bigbill

Oh boy here we go...I fish all the smaller places from shore which have natural and man made drop off's(dammed w/roads) for old water power wheels. And other places that aren't fished that heavy most of the time. Place #1 my overall best is 10lbs. but i haven't landed the bigger one yet. I see it hit my topwater but its like a rock once it goes down in the weeds. From shore i just can't move it up. Place #2 has the dammed road with the old stones for a water wheel.(long gone) I seen off in a distance in the lillies something big just breaking up the topwater constantly every morning just out of reach. Finally she got with in reach and i casted about 10' to the left. She hit my topnocker but missed it, she turned faster that i thought she could and nailed it. Now i been watching this topwater action that was out of my reach for about a week. I had her in my hand and the topwater action in the lilies was still exploding. While she weighed 6lb 1oz there's still bigger fish in there because i seen them swim by the drop off. I also used the biggest BPS stick o worm but i didn't have a hook in it big enough with me. I seen another pig swallow it but i missed the hook up, the hook i had was too small. I estimate it at 12lbs easy maybe bigger. At Place #1 For three months every morning I watched the pads there exploding every morning at dawn out of my reach also. Finally after watching it every day and chomping at a chance it came closer but i figured it would spook if i casted too close to it so i casted about 25' to the right and way past it. Again my BPS topnocker was sounding away and this torpedo of a fish wacked my lure like it was on a mission. After giving my line and lure a tour of the channel/pads in the area i landed a 30" pickerel to my surprise. My point is the big fish are in every little place that i fish in Ct. My gutt feeling is we have bigger bass in every body of water and there not being caught. Its all about when you go, the lure you use, the color you pick(lure), the presentation and how many times you go fishing. My older brother who took me fishing when i was just 6yo always told me we have to hit it sooner or later if we keep on fishing, sooner or later they will turn on. He was right. Fish as much as you can and practice your presentations and the action will pick up. BigBill BTW; Don't tell everyone that my biggest fish are caught between 4:30am to 9:00am. (bigger fish) Then they go deeper in the cover. Don't forget its the big gals that keep the population of the bass up in your area's waters so practice catch and release. Measure it and take pics so you can have it wall mounted.

When i first got into bass fishing i picked up a Combo "C" Lector which tells me what color patten or a choice of lure colors to use at that time with the currect water conditions so the fish can see it. I found out in testing it that lure color or picking the correct lure color will land more fish on a tough day too. My hottest cranks have been in crawdad brown, crawdad green, redapple craw, baby bass & firetiger. There have been times were only one color worked and other times when all the colors worked. With presentations we are like a baseball pitcher with no catcher we do change ups all the time to increae our chances of figuring out what mood the fish are in. Once we have the speed or pause down it spells success. Its like playing with a cat sometimes it will grab the toy right away and sometimes it takes more teasing and more passes to get it to strike its the same with bass. I believe i need an assortment of different colored lures and natural colored lures too. I once picked up a "producers" orange spook and had success right away with it. Its the orange that did it. I just threw it out and walked the dog. I was shocked to see it work for a few bass too. I just want to expand my choices of lure colors so my success will continue.

Since i been having my new mister twister super top props refinished by Tclark Custom lures i been thinking :. Since i really don't see anything new in cranks that interests me but what does is way out of wack price wise I been tossing around the idea of little by little sending Terry all my older crankbaits to get his custom paint job on them. Them i'm recycling my good fish catching older lures with a 2010 look to them plus i'm saving $$ in the process. In fishing the same places everyday, every year the fish do learn our baits each year so we need to stay ahead of them to out smart them. I have noticed when the bite isn't as good a it once was its my lures not the fish because there still there. What do you think?

I wait till walmart has there clearance sale in the spring and i grab any polarized glasses that are cheap i got a bad habit of losing or breaking them. I like to watch behind my lures for the short strikes. If you don't wear glasses you will never see the short strikes when they happen. I was watching a Bill Dance show when he was fly fishing for bass and noticed all the short strikes happening. I don't think he saw them but the cameraman picked up on it i'm sure. So wearing polarized glasses when fishing is very important.

I see fan tail gold fish swimming were i fish that are about 10" to 15" long so i figure in the low light conditions the super top prop will mimmic these bigger gold fish too. I also purchased the different colored bucktails to go with my new colors so they match.

Tclark custom lures also has more hot looking colors too and i picked out 7 more colors to paint my other top props too. I think terry is going to paint all my older crankbaits too and put them back to perfect so i can use them again. I have tooth marks on a lot of them from big pickerel.

One time in january I seen Hank Parker on TV in new hampshire busting bass on the manns baby 1 crankbait. After the show was over we were in the middle of a snowstorm and i had to go to walmart and buy this crankbait so i'm ready for the springtime. I found out this is really a killer bait using one shot of craw scent too. I even caught a large salmon on this crank too. Its on the top of my list for bass cranks. Crawdad brown is the color but i have seen the other colors work too. Manns baby 1 crawdad brown Bomber fat a size 05 in red apple craw Bomber fat a size 05 in green craw bomber fact a size 05 in brown craw Rapala orginal floater 2" in blue Just a few of my hottest fish catching baits....

