A-Jay

Me too but I'm saving that write up for another time A-Jay

Hello Omar and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I'll say that there are at least 3 factors that I am concern with when choosing a soft plastic bottom contact bait before I pick color. 1. Type of Profile (worm, craw, creature, tube or fluke/shad) 2. Size ~ example Baby Rage Craw, Rage Craw or Rage Lobster 3. Drop speed ~ mostly dictated but the weight size. One could also get into the baits action (a lot or a little) as well; such as a straight tail worm vs a curly tail or Thumper type tail. When to use each of the above for me revolves around season, water temp & clarity and depth I'm fishing. Selecting colors for me is pretty easy as I basically only fish 3 maybe 4 different colors of bottom contact baits, a Green Pumpkin, Black & Blue, Green Watermelon-ish, and Black. I will use colored Pens & bait dip to highlight baits when the need arises as well. I'm usually selecting a color that either closely matches the bottom color & / or the prevalent bait present. So that's the usual plan and it has served me OK - but there have been times where all of this goes right out the window and a weightless wacky rigged Pink Senko is the only thing they'll eat all day. And when I run out of that bait, my day is done. A-Jay

Fishing in the Fast Lane. Anglers have been using Speed to trigger strikes with moving baits for a long time, and bass anglers are no exception. I’ve been a fan of this approach for a while and I’m probably guilty of using it a little too much. I’m not the biggest Fan of the “finesse” deal and have had some success using a Speed approach in these conditions instead. Doesn’t always work but I can catch a skunk on anything, so might as well do something I like. The technique involves the use of horizontally moving baits that a bass can track & chase down; FAST. For me this is usually most effective in clear to slightly colored water & in shallow to mid-depth ranges of 10-12 ft. and less. Doesn’t mean that using speed can’t or won’t work in something else, just that this is where I’ve found better results. Some wind is very helpful, as is staying off the fish and making a long cast. I prefer to fish into the wind if conditions permit, but either direction / approach has shown solid results. Fishing cross wind is a little tougher. Quite an assortment of lures can be fished / retrieved quickly and in the right conditions /situation can & do catch fish. I have a few favorites that have proven themselves over the years. Crankbaits, Lipless Baits, Spinnerbaits, and Jerk / Rip Baits are what I use most. More recently, several lures manufactures have introduced baits that are specifically designed to be retrieved with speed which has resulted in more & better options for those of us who like it Fast. The Spinnerbait is one of those lures. (For the remainder of this write up I am always referring to a single or double willow leaf bait). It’s such a versatile lure that can & will produce in a wide variety of situations but does seem to come into its own over & through some type of shallow vegetation. Burning one just under the surface to about one foot down, is one of my all-time favorite ways to catch Smallmouth bass. Which is what makes right now, early fall, such a great time for this technique. The weeds are starting to die back but the water is for the most part still warm enough where the bass are very ready, willing & able to chase it down. Back in the day (and there’s no real need to say when that actually was) I read somewhere that by making two simple modifications, most any quality spinnerbaits ability to run fast & true could be improved. One was to down size the willow leaf blades 1 or 2 sizes and the other was to add weight to the bait. The smaller blades allowed for easier reeling & more speed without the bait coming out of the water. Same with the added weight, bait stayed subsurface and casting distance was improved, in the wind especially. Sometimes Smallmouth will follow a bait for quite a while. (Regardless of how fast I reel it) It’s like they enjoy the chase before eventually hammering it. Other times they just seem to come out of nowhere and Blast the bait. Both are OK by me. A few years back SK introduced the Burner Spinnerbait. This was a game changer for me. The baits compact head design allows for max speed, but the real innovation was the Raz-R-Blade. It’s a somewhat down sized, thin cut willow leaf that was designed to increase revolutions, increase flash and keep the bait from lifting like traditional willow leaf blades are so prone to do. BAM ! No more changing out blades. But I have found that by still adding some weight to the ½ oz. bait, I can make an already great bait, Better. By simply spinning on length of wire solder onto the baits hook shank, centered & balanced weight can be effectively added to any bait. How much weight will depend on the length, type & size (gauge) wire solder selected. This can easily be done by hand and a drop of Super glue at each end will help keep it there. Any spinnerbait is a candidate if you want to add weight to, not for just burning, as it’s quite applicable for deep water applications as well. Trailer hooks are optional. Don’t remember who to give credit to for sharing these ideas, but I’m certainly glad they did. A-Jay

Hello Jonah and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Interesting reel choice ~ Are you Bass Fishing with these Penn Reels ? Both the Squall Lever Drag & the Squall Level Wind in the 15 & 20 size weigh in at over 16 ounces. Seems a little beefy for Bass fishing. And something that might be important to know and would definitely affect casting distance is that neither of these Conventional reels are actually designed for casting most bass sized baits. A-Jay

Well, if you stand any chance at all when it's been busy during the day - Night Ops would be it. But on this particular weekend, I bow out to the Recreational Humans. This is their last chance to burn some gas so I let them have at it. No sense putting myself in the middle of all that crazy - the bite is rarely any good anyway. When they ALL GO HOME later this week - I'll still be here. Usually on Tuesday or Wednesday after the lake & the bait has a chance to return to it's "usual daily routine", only then will I venture back looking to sore lip as many as Humanly Possible. The bite only gets better from here on out - as long as the weather is safe - I'm on the water. Last Fall I had a few most memorable days. A-Jay

