earthworm77

That is a cow, I'm gonna guess 14 to 15 just on the girth alone.

I do not approve of his antics at all. He is a good angler though. Screaming for every 1 1/2lb bass he catches has gotten really old really fast.

Likely those areas will be full of rocks and with a finess tube, you will likely lose contact with it in the current. For this reason I'd use a slip in tube head despite the snags in the area. You might pick up the bait and have a smallmouth that hooked itself on the end.

Alandis, I pretty much agree with your list. The only thing I may switch is Van Dam. I think he needs to fish another 10 years to be included as an all time great. He is awesome, just needs more time. IMHO.

Plastic 100% of the time, no mess, no hassle

Agreed, Take a look at the handpoured versions if you can find them. I make an awesome...I think pour but wouldn't dare put it on ebay...too many crap ones that sell too cheap, I could never get the price I wanted for them.

JT -right on the head brother!!!! The thing that most people have to understand is that VERY FEW anglers actually receive cash payments from sponsors. This is true all the way up to the pro.s FatDaddy, pm me or something, that's my tube the Fat Tony. You obviously like!!! I just put it together...Steve.

Shimano Sustain Shimano Scorpion and Scorpion MG Shimano Antares

"Pooring your own plastics is fun but it won't save you any money." Please explain, I see it much differently considering I pour over 10 gallons of plastic a month. Even if you do it for yourself, in the long run it will save you a lot of money.

I made a decision a few years back to really cut down on what I carry with me. I used to come to a tournament with a large Tackle bag with 5 3700 planos inside and another full of plastic. I'm a freak when it comes to my tackle. I believe in brand specificity. I make almost all of my own baits so I use one jig, one spinnerbait and my own plastics. It works for me. I use Bagley's or ThunderShad balsa cranks only. It works for me. I got away from buying everything thast looked cool years ago. About 3 years ago I experimented by bringing 1 3700 plano box and a small 12" by 8" duffel bag for my plastics. I fished the next 3 tournament seasons this way, traveling extremely light and it worked out for me. I was never at a loss for having the right bait, so this is the way I've contiuned to do it. Really taking stock in what I do have, I noticed I have a ton of stuff but it is all the same type of stuff. This makes it easier to cull things down a bit. That said, there is no reason for me to carry the kitchen sink. I generally carry: about 25 assorted Grass Jigs 4 Traps 4 ThunderShads/Bagley's Kill r B's 4 Leverage Spinnerbaits 2 Sammy's 1 bag of Platy's assorted colors several bags of tubes some tube heads, plenty of hooks, glass beads, weights assorted plastics like Fat Ikas, SD's, FatZillas and a few standard worms in the duffel. Total weight.....maybe 8lbs.

I'm not a pro angler, I do have sponsors and I do have friends that are pro's. These guys do what they have to do to keep sponsor dollars coming in. There is no doubt that they use other companies products...I don't think they are prohibited from doing that. There is also no doubt that they might embellish and talk up their sponsors products as being key to their success even if they weren't. These guys are making a living. They do what they have to do to get by.

Successful river anglers are the ones who find the not so obvious current breaks....eddys as was stated before. I am a river rat as well and I've built a reputation by finding those spots that other guys can't.

Shiners cost so much because you realistically have the chance to catcha tremendous fish on any cast. If you spend 100.00 on baits and take a 12lb bass.....isn't it worth it then?

Good post and question. I'll be honest, for years I considered myself a purist and stayed away from live bait of any kind. I may have even looked down upon guys who did fish live bait. I went on a shiner trip in E Toho years back and there was just something about the way that frantic shiner burst out of the water seconds before a slob largemouth rolled on it. Nowaday's I have a different mindset. Look at guys like Doug Hannon who made a lving catching Florida hogs on shiners, the guys in California using live craws to catch giant bass...Bob Crupi comes to mind. I've read a ton and I write a ton, there are very few artificial anglers who are recognized as true trophy hunters. The late Bill Murphy comes to mind, maybe a couple of the California guys who have been around a while. Realistically though, those live bait guys have garnered much more attention. It is definately a skill to consistently catch big bass on live bait and do not think otherwise. I'm moving to Florida in a few months and I'm sure I will at least try live shiners as bait. My new smallmouth hero is none other than our own RoadWarrior!! He fishes a little with the live shiners as well.

J-H, in the wind, I'm looking for the areas that have the most commotion caused by the wind pushing water/waves into something. This will uproot the bootm a bit, the bait will be more active foraging on microscopic organisms, oxygen it higher and the bass should be supercharged. On this particular fall day, I was working the pad edges where the wind was blowing into. I think thr fish were naturally facing the current waiting for things to get blown towards them. I also caught fish near wind blown shorelines that had some type of cover such as buck brush or stumps. These are classic ambush points as fish have something to get biehind so they don't get pounded or have to fight the current.

Yes making your own molds is worth it if it is done correctly. Consider what type of volume you intend to pour. I go through 7 to 10 gallons of plastic in a month which can equate to 5000+ baits. Remelting can be done but it will slow you down and IMHO, something comes up missing in the end...color changes, flake color changes lack of scent, salt....etc. You'll likely burn more of your old stuff than is worth the effort.

I would rather fish the wind. The wave action creates oxygen and gets baitfish going, it also makes bass ambush areas very predictable. I fished a tournament last season in which the wind was pretty strong and rain kicked up a little. Everyboat in the tournament headed for lea areas and coves to get out of the wind. I put my hood on and put the trolling motor on high and stayed in the wind. I won the event with 15lbs, more than 14lbs over 2nd place. If you simply are dictated by your own comfort in the way you fish, you may not be all that successful in the long run.

2.75" RoadKill Camo colored tube, 1/16oz tube head.

It's nonsense!

Yes, it also worked for me.

I actually found Serious Bass Fishing to be a decent read, I like the finesse concept and those guys did a bunch of that. Michael Jone- Finesse Bass Fishing is a dynamite read

I think there is an article that was posted recently here specifically covering this topic, I'm not sure who wrote it but I hear he is quite handsome....ok I wrote it. :

I write a lot of articles. As I go back and review them one of the gospel messages I seem to always touch on is that versatility is the key to success. It is great to have a strength. I have several but I think that being well rounded is more efficient. And also, the pros may tell you they do things one way, when in fact they do it another. They are less obligated to let you know what tactics they use to put food on the table.

specifically what bait would you throw and what method would you employ if you had to catch fish. Not necessarily big fish, just a technique that catches a lot of fish for you? I would likely use a Split Shot rig and a small 4" curly tail worm by RoboWorm. My second option would be a 1/16oz jig n pig on 6lb line.

I'd go with a small 4" Salted Stickbait or a tiny hair jig or tube. Downsize.