bigbill

Making longer casts from shore pays off but you can lose big bass that far out I have. I can cast 35 to 45 yards. I out cast everyone near me they come over to tell me they never see anyone cast that far. My line and rod eyes have a shot of reel magic on them plus my 7' rod is casting a 5/8oz topnocker. I drench it with scents on my very first cast. I use a very long cast first to get my scents out there. It's like walking around the house smelling the turkey cooking you just have to find where it's conning from. The longest cast I have ever seen was my older brother with his 13' custom built harnnel rod. I could pick him out on a crowded dock by his cast. It looked like a rocket propelled lure. I would say at least 75 yards++maybe out to 100yards. That rod was like fishing with a telephone pole. Being able to cast from shore pays off he would come home with 50"+ strippers. He had everyone fooled in the bait shop fooled that he had a boat to keep them from asking him where his spot was from shore. I know right where it is since he passed on. He was my mentor on fishing and hunting ethics. He taught me to do the right thing, the pheasants need to be flying when we shoot them. I've seen him jump in gravel shallows to grab a 21" rainbow that came off at his feet. He got it what an awesome fish. God does take the angels first. He always said to keep on fishing and thell turn on sooner or later. Funny it never happened to us when he was alive but one night in a crowd of other fisherman I caught bass after bass in front of everyone. I looked up at the sky and told my brother to knock it off these people are going to throw me in the water. It stopped just like that. I will fish with him in the next life.

My swamp fishing has the best results so far. Go for the weedless topwater lures. Mister Twister Top Prop Weightless rigged worm with a rattle rigged weedless. A Moss Boss it's weedless. If you have any submerged weeds go with a shallow crank like a bomber square A. Rattle it top water. I do cheat at one place when it's over grown and impossible to fish. I take my heaviest rod with my biggest top water lure and spend one trip clearing a path or channel like path in the middle of the weeds to fish it. Then it's clear to use any lures. You can draw some really nice fish out of those weeds. Make it just wide enough to fish it.

Fishing from shore it's been the mini strike king in white or chartreuse using a mister twister 4" split double tail grub for a trailer. I cut the grubs body to fit the hook. I also change the skirt to the blue glimmer. Add the trailer hook between the grubs body and tail so it's weedless. Put the grub on carefully so it's centered so the spinner bait will run perfectly vertical. Add a shot of yum shad scent and your good to go. I prefer the larger skirts on the smaller spinner bait so it gives it more body and width. I like to upside my blade to a larger Indiana blade were I can too. The more thump the better. Or use the spinner bait right out of the package using any trailer you wish.

I use a rip, rip, rip then pause it. Each rip has to be exactly even on the distance. Or I call it 1, 2, 3 pause its the same thing. Make your presentation exactly even because the fish look for flaws in our presentations. I say go out and practice it and the bass will let you know when it's right. This presentation will work with torpedoes, spooks, poppers, top props, etc. I mainly use the 1, 2, 3, pause presentation with all the topwater stuff it also walks the dog perfect too. Perfection of the presentation is the key to any success when bass fishing I don't care what lure your using. Once you learn this next is a slow reel with a prop bait just fast enough so the prop causes a ruckus on top of the water. If slow doesn't work then speed it up. Try a simple reel n pause too. There are many different presentations with the same lure we need to figure out which one works.

I up sized my lines to stronger, heavier line and the amount of my catch fell off drastically. I was hitting 8 to 10 bass per outing before I did the switch. After the switch I'm down to 3 to 4 if that the bite is way off. I switched my spinner bait and crankbait rods back and my catch increased again. Seeing this the fish can be line sensitive in the small unfished places.I didn't see any difference in the amount of my catch in the rivers or larger bodies of water. If I didn't go to larger diameter stronger line nothing would of changed. Seeing this the fish are aware of your line. We already know they can see colors. I was using clear line. Since I'm seeing the bigger bass swim by me at one manmade dam at the road side dropoff I figure the bigger gals know our lines that's how they got that big. But I think the competition for food with the bass changes them in seeing our lines when they may all be going for the same lure. This is when you see other bass following your hooked one there all in competition for the same lure. The red Cajun line disappears in the water.

It's skill in fishing not luck. Luck is at the casino. When I try a new lure that's not working I focus on my hand that's turning the reel crank to make sure I'm making an even circle. If not the lure goes fast then slow. It has to be an even speed, the fish do see Flaws in our presentations. In my experiences with new lures I find that they do work good on average. I fish the same places over and over I feel the fish do learn our lures. When we throw something different or new it's game on again. I purchased 4 of these last month and gave some to the kids I haven't heard about the results yet.

For a discontinued rod check our sponsors first in there clearance sections. Then I would check the auction sites. For new I'd go with a sponcer here or your local tackle shop.

I use the rebel BIG CLAW crawfish crankbait in rivers the smaller ones work better in the pools in the shallows but it's the larger big claw in the deeper water. In the backslashes be hind the Rocks I use the panther Martin spinflies and the smaller mepps spinners. The river bass are much stronger because there fighting the current all the time. But at the sametime there very aggressive too they let nothing go by that maybe a meal.

