5bass

Tastes like chicken! Nah,not really.....but it is good if you cook it correctly.I dont make it a habit to eat them very often but if one is hooked deep and going to kick the bucket,well......

I'd do a compression check before I bought ANY boat.

That site mainly has the contact info for the Region directors....they MAY or MAY NOT get back to you.Go to the VABASSFEDERATION site and check out all the clubs there are.Another thing you can do is to go by your local tackle shop and just ask about the local clubs,someone there should be able to tell you something. If you dont have a boat,it may be hard to get into certain clubs because most people have partners already. You also need to find a club that will suit you as far as travel.The club I am in has 10 tournaments per year and only 3 of those are on our home lake.The rest of the tournaments drag us all over the state.This gets real expensive because of gas and hotel rooms,plus entry fees.I'd check out a few different clubs to see what the deal is before jumping in the first one you find,it may not be suited to what you want.

I'd try it at night.Fish arent nearly as spooky at night and most times big fish will only move shallow to feed while it's dark.Otherwise,the big'uns usually hang deep during the day.

I agree about the Warts and Shad Raps,they are hard to beat.I just wish the #5 Raps were just a little heavier. I just recently bought a couple of the Thundercranks but havent thrown one yet.Crankbait season is about to heat up though.

This latest issue of Bassmasters has some dude holding maybe an 11 pounder but in the caption it says it's 18 pounds....Its like he added a whole different fish to the one he's holding.And some of the smallmouth that the people claim that are over 6.....they are far from 6,I know what you are saying.But Bassmaster doesnt get to weigh those fish personally so they just go on what is submitted.And we all know how bass fisherman are...... KU,why did they reject your pic?Is it because you didnt throw it back?Or did you throw it back?

I know for a fact I carry too much tackle.I have my whole middle storage box in my Gambler(70" long X 24" wide X 20" deep) crammed to the max with tackle.I bet I lost 7-8 mph once I finally got everything in.I definitely need to trim down on what I have IN my boat.

You just need to lay it out for him.....be honest about it.Point it out and remind him that yall aint catchin fish on the bank so he needs to move off the bank!If he don't like it,you wont have to fish with him the rest of the year,casting at banks that hold no fish.Be straight up with him if it's bothering you that bad.Or buy your own boat,fish the deep stuff and smoke him at the weigh in!

black spinnerbait/big colorado blade original Thunderstick once the shad come up("that magical time at night")

In the lake I fish,shad are plentiful.....the bass here will feed on shad all day long,I guess that's why I answered the way I did. One of the first things I do when I hit the lake is look for shad or call some bass club buddies to find out where the bigger concentrations of shad are.That's where I go.(Except for spawn time of course,the bass arent real hard to find then).And usually if you find shad pods,the bass are not real far away.I was taught to "find the shad-find the bass"

LOL I was going to say "get out the scuba gear"! I have heard that when the lake "turns over" in the spring that the top few feet will be off colored.....is this what you are talking about?

I hear that Bass junky!I had gotten away from fishing jigs the past few years but I had always caught good quality fish on them.I guess with all the new stuff coming out and this and that technique coming around,I had put the jig down for way too long.Then I came to this board and everyone was talking jigs,jigs,jigs so I went and bought about 30-40 of my favorite jigs and have been sticking fish with them all Spring.It really has put a dimension back in my game that had been missing.

My answer would still be the same regardless of the season.

Shad

I agree for the most part with Chris,but when fishing a spinnerbait at night I like it when I hear that "smack" when it lands.....it sounds like a shad on the surface flopping around.I purposely put a little arch in my cast when fishing at night.Fish arent nearly as "spooky" at night and that sound seems to help them find my bait easier. I'm glad to help them any way I can,you know.....

Zoso is right about the Basstender....my buddy has one that I borrow every now and then to fish the pond down the road.But I believe that the 10.2 Basstender runs about a grand.For that much you could get a 14' jon boat with a outboard motor attached to it.

Around here the best baits for ponds are: 1. Texas rigged worm (fished around any cover) 2. Buzzbait (parallel to the bank) 3. Jitterbug (no brainer in a pond) 4. Senko (throw it anywhere on the pond) 5. shallow running crankbait (if pond is not over run with algae) Mann's Baby1- is a good one.

My list (now).....Nixon should've been 3rd or 4th 1. Clunn....just because of all the Classic titles 2. Martin....dont like him,but cant deny the dudes accomplishments 3. Van Dam....he's catching up quick 4. Dance....what could've been? 5. Brauer....should have been 8th or 9th(just b/c if they aint hittin a jig,he aint catchin much) I believe that one day KVD will overtake the number 1 spot,he's got alot of fishing left to do.I'm not a big fan but the guy can flat out put bass in the boat. The younger guys accomplishments are much more impressive just because the competition these days is so much tougher.150+ anglers in every tournament.....

drop shot (12"above weight) 8-15 ft deep

Live bait Seriously though....if your water is in the 60's,by all means,throw a buzzbait.Just be sure to back away from them a good distance.If nothing else,a buzzbait will "turn on" fish lots of times.If they dont hit it,it may get them in a feeding mood. Or skip a fluke in their area and move it as fast as you can....they dont like things trying to get away from them.

If you can find a big pod of baitfish you should cast something heavy(senko,bucktail) in the middle of them and let it sink straight down.This is a method that I use in the fall especially. In a nutshell.....if the shad are grouped up tight together,there are predator fish (bass,stripers) close by and feeding or getting ready to.(Usually real close by)If they arent balled up tight,the predator fish may not be in feeding mode or real close to the baitfish.Thats why they scatter out a little bit.... But throw something that will sink through them to the bottom. And the spinnerbait thing goes like this,willow blades are for clear water because they dont move much water as to spook fish,but still have lots of flash to look like a mini school of bait. Colorado blades are better when the water is stained and the fish need the big vibration to locate the bait.Also use Colorado blades at night for the same reason.

catnip,did you go by Shelor and check out that tackle shop?

Just because other people SAY they are catching fish,doesnt mean that they are.People hate to admit being skunked,its a fact.And as we all know,the bass is one of the hardest fish to #1) figure out and #2) catch. But you are not alone,everybody has a tough day from time to time.Dont sweat it.

squid,your title says that its a cold front during spawn....are your fish spawning under 50 degrees??Man,if thats the case-good luck bro! But seriously....if your lake has stripers,you need to find a school or two of them.That will put you in the area where baitfish will be and at some point during the day the stripers will be pushing the shad shallow toward the bank and up on points.When that happens,you need to get on them quickly b/c it wont last long.Here in Va.,the bass will feed with/around/below the stripers,especially in real cold water (below 50).... in the meantime,while the stripers are just hangin out over deep water,find them with your electronics,determine their depth and count down a bucktail to that depth.Dont do a whole lot with it,just mainly let it float through them and occasionally jig it.The bass will be there with them.

You might want to buy a heater that will run under water and sink it a few days before the tournament.That will be the area that will be holding alot of fish since it will be the warmest water around.They should be stacked up there,I'd definitely hit 'em with a crankbait first.