5bass

Fritts Clunn Lindner crew (these guys catch everything that swims and 9 times out of 10,that fish is HUGE!)

Largemouth

I'm glad they finally made the right decision on that.David Hayes caught that smallmouth fair and square,had it weighed on certified scales,the whole nine yards.IGFA should feel stupid for waiting so long to accept it.Good job!.......and man,what a fish! Although I'm okay with accepting the fact that I will most likely never hook a smallie that big,I'd at least like to see one that big swim by my boat.

Fritts Hite Davis

I sold my Ranger this past spring and bought the Gambler,just havent got a pic of myself with Gambler Team shirt on yet. I'll be buying another Ranger soon though.

I rarely ever stay on a spot too long.If the fish wont bite,I'm out of there!I believe that if I cover enough water during a tournament I will run into enough aggressive bass for a limit.Then when I have 5 in the boat,I slow down and fish a little deeper. If I know the fish are on rip-rap,I will fish as much rip-rap as I can during the day.Same with docks,same with points,bluffs,brush,etc......thats just the way I look at it.The more water I cover,the more bass will get to look at my bait.It's their choice whether they bite or not,not mine. I will switch baits a time or two or three on one spot but after that,I'm gone.

Just trying to get an idea of what people are using most.....I'm buying new electronics for myself for Christmas.

I throw them wacky rigged almost all the time.The exception is when I want to fish it IN a laydown tree,then I will T rig it.That will probably change when I finally get my hands on the weedless wide gap finesse Gamakatsu's like KU was talking about.They were backordered last time I ordered them from BPS. >

Not real sure of exact top speed,my speedometer breaks up after I hit about 60 mph and then I still have lots of pedal left.My best guess is mid 70's easy.

Sorry I'm late guys.......here's my ride. 1992 Gambler 206 TE 3.0 litre Evinrude Limited Edition

Docks. I would hit shallow docks first, (most will have posts,I prefer a dock with posts in the fall)......if you cant get bit on the shallow docks,move to deeper water and fish the floating docks. Before you move to the docks,early morning is the perfect time to catch a few fish on creek points that have shad on or near them with a buzzbait or maybe a Pop-R. I have been catching good #'s of fish with a super fluke around docks the past week or two.Even if the fish wont hit it,you will most likely draw them out from under the dock taking a look at it and you'll get a look at them. Then you'll know they are there and can hit 'em with something else on your next pass.Make sure you have some good polarized glasses on and always keep an eye on your bait and around and under your bait. One thing I have been doing different than most fluke fisherman do,is I am letting it sink a foot or two before starting my retrieve.The deeper the water,the deeper I let it sink.

Good work LBH,thats awesome.

My favorite is my 9 year old son Devin......he loves to fish.I usually let him pick what he wants to throw and if he doesnt get bit quickly with his pick,he'll ask me what I suggest he use.Thats when I give him a #4 shad rap.That crank catches any and all fish.......crappie,bluegill,bass,white bass,ring perch, etc....it gets him bit on a regular basis through the day.When the bite shuts down or he's tired of taking bluegills off his line,he'll grab his Gameboy and beat up some Pokemons for a while.

Man,I love the title to this thread,it's exactly whats going on at my lake.Monday afternoon,almost dark actually,I was cranking a secondary point in a creek and hooked a smallie that was about 12",and when he got beside the boat I could see about 7-8 others with him.All the same size.Threw a topwater bait(Pop-R) and caught two more 12 inchers.So while they were hittin' it,I kept on chuckin it......then my luck ran out.A big striper just flat out smashed my Pop-R,burned my drag for a few minutes,got in a brushpile,broke my line and took my Pop-R with him. > I really couldnt do much with him....I only had 10 lb line and a medium/light action crankin' rod.Why couldnt he grab my jig while I was flippin docks with my 7'6 XH rod and 50 lb Power Pro!Fall fishing where I'm at is sort of a mixed bag.......one minute your catching bass,next minute a striper is pulling your boat across the lake. Stupid stripers! ;D

Here Charlie Charlie Charlie.......come on,I know you're not skeeeeered! Or are you?

When fishing a whole season of bass tournaments whether it be clubbers,opens or a tour,after you add up gas,oil,hotels,food,tow vehicle and trailer maintenance,entry fees,etc....breaking even after all that is a big accomplishment.I've been fishing bass for 20 years and honestly broke even or made a profit maybe 4 or 5 times. I'm about even on getting entry fees back this year but when you factor in the gas category,I'm WAY behind.