I use snap swivels on my topwater, crankbait, & spinner bait rods when the spinner bait has a loop. I remove all my lures. On my carolina rod I stick the 3/0 hook where the reel slot is. Then attention the line. It hasn't come out yet. After hooking a few new seats in my new cars and digging the hooks out while my misses is giving me a rash about it I have changed my mistake ways. Sometimes she is right but I don't let her know that.

If they can see colors and doctor Loren Hill of Ok. Unv. Proved it in his report when he developed the first color c LECTOR. He used different color buckets one has feed when the others had nothing. When he put the color red let's say with the feed the bass came to eat. When he put the different colored buckets they didn't come to feed. Seeing this proved the bass can see colors. His report of his testing was on the net. I believe he also switch the feed to the different colored buckets so the fish adapted to that certain color at that time meaning it's feed. It makes sense to me. The bass can see colors, they can relate to colors. But in the wilds they can only see certain colors at times because of the water conditions, the sunlite and the hues in the water too. I think they see our lines like we see a split screen on tv. That's all I'm going to say about that. Bb

They can see our line. I had a noisy reel because the bass tore this cheap reel up. I seen a sunfish listening to my line right were it entered the water. I'm not sure if he seen it or heard my reel because the noise went down my line like a guitar string. That fish stayed right were my line entered the water for a while. This made me purchase buy better equipment in the beginning.

I use green line on my spinner bait rod. I use clear line on my topwater rod. I use Cajun red line on my carolina rigged plastics rod, with a red Cajun leader. I figure with a spinner bait there is no time for them to see my line. With the topwater there not going to see my line anyway. On my carolina rig the red line is invisible. Since the fishing can be slow or fast they could have time to see my line but they can't see it anyhow.

I been wondering using a senko type bait with a Carolina rig is there a way to keep the senko floating? I'm thinking to let the weight stir up the bottom a little and use the senko like you did with a slow reel letting the senko twitch. What can I attach to the leader to make the senko float.

I twitch it with the brass bead ticker. Now remember what I been posting about when I get a strike and a miss with a senko type bait. I stay calm like a heart surgeon and give that senko a shot of bass scent and toss it right back in so that big gal has another wack at it. It's a 99% hookup on the second cast. Just repeat the second cast exactly like the first. Trust me I do this over and over. I just purchased 5/0 & 6/0 weedless hooks for my BPS super sized 7 1/4" fat stick o worms. I had a similar experience with a hog that was my new state record I been on the hunt for. She had my 7 1/4" super sized stick o worm with a 3/0 hook in it. The 3/0 hook was all I had to use. I seen her in the shallows 4' away from me with the stik o in her mouth. Now do I wait or try to set the hook. I prayed while I set the hook. She spit it and off she went. She has been swimming in front of me were the drop off is. I seen her before as I landed fish. I reworked a spinner bait into a killerbait. I changed the blade size, skirt size and tried a trailer setup New to me. I didn't record anything. After proving many bass liked it I made one more cast. A 30" chain pickerel came out of the water parallel to shore at the very edge and just ripped it off my line with one head shake. He liked it more than I needed It. I just stood there in shock and awe. Trust me I feel your pain. I do not like missing the bigger bass. Here I am deep in the woods at a spring fed pond. I seen the black lines in the water moving right away. I realized these lines were big bass. I casted out a rebel humble bee and hooked a sunny quite a distance out. As I got it near me a big bass swam over to grab it as I lifted it out of the water. Stupid me I didn't realize it quick enough that she was going to eat it. I would of hesitated. We learn something on every trip.

I use a seperate tackle box to store my plastics I use when fishing. I have about 12 of those spinner bait boxes for storing my plastics in-house. Then I have my backup plastic storage too. I use zip lock bags to keep my used plastics in. I do not put any salted plastics nor any plastics in my tackle boxes with lures and hooks in them. This is what causes rust. The used plastics a can impregnate the new plastics with foul oders. I hate to waste anything the used plastics can be reused with a scent added. Or I add one shot of scent in the used storage bag. After fishing in the rain I leave my tackle boxes open to dry out to also prevent rust from happening. Be careful how and where you store your plastics. Sorry I try to give as much of my knowledge that I have learned thru the many years of bass fishing.

I used the one on a rope off the low bridge I fish from. It's saved me many times. I did find out there was a 2x10 board that was used as structure there right in front of were we fish. It must of had 50 grubs stuck in it. I figured the crayfish must hide undr r it that's why the fishing was so good there. But even the lure knocker has saved me from losing my crankbaits many times. Here's my story about losing a lure. I lost a crankbait and about 6 months later I hooked it and brought it up while using the exact same lure. The water is ten feet deep so I couldn't see it. But being a creature of habit I stand in the exact same spot from shore and fan cast the whole place. I just find it funny.

