bigbill

Sorry for being old school but I have plastic crawls but haven't used them.

Years ago the hot ticket was to put a red hook on the rear of the lure.

I use a portable fish finder to learn the bottom structure. Then I know how to fish it. What depth cranks to use. Where are the flats, droppoffs, holes, etc.

Our crawls are red sides, black backs in ponds n lakes. In rivers there beige. Light tan. The rebel crawfish cranks come in all colors. Chartruese BIGCLAW CRAWFISH is my hottest.

Summertime heat go plastics. Great tip Glenn.

I don't have enough time to do all that.

The most important thing is your line. Excalibur Silver Thread will serve u well. Reel? Your call Rod? LEWS SPEED STICK. Sleezebay

Spinning rods, I just upgraded to the LEWS SPEED STICK and the LEWS TORNAMENT SPEED STICK rods. Not bad but I like my older stiffer Bass rods. The Shakespeare BlackBeauty, Condor. But I can use any decent reel and rod but I need good quality copolymer line. EXCALIBER SILVER THREAD. I also picked up a all-star rod too. I did upgrade to $100 baitcaster rods. KVD. A little at a time.

I use the red Cajun line for a leader.

For me its the Rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH crankbaits. Dives 10ft. She followed it as I casted it 2' parallel to the shoreline at a man-made road bed that has a drop off. As I ripped it out of the weeds into the channel she took it. My PB 10lbs.

When this happens it gets my juices flowing. First I haven't used live bait in decades. I will cast out my usual variations of my ritual baits. If nothing happens I'm stoked to figure out what pattern will work. I will try every bait, every size, every color, every presentation till I get action. The pattern can be as simple as a firetiger, a electric blue worm, a amber gold flake senkos. Take your time the fish will tell you what they want. I love a challenge. I even relax and practice presentations honing my skills even to the next level. I even try new presentations. Take advantage of the slow time to expand your know ledge.

Rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH crankbaits dives to 10ft. There's enough colors to match your local colors. I like the chartruese color at dawn and the evenings. Bomber model A #05 reel it slow. Red, Brown, green any craw color. Rapala jointed countdown. I vertical jig it. Inline spinners mepps #3, #4. When the #3 action slows down out on the #4.

I just had muskie and great northern pike lures, light Jensen peacock bass lures and saltwater poppers painted in lmb colors. The mister twister super top props, light Jensen props and poppers look great. I did post pics years ago. There painted in perch, bluegill, redear, sunfish, goldfish blue/orange bottom on the poppers. Mepps Anglia #3, #4 & #5 inlines. I'm thinking big lures bigger bass. Terry Clark did the work.

I still have my D.A.M. QUICK 110 and 110N there on there original rods a Fenwick ul, and a ul Garcia five star. The reels were $30 in the early 70's and the five star rod was $21. I seen the 110 in a antique store for $70. You know your old when some of your fishing stuff you still use sometimes is antique.

Early mornings before dawn. Early evenings till dark.

Mepps Timber Doodle silver blade white grub. Work it slow and let it drop into the open weed pockets. Grub on a weighted hook. Shallow A bomber crank. Slow reel, stop and twitch it. Mister Twister top prop. Slow reel the stop let it go vertical, sit and watch the blow up. Spooks walk the dog slowly. 1-2-3 pause.

On a slow day I practice my presentations and look for flaws. Actually the bass will let us know when it's right.

I caught more bass and other fish on the bomber FAT A and model A crankbaits. rapala f7 blue or black, inline spinners, spinflys and spinnerbaits. I purchased a $2 orange spook a off the wall brand and caught many bass with it the next day. Success is choosing the right bait, the right size the right color along with the correct presentation. My favorite presentation is slow. Add a shot of bass scent and your good to go. I have a box of experience cranks that were bragged to be so good they caught weeds only. That live target baitball catches zip, nada, nothin. Now I'm going to buy a $250 lure? I'll out fish it with a bomber crank. Does that lure come with a boat? Lol I do not fish with expensive over priced stuff. Give me a $15 old time real BASS rod with a fin-nor spinning reel. I just purchased ten lews spinning rods. I'll try them. So far not bad. I maybe too frugal. We grew up poor I had to rake leaves and cut grass to buy fishing stuff. To me a 202 zebco was the top of the line. Then in my 20's I used the D.A.M. QUICK spinning reels. There wasn't much out there besides the Mitchell 300. I had those too. The Garcia five star rods? You guys got it made today.

I been using in the past the culprit 12" black shad. There harder to find but www.brannansbass.com/ has all culprit worms. I also put a worm glass rattle in the head. Sorry luck is at the casino, it's skill with fishing.

I been fishing the same places now for a longtime. I notice what the hot bait last year isn't so hot this year. I change lure types, scents and colors till I get the bite back. They actually learn our lures, the smell of our scents too. I was fishing on a slow day I know this spot has good sized bass and plenty of them. I'm using a inline spinner silver blade black skirt. Spraying regular bass scent like I always use, nothing, nada. I switch to a garlic scent and the bite frenzy is on. So we're the baseball pitcher it's change up time. I love the challenge to get them to bite. I know they are there. Change lure sizes, types and colors. Change your presentations, don't go too fast, fish slow. Change scents. Wear darker clothes, wash your hands. Wash your tackle boxes, lures.

There only fully stocked up on freshwater tackle in the springtime. As the stuff runs low it's clearances for room for hunting stuff. The space becomes costly. I was shopping there in Jan to march grabbing clearances on tackle, plastics, cranks, etc. I shop online mostly now. We have a local mom n pop bait shop with marked down tackle from the last century. I give it to the kids. Brannans bass shop in Texas is good. Before I moved the local deli even sold fishing stuff. Bait too.

You forget the inside rib meat is missing too. I was the rib cutter in a fast food place we served more meat than ribs. Big portions.

Ok I'll explain some stuff. Presentation senkos 1, Senkos on a c-rig, 1/8oz weight, 24" leader, weedless hook My senko presentation. Cast it out no scent. Let it fall and keep the line taunt to the rod tip. Move the rod with the line as it falls. Any slight nibble set the hook. Presentation senkos 2, Cast the c -rig out keep the line taunt and wiggle the rod tip adding a extra twitch as it falls be ready to set the hook. Lure color matters. Change colors.

I have a long nose ER hospital pliers. Never really important till three decades when a feisty chain pickerel swallowed my bomber crankbait. My older brother warned me about them biting. I carried that pliers in my scent box. That fish tried to bite me multiple times. Both trebles were deep but I saved him. Fish hooks? I was salt water fishing casting a open face reel. The hook dug in above my ankle. It stopped 8" up my leg. My dad was with me, he was a medic in the army. He fixed it up.

Rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH dives to 10 feet. I'm fishing 9'/10' of water. I spray it with craw scent and throw it out as far as I can in the open channel along side the weedline. Now i do a sweep back with the rod so it dives to 10'. Once it reaches bottom I reel it slow. Just fast enough so it bumps the bottom. On rivers I let it float into the deeper pools around the rocks. I let the current take it over and around the rocks. Even a shallow river with pools can produce 3lb bass. I work the spinflys the same way on rivers too.