Cool pic and nice job LBH !! Enjoy Glenn, and thanks for creating such a great place to "hang out".

I use spider jigs alot.I really like the slow fall and some times when bass are suspended,say under a dock,the slow fall is what gets 'em.The double tails seem to get me bit more often than the single tails.The Yamamoto hula grubs are great and I use them but the ones I buy the most are made by Chompers.The garlic scent on those will make your eyes water.

I'd fish it when the sun is high and real bright.The shade line around the bridge creates sort of a boundary for the fish. On the upper side of the bridge pilings you should have brush,logs and lots of cover built up.When the fish are looking for a meal,they will usually go to the front end and hide in the brush. On the backside,there may be a little brush but the attraction for the fish on lower side will be the current break.They can hang out back there in the slack water and wait on bait to float by with minimal effort. If the water is only 15 ft under the bridge,you should have no problem catching fish.If there is a definite current present,cast upstream with a carolina rig.Casting upstream in current assures your bait of staying in contact with the bottom. If you cant get bit on the bottom,this means the fish are possibly suspended.In this case,a crankbait or jerkbait are great choices.

Oakley Monster Dog Bolle Swisher(you can get these at www.campmor.com for $40),everywhere else they are $75+

Wacky rigged senko.....with weedguard hook. You may not cover water very quickly but I guarantee you will catch fish.Bass will usually suspend in vertical timber,especially in the fall and a senko is just about the best bait for suspended fish. A crankbait would be a good choice if the timber is not TOO thick for it to be effective.That does happen from time to time.

Get yourself some of the circle hooks and wacky rig 'em.

With fall coming on and water temps dropping,I would start the pre-fish in the mouths of any larger creeks,or just outside them,and work your way into the creek.You will run into the fish if you just keep moving in.Being the beginning of October when you fish,the bait should be headed into the larger creeks by then.Once you find the general area of the creek the fish are in,you should be able to fish just that section and catch plenty of fish.If the lake has a big population of baitfish such as alewives or blue herring,a spinnerbait on wood cover could be a decent pattern. I would definitely key on the wood cover that is available and start there,the bass should be moving up as the temps drop.A morning topwater bite should be productive too,be sure to give it a try.Pop-R's produce well for me in the cool fall mornings. Another pattern you should try out is the jig/dock pattern.You mentioned residential areas on the lake......that is where you will find your docks.Bass really like docks in the fall and a jig will get you some bites for sure.Dont use a rattle unless the water is dirty.The better docks will be in the major creeks or possibly out on the main channel if the shad are still out there.Another good bait for fishing docks is the senko,sometimes a senko on a dock cant be beat.I like white or lighter colors in the fall. If you are lucky enough to find points in the creeks,this is where you will see fish schooling up when shad pods get up on the points.A super fluke is a good choice on schoolers,or a LilGeorge blade bait,dropped thru the school is a good choice also.A crankbait will draw strikes when you need it to around the points when the fish arent on top bustin' shad.Match the crank(color and size) to the available forage. If the water is dropping during your tournament,keep in mind that bass that are on steeper/deeper banks will be less affected by a water drop.The flatter banks are the ones to avoid during drawdown. Good luck,I hope you bring in a 20lb bag.

Biggest largemouth this year: 7 lb 6 oz (bed fish,jig) Biggest smallmouth this year: 5 lb 4 oz (crankbait) Club tournaments this year:(3 more to go) 3rd Gaston 1st Kerr Reservoir 3rd Smith Mtn 5th Smith Mtn 3rd Leesville Open tournaments this year: 3rd Kerr Reservoir 5 bass 15-7 $ 4th Smith Mtn 5 bass 13-6 $ 4th Smith Mtn 5 bass 13-9 $ 11th Smith Mtn 9th Smith Mtn ....and a few more bad ones,(once you get pushed out of the Top 10 at a weigh-in,you really dont care exactly where you finish.) So far I have yet to blank in a tournament.(KNOCK ON WOOD) although this past Friday night was a close call.Whew!! Best producing lures this year: 1. crankbait 2. Power Bait worm 3. senko The stats should get better with the fall season coming on.I think the fall bite is the best bite of the entire year.

Thanks for the vote Max. LBH,I'll be applying for the deep crankbait position.