I just got back my mister twister super top props after sending them out to www.tclarkcustomlures.com and what an awesome job he did in painting them in Bluegill, Bass, Crappie, Perch, Rootbeer and in Goldfish. I'm starting to use the northern pike and muskie sized lures to target bigger bass. Since the bigger gals eat sunfish for there main diet I figure the bigger the better on the lure size too. So i purchased the super top prop baits and had them done in bass bait colors. Since my success with the regular mister twister top props / tri alive top props have been awesome i figure the larger super top props maybe even better for the bigger bass. I'm still trying to break the 10lb mark here in CT and i have seen the bigger gals just swim by so the larger sized baits may change that. Terry did an awesome paint job on my baits too you have to see them in person but the pics do look great too. I hope to add even more of Tclarks custom paint jobs to my arsenal of baits too. I'm thinking of sending him my older crankbaits for custom paint jobs too. I think by having a mix of new and old baits just may spark my hunt for big bass and a new state record. I also wonder how long it will take a lure manufacturer to get a hint of custom painted lures. Having a mix of better looking more natural looking colors is surely an advantage.

Our goverment did a survey into the bass population. The report said to eat the smaller fish so the population could stay stable with the larger bass doing the most of the breeding. Once a year I will bring home 3 smaller bass for my kittens to eat. I take in abandon kittens that i find in the woods while fishing. Some have been near death but i saved them. They love that first meal of canned tuna. That tells them they will be ok. I have them in pairs or more. One will always cry at first but the others like tell it to shut up were being fed. I have 5 left do to the yotes taking them. I need to fish for yotes soon. ;D

Great catch!!!!!!!!! We have a few local rivers and lakes that have northern pike added to them to control the white perch population. They added the pike to one place called Bantam and they spread out into all the ajoining rivers and lakes that are all connected. Now don't under estimate the Chain Pickerel too. I fish small places were the fish are not bothered. Thenormal size of the pickerel have been 12" to 18" but inbetween i will upsize my baits when the bite slows down and the larger pickerel will strike. The bigger fish like the bigger bass will come in to see what the action is all about. My biggest pickerel have been 27"/28"/ 29" and 30". These are so fat at the girth you can't wrap your hand around them. I'm sure you have big pickerel in NJ too. BTW; I was born in Teaneck.Nj and grew up in Westwood.Nj and fished at Bogarts pond with my older brother when i was just 6 yo. that was in 1956.

I'm planning on using the larger topwater pike and muskie baits in the dark to dawn situation this is when my biggest bass were caught from shore. I did miss a larger gal on a 7 1/4" stick o worm from BPS I didn't have a larger enough hook in it. When i went to set the hook she opened up her mouth and let it go. These big bass ain't stupid. If you a shore fisherman like me you need to get out early in the mornings. This is when the larger bass are up against the shore line ambushing the baitfish. I also find that my best baits are craw cranks like the rebel big claw in green and the BPS topnocker on the surface. Don't sell the other baits short either. I've caught so many 1lbers to 6lbers i can't remember ever successful bait i used but I have over 12 tackleboxes full of stuff and at one time or another each lure has caught fish. Remember when the bite is tough go to that one lure you never use. When its slow i always practice my different presentations too. This is when i nail it down and a bass will interupt me. : Its not luck in bass fishing its skill!!!!!!!! ;D BTW: The larger bass are attracted to my sunfish colored baits too. Its a fact that big bass eat sunfish as well as the craws too.

When the smaller bass frenzy is on the big gals just swim by and look at the action to see whats causing it. Then they are just not interested. Were talking possibly a new state record too. I have one more trick to try. I been buying new larger Pike lures and ther eat TClark Custom Lures getting a new paint job. Yup I'm super sizing my baits now. We will see what the bigger gals think of them next.

Topwater? Maybe its topwater when i see a bass look like a torpedo after my topnocker. : Spinnerbait? While wearing my polarized glasses I can see the flash as they strike my spinnerbaits. : Carolina Rig? I rig up a Senko on a carolina rig and wait as it falls to see a nibble. : Splitshot rig? I'm a line watcher with a black worm tied on in the weeds. Pulling a 3lb + bass out of the weeds : I like it all and more ;D If you ain't fishing you should be 8-)

I just contacted BPS about there Uncle Bucks Top Nocker and its no longer manufactured by the manfacturer. We will see no more being offered. Great news?????? :-[ Its been my favorite topwater and most successful lure ever since they were offered. Its an awesome calling bait too. Well it was..... :'(

I wacky rig my senko type baits on a 1/8oz carolina rig. I use a weedless hook in the center of the senko. I cast it out from shore and keep the line tight as it falls to feel the hit. I use a 2/0 to 3/0 hook most of the time. But i will go up to a 4/0 to 5/0 and larger for bigger thicker plastics. BTW; I seen a very big LMB one day swim right up near the shoreline and grab my 7 1/4" BPS stick o worm in its mouth. I tried them on my first day of having them to see what they would do. I didn't have a big hook and only had a 2/0 hook in it. Of course i missed that fish of a lifetime too. It probably was a new state record. My point is stay with the larger sized hooks. I make a point of fishing for the larger fish now and carry another rod for the smaller ones too. For large baits big hooks and for smaller sized baits smaller hooks you deceide what to use. I fish with a guy who uses a flyrod all the time while were bass fishing and you want to see the flies he loses because the larger fish just go away with it. I told him either you fish for small fish or large fish its up to you but one flyrod won't do it all.

