gobig

Depth, speed and casting angle are critical. Bass pin and ambush prey so use the current, cover and structure to your advantage.

Snag proof bobby's perfect is my go to frog. I use others but this is my #1.

I can't believe there is only one comment about the heat. The hotter outside it is the better. Two or three days of high ninety's or up into the triple digits and the frog bite is usually wide open.

I don't really care if they knocked something off. What I care about is performance and cost.

I think snelling makes a difference. I also think that the trokars are the sharpest hook on the market. People new to punching will hook fish that they never knew were biting. They do however hang up in thick cover because they are so sharp and you will go through more baits.

The best time is post spawn through the fall. Like bluebass said its not just a early morning evening thing but all day.

I wish there was a generic answer to your question. I am going to tell it like I see it. Some lakes they eat big trout style swimbaits, some lakes the eat bluegill baits. Some lakes swimbaits suck. Some lakes they eat crawdads. You have to plow through and see what they want. For example at Clearlake I normally do well on large huds and glide baits because of the hitch. But this year because the shad population done so well I have caught more big fish on a 3.8 keitech than big baits.

It's not always a perfect balance but I don't buy much meat from the store. My family does buy a few free range cattle every year that I get a few scraps from.

I hear crocs taste like chicken.

All I know is that I fill the freezer every year with elk, venison, duck, geese, salmon, halibut, albacore, sturgeon, crab etc...

1. 10xd 2. dd22 3. Bobbies perfect frog 4. Beaver style bait punch rig 5. Dropshot with a roboworm

And here I thought you were going to trade your girlfriend for a quality set up.

I have used the BPS knocker for years with really good success.

With a cold front and 47 deg water I would have started offshore if possible. Pre spawn females should be staging up off the bank at the mouths of coves or on creek channels leading up to flats in those conditions.

Another vote for the alberto knot. I have never had one that is tied right fail...ever. I use this knot on everything from albacore to bass.

Then keep doing the same things without a different result. There is nothing wrong with that hook on the right rod. You want a lighter wire hook. To large of hook also kills the action of the bait. So does to line that is to heavy. Set up right, it is not that hard to catch fish with a dropshot. This is the number one bait I use to teach children how to fish. They can wave their rods all over, reel them in, set them down, etc... and they are going to hook fish on accident.

Not trying to be a jerk but I would put them away when the fish stop biting. I dont think it is as simple as water temp. There are other variables that come into play. Fishing is so situational I would never rule anything out based on water temps alone.

I really like my Maui Jims.

I dont agree with you Tom. A dropshot is not just a vertical short cast presentation and it works just fine from shore.

I love speed traps one of my favorite square bills. Pop your rod tip on the retrieve and you can make that bait hunt all over the place.

That hook in the picture looks way to big. I dont think your getting good hook penetration on that light set up. The rebarbs are good hooks for Texas rigging. I prefer the Trokar light finesse which are basically the same thing as a rebarb in a Trokar. 2/0 is a good size. I would also try a roboworm or something like it.

I agree with what is stated above but I am going to add my two cents on top of it. I think there are good swimbait lakes and I think there are ones that are not so great. For what ever reason some lakes have bass that will readily attack large swimbaits and I am not just talking about large bass, I am talking 2lbers. Then there are the other lakes that have a decent supply of large bass but it seems they will not touch a big bait. I think it has to do with their genetics and adaptation to the available forage. I know on the delta I can get bit 3 to 1 or more with a blugill style bait over a trout style bait in most cases. Bluegill are a primary forage on the delta so does this mean that I have to match the hatch? Because there is another small lake near where I live that has a huge bluegill population, no shad and no trout. But I get bit better on a trout style bait there. So a no answer and a yes answer to your question are both right. Everything matters, yet nothing maters.

Not having the chains on the knocker makes it far less effective.

Hold over is a good kokanee color. I would worry less about the color and more about how and where to throw it. I have yet to have a color that I have not caught fish on.

I dont see how they could be totally accurate with this study. There is a lot to consider. For one were all the fish studied from the same gene pool? How did the cover differ from pond to pond? same food supply? and on and on.