Thad

Looking for tips from guys that do this. I haven't used this method a lot and I would like to learn more about it. There are a couple locals that do well with a hollow belly reeled about 6" under the surface. They throw it right against the bank and fish it parallel to the bank. When a bass rolls on it they go to see if it is bedding. If any of you do this I would like to hear about your bait setup and your technique.

Unless you're a collector, you buy lures to catch fish. I'm in grad school and I don't have a lot of money to spend on fishing gear but if I think something is going to help put fish in the boat then I will get it. I'm a tournament fisherman and I think that affects my decision in purchases. If I was more casual then I may not purchase as much as I do. I don't really pay too much attention to quality when it comes to lures. I do with things like terminal tackle, rods, and reels. There are exceptions with lures though. I will get things like spinnerbaits and jigs that have the best components because I think they generally perform the same. But with soft plastics and hard baits I don't really look at quality. All that matters to me is if it will put fish in the boat. If a Shad Rap cost $20 then I would still pay it because it catches a lot of fish for me. If any of the Lucky Craft lipless crankbaits cost $3 then I still wouldn't buy them because I haven't done very well with them compared to other lipless cranks.

I'm with J on this. There are just too many variables involved. We'll never have a definitive answer. It seems nothing ever goes by the book in bass fishing. The more you try to go by the book the more loops are going to be thrown at you. I do pay attention to all of the variables but it still just comes down to time on the water.

The federation and other tournaments sometimes have 6 and 8 fish limits. But these are team tournaments so there is always 2 people in the boat. It was just a hypothetical question that if one person fished a tournament with a 6 fish limit.

My father and I were discussing this tonight. I know a couple guys that fish local tournaments that don't cull during the tournament. Now the tournament rules don't say anything about throwing back the 6th fish before you make a cast like in the Elites. But what about the lake regulations? Say the limit in the tournament is 5 and the lake regulation is 5 per person. If two guys have 12 in the boat then that is illegal isn't it? What if a tournament has a 6 fish limit and the lake regulation is 5 per person and someone fishes by themselves? Is it illegal to have 6 fish in the boat for that person? Just curious about all this.

If I chose just one it would be rootbeer. The green back and white belly can resemble bait fish, bluegill, and crawdads. If it's stained to muddy water then I will use bright bellied colors with a dark back.

Even though the chunks resemble crawdad claws, they are really just used for the action they produce and/or the lift.

I've been throwing a modified version of this for a while but I finally got a good, quality mold. I've been making my own because I didn't like the hooks that came in the available ones and I wanted more sizes. I like it because when the jig is just sitting there the bait is swaying back and forth from any current that is present.

It's like using it as an o-ring. You can just skin hook the heat shrink. A wacky rigged Senko will last A LOT longer.

Anything by Big M. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1299555287

Had one of my best days ever in 40 degree water with a Speed Trap last week.

I do prefer the Lee Production Pot but I have used the hand held one you are talking about for three years with no problems. It's the way I learned so I am comfortable with it. I just scrape the junk off the top when it needs it but I have also poured a lot without worrying about it and it never hindered the pour.

So I've read and heard a lot. But, last week we were fishing 46 degree water and we caught 31 largemouth in two different areas where the water was less than 2' with square bills. We were fishing them at a decent speed. This was in a relatively deep lake too. So, it just continues to show that it's a sport of trial and error. Never assume anything and don't be afraid to go against the grain.

One of the key things for me when bed fishing is the rate of fall of my lure. I don't use a jig a lot for this but when I do I will add a plain chunk type trailer just to slow the fall of the jig, along with changing the weight of the jig. You can shorten the legs if they are just eating the trailer or remove them completely. BUT, by far my best lure for bed fishing is a grub. My father taught me how to bed fish and he is lethal with this grub: We use the biggest hook that will fit the size of the grub and if they just take the tail, we remove it.

My father has a 2005 Crestliner CX1754 and there is a piece that fell off the front of the boat. We have called Crestliner and they say they have never heard of it and that it was an aftermarket addition. We know the only other owner and they say they never added anything. It is just some kind of vent cover that fell off going down the lake. You can see the hole in the picture. A piece just fit in it that had slits in it.

Would a clear finish help? Yes. If the finish is as bad as you say then it can help but no finish is going to be completely resistant to abuse. What should the finish be? I would suggest Devcon 2 Ton's 30 minute epoxy. NOT the 5 minute formula. http://www.amazon.com/Devcon-S-31-2-ton-Epoxy-Syringe/dp/B000VITD1I Would it effect the bait? It will add a little weight. For the most part it will just slow the rise of the bait. Would it "taste" bad and catch less fish? No You will want to apply two coats of the epoxy. Squirt out equal parts of the mixture to equal about the size of 50¢ piece. Mix them together thoroughly and apply an even coat to the bait. Hang it up tail down and apply the second coat the next day.

The problem you would run into with most of the baits would be the line tie. You could file just the end off of the bill to make it a square shape but you couldn't make it a shallow runner if that's what you mean. It would just be something you'd have to try, like everything else in fishing.

All I have to say is, Tuckman, your one good guy. I didn't know Tuckman until recently on here when he offered to check the prices of some depth finders at his local Dicks. Then hours after posting this message I'm on the phone with him while he is standing at the bargain bin at Gander. Now I have some spinnerbaits coming to me because of him. To top it off, I sent him more than the price of the baits as a thank you and he refunded it to me. Tuckman, thanks bud.

Anyone know where I can get Terminator Spinnerbaits like the one in the image below? I don't care what color the skirt is, I can change it but I want them white. The main thing is I want this blade combination. The Oklahoma blade on the back that I want is 4.5.

I want to join a club this year but I don't really know how they are ran. I have looked on Bassmaster.com but didn't get a lot of info. How exactly are they ran? Do they just have their own tournaments, then with the results of those tournaments, pick their people to send to the state tournament? My thing is I will probably be joining alone. Can you join a B.A.S.S. club and fish alone?

What did he advise?

I labeled the pic as a 8 pounder. But I could have swore they said 9. My memory could be better.

Jimmy. He's a great guy. I've fished with him also.

I've had good success with a 5" Wild Eye Shad or River2Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker swimbait fished along bluffs.

My fishing partner was with a guide on Pickwick last March and the guide caught one over 9lb. Want to trade homes Kent?