5bass

My net is on the boat at all times.Whether I use it or not,depends on the size of the fish.Although on tournament days,I net all fish,except for dinks.

CBedo is right,find the bait,find the bass.Any creek feeding into the lake will be full of shad and the bass are always very close by.There will still be action on the main lake and docks and laydowns will be the main targets there as well as in the creeks.Bigger creeks will obviously hold more bait and more bass. If you notice any "nothing" banks in the area,no visible cover,slightly sloped,this is a great place to catch fish real shallow if the shad get near it.In the fall,I have witnessed bass chasing the shad clear out of the water and up onto the bank. My main baits for fall are spinnerbaits,crankbaits and jigs,in that order.

There is no "one best way".You just have to throw it as far as you can so it will have longer time in the strike zone.You really just have to experiment with your retrieves until you get bit and when you do get bit,trying to remember how you were reeling is the hardest part. If the fish are actively chasing bait,most any retrieve will do as long as you are in the strike zone(depth wise).If you are using a high speed reel with your crankbait,I would not reel it very fast,especially this time of year.Only reel it fast until it gets to max depth (or hits bottom) then just reel a little then use your rod to pull the crankbait along the bottom.You will learn alot obout the bottom if you do that.

>...... :'(

1) ZOOM super fluke (white ice) 2) 3/8 oz. custom Creek Shad spinnerbait w/trailer hook 3) Strike King BUZZ KING buzzbait (tri-wing) white 4) Dave's Tournament Tackle King Sling jig (brown & punkin trailer) 5) ZOOM Baby Brush Hog (peanut butter & jelly) 6) ZOOM finesse worm (green punkin) 7) Rapala DT-16 (shad) 8) 10" Berkley Power bait worm (tequila sunrise) 9) Rapala DT-6 10) Senko (salt & pepper) ....can we make it 12 ? I need 2 more lures!

I agree about taking pictures of low water conditions on a lake.....I do it myself in the winter down on Kerr Reservoir.Video camera footage helps too.

Raul,how ironic that you posted this.....the wind is blowing here,it's partly cloudy and the shad fry have just hatched and are schooling along the banks.I'm leaving here in just a few minutes....sounds like spinnerbait time to me.See you guys later,hopefully with a few good pics.

Yeah man,they have different levels nowadays.I attended one about 6-7 years ago when it was all grouped in one class.While I was there I enjoyed most of it but alot of what they taught was common sense stuff.I was disappointed when they barely covered electronics and deep water structure fishing.All that was just skimmed over,you could say.I did learn a few things though and I'd go to another one as long as I could get what was left off the first time.

Oh yeah,I hit Buggs 5-6 times a year.....I wish it could be more.That lake blows away any other lake I've ever fished for bass.Gaston is my second favorite.Too bad I dont live down that way.I'm stuck up here at Smith Mtn. with 6 million jet-skis,2 million skiers and 500,000 tubers.If you're ever wanting to fish up this way or have a tournament here,let me know,I can usually put a person on some fish. We're planning to hit Buggs again in early October,Nutbush and Grassy both should be bangin' by then dont you think?

Reddman,dont knock the South man,I'm in Va. just like you.Roanoke to be exact.

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The most important thing to remember is to set your drag correctly.This will solve some line breakage problems on the hookset.

Whenever I sink brush,I always sink it in about 20 feet of water and 90% of the time,on a point.I'll sink any kind of wood too,doesnt make a difference to me.Sure,the hardwood piles last longer but I dont see any big difference over my Xmas tree piles or the hardwood as far as holding fish goes.

If you're looking for tournament coverage: FLW Outdoors BASS TIMES If you're looking for bass fishing tips and how-to's: In Fisherman Bassin' Bassmaster BASS TIMES It comes down to what you are actually looking for in a magazine.I prefer tournament coverage,therefore I get FLW and BASS TIMES. I've only seen one of the Inside Line mags but I did enjoy reading the articles,very informative.

WORD OF THE DAY: climathological Nice one Raul!

Being a '95,it's probably a Fast Strike.

Okay,we all know that you must do what you can to help promote your sponsors,should you get some.You should not forget to build a name for yourself before even trying to obtain sponsors.Sponsors arent attracted to people who just go fishin'.....they want people who can win a tournament or at least get in the money at most of them.The easiest way to promote a sponsor is to be on stage wearing their logos at the weigh-in.....and to get that interview time on stage,it is a MUST to catch fish. If you can find & catch fish on a consistent basis and finish high in the tournaments you enter,people will talk and your name will get around.Look at EW,he has won several tournaments and whips everyone in his bass club each year.....those guys know what he is capable of doing and those same guys that he calls friends,his potential sponsors call them references.They will stand up for him if a sponsor needs a reference.It's all because he's good at what he does. BUILD A NAME FOR YOURSELF!

Two hooks are better than one (on a spinnerbait)

Eagle FishMark 480....it will be the best $200 fishfinder you've ever bought. Eagle is made by Lowrance by the way.

trailer hook? yes,always plastic trailer? sometimes,if fish are chasing but not striking,otherwise,no

COME ON FALL !!! Man I cant wait.Spinnerbaits,jigs and crankbaits!!No more wimpy finesse worms or drop shots......thank goodness!!

Are you grabbing your line while trying to land the fish right at the boat?If so,that's a no-no.....I would stop doing that immediately.

CRANKBAIT Rapala DT-16 Mann's 20+

Sounds like a jig situation to me.

The current club that I am in is $50 a year.Our club tournaments are $25 each and part of that is used as funds towards our 6 man team event each year. There is a wealth of information to be gained from being in a club.Fishing with different members really opens other doors to your fishing success.You get to see how the other guys catch fish and approach certain situations. I was in the same club for 9 years and the last 2 or 3 were terrible.Nobody could get along,protest after protest,older members suspected of cheating,etc....glad that's over with.The new club I'm in seems to have a bunch of good guys.