Hello and Congratulations on your recent retirement. Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Unless you keep the fish out of the water for too long, or lay it in the dirt, sand & gravel, carefully weighing it might not be a concern. Especially when one considers the damage setting a 5/0 worm hook in the basses throat can do - or a nailing a bass in the grill with a crank or jerk bait with 2 or 3 sets of treble hooks with a Hollywood Hook Set. I have & use a Boga grip and It doesn't hurt the fish. I also have one of these that seems to work well too. Gaffy Shortstick

This very Official name chart does make me quite thankful I didn't come into this world on May 18th . . . A-Jay

I don't think that's going to much of a deterrent to everythingthat swims - including most recently Musky. Nice strike from a Chunk. A-Jay

I is be Something . . . A-Jay

This is pretty Funny A-Jay (otherwise known as Gaffy Shortstick)

Different sized hooks is not really a "Must" - it's an option. I do it because I believe the up sized front treble increases my hook up & land ratio - especially on crazy jumping wild smallies. The stock size but shorted shank EWG treble on the tail helps reduce hang ups in the cover that I often throw these baits but still maintains a solid hook up & fish landed ratio. Oh and . . . .Magic too. A-Jay

Upgrade those trebles from stock to these ~ Put a # 2 on the front & a # 4 on the back. You'll be glad you did. A-Jay

Thanks ~ But I was being funny. (apparently unsuccessfully I might add.) A-Jay

With NO Electronics to help you find Deep water structure or GPS Mapping to help locate potential fish funneling contours ~ your "Plan" may be akin to looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack. Of course you may bump into one but when you don't know how the bottom sets up - fishing "Deep" water techniques like drop shot, deep cranks & a Blade bait can be tough sledding. Besides it's big water and there will be little in the way of running & gunning from point to point while you're on the row . . in the wind. With that in mind, the shallow water option may be a more productive approach. Finally, Gundog's advice to "Bring An Anchor" will save your day if you're rowing around in a jon boat in a stiff breeze. 50 ft of line will help too. A-Jay

Agreed ~ the same could be said about the Viking this season as well. And as a long time Patriots (and Red Sox), fan there were DECADES of Seasons were I could totally resemble that second sentiment. (recent history not with standing). A-Jay Jerry belongs alright ~ Drop the "B". A-Jay

It's committed to memory. I have no life. A-Jay

That crazy FAT ALBERT bass looks like it's going to BURST ! And if it did I bet there would be GOBY sauce EVERYWHERE ! A-Jay

I would throw some kind of lipped crankbait over, through and bounced off all that Gorgeous Rock. Check to see if the fish are shallow or close to the bank with a sqarebill like the KVD 1.5 or 1.5 shallow runner If the waters very clear perhaps go non rattle if you have them. Other wise fish whatever you have. A crayfish or baitfish pattern might be decent. If you see bait on & around the rock, try to match it with your bait's color pattern if possible. Good thing is with smallie, most times it doesn't matter. They'll choke many colors when they're on the feed. If they are a little deeper, like 9 - 14 ft, I like the Spro "Mike McClelland" RkCrawler 55 Crankbait quite a bit. But many others work very well (SK 3XD & 5XD) A Spinnerbait zipped along the rocks just under the surface could pay dividends as well. NOT having a depth finder is not a necessarily a SKUNK sentence when it comes to September Smallies. You can still see & depth Transitions. Fish that first decent drop where it goes from " I can see the bottom" to "Now I can't". Often times the color of the water will give it away also by simply looking at the topography of the bank - one can often get a pretty good idea of how the lake bottom sets up below. Fish the zone where you can no longer see the bottom, you might be surprised what happens. Finally, and this may be the Important part, IF there is wind (And for your sake I hope there is), STAY IN IT ! Be safe of course, but Fish the areas (banks, points, humps, flats close to deeper water, backs of coves) with the wind blowing straight on them Good Luck A-Jay

Can't argue with that Mantra ~ Big Green bass are hard to come by up here but Tanker Smallies, that's a whole different story. As soon as the "Lets go up North" crowd heads south again and the Hunters vacate the lakes to infiltrate the woods, there could be one or two EPIC days ahead for this guy . . . A-Jay

It's good that you want to learn "right away" - a positive attitude can be helpful, but I'd recommend that you keep reasonable expectations. Otherwise you may become a victim of your own enthusiasm. Learning to cast & fish with a revolving spool reel takes some time & it's different for everyone. I've watched Glenn's videos on YouTube as well as the good ones here on BR http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/rods-reels-videos, they all offer solid info that if followed will help you learn. Best advise I can offer is to perfect how to cast smoothly, don't get concerned so much about distance. That will come as you become proficient. Use 15 mono - something inexpensive and enjoy the process. A-Jay

Agreed ~ Romo is always so much better than the players that have to keep replacing him. So each time he "Comes Back" I think there is an expectation that the team's record will be different. Hasn't worked out.. But he has a great smile A-Jay