My first experience with Culprit 12" worms in black shad was in the evening when the fish were very active before a front hit(rain). I used a large hook weedless rigged in the nose of the worm. On my very first cast i nailed a 13" bass he was really hungry and wanted a meal not a snack. Lets face he saw a steak not a sandwich. My point is you need to figure out what mood the fish are in. It could be really slow or a feeding frenzy too.

Rapala orginal floater 2" blue/white Bomber Fat A in redcraw, baby bass, greencraw or brown craw Manns baby 1 in brown craw Bass Pro Shops Topnocker #25 color 1/8 oz spinnerbaits in silver / white blue glimmer skirt with a mepps/mister split double tail trailer. 1/8 oz spinnerbait in gold / chartruese skirt with a chartruese split double tail trailer. A carolina 1/8oz rig with senko's, BPS sticko's 24" leader 10" or 12" culprit worms black shad. I've had 13" bass strike the 12" worm. You can also use the cranks that float topwater too. YUM scent, craw scent, bass scent or shad scent helps out too. I also shore fish most of the time and we use a portable fishfinder "hummingbird" the one you cast out the transmitter and read the reader like a wristwatch. I really like it for mapping out the bottom and finding the dropoff's, the flats and the rocky points(dropoff too). Shore fishing is awesome when you figure it out. Remember the fish are feeding near the shore line in low light conditions. My best times have been in the early mornings, early evenings and at around 10pm the bite turns on again. Just be stealthy and very quiet when bass fishing the big gals spook really easy.

That site is awesome i found it last week and ordered a lot of discounted lures for Northern Pike, Chain Pickerel and bass too. I can afford the expensive lures with there discount for sure. Checkout BPS and the lure manufacturers too for great deals on tackle right now.

Learn how to tune it because after that first fish you will need to tune it again.

I been on a buying spree on discounted, discontinued and clearance stuff. Mr Twister Super Top Prop $5.00 new (clearance) list $19.00 50 Senko's $6.50 per bag List just 10 for $7 Culprit worms 0.99 cents per bag. List $4+ BPS just had there sticko's on sale. I use there 7 1/2" alot. I been hitting BPS and other discount sites too. I'm just targeting big lures for Northern Pike, Chain Pickerel and Big Bass. With the ecomony so bad its time to get the good low prices on fishing stuff and stockup on your favorite stuff too, plus get some of the higher priced stuff at cheap low prices. WARNING: With shopping on the internet watch the shipping pirces at some sites. Don't over pay for shipping costs. I like to use USPS there faster and cheaper than UPS on smaller packages. I never buy when its a shipping and handling cost this is were it gets tricky on us. Just pay the flat rate for shipping.

You don't lose lures that are that expensive. You go swimming after them when the line breaks or I use mainly braided line on the expensive stuff. Remember BIG BAIT BIG FISH thats my motto.

I purchased many of the large spinnerbait plastic green boxes that were offerend many years ago buy now discontinued. The very first red plastic one had no storage on the top cover but the later green ones have the top cover flip up storage too. I also use these for my plastics storage too. Then my backup stock is in marked cardboard boxes on shelves.

I just purchased some lures from Clark Custom Lures and the finish is awesome. He also made me some larger bream cranks too. The bigger lady's don't eat the smaller baits mainly because they want a meal not a snack so i use all the larger fresh water stuff plus some saltwater sized lures too. I'm also in the process of having Terry paint me some lures up for Northern Pike and Chain Pickerel fishing too. So far my largest Chain pickerel has been around 30". While catching the smaller bass & Pickerel I have noticed the bite all of a sudden stop dead. I then upside my bait and actually catch the larger fish. The bigger fish come in to see what the smaller fish are hitting on but they won't hit the smaller baits but they do chase the smaller fish away. This is why it stops dead(action). I'm hoping the new natural color paint jobs on my larger baits will increase my chances of a new state record I'm only two lbs a way and holding at that. I'm at 10lbs + but i have seen bigger fish swim by that won't stike. Just knowing the new state record is out there keeps me going. BigBill Hint; I'm having some larger pike lures painted in bass color lure colors(bait). I have had the larger bass chase my sunfish(live).

I just found a place that has senko's for $6.50 for 50 in a bag.

I purchased all kinds of new baits this month. I figure its time to stock up on my old favorites too just incase they discontinue them. I got some Super Top Props from Mr Twister and extra plastics. Also some 7" split double tails that are discontinued too. They have some great deals there and at Mepps for the 00 timber doodle too.