We can use the floating crankbaits in many different presentations. It all depends on how fast we reel it to make it run at what depth. With a deeper floating crankbait let's say one that runs 4 to 5 feet we can make run shallower by reeling it slower or use it topwater by moving it even slower. As a topwater bait If it has a rattle we can twitch it over submerged weeds too. If we reel it slow we can make it dive using the rod tip by sweeping it back slowly. We can really play with a floating crankbait to learn the different presentations. The reel speed and using the sweep back of the rod tip can make a big difference in its presentations. Just go out and practice it to see the action you will get. Let me know what you think?

Are you going up one size larger? I went up one hook size on some of my smaller lures. I did make a difference but we must be careful the added weight doesn't affect the lures action.

That's the direction I'm heading in. I say big bait big bass it has to happen sooner or later.

I am deeply, deeply sorry that my spell check automatically changes Muskie to that word. I truly am sorry and don't mean to offend anyone.

As we move up in lure size in the freshwater lures how daring are you to try the smaller saltwater lures which are a tad larger than or the same size as the largest bass lures but in different color combinations. Do you dare to try them? I recently purchased some mister twister super top props and sent them out to be repainted I'm the bass colors. I added the replacement bucktails in the correct colors too. I even had some larger lures for northern pike and Muskies repainted in common bass colors too. I purchased the closeout of the older top prop colors and had them repainted in the bass colors too. I haven't finished up these smaller top props yet but I plan plan on using a mix of plastic trailers and some with bucktails. The colors I had them repainted in are, sunfish, bluegill, perch, goldfish, baby bass, perch etc. Terry Clark did the work for me, he was posting his work on the tackle making section for years. Plus Terry advised me to try some in rootbeer, rainbow, clown colors too. Terry is an artist and does some awesome work. I'm thinking I'm targeting two different game fish at the sametime the larger bass and the northern pike which we have both in most lakes here. I also find we have very large bass and chain pickerel in the smaller very healthy places too. Do not sell these smaller places short. Shore fishing can be very rewarding in these smaller places were no boats are allowed . I'm hoping that someday a small younger fisherman or fisheryounggal will catch a newstate or world record out of a small pond. It's very possible from the size of the bass I'm catching ans seeing swim by me. My advice I'd to stay focused and motivativated on your pattern choice and your presentations. Don't let the bass monkey beat you. Just stay trying. On a tight budget for buying lures I say hit the tag sales & flea markets. The older lures that I grew up with still work today. My very first lure that caught my very first bass was a sonic in yellow with a lightening strike on the side of it. Btw, I find my replacement bucktails at mepps and at mister twister in single treble or double treble hooks. The lure size will determine which treble setup I use. Just try something out of the norm but still within the color range and size. The original super top props target pike and muskie in there chartreuse, lime green and yellow colors there awesome lures. But most predators eat sunfish, bluegill, baby bass, perch and pickerel.

Well all predators are similar my 6 week kittens are going after my full grown yellow labs tail. I raised three once feral kittens who are now friendly to me which my kittens are playing with them too. Seeing this makes me think are they playing with the bigger stuff or trying to actually eat it. I see the bass making practice runs at my lures but won't strike them. Are they playing like the kittens honing there skills too? Now like I said before I was using a culprit 12" black shad worm and caught a 13" pickerel. He grabbed the head of the worm were the hook was so I landed him. These members of the Muskie and pike family are just as aggressive. I think there more aggressive than our bass. I think the pickerel are the inland sharks. Everyone was worried about the snake heads I say stock the places with Muskies and northern pike. Bait size A local water shed had a fishing competition for the biggest bass. A new corvette was the prize. The guy had his lure hanging in the water at the boat launch. He had one of those bean cranks on it. A very large bass hit it and he won the vette. This tells me that any size lure can be fair game. The mood of the bass is do they want a snack or a meal? I do find my bomber square A in redapplecraw when reeled slow no bass can resist it. It will catch pretty decent sized bass my PB of 10lbs so far was caught on a rebel BIG CLAW CRAWFISH Crank. It's larger than the bomber crank. Now I do find the bigger fish won't strike the smaller baits but when I upside using the same lure they do hit it. Using the larger baits can keep the smaller pesky fish away sometimes. I still carry smaller lures to midsize lures most of the time with a few proven larger sized perch colored lures thrown in.

Bomber cranks square A 1' to 3' shallow depth. Rebel BIG CLAW crawfish crank. Mepps Anglia #3 silver blade Brown tail Rapala original floater #7 blue or black minnow. Joe's flys 1/4oz in firetiger apache, glotiger, blackgnat. Mister Twister Comida, Senko, BPS Stik o worm. Spooks, torpedo's Rebel Pop R 1/8 oz. Spinner bait blue glimmer skirt, white mister twister split double tail grub trailer. 1/8 oz. Spinnerbait chartreuse skirt, chartreuse mister twister split double tail grub. Don't forget a trailer hook and the yum shad scent or bass scent. These are just a few I find that all lures will catch fish sooner or later.

I found the mirrolure 95MR selling new for $1.79 & $1.99 @ www. Fishing Tackle Outlet . Net These seem to be no larger than some of the spooks but for that cost how can I not buy and try them. Some of them have the Orange bottom too. I believe these list for $8/$9.

Are you casting it too hard?