! Yeah,I'd throw something that will make a little noise or at least a big spinnerbait that moves some water and I'd do it all on main channel points when they are pumping water.

I cant speak much about winter night fishing but a dropshot wouldnt be my first bait of choice........and unless I lived in Florida,you wouldnt catch me anywhere near the lake at night during winter.No way.

Whats up whacker? ;D

I think its because people disguise their snagging technique as drop-shotting.I could be wrongbut thought I had heard something like that before.

I gotcha Of all the pines I have put down through the years,some are better than others.Some hold no fish any time,others sometimes,others all the time.And some dont even exist anymore.It's all about placement.I have noticed that some piles take a while to get fish to them(could be that pesky sap thing) but eventually all the sap "leaks" out......and how much sap is in a 6 ft pine tree anyway?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000AWS4BK/sr=1-13/qid=1136093536/ref=sr_1_13/103-2769151-6395008?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3398351&s=sporting-goods&v=glance I dont currently have my camera here but in the link above is the exact unit I am selling except the one I am selling comes with a transducer.Check it out and let me know.I have PayPal.

I'm well aware that hardwoods are obviously a better candidate for a brushpile.But where can you go pick up 100 trees all in one day that are perfect size for sinking that are hardwoods?If I had that option,that's what I would do.Of course all the piles I sink (or have sunk) wont hold fish but alot of them will and do.Thanks for your input though.

I went out this afternoon and got about 30 or so,if I get twice that many tomorrow I'll be satisfied.It really does help when the fish get on brush in the summer.Aside from lining main channel points with brush,I will also put some in ditches near spawning flats.....somewhere for them to hide while they are waiting for the water to warm up in the spring.

Tomorrow is the day.Everybody's throwing out their Christmas trees and its the perfect time to collect 'em up and start building your personal bass condo's on the bottom of your favorite lake.Get on 'em boys!

well said ;D

You dont have to load the rod or lob it with a speed stop.The speed stop can be reeled and casted and also allows you to fish as deep as you want.You cant do that with a fixed depth bobber.

Yeah throwing a big azz swimbait for a couple of hours would've kept me warm at least.LOL! But as sluggish as those fish were,I dont think they really had the energy to go chasing down a swimbait!LOL! If that ever happens again (hopefully it wont) I will throw the swimbait just to see what happens.

I posted about the Float N Fly a few days ago in another thread......its deadly,it really is. After establishing the depth the fish are holding I put on a Speed Stop at the correct length (fish holding 15ft = speed stop at 13-14ft) to have the bait right on the fishes nose or just above them.Then I add a slip float and then the bucktail or smaller hair jig.Just cast it out to the area where the fish are holding and let it be.Shaking it just a little every now and then helps if the fish are inactive.Very effective on slow fish in cold water.The jigs I use are most times white or silver/gray.

You CAN most likely set it to FISH ID ON and the little fish symbols will appear instead of arches.The arches may be a full arch like in the catalogs or could come out more like straight lines,I believe that all depends on how long the fish is in the cone.(How good of an arch you get) Best way to get the basics about fishfinders is go to www.Lowrance.com and read the TUTORIAL.......it will help you tremendously.

I've had the most luck in the winter months,from 7am-noon.Mostly fishing main channel points. The best AND worst winter day I ever had was 3 years ago in February.Club tournament,air 30,water 39-41,snowing like crazy at blast-off.I idled straight across the main channel from the ramp,stopped on a point,started throwing a bucktail and proceeded to catch a 15-6 limit in 40 minutes.The frenzy started at 7:10 and ended just before 8am.That was the good part!The bad part was that I had to fish until 3pm and never got another bite the WHOLE DAY!

If I've got a decent limit and a little time to spare,I do that too.

In the winter,I would definitely stick to the deepest "holes" you can find,that's where fish will stack in cold water.A small jerkbait is the #1 choice,cast across the hole,rip it hard and fast (to get it down) and when it gets to the strike zone,kill it and dont move it for several seconds,then rip it again and kill it again. If that doesnt get you bit,try the 'ol carolina rig with a 4" straight worm worked as slow as your patience will allow.Adjust your leader length to get it right on their noses.It takes them a while to bite sometimes when